On both songs his playing is brilliant, but if l had to choose his playing on Layla is out of this world,that melody in the middle of the song takes the price,any opinions? *****

*****It has been pointed out to me that Nicky Hopkins did not do the piano part in Layla,it was Jim Gordon,my bad,still a beautiful piece of music.....

"No dope smoking no beer sold after 12 o'clock"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2020-04-29 03:38 by ROPENI.

Which version of Layla do you mean? Bobby Whitlock plays on the original Derek and the Dominos version and is credited as songwriter together with EC.

Nicky shows up in a lot of interesting projects. He played on some very significant sessions for The Kinks and The Who.

Here’s a nice live recording of him playing with the Jerry Garcia Band from 12-20-75 at Winterland in San Francisco as they run through Chuck Berry’s “Let It Rock”:

[m.soundcloud.com]

Quote
xke38
Which version of Layla do you mean? Bobby Whitlock plays on the original Derek and the Dominos version and is credited as songwriter together with EC.

Bobby Whitlock is not credited as a co-songwriter - that would be *Jim Gordon who "wrote" the latter part of the tune.
I don't think Nicky plays on the studio version, unless it was uncredited...



*Some controversy surrounding the second part as to who actually wrote it though.
Via wiki: Layla

"Shortly afterward, Clapton returned to the studio, where he heard Jim Gordon playing a piano piece he had composed separately. Clapton, impressed by the piece, convinced Gordon to allow it to be used as part of the song.[12] Though only Gordon has been credited with this part, according to Whitlock, "Jim took that piano melody from his ex-girlfriend Rita Coolidge. I know because in the D&B days I lived in John Garfield's old house in the Hollywood Hills and there was a guest house with an upright piano in it. Rita and Jim were up there in the guest house and invited me to join in on writing this song with them called 'Time'. ... Her sister Priscilla wound up recording it with Booker T. Jones. ... Jim took the melody from Rita's song and didn't give her credit for writing it. Her boyfriend ripped her off."[21] "Time" ended up on the album Chronicles by Booker T. and Priscilla Jones which was released in 1973. Whitlock's story was echoed by Coolidge herself in her 2016 autobiography. The claim is also substantiated in Graham Nash's 2014 autobiography Wild Tales.

"Layla's" second movement (the "Piano Exit") was recorded roughly a week after the first, with Gordon playing his piano part, Clapton playing acoustic guitar and slide guitar, and Allman playing electric and bottleneck slide guitar.[15][19] After Dowd spliced the two movements together,[15] "Layla" was complete".

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-04-27 20:38 by Hairball.

You're right, thanks for pointing that out!

Quote
Hairball

Quote
xke38
Which version of Layla do you mean? Bobby Whitlock plays on the original Derek and the Dominos version and is credited as songwriter together with EC.

Bobby Whitlock is not credited as a co-songwriter - that would be *Jim Gordon who "wrote" the latter part of the tune.
I don't think Nicky plays on the studio version, unless it was uncredited...



*Some controversy surrounding the second part as to who actually wrote it though.
Via wiki: Layla

"Shortly afterward, Clapton returned to the studio, where he heard Jim Gordon playing a piano piece he had composed separately. Clapton, impressed by the piece, convinced Gordon to allow it to be used as part of the song.[12] Though only Gordon has been credited with this part, according to Whitlock, "Jim took that piano melody from his ex-girlfriend Rita Coolidge. I know because in the D&B days I lived in John Garfield's old house in the Hollywood Hills and there was a guest house with an upright piano in it. Rita and Jim were up there in the guest house and invited me to join in on writing this song with them called 'Time'. ... Her sister Priscilla wound up recording it with Booker T. Jones. ... Jim took the melody from Rita's song and didn't give her credit for writing it. Her boyfriend ripped her off."[21] "Time" ended up on the album Chronicles by Booker T. and Priscilla Jones which was released in 1973. Whitlock's story was echoed by Coolidge herself in her 2016 autobiography. The claim is also substantiated in Graham Nash's 2014 autobiography Wild Tales.

"Layla's" second movement (the "Piano Exit") was recorded roughly a week after the first, with Gordon playing his piano part, Clapton playing acoustic guitar and slide guitar, and Allman playing electric and bottleneck slide guitar.[15][19] After Dowd spliced the two movements together,[15] "Layla" was complete".

I stand corrected,this is one of the reasons l love this site lots of knowledgeable folks, to this day l would have swore it was Hopkins playing the piano part...

"No dope smoking no beer sold after 12 o'clock"

I actually best liked Nicky coming in on the intro of Lets See Action by the Who. It turns the song into familiar territory in an instant and even a friend of mine who really can't tell much promptly recognized it as a Stones connection.

Monkey Man

Hairball is right. Here you go.

I didn't think Nicky played on Layla so I googled it. I didn't realize that Chuck Leavell played piano on the unplugged version!
Nicky's piano on Sympathy sure stands out more on the 2002 ABKCO remasters. Not sure which Stones song I like him on the most. She's a Rainbow, Sympathy, Loving Cup, Angie...

Seems I do have some memory of Nicky playing “Layla” live with Eric Clapton. Maybe at Live Aid in 1985?

Rita Coolidge on "Layla".

[www.billboard.com]

Jim Gordon plays the piano on the "Layla" coda. It serves the track, but he's no Nicky Hopkins.

Favorite Stones contributions offhand -- "We Love You," "Loving Cup," Time Waits for No One."

So many others of course with the Who, the Kinks, the Airplane et al -- a personal favorite is "Shady Grove" by Quicksilver Messenger Service, of which he became a bonafide member,

[www.youtube.com]

I like his playing on Time Waits for No One and Angie better than Sympathy

Do I recall correctly that it’s Jack Nitzsche playing keys in the Godard movie?

Regarding Jim Gordon, what a fantastic drummer, and his sessionography is amazing...but then things got very weird...

From Best Classic Bands: Jim Gordon

From Billboard: Jim Gordon

From Rolling Stone: Jim Gordon

From wiki (see discography): Jim Gordon

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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MelBelli
Do I recall correctly that it’s Jack Nitzsche playing keys in the Godard movie?

One Plus One/Sympathy?

It's Nicky.


And Chris Stainton played keyboards with Eric at Live Aid



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-04-28 21:32 by loog droog.

Quote
Hairball
Regarding Jim Gordon, what a fantastic drummer, and his sessionography is amazing...but then things got very weird...

From Best Classic Bands: Jim Gordon

From Billboard: Jim Gordon

From Rolling Stone: Jim Gordon

From wiki (see discography): Jim Gordon

Listening to the live "Why Does Love Got to be So Sad?" by Derek and the Dominoes right now. The drumming is pretty much perfect. Chops out the wazoo without showboating or veering from serving the song. Another rock and roll tragedy preceded by brilliance.

I was going to mention Quicksilver, Nicky Hopkins really shined on those couple albums he was on. Used to see these guys in Mill Valley all the time there for a while in what must have been early 70s. I remember in particular a low key show at a ranch near Lagunitas one summer, lots of free Marin county vibes at that one.

jb

Sympathy.
One of the things that made him great was that he could play a song a dozen different ways until Mick&Keith liked it. And then he took it beyond even what they wanted.

Regarding Jim Gordon’s credit on “Layla”, he apparently cobbed it from his then-girlfriend, Rita Coolidge.

This is from his Wikipedia page:

“ Gordon then played on Derek and the Dominos' 1970 double album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, contributing, in addition to his drumming, the elegiac piano coda for the title track, "Layla". In later years, Whitlock claimed that the coda was not written by Gordon: "Jim took that piano melody from his ex-girlfriend Rita Coolidge. I know because in the D&B days I lived in John Garfield's old house in the Hollywood Hills and there was a guest house with an upright piano in it. Rita and Jim were up there in the guest house and invited me to join in on writing this song with them called "Time". (Her sister Priscilla wound up recording it with Booker T. Jones) Jim took the melody from Rita's song and didn't give her credit for writing it. Her boyfriend ripped her off".[4] Graham Nash (who later dated Coolidge) substantiated Whitlock's claim in his memoir.[5] "Time" was not released by Priscilla Coolidge and Booker T. until 1973, on their album Chronicles.[6] He also played with the band on subsequent U.S. and UK tours. The group split in spring 1971 before they finished recording their second album.”

As far as Gordon, himself, what a tragedy. He is on an astounding list of great recordings, and was a phenomenal talent. His doctors mis-diagnosed his schizophrenia, and while having done 29 years in prison on his 16 years to life sentence for murdering his mother, he has repeatedly not been granted parole, as the authorities still consider him a threat to society. He is up for parole again next year. If he’s on his meds and being properly supervised, you would think they would release him. Can’t think of much worse a sentence than to have to accept the reality that you killed your own mother. What a pity.

Going back to Hopkins I always liked Monkey Man piano parts. This is where someone tells me it's not him

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Wry Cooter
Jim Gordon plays the piano on the "Layla" coda. It serves the track, but he's no Nicky Hopkins.

The piano/jam part has always been my favourite part of "Layla". Nothing wrong with the song itself - a wonderful and catchy tune - but things really get going when they get into that part. Such a special moody piece. I could listen it forever (and glady it does last some time...). Works also very well in "GoodFellows" if memory serves (along with graet Stones tunes).

That said, had Nicky Hopkins played it instead of rather 'amateurish' Gordon, my god how would had it been like... I mean, it is such a fantastic piece now as it is, but Hopkins would have drifted into another universum that doesn't even exist...

- Doxa

As a side note to this discussion, Bobby Whitlock's piano supposedly used on the Layla sessions is in one of the hotel rooms at the Talbot Heirs Guesthouse in Memphis, a wonderfully unique place to stay in a great spot downtown.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-04-29 20:35 by kovach.