Song For a Winters Night- What the heck is that?

[Cathy]

I'm going to agree with Watchman. I think it's one of those old fashioned metronomes with a swinging arm that gives off a click for each beat. It's probably more prominent on the remastered CDs.
I heard the same sound today on another song from the UA Collection. It think it was on Peaceful Waters, but I'm not positive. I was driving along in the car and thought I had a tire out of balance and the keys were clicking together. Then I turned down the stereo and didn't hear it.
There are many experienced musicians who use metronomes. Sometimes, it's hard to keep the tempo at a steady pace, especially when there are three or four other musicians playing along. It could be that Lightfoot had a problem keeping the tempo up when he recorded SFAWN, and he resorted to using a metronome. It's not an uncommon practice.

Cathy

[Rebecca]

Is Gord or anyone else who records with him in the habit of showing up unclothed?
Rebecca
quote:Originally posted by Restless:
"...the clicking is much too crisp to be someone slapping their thigh." AHA! But what if that thigh is not clothed!

[Rebecca]

Maybe Richard Harison at the newsgroup would have an answer for this. Does anyone volunteer to ask him? I have some difficulty posting there.
Rebecca
quote:Originally posted by Cathy:
I'm going to agree with Watchman. I think it's one of those old fashioned metronomes with a swinging arm that gives off a click for each beat. It's probably more prominent on the remastered CDs.
I heard the same sound today on another song from the UA Collection. It think it was on Peaceful Waters, but I'm not positive. I was driving along in the car and thought I had a tire out of balance and the keys were clicking together. Then I turned down the stereo and didn't hear it.
There are many experienced musicians who use metronomes. Sometimes, it's hard to keep the tempo at a steady pace, especially when there are three or four other musicians playing along. It could be that Lightfoot had a problem keeping the tempo up when he recorded SFAWN, and he resorted to using a metronome. It's not an uncommon practice.

Cathy

[brink]

There is a couple songs that Barry Keane actually does use a block of wood and taps on it with his drum stick, could this be what you are hearing?

[gwen snyder]

Brink, Yeah, I remember seeing him with the block of wood in a concert.

[Restless]

No, no, no, Rebecca. I said the thigh might be bare, as with short pants. One can tap on one's skin and get a "crisper" sound than on pants, etc. It is merely a theory, not an invitation to imagine Lightfoot and his bandmates performing at a nudist colony!

[Restless]

Following one more listen, I conclude this... The sound is more of a "pat" than a "click," and I would expect clicking from a metronome. Also, the pats enter at a specific, logical point in the song; a metronome would be present from beginning to end, no? What could produce the pats? I'm inclined to believe it's the palms of someone's hands, doing a light clap for the beat. So that's my final answer: it's merely gentle clapping!

[Rebecca]

Restless,
You did say that, but an unclothed thigh presents a less compelling mental picture than an unclothed body.
Rebecca
P.S. Has anyone seen that Reno DVD or video where, during "Cold on the Shoulder" (I think), Barry Keane strikes the cymbal post repeatedly with his drumstick?


quote:Originally posted by Restless:
No, no, no, Rebecca. I said the thigh might be bare, as with short pants. One can tap on one's skin and get a "crisper" sound than on pants, etc. It is merely a theory, not an invitation to imagine Lightfoot and his bandmates performing at a nudist colony!

I wonder how many musicians have started use of a metronome 35 seconds into a song? From my LIMITED use of them, I am very sure of myself that the metronome IS the beat and it seems pointless to hope to get lucky that the machine will come in with a precise timing and match perfectly to a song already in progress. I think Gordon is tapping his ring against the neck of his guitar. That's
my humble opinion and I'm sticking to it.

[gwen snyder]

Titan, there is just some similarity in what you said there man that releases some directionless thought... and it is subtle... are you reading into this thing farther than all of us clumsy (whoops, better speak for myself on this one right guys?) inept humans are capable of understanding? Or is it more poignant than even that? This elusiveness is causing some anxiety in my little mind.

[Martin/12]

Playing guitar and tapping your ring would be almost impossible. If it was a metronome, why would thye want it in the final mix? This must be a percussion instrument. Possibly a drumstick hitting the rim of a snare. It doesn't seem to fit or add much to the song instrumentally, but I would say that's what it is.

[gwen snyder]

I agree that it does sound like a wood object or it could be a percussion instrument. It sounds reasonable.

Ahhhhh! But tapping a ring and HOLDING a guitar would be somewhat simple. SFWAN doesn't use too much acoustic guitar after the first 20 or so seconds and I am confident
that it's not Gordon on bass guitar.

[Chris in Virginia]

Sorry Titan, but there is absolutely no way anyone is tapping a ring on a guitar. It may be a metronome, but the drum stick on the side of the snare sounds the most plausable. The guitar mix may fade a bit as the song progresses, but I am rather sure that Gord played all of the way through the song. It would not make sense to only play guitar a little bit, and then decide to tap the finger. That would leave a void that may not be noticeable, but would be there none the less.

Who would have thought this topic would still have legs? What fun!

I didn't word my last post very well. Gord plays acoustic guitar all through SFAWN. The
acoustic guitar may not have a dominating role but more of a supportive role. Are there any guitar players in the audience that can lend their opinion as to if it would be possible to tap a ring against a neck of a guitar and play at the same time?

I WANT THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!

What the heck is it?


[This message has been edited by titan (edited August 22, 2003).]

[Chris in Virginia]

That blasted clicking. Now it's haunting my days and nights. I hear it in my sleep. It's drowning out the voices! Stop the voices!


ps. I do play guitar, and you can't do it. I guess you could try, but try doing that while finger picking and changing chords, and you are in a world of hurt that sounds like s--t.

I agree that it's not Gord tapping his ring against the guitar neck. Now I am not a guitar player so I believe you players that it's not possible to do. But for the purposes of this discussion, the reason it's not possible is because I don't think Gord wears a ring on his left hand while playing. If you had seen him in concerts, even recently (before you-know-what), the obvious lack of wedding ring is blatant to those of us who look. He once said that he's afraid it would catch on the frets. So if he feels that way about his wedding ring...I would guess that he would feel that way about any ring.

The caveat to this is that he did wear it during the taping of the Reno special out of respect to Elizabeth.

I want to admit that the tapping ring theory
is loosing momentum quickly now. My little boy has a Happy Meal toy that makes an identical sound. Could a kid of snuck in the studio and found a place to hide? Then
played with his Happy Meal toy?

[TheWatchman]

quote:Originally posted by paddletothesea:
[QUOTE]Actually Shackelton did not survive on bannock but maily seal meat and fat etc. Bannock is made with pounding meat and mixing with berries and sometimes oats etc. Its like modern day jerky granola etc. It was traditional food for voyaguers, mountain men, indians and trappers etc. Now its sort of made useing flour water and berries etc. Like a big flat think pancake. Its really heavy and good.



Yes Paddle, Shackleton ate more than just bannock. My attempt was not to go into a blow by blow account of his diet. I threw that into a joke.

By the way, I have read several books on that voyage (as well as some of the actual writing from some of the diaries) and they did indeed survive mainly on bannock mixed with fish. Period. Seal meat/fat was very hard to come by and some of the men could not stomach the fat. Seal meat/fat was a real treat when they got it. Bannock it was. They also ate most of the adult dogs too but I did not want to give a blow by blow account for just a silly story.

I don't know where you got your info., but I would re-read some of the facts before you start with the "actually" stuff.

[brink]

Okay Watchman, the dog thing was too much information for me. I do not want a blow by blow about that. I just went to the movie Open Range with Kevin Costner, there was a dog killed in there-he had the wolf killed in Dances with Wolves, he needs to stop that.

Brink
a soft touch for animals(as far as people I have a list).

The tapping on the wood from Barry Keane is on the song Restless.

[This message has been edited by brink (edited August 24, 2003).]

[BILLW]

brink,

Not to go too far off topic here but I'm with you as far as a soft touch for mutts. BTW so is The Watchman, he used to have some nice pictures of his pups posted somewhere around here. Anyhoo, does Gordon mention dogs in any of his tunes? I can't recall. Got CRS coming on strong these days.

Bill

Maybe that's a dog making that noise? LOL

[Cathy]

quote:Originally posted by BILLW:
brink,

Not to go too far off topic here but I'm with you as far as a soft touch for mutts. BTW so is The Watchman, he used to have some nice pictures of his pups posted somewhere around here. Anyhoo, does Gordon mention dogs in any of his tunes? I can't recall. Got CRS coming on strong these days.

Bill

Maybe that's a dog making that noise? LOL

Yes. There's a theory that Bitter Green is about a dog.

Actually, I don't know if any of Gord's songs mention dogs, but on one of his radio interviews, he says they have a dog, a yellow lab named Mischief, I believe.

[Edited because the dog wanted to find out if it's true blondes have more fun, so she bleached her hair from black to yellow.... Evidently, it worked, because now her name is Mischief].

Cathy http://www.cathycowette.com



[This message has been edited by Cathy (edited August 24, 2003).]

[Brian 57]

So, to sum up where we are so far: It's Gord's Labrador (that is alive and well because Kevin Costner hasn't made a movie with it) that is tapping its paw in time with the music, even though no one needed it to because they can all keep time on their own. Now, who wants to write to Gord and tell him he needs to get his dog's toenails clipped?

[brink]

That was great Brian!

[Cathy]

quote:Originally posted by BILLW:
brink,

Not to go too far off topic here but I'm with you as far as a soft touch for mutts. BTW so is The Watchman, he used to have some nice pictures of his pups posted somewhere around here. Anyhoo, does Gordon mention dogs in any of his tunes? I can't recall. Got CRS coming on strong these days.

Bill

Maybe that's a dog making that noise? LOL

Actually, Gord did write a song about a dog, "An Old Friend" on the WB Demos. Here are the lyrics.

An Old Friend
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Be still you good old friend, be still you faithful one
You dare not leave my sight

Be still you good old friend, be still and dream your dreams
Of days of youth and love

Be still you good old friend, remember that Christmas tree
Where our two hearts became as one

Recall the fields of hay, where you would romp and run
A small boy at your side

The years have quickly flown, a child I am no more
But I will love you always

Be still you good old friend, be still you faithful one
You dare not leave my sight

Thanks to Valerie for this info, and to Wayne for posting the lyrics on his site.


Cathy http://www.cathycowette.com