Remember When" by Lloyd Green

Reggie Duncan · From: Mississippi

From the incredible Lloyd Green!

Reggie,
When we started to work on this song, after we had completed another tune they had started on the morning session, the first inclination was that Brent Mason would do the solo. At that point Keith Stegall, Alan's record producer told everyone that he and Alan wanted me to play the solo, an entire verse. This in itself was unusual since there have been very few long steel solos on singles by a major artist in the past 15 years.
After thinking about it for a few moments Brent came over and told me and the band that since this was for the steel, let's really highlight it by separating the solo from the vocal. He came up with the clever modulation, and rhythm guitarist Bruce Watkins, had the idea of how to make a sensible transition back to Alan's lyrics in A with me and the band playing an E sus/E. It is a seamless construction and, indeed, gives the illusion of the steel being another vocalist, answering the thoughts Alan has spun.
When I asked Keith if he had any direction he wanted me to take with such an extended solo his words were, "No, we want you to play it the way you think it should be played." I did.
As I started to leave the session ( they were doing another one at 6 PM, which I wasn't on), I told Keith that he had a really good solo but it wasn't all in one take (I had given him and Alan 7 different solos) and he would have to use parts of at least two solos to get my best playing. He was convinced it was there so I left.
A couple of weeks later I received a call from Keith one morning and he said, " Lloyd, Alan really likes what you are playing on "Remember When" so I would like for you and me to go back in the studio and get the solo in one complete pass." I readily agreed because that's the way my best solos were always done, in one complete pass, without the artificiality of bits and pieces, and Keith knew this. I had worked many times with him before my original retirement and he had, in fact, called me while in retirement to try and get me to record again.
Anyway, a few days later we re-recorded the solo of "Remember When", this time in Keiths private studio. Just him, John Kelton (his and Alan Jackson's recording engineer) and me.
It was a wonderful event for me, one I will long remember. In all, I gave Keith 23 complete and original solos of "Remember When", many quite different from what is on the record.
As I started to leave he put his arm around my shoulders and said, "Welcome back, Lloyd, welcome back. Just think, when this record comes out yours will be the steel solo heard around the world!"
I left a happy man. Until the song was included in Alan's "Best Of, Vol. Two", I wasn't certain my entire solo would be used nor which one.
To say Alan Jackson and Keith Stegall were generous and trusting to let me not only play on this song, but also entrust such an important solo to a guy who had been absent the recording arena for 15 years, would be to understate my gratitude.
Tomorrow morning, February 2nd, "Remember When" moves to the #1 slot in both Billboard and R&R magazines, the two industry bibles for music. At the same time it moves to #29 in the Billboard Hot 100.

Lloyd Green

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

I admit when it came out, I was busy listening over and over to Lloyd's "Revisited" CD annd re reading the attached letter from this supernaturally humble great man. I missed the Remember When cut, as I've been terribly swamped with other concerns.

Then, last weekend I heard the start of a steel run on the FM dial. I turned it up LOUD, and thought, "you know, they just don't do that anymore." ( give the steel more than a 5 second break.). Then, I did as I usually do, and mentally tried to "cop the lick".

Yeah well....

Mr Green has an uncanny talent for not just being as tasteful as they come, but for coming up with licks that you can't just "cop". It's kind of like an "encrypted protection". Harley James and I here locally both marvel at this facility, and durned if we can "crack"it.

Hopefully much more to come from Mr Green.

I was asked the other night at the Moose, "Who I've Played With". I came up with a dozen local names, and mostly, I've forgotten. It set me thinking, in Lloyd, Buddy, Hal, Weldon, Bobby, John, and others' cases, it's "Who's Played With Them."

Mr. Jackson is the lucky one in this case.

So are we.

That's my take on it anyhow..

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

That is a CLASS piece of steel guitarin' for certain... nobody could have sounded better than LG on that cut ... bob

John Lacey · From: Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada

"Tomorrow morning, February 2nd, "Remember When" moves to the #1 slot in both Billboard and R&R magazines, the two industry bibles for music." Lloyd, mission accomplished.

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Charles Curtis · Posted 2 Feb 2004 6:48 am

Lloyd, please don't ever retire and leave us. The world needs your music and I hope that you will do another CD soon. I really appreciate the "feeling" that you convey in your music and the flawless picking. I'm really pushing my luck here but have you thought about doing a solo video?

Marco Schouten · From: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

In all, I gave Keith 23 complete and original solos of "Remember When", many quite different from what is on the record.
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Now there's someting I want to have on a CD.

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Steelin' Greetings
Marco Schouten
Sho-Bud LLG; Guyatone 6 string lap steel; John Pearse bar; Emmons bar; Evans SE200 amp

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

Is tab for the solo available anywhere?

Bill Simmons · From: Keller, Texas/Birmingham, AL, R.I.P.

I agree with Marco!! It would be incredible to hear so many musical interpetations by Lloyd...23...I'd have a hard time trying to "copying" his one solo (with Tab) let alone coming with 23 variations!!

What sweet tone and an example of 'emotion' in one's playing...Lloyd is the best!

Gary Peaslee · From: Hideaway, TX USA

Lloyd Green personifies the whole reason I started playing the steel guitar. To me, the steel guitar provides the "emotion" in a good country song. And nobody gets more emotion out of the steel guitar than Lloyd. When broken down, his solo is really not that complicated, but that's what makes it so beautiful. As a fairly new player, what has surprised me most is how hard it is to achieve good tone. I may be able to play the sames notes, but I cannot make them sound nearly as good as Lloyd or any of the other great players. I am in awe of Lloyd Green's talent, execution, and artistry to not only be able to create music but also make it sound so beautiful. I had the priviledge of hearing him play this beautiful song in St. Louis last Sept. Sure, Alan Jackson is a mega star, but I think the inclusion of Lloyd Green is a big reason why this song has gone #1 (knowing Lloyd he would never take credit for this). Other producers would be wise to note this, and ask Lloyd to play more in the future. And Lloyd, if you are listening, I hope you will consider coming to Dallas in March to give all of your true fans another opportunity to hear your masterful playing.

Frank Estes · From: Huntsville, AL

Monster Tone! I had a feeling it was Lloyd, but I thought it could have been Paul. There were some subtleties in the tone and execution that made me think it was probably Lloyd! Wow!

I am guessing it was his "old" Sho~Bud? I wonder what amp system.

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Frank Estes - 1978 Emmons D-10 8+7 #2441D

Duane Marrs · From: Madison, Tennessee, USA

Frank, We are pleased that Lloyd used his original LDG # 1 with our replacement fingers Jeff installed while he was working on his album. The amp was an old twin and a Custom "open-back" Marrs cabinet equipped with a JBL D130. I beleive Lloyd also experimented with our Custom 2x12 cabinet with D120's and the engineer prefered the 15".

Frank Estes · From: Huntsville, AL

Thank you, Duane!

Terry Wood · From: Lebanon, MO

Laborday Weekend, I heard Lloyd play his instrumental version of this song. He talked about the recording session at Scotty's Convention this year and what a great song Alan Jackson had written and had recorded.

Honestly, I believe this to be the best steel ride on a session that I have heard in the past 10 years or so.

Of course, I am a little biased since Lloyd is one of my favorite steel players of all time and my earliest real mentor of the steel guitar.

This again proves to all of us what a true artist he really is.

GOD bless you Lloyd and Dot and family!

Terry J. "Woody" Wood

Rick Johnson · From: Wheelwright, Ky USA

Congrats Lloyd on a Number One hit.
All I can think about now is the other
solos that were not used.
I got to do a little studio work last
week and your style has rubbed off
on me. I kept thinking what would Lloyd
use? It made me play my best ever.
Then the guy did Borrowed Angel in E.
I nailed it with your intro from your
new CD.
Thanks again Lloyd!!

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Rick Johnson

Walter Stettner · From: Vienna, Austria

"Remember When" is a true masterpiece! Also I'm so glad that I heard Lloyd do the complete instrumental version of the song in St. Louis last year! Unforgettable!

Kind Regards, Walter
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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Chris Forbes · From: Beltsville, MD, USA

I have got to crawl out from whatever rock I'm living under. I still haven't heard the song yet because I'm afraid to listen to the top 40 "country" station here in D.C. While there are exceptions to every rule, it just seems to be a waste of time to listen to the vast percentage of drivel being played.

Gary Lee Gimble · From: Fredericksburg, VA.

Chris, on your next visit over to my pad for a steel lesson, I'll share with you both versions. Lloyd at the ISGC and of course A J's. I also worked out a reasonable facsimile of Lloyd's break since my band is performing Remember When. I'll fumble through that for you to, bring a set of ear plugs.
Heir Gimble

Ron Page · From: Penn Yan, NY USA

I've got all of Alan's CD's except the 2 greatest hits collections. I'm going to have to buy this latest one just for that song. I don't listen to so-called country radio anymore and so I haven't heard AJ's cut.

Glad to know that Mr. Nashville Sound is back to being parto of #1 on the charts. Why, I can remember when...

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HagFan

Dave Burr · From: League City, TX

Chris/Ron/ALL, You can listen to Lloyd's solo from the Alan Jackson version at the Rebel/Ricky/Jeff website. Just click the link below.
http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/2003.html

Respectfully,
Dave Burr

[This message was edited by Dave Burr on 04 February 2004 at 11:39 AM.]

Chris Forbes · From: Beltsville, MD, USA

Thanks Gary, I'm looking forward to it.

Walter Stettner · From: Vienna, Austria

I missed "remember When" for a while because I was waiting for a new AJ album until I found out by accident that this song is on Greatest Hits II, a compilation of already released material plus two new songs. I wonder how many bought this record just because of that one song (I did!).

Personally I think it is not fair to release a Greatest Hits album with one or two new songs on it, so all you get is one or two songs for the price of an album, usually I don't buy, but in this case Lloyd Green was definitely worth it!

Kind Regards, Walter
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Well I finally got A.J. G.H. V.II over here.

Lloyd, very well done, as pretty as it gets!

Bravo A.J. for featuring a great master of the PSG.

Now another note NO ONE prepared me for Stuart Duncan's beautiful mandolin work
on Remember When..
I went to this cut 1st and had no preconcieved notions about how it would start,
but suddenly I was starting at the speakers going "Whoaa, sweet!".
I was a bit sad the strings came in so loud shortly there after, drowning out the others, but they ARE real strings.

Finaly there comes that great modulation and Lloyd just laying down pure beauty!

A touch too much strings at the end, but nothing stepping on Lloyd, and well done. Nit picky producer here LOL.
Fine song and singer too.

I am not unhappy with this being a collection, because I had no AJ before.
And It is also wonderful because Paul Franklin does some great work too, I had not really heard him as an acompanyist much over here (yeah I know, but I have his double solo album),
and Stuart Duncan is my favorite fiddler, and Brent Mason is super too.

As far as A.J.'s body of work here, It does sound very country, and is also a generally
good evocations of love, love lost, longing, sentiment, and a bit of melancoly.
Production wise it makes me think of updated Chet Atkins work for several artists back when.

The island inflence made me think of later Hank Snow.

Well that's a nice way to start the day!

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 19 February 2004 at 04:49 AM.]

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