C&L's Late Nite Music Club Honors Les Paul, 1915-2009
There are few who have steered the course of an art form the way Les Paul did. Had he not invented the solidbody electric guitar or the multi-track recorder, I'd still be writing an homage to a great innovator in jazz and pop guitar playing today, but fortunately for musicians and listeners alike, he was much more.
Les Paul (nee Lester William Polfus) heard sounds in his head that was beyond the technology available, and was ingenious and determined enough to chase after them. The result is the basic tools that make up rock and roll as we know it. I defy you to find any nonclassical recording after say, 1960, that wouldn't sound quite different if not for his contributions.
A musician foremost and a scientist second, Paul continued to play a weekly gig at New York's Iridium well into his nineties, frequently letting younger up and coming musicians and big names alike join him onstage for a chance to jam with a legend. It's an openness, lack of pretense and clear demonstration of a love of music that any performer who can claim .01% of Paul's impact would do well to learn from.
Les Paul died today at 94 from complications from pneumonia. The cliche about his work living on can not be understated.
Note: I apologize for the horribly sexist Listerine commerical midway through the clip, though it's kind of hilarious.
Thanks for all the music and innovations Les, you gave the world a whole new sound.
Also today Andy Kessler died of a bad reaction to a wasp sting. And Andy too helped give the world a little bit more edge. Thank You Andy...RIP
concur with your tribute. Les Paul (and Mary Ford) was/were unique.
for his work in multitrack recording alone. But he was much more talented than that, being a wizard guitar player and inventor.
RIP Les Paul
"Let's talk dirty to the animals"
...Without Les Paul, there never would be Slash ! (or anyone else who can truly play, not just pose...)
Thank you, Les Paul.
Sleep well, dear man.
Mary Ford .. darning socks .. my grandmother did that .. now we just throw them away and buy new ones ..
Listerine Antiseptic MouthWash .. old old medicine made from thymol .. an oil extracted from thyme ..
Old ways .. but not that old ..
Democracy is too important to be entrusted to politicians.
Rise Up!
Protest!
(not to sidetrack the memorial) -- but I don't know that the Listerine ad is all that sexist -- I mean in isolation, I guess I see your point, but they had a ton of ads where it was the guy who wasn't pleasing the woman because of his breath. And they were just as odd.
Anyway, thanks for the tune and the memories.
Max, I believe you mean "overstated," but you're absolutely right.
Les Paul and Chet Atkins:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByGsHTlKmWk
Thanks, Batocchio!
You say sorry for the sexist commercial, but what about the words "Darktown Strutters" appearing on crooks and liars?
R.I.P. Les.
most times, it really doesnt apply
but with les paul...it does
the man was true genius....far ahead of his time
had it not been for uncle les, there would be no rock and roll
here is satriani and slash singing his praises
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UEhDfOftdY
here is les with his beautiful and talented wife, mary ford, describing his innovation of multi tracking and then playing...how high the moon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ffdwBUL78
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pk8r7SNM80
And those so very few like him , have been such an inspiration to how many countless millions , what they leave behind is nothing short of miracle .
You Sir , will never be forgoten and will for ever be a classic .
every time you throw a little mud , you lose a little ground .
He will not be forgotten. His spirit will live on in in the future musicians that will look back and be thankful that such a person existed.
Thanks for the memories Les.
Sitting aroung in the back yard darning socks & playing jazzy, multi-tracked rock-n-roll. Uncle Joe is right; on guitar playing, alone, the genius label applies. But as a pioneer of now common recording techniques like multitracking, overdubbing & phasing, plus perfecting, if not inventing, the solid body electric guitar, Paul's place in genius-dom is assured.
C & L , for providing the music club , its like a time out room , a place to explore and give thanks to those that have given us a picture of the world we can dream of .
Les and those like you , you are the best of what we are for now and ever more .
every time you throw a little mud , you lose a little ground .
recording of "Brazil." He recorded some of the tracks at half speed so they would sound extra fast when played at normal speed. He also pioneered the use of the "loop," a rhythm or phrase that is repeated throughout the song. Here he is doing it live.
Considering his contributions to the world of music and recording technology it's sad that his death won't get the month-long 24/7 coverage the "king of pop" received. RIP Les. Thanks for everything.
Let's see how far to the right they go before they fall off of the edge of this flat world.
les paul, tom dowd, and leo fender, bing crosby, and ampex, starting after the wwII, invented the recording industry. they hand built and experimented with old radio parts to create machines that have made the music industry possible.... sadly, the protools generation does not know that you had to be a good musician and songwriter to even get into a studio to record. now, any moron with a drum loop and mic will be considered a musician.... the better the technology gets the worse the music gets....
I got my black Gibson Les Paul custom back in 1979. Best guitar I ever had, that rich deep tone is one of a kind, which is why guitarists like Jimmy Page, Slash, and Pete Townsend sound so great. I sold it a few years ago and now have a cheap Strat imitation, boy do I miss that guitar! Rest in peace Les!
Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity. Albert Einstein
RIP Mr. Les Paul.
In November 2006 as a lifelong music lover I decided that I wanted to learn how to play guitar and I wanted to play a Les Paul.
Learning is fun and I doubt I will ever be really good, but it adds to my life. I enjoy it a lot and take lessons twice a month studying mostly blues and rock and roll. Theory is still vexing me a bit..
I now have two Gibson Les Paul guitars. One Standard and one 56 reissue goldtop. Just can't beat that LP sound!
Les Paul was a great guitarist and inventor but I don't think you can credit him alone with inventing the solidbody electric guitar. He may have come up with the idea independantly but others were there before him. His multi-track recordings though were many years ahead of their time.
LP and MF were all the rage when I was very young. I never could stand their sound. It always sounded (and still does) lightweight and emotionless. Her singing was fluffy at the best of times and when she appears on that terrible TV show it's even more boring and stilted.
I realize that Les Paul was a genius and when I've seen just him playing guitar I can see how great he was. The 2 of them, however, totally encapsulate all that was uptight and boring about 50's music, e.g., The McGuire Sisters, Patti Page, The 4 Aces, etc. What a thrill when R&B and R&R moved in to save us!
Joan of Oak
Comments are closed on this entry