I've heard that Keith had problems with his guitar playing on One Hit and that's why Jimmy Page plays lead on this song.
Does anyone know what part/s Keith had difficulty performing and on what criteria they selected Page to help out on this terrific number?
Lastly, for you guitar players out there, is this song hard to play?

no

Mathijs: I usually like it short and simple, but would you mind elaborating on that one? If it's a piece of cake, why couldn't the riff-master himself do it?

It's hard to write a song. To compose it. That's why they are so good the Stones.

It's an incredibly simple song to play, it's just three chords (as with any other Stones song: they are not hard to play, but the genius lies in its simplicity). Page only played the solo, and that is a lot harder to play. My guess is Page dropped by to party a bit, he was a friend of Wood at that time. He probably end up jamming, and played a nice solo that ended up on the record. Btw, if you listen to the outtake, the hook of the song actually is the acoustic guitar. The acoustic by Wood is what makes the song swing and exciting. Horrible drum sound though.

Mathijs

definitely a weird, un-Charlie drum sound...such a strange album, Dirty Work.
but, I had that song in mind because it has another one of those great intros, plus the lyrics are strong...imo.
would love to hear it done this time around. isn't there some b-bender guitar on there?
DR

I enjoyed the live version on the Steel Wheels tour. Perhaps Mick or Blondie could play the acoustic.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-05-24 19:31 by Elmo Lewis.

Mick did play the acoustic on this one live. I would also like to see this get back in the setlist.

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

MORE DIRTY WORK!!!

Hold Back
Had it with You

Yeahhhh baaabby, shag me silly.

Jimmy Page plays the lead on his unique B-string "bender" guitar. It has a whammy bar, but only the B-string is effected by the use of it. This is way too complicated for Keith or Ronnie to play, and it's tough to explain as well. Listen to all the latter day Page leads (from In Through The Outdoor onwards), and you will hear the string-bender. Mind-blowing? Maybe not, but it's definitely unique and has a sound all of it's own

On the last tour, Ronnie played a B-bender on Before They Make Me Run and other songs.

erikjjf Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On the last tour, Ronnie played a B-bender on
> Before They Make Me Run and other songs.


Thats a damn good reason for them to play One Hit this time around.
Ronnie can play the accoustic intro, switch guitars, and play some mind-altering lead. It's probably not hard to duplicate if you can handle the technique, and Ronnie is well-schooled in the lap pedal steel - (another one hard to explain) - so I imagine it would come off pretty well.

At any rate, by the time Page recorded the original solo, he was a shadow of his former self and pretty much washed up, experimenting with weird sound effects and "B-benders". Heroin and other abuses had taken their toll. I saw him at the Arms Benefit in L.A. back in '83 and he was very thin and weak looking. His guitar playing was very "thin and weak" as well, especially when heard next to Clapton and Beck. I've seen him many times since then, and he seems to have recovered some of his virtuoso skills, but still...nothing when compared to Zeppelin prime.

The bottom line...I'm sure Ronnie could do the song justice (if he is sober).

One Hit was rehearsed in 99. Maybe it is time to bring it back to the stage.

on the B-bender: doesn't it operate by the player pushing down on the neck to bend the string? and the device is where the strap connects at the neck of the guitar, rather than a whammy bar? I believe Keith and Ronnie are both knowledgeable about this...Keith discussed it in a Guitar Player mag interview some years back. he said it was invented by Clarence White, of the Byrds, I think...
DR

The 12 inch versions (2) of 1 Hit bring out interesting details in the mix (i.e. the acoustic gtr, the MJ/KR vocal harmonies, etc) - dont have it anymore, but worth picking up cheap if you see it in a used bin...

The Parson-White String Bender is activated by pulling down on the front strap button of the guitar that it is mounted to and it not a whammy bar by any stretch of the imagination and Keith did use it on 'Eilene" from "Main Offender" (At least that's what I remember) Hell, if I can play the solo from 'One Hit' then Ronnie certainly could. In fact I'm sure he could!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-05-25 18:22 by ChrisM.

I play a Fender Telecaster with a Parsons/White b-bender.
ChrisM is correct in its operation. When activated it raises
the pitch of the B string up (or down) one step, depending on
which way you pull it. Pull down for up, pull back for down to
the original note. Since most country bands have a steel guitar player,
they're not used that much in country music, although Brad Paisley,
I believe uses one, as does Vince Gill. Clarance White was the master at it.
I uses it for my stuff the way Ronnie does. On r&R tunes, it can
work really well. They have a great sound. The best example for Ronnie
is BTMMR, Sparks Will Fly, and I go Wild. You can see him use it
on BTMMR and HTW on FF. His is an ESP guitar with probably a Parsons/White.
There is a poor imitation of a b_bender called a Hipshot.
Gene Parson invented the bender for Clarence to use. BOth were in the Byrds.
Clarance is no relation to Gram Parsons.
BTW, Jimmy Page uses it in Zeppelin's All My Love.

I agree with Mathijs. That accoustic guitar is what makes that song swing. It hits all between the main electric hits. Shuffles in between, almost like the Hihat. As far as the solo goes I believe there is no way that Keith or Ron didn't play it because they xcouldn't handle it. I mean what does that mean "can not handle it"? It is their song; they dictate what it is. It doiesn't even exist before they play it so they can hanmdle whatever they wnat to. I think JP dropped by to chill and they had him sit in. It seeemd like this was the album where the entire neighborhood sat it anyway.

<Jimmy Page plays the lead on his unique B-string "bender" guitar>

Which is designed, constructed and developed by Gene Parsons (drummer!) and Clarence White (guitar player) of The Byrds. It became a trademark for White in the late 60s/early 70s, and some of the things he did with it are truly great!

BTW, B-bender guitars can be bought directly from Gene Parsons himself. He builds them from scratch.

Check it out:
[www.stringbender.com]

I have the ESP signature guitar of Ronnie with the b-bender, great guitar!!!

Cheers,
Wuudy

I haven't been able to find a b bender tele yet (which is what I am after) but I did buy an epiphone easy-bender which does the same job. It has some disadvantages - like not staying in tune very well and causing the b string to break often 0 but it was only a few pounds.

This thing looks a bit like a "wammy bar" as it works using a lever attacjed to the guitar bridge.

(I don't use the thing any more for above reasons, although I am desperately trying to find a b bender guitar in the UK for reasonable money.)

KR & RW both own B-Bender Tele's. Whoever read somewhere that KR could not handle the guitar load on the song is crazy. He wrote and I think RW is credited also. Ronnie can easily play that solo. Even knowing Page played it..it still sounds like a Wood solo.

As I noted in a previous post, the sessions for Dirty Work, as A BAND, were a mess. Charlie smacked out, Bill invisible, Mick almost invisible.

The sessions turned into a revolving door of friends dropping by, read the thank you's and appearences on the album. I have no proof but I beleive that Steve Jordan played drums on One Hit or Steve Lillywhite actually had the drums tuned (which Charlie never did) to get the pop that Lillywhite wanted, or Both. Steve Jordan gets a distinctive sound from his kit.

Should have been the first single for Dirty Work. Another song that is on the forgotten list because it has the "Jagger/Richards/Wood" attached, which was like grudge @#$%& to Mick from Keith.

They should perform it, but crank the guitars. The version in 89 was a little too clinical sounding. The studio version, thus far, is better that we heard the song live....IMO.

Milo, NYC
Shake a tail feather

< beleive that Steve Jordan played drums on One Hit or Steve Lillywhite actually had the drums tuned>

I beleive that Steve Jordan (and Charlie Drayton) appear on Too Rude. One Hit sounds (playing-wise) like Charlie W.

Good observation re the drums Milo. I also think it is Charlie. Not so much because it sounds like Charlie but more because it does not sound like Jordan. SJ would have not been able to resist to whack a couple of "off" hits on the nsare in there. Even with Lillywhite producing I think he would have snuck them in there. But they do sound tuned different from Charlie usually. That very first real snare hit in the song is lethal!
When you mention "underrated" on DW album I would also include the title track. IMO the reason this song is not a favorite is because it falls apart at the end. If they had kept it short and hard it would be a great rocker.

Couldn't agree more (about the title track).

Another thing about the DW album is the awful (and often embarassing) lyrics. Haven't noticed that bad lyrics before or after.

Maybe a 62 year old singer like Jagger is not too keen on delivering lines as:

"Love you dirty f!(&er...", See in your ass 'till your work is done... you lazy mama - your hands are clean..."

Did Keith write the words for this one - or what?

in the book by victor bockris keith richards

keith walked out of the room because he could not play a difficult chord
progression page was playing and came back with a KEITHISM - A simple way
to play THREE chords.

page 347

What are you saying Open G? Is this in praise of Keith? Or a dis?
IMO this only maked Keith look good. LOL

Those lyrics Dandelion quotes are pure Jagger. Keith would never try that hard to be "bad". On that album Jagger did write some very lousy words. But I actually like "I had it with you", the lyrics. "I love you dirty @#$%&" is my fave opening line. The words to "Hold Back" to me are jst the epidemy of terrible. Almost as bad as "Blinded by Love". Jagger hit home a few times with the histroical references but on DW he misses bigtime. "Back to Zero" is another low point in Stones lore.

YES A KEITHISM is a NICE WAY TO SAY SIMPLE SOMETIMES IS BETTER

Yeah, Hold Back has awful lyrics. "Stalin and Roosevelt..." ha-ha

Actually, they were planning to name the album "Back To Zero" - some title track (Leavell got songwriting credits on that one - amazingly poor track, but the rhythm guitars are strong though).

Despite all this, for me Dirty Work is a good album. Some of this rawness has never been equalled since.

Wow! Dandelion is that true? That they were going to call the album "Back to Zero"? Oh how awful that would have been! LOL Hahaha man I can't evebn imagine that. They might even feel like they would have to play it live now.
Yeah, about "Hold Back". That is exactly the line I first think about. Stalin and Roosevelt they both took their chances..." LOL I also always have to laugh at that one.