Briks and Gentlemen

[chas_kit]

Listen to the opening guitar riff:

The Animals' first UK single, "Baby Let Me Take You Home"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjS0VI0kxgQ

I haven't heard Ric Von Schmidt's version in ages, but I think that guitar bit is Hilton Valentine's own contribution.

The Briks' version, date uncertain but possibly recorded around the time they did the Sump'n Else show in October, 1966:

Briks - Baby Let Me Take You Home

The Gentlemen's It's a Cry'n Shame, released February 1967 I believe:

Gentlemen - It's a Cry'n Shame

 

[Stampy]

Chris there is also The Kravats' version of Baby let me take you home.

 

[Mr.Segment]

Listen to the opening guitar riff:

The Animals' first UK single, "Baby Let Me Take You Home"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjS0VI0kxgQ

I haven't heard Ric Von Schmidt's version in ages, but I think that guitar bit is Hilton Valentine's own contribution.

The Briks' version, date uncertain but possibly recorded around the time they did the Sump'n Else show in October, 1966:

Briks - Baby Let Me Take You Home

The Gentlemen's It's a Cry'n Shame, released February 1967 I believe:

Gentlemen - It's a Cry'n Shame

Good call! I never notice stuff like that. Anyone asked one of the Gentlemen if they'd heard the Briks version on tv/live or if it was copped off the Animals?

 

[mansson66]

I doubt it's intentional... sounds more like a coincidence to these ears... The Gentlemen riff is just scale notes played in a row, based on the songs' chord progression, and so is the Animals riff. It's like playing a bass run on the guitar, turning it into a 'riff'. Briks play it a bit stiffer which makes it sound slightly closer to the Gentlemen... but if you're a fairly good guitarist there's absolutely no need to hear someone else play the 1st 3rd & 4th note in every chord like that. It's one of those riffs that, if you know your instrument, are 'already there' so to speak.

 

[legbarecords]

When we recorded this song with the Cobras we based it on the Hoagy Lands version which includes the same intro. Van Ronk claimed to have taken it from Blind boy Fuller but I've never heard that version.

 

[chas_kit]

Thanks for pointing out the Hoagy Lands version, I'd never heard that before.

I don't hear that kind of intro in the Blind Boy Fuller or Gary Davis ("Please Baby") versions. The Animals was released in March of '64, but their disc gives song writing credit to Bert Russell (Berns) and Wes Farrell, who produced the Hoagy Lands disc, so I presume the Lands disc is earlier. Maybe studio guitarist Eric Gale came up with that intro, or was there an earlier arrangement with it?

I agree with mansson66, this isn't such an uncommon riff, but I think there could have been a progression from one version to the next. The Briks took the tempo up a notch, which matches what the Gentlemen would do. Seab Meador of the Gentlemen certainly made something original out of it, in any case.