Thursday, June 24, 2010

I Can't Let Go

Linda Ronstadt's version of "I Can't Let Go" just came up on the IPod.  You might be aware that, um, I know somebody that has a long-standing connection to that song.

Like Bob Lefsetz, this was the first version of the song I ever heard, and the first time we ever worked it up with Evie, I tried to persuade her to use the little blues riff at the end that's unique to Ronstadt's version of the song.

If you've never been on the receiving end of Evie's withering stare, it is something to behold.  I never brought that up again.

I recently did a google search and ran across an entry for "lyrics for 'I Can't Let Go' by Adam Marsland."  This is totally wrong and an accident of databasing, since my only contribution to the version that nominally is mine is bad background singing and worse guitar playing, but even though it's credit undeserved, I can't deny having a little pride at being associated with the song.  I take greater pride, though, at embarrassing Evie every time we play the song by educating the audience as to just WHO is about to sing it.  I think it's my favorite part of the show sometimes, though sometimes I get a little carried away, as was the case on LONG PROMISED ROAD where we had to bury in the mix my introduction of "EVIE M**HERF**KING SAAAANNNNNDDSSSS!"

I'm pleased to announce, by the way, that we're finally going to do an all-Evie Chaos Band show on November 5.

Now if only we could do that little blues riff at the end...

8 comments:

  1. Now Tim McGraw is on my IPod. WHY is Tim McGraw even ON my IPod?

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  2. Why is Tim McGraw on your iPod? Maybe he has a song you can cover in a 50-song night. Regarding Evie and "I Can't Let Go": This is where it all began; I've told you the story and also wrote it up for my Old Curiousity Shop column in DaBelly.com. I even have a compilation CD that has both the 1965 and the 2006 versions back to back. I like the way the audience in LPR hears Ms. T start up the bass line and there's an "Oh boy! Evie's going to sing 'I Can't Let Go'!" vibe quite audible. I think the first time you did the "Any other band is a cover" intro was at the Sounds of Summer gig up near Folsom. Back in the last century, I was a big fan of Ms. Ronstadt; when I worked for the Edison Co. on a rotating-shift job, our Employee Activities group arranged for special tickets to one of her shows. When I came to work the afternoon that the bulletin arrived, one of my colleagues said, "I already checked, you're off duty that day." But Linda went into semi-retirement in the 90's, leaving me without a singer to admire. Then I met Evie, and opened up a whole new chapter, that "Ain't Done Yet."

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  3. I have no intention of covering Tim McGraw, EVER.

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  4. Wow! Talk about removing all doubt! My son-in-law Lester sometimes plays bass with a C&W band out in the Castaic area, don't know if they do any Tim Tunes. But he does have the hat.

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  5. Really? An all Evie show? I may need to take a field trip for that one.

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  6. ...Withering stare? Haha... feigned wither. So it worked? Good to know for my next acting job :)

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  7. Next acting job where you reprise your roll as a...wait, nevermind. ;)

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  8. I was more familiar with the Hollies' version - never really cared that much for Ms Ronstadt's. But once I heard Evie's original there was no doubt who owns that song.

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