| Author |
Topic: The Rutles (again) |
Matt Dawson
From:
Luxembourg, Europe
|
Posted 10 Apr 2006 6:02 am |
|
Just got the DVD. I'd forgotten how utterly brilliant it is -
I feel good, I feel bad
I feel happy , I feel sad,
Am I in loov, ooh-oo
I must be in loov.
The guitar solo on the above is one of my favourite solos of all time. It sounds like they had a real blast in the studio.
I think Roger Rettig took part in those sessions. Care to reminisce Roger?
Matt |
|
|
 |
Tony Harris
From:
England
|
Posted 10 Apr 2006 8:59 am
|
|
"I'm in doubt, I feel sure...."
When I first heard the Rutles, I couldn't believe that anyone could do such a good Beatles pastiche as this. Congrats to Neil Innes and everyone involved. The songs are SO Beatly, that in a few decades time when my memory starts to go, I'll probably think that "With a Girl Like You" was a REAL Baetles track... |
|
|
|
Jason Schofield
|
Posted 10 Apr 2006 10:11 pm
|
|
| I was such a Rutles (and Beatle of course) fanatic in high school. I used to get the Rutle songs stuck in my head more than the Beatles. Do I have to spell it out?? c.h.e.e.s.e.a.n.d.o.n.i.o.n.s oh no! Love em' |
|
|
|
Craig Stenseth
From:
Naperville, Illinois, USA
|
Posted 11 Apr 2006 4:01 am
|
|
| I think it was the trousers. |
|
|
|
Tony Harris
From:
England
|
Posted 11 Apr 2006 8:39 am
|
|
| They were...tight... |
|
|
|
Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
|
Posted 12 Apr 2006 6:45 pm
|
|
The idea for the Rutles was born when we did an episode of 'The Rutland Weekend' TV show with George Harrison (you may recall a recent photo here on the Forum).
I was then with a band called 'Fatso', and we'd hooked up with Neil Innes (ex-Bonzo Dog Doodah Band) and were doing some club and university dates. Eric Idle brought George to one of the gigs and, I believe, he then gave his blessing to the notion. Harrison wasn't pursuing any musical endeavours at that time, and I think he rather fancied getting involved in something light-hearted.
Eric certainly contributed to the Rutles material, but the credit really goes to Neil. His parodies were uncannily accurate, yet still original. He's an amazing musician, and I was very proud to share a stage with him.
'Fatso' (including me - I was 280 lbs back then, and it has been suggested that I inspired the choice of band-name  ) did play some early Rutles sessions, but there were a number of other musicians who joined the party later on. I'm afraid that I can no longer recall what I actually did.
You can see 'Fatso' in the film, but we're just a fleeting moment - a monochrome photo of Neil and us dressed in dreadful plaid band-jackets and gathered around a rusting Minivan in the BBC-TV parking lot.
RR[This message was edited by Roger Rettig on 12 April 2006 at 07:47 PM.] |
|
|
|
Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
|
Posted 13 Apr 2006 1:25 pm
|
|
| "Love is the meaning of life, life is the meaning of love....love life, love life"......brilliant. |
|
|
|
Craig Stock
From:
Westfield, NJ USA
|
Posted 22 Apr 2006 1:59 pm
|
|
Hey diddle diddle, cats in the fiddle, Piggy in the Middle, Wooooow!
Also loved the names, Barry Wom, Dirk McQuickly,
------------------
Regards, Craig
|
|
|
|
Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
|
Posted 23 Apr 2006 6:52 am
|
|
And don't forget "Leggy Mountbatten", their infamous manager who was mourned for going to Australia to become a teacher......or something like that.
"Ow-ow-ow-ow-owwwch!!"
From the Rutles smash hit, "Ouch!" |
|
|
|
Archie Nicol R.I.P.
From:
Ayrshire, Scotland
|
|
|
|
Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
|
Posted 31 May 2006 5:28 am
|
|
How thankful I am that I'm unable to access these YouTube clips with my dial-up connection!!!! For those of you who can, try to be kind - and bear in mind I'd only been playing a couple of months (well, a bit longer, but not much...)
It's been twenty years since I heard this, and I was embarrassed then....
RR[This message was edited by Roger Rettig on 03 June 2006 at 09:44 AM.] |
|
|
|
Rick McDuffie
From:
Benson, North Carolina, USA
|
Posted 3 Jun 2006 7:19 am
|
|
I don't think you did that badly, Roger! It must've been daunting to play the "My Sweet Lord" licks for George himself. Well, anyway, there's the proof that you were there. I'll never doubt you. 
Funny stuff... |
|
|
|
Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
|
Posted 3 Jun 2006 8:02 am
|
|
Thanks, Rick....
The daunting part for me was trying to play steel guitar under the pressure of a 'live TV' situation - it may have been recorded and later edited into the finished show, but we only had one pass at it.
George couldn't have been easier - or nicer - to work with. He was kind enough to say that he was knocked out by what Billy Bremner (the other guitar-player) and I did on Telecasters, so the steel was an additional feather in my cap as far as he was concerned. Only I was aware of how poorly I was doing.... 
As I may have related in an earlier thread, George, Billy and I spent hours discussing our mutual musical heroes - Lonnie Donegan, Chet Atkins and James Burton dominated the conversation.
RR[This message was edited by Roger Rettig on 03 June 2006 at 09:02 AM.] |
|
|
|
Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
|
Posted 3 Jun 2006 8:20 am
|
|
You can always be proud of that Roger!!!  |
|
|
|
Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
|
Posted 3 Jun 2006 8:47 am
|
|
Thank you, Rick S.!
I've JUST managed to download it and listen (it took an hour on this dial-up here in ND!), and I'm relieved to hear that studio compression seems to have mitigated the horrors of my playing at that stage of the learning curve. It's definitely more JG than BE, though.....
RR |
|
|
|
