Re: A comment on the blues: (very little Who content)

[Howard Powers <howie@rexnet.net>]

Canute66@aol.com wrote:

> IMO the only true blues song the did is the "Good is Gone."

Opinions have nothing to do with what is true blues.  True blues is a 12-bar
chord progression, using the I, IV, and V chords.   In the key of C it would be
4 bars on the C chord, 2 on the F chord, 2 on C, 1 on G, 1 on F, 1 on C and 1 on
G (the "turnaround").  There are very few exceptions to this rule, and it's
minor:  A "quick change," for example, allows you to go to the IV chord on the
second bar, back to the I on the 3rd bar; the rest of the progression remains
the same.

Most blues musicians will only play a few actual blues numbers in a given set.
It's great, as a simple form of expression, but it gets boring and monotonous if
it's not broken up by something else.  But a "blues sound" has developed, and
there are a bunch of standard-issued blues licks.  And "blues" artists play in a
very improvisational style.  This is what categorizes the genre, but doesn't
make for "true" blues.  And it's what most people are talking about when they
talk about the blues.

Btw, many rhythm and early rock-n-roll tunes were blues... Bill haley's Flip
Flop and Fly (a Blues Bros. cover) for example (although I don't remember the
song well enough to sing through it to verify in my own head that this is a good
example).  Blues doesn't necessarily have the typical Chicago shuffle-beat.

The Who's Young Man's Blues is not blues!  I haven't heard Mose's original, so I
don't know if it was originally a blues tune.  Lots of songs are titled
"such-and-such" Blues but aren't really.  Most of the time, if it's in a title,
it has to do with feeling blue about something, not necessarily the structure of
the song.

That said, one can talk about "The Blues" without talking about song structure!
I refer to my girlfriend's former band as a blues band, even though they
actually played maybe only 7 blues!  They tended to lean toward rock and funk
pretty often.  If I was going out to hear her, I'd invite friends to go out and
"hear some blues."  Most people (myself included) would define Koko Taylor as a
Blues artist, but she does NOT play any blues.  I guess the meaning of  "Blues"
has to do with context.

I hope this helps further understanding!

Long Live Blues Rock!

Howard P.