Top Rickenbacker Songs

[admin]

John a great question with so many great answers as we have seen here. So as not to duplicate I will add just a few of my favourite classics. Don't forget Blue Rodeo's "Till I Am Myself Again." Also memorable is The Syndicate of Sound's "Little Girl." Finally, how about Paul Revere and the Raiders "Kicks." Don't be fooled by the youtube footage, just listen carefully. For a bonus what about "It's My Life" by the Animals a riff that cuts through it all. Good luck on the show John.

[jdogric12]

Here is one approach. I'd start by listing the top Rick six artists. An easy way to do that is by looking at the limited editions and picking 6.
PT
RM
SH
JL
CS
TP
GF
LK
CW

I struck GF and CW since they weren't as exclusive to Ricks as the others. SH just didn't make the final cut, but hey, look at her competition there!

With these six, I think I'd have to say
Hard Day's Night
Mr. Tambo, Urine Man
I Can't Explain
Roundabout
Ace of Spades
The Waiting

which almost exactly mirrors an earlier list in this thread. Just had to switch to the Waiting since you more clearly hear the Ricks, it was a bigger hit in the long run (IMHO), and there are 2 Ricks in the video instead of 1. Just my $0.02.

For the Byrds, I'd like to select TTT or 8MH, but let's face it, Mr. T was THE ONE that really kicked it off and put the sound on the map, possibly even moreso than HDN.

[sloop_john_b]

The One I Love - REM

I believe I read on this forum that this was a Les Paul...maybe just the solo?

A Girl Like You

Pat & Jim used Strats & Teles in the studio, no? Not sure about Mesaros.

[admin]

An interesting approach Jason. Please let us know the results of your analysis.

[sloop_john_b]

I think your list is certainly quintessential J - it just seems a shame to leave out Peter, Paul, and Paulie. But I guess that's the point of narrowing it down!

[rickyfricky]

I'd like to put in a good word for "All You Need Is Love".

Heard it on local radio yestadee and the Macca's spirited bass line really JUMPED out at me.

[Clint]

For bass, my vote is for Freewill, Rush. 12 string, well there's a lot to choose from. And as for 6 string, what about something from the Peter Banks period of Yes? Something like Looking Around, great guitar and bass.

[sloop_john_b]

And as for 6 string, what about something from the Peter Banks period of Yes? Something like Looking Around, great guitar and bass.

"Quintessential" though?

[Kingbreaker]

It's too bad that John, Paul, and George couldn't all use their Ricks on the same tune at least once.

It would be great if Ricks were represented for more than just "oldies." Putting too much thought into this, I would approach the task by thinking about "slots." I can only suggest artists for a lot of these, unfortunately, and not singles.

Slot 1: Classic 12-string Jangle
- Byrds (any early single)
- Beatles (If I needed someone)
- Tom Petty (pick one.)

Slot 2: Prog Bass
- Rush (Freewill. or "Xanadu" if this is a long radio show.)
- Yes (Any CS Single)

Slot 3: 80s/90s Indie Pop "Alternative"
- REM: Driver 8
- XTC: Sense Working Overtime
- The Smiths (not familiar enough to suggest a song)
- Midnight Oil - Blue Sky Mine

Slot 4: Harder, "punk" sounds
- The Jam: In the City
- Smithereens

Slot 5: Metal
- Cliff Burton, Geezer, Lemmy










Here was my first list, but my revised thoughts are above

Beatles: Rain [or] Paperback Writer
Rush: Any single with the 4001/4002. [or] Yes - any well-known song with CS.
Byrds - any early single
XTC: Senses Working Overtime
REM: Driver 8 (for the guitar & bass twofer)
The Jam: In the City


These are definitely not the most "well known" Rick songs, but they do represent a range of sounds and styles that we all know work with our favorite guitars and basses.

[jdogric12]

I think your list is certainly quintessential J - it just seems a shame to leave out Peter, Paul, and Paulie. But I guess that's the point of narrowing it down!

Agreed.

[sloop_john_b]

The Jam: In the City

I always thought the guitar was a Tele...not sure about the bass.

[Kingbreaker]

The Jam: In the City

I always thought the guitar was a Tele...not sure about the bass.

No idea here myself - just going on common associations

[Kingbreaker]

I dunno, I'd probably skip The Beatles altogether (sorry folks), everyone knows they played Ricks. And maybe even some of the rest of the old Rick standards (even though there's tons of good stuff there). Maybe we should include some newer artists that use Ricks such as Muse, Radiohead, Of Mosters and Men, etc.

Don't get me wrong, there's tons of wonderful old classic stuff that was played on Ricks, but hey, Ricks aren't just for old classic rock, they're just as good for today's music as they were back when the classics were the cutting edge...

YEs, a thousand times.

[deaconblues]

JDog, that's exactly the way I created my list - narrowing down the sig. editions.

[Clint]

And as for 6 string, what about something from the Peter Banks period of Yes? Something like Looking Around, great guitar and bass.

"Quintessential" though?

Bright, clear, ringing tone? I'd say yes.