Harp on "Captain Soul" (WAS: Best song for each member)

[BigStar303]

Re<< I never heard that Michael was the one who
did the harp on "Captain Soul"; Gene was the
guy who did it. >>

<< Yes agreed always heard it was Gene in the period he quit but was still
doing some studio work with the band before his Gosdin Brothers album. >>

I don't think I just made this up. I grabbed "Timeless Flight," confident that
it would bear me out, but alas, there's no mention there of who played the
harmonica on "Captain Soul."

What there is is a sessionography that shows this track was recorded a month or
two AFTER Gene left The Byrds. It is possible, of course, that the scenario
above took place...but it seems odd that Gene would return to recording with
the Byrds so soon after leaving -- and for the sole purpose of playing
harmonica.

Of course, we do know that Michael Clarke played harmonica with The Byrds...on
the alternate take of "She Don't Care About Time." Can anyone else shed some
definitive light on the harp player on "Captain Soul"? Like I said, I really
thought I saw a definite citation that said it was Michael.

[Steve Cobham]

On 7 Jun 1999 04:52:58 GMT, bigst...@aol.com (BigStar303) wrote:

>Of course, we do know that Michael Clarke played harmonica with The Byrds...on
>the alternate take of "She Don't Care About Time." Can anyone else shed some
>definitive light on the harp player on "Captain Soul"? Like I said, I really
>thought I saw a definite citation that said it was Michael.

Well, here's something which might help sort this one out and it was
under our noses all the time:

([Gene] Clark continued to pop into the
studio; that's his harmonica on the vanilla-R&B
instrumental "Captain Soul.")

The Byrds Fifth Dimension reissue booklet, p. 4

("Vanilla-R&B"?
Who comes up with these phrases?)

Many thanks to absent friends for pointing this out to me.

My favourite moment on that track is when whoever's blowing the harp
has this sharp intake of breath and then makes a sort of grunt.

It's at 2'13".

Steve.
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[BigStar303]

Steve wrote:

<<Well, here's something which might help sort this one out and it was under
our noses all the time:

([Gene] Clark continued to pop into the studio; that's his harmonica on the
vanilla-R&B instrumental "Captain Soul.")

The Byrds Fifth Dimension reissue booklet, p. 4 >>

Thanks, Steve -- and thanks to those who Emailed me privately on this. "Under
our noses" indeed...I looked at the Fifth Dimension booklet last night, but
only at the rundowns on the tracks themselves. I missed this in the general
narrative.

[R. Bentz Kirby]

Who played harp on Mr. Soul? Oh, wrong group, sorry. But John Sebastian played
harp on Roadhouse Blues and another song by the Doors. And does this have
anything to do with the Byrds? Oh, maybe not, but it sure is better than giving
energy to Pat Robertson by running on about him.

BigStar303 wrote:

> Re<< I never heard that Michael was the one who
> did the harp on "Captain Soul"; Gene was the
> guy who did it. >>
>
> << Yes agreed always heard it was Gene in the period he quit but was still
> doing some studio work with the band before his Gosdin Brothers album. >>
>
> I don't think I just made this up. I grabbed "Timeless Flight," confident that
> it would bear me out, but alas, there's no mention there of who played the
> harmonica on "Captain Soul."
>
> What there is is a sessionography that shows this track was recorded a month or
> two AFTER Gene left The Byrds. It is possible, of course, that the scenario
> above took place...but it seems odd that Gene would return to recording with
> the Byrds so soon after leaving -- and for the sole purpose of playing
> harmonica.
>

> Of course, we do know that Michael Clarke played harmonica with The Byrds...on
> the alternate take of "She Don't Care About Time." Can anyone else shed some
> definitive light on the harp player on "Captain Soul"? Like I said, I really
> thought I saw a definite citation that said it was Michael.

--

Bentz Kirby
boc...@usit.net
http://www.public.usit.net/bocelts/

[Steve Cobham]

On Tue, 08 Jun 1999 03:10:05 GMT, "R. Bentz Kirby" <boc...@usit.net>
wrote:

>Who played harp on Mr. Soul? Oh, wrong group, sorry. But John Sebastian played
>harp on Roadhouse Blues and another song by the Doors. And does this have
>anything to do with the Byrds? Oh, maybe not, but it sure is better than giving
>energy to Pat Robertson by running on about him.

After all the pleas to "get back to the music" people still insist on
bringing up Robertson.

This was a *genuine* thread about music and, whilst I can detect a
sarcastic tone to your contribution, it seems as if you're "hellbent"
on dragging Robertson into everything.

>I hope that the tide will go back out soon

was what you said in another post.

Is this helping?

Ever heard of a "red rag to a bull"?

This bull isn't playing.

Post what the hell you want, however.

It's your right.

[Leonard Los]

In the 5D cd booklet, it states that the group was "riffing" on Lee
Dorsey's "Get Out Of My Life Woman" but the inspiration behind this
song comes from Paul Butterfield who, at the time, was playing the
Whiskey in Hollywood. Gene Clark's playing is so similar to
Butterfield's that I always thought Butterfield himself had played on
this cut.
L.L.

[rob.g.d...@gmail.com]

On Monday, June 7, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, BigStar303 wrote:
> Re<< I never heard that Michael was the one who
> did the harp on "Captain Soul"; Gene was the
> guy who did it. >>
>
> << Yes agreed always heard it was Gene in the period he quit but was still
> doing some studio work with the band before his Gosdin Brothers album. >>
>
>
> I don't think I just made this up. I grabbed "Timeless Flight," confident that
> it would bear me out, but alas, there's no mention there of who played the
> harmonica on "Captain Soul."
>
> What there is is a sessionography that shows this track was recorded a month or
> two AFTER Gene left The Byrds. It is possible, of course, that the scenario
> above took place...but it seems odd that Gene would return to recording with
> the Byrds so soon after leaving -- and for the sole purpose of playing
> harmonica.
>
> Of course, we do know that Michael Clarke played harmonica with The Byrds...on
> the alternate take of "She Don't Care About Time." Can anyone else shed some
> definitive light on the harp player on "Captain Soul"? Like I said, I really
> thought I saw a definite citation that said it was Michael.

I learned just today that Michael played harmonica on "Captain Soul", not Gene. According to Rogan, Michael felt that the publishing royalties should have gone exclusively to him as he believed Captain Soul was "his" even though it was a jam based on "Get Out of My Life, Woman"). I asked Roger McGuinn about this backstage at a Byrds concert in '69 and I was surprised to hear him tell me that Michael played harp on this song. Several sources have cited Gene Clark as the player but he left the group in Dec, 65 and didn't return until the reunion album in 1970. 5D was mostly recorded in May and June of 1966, long after Gene had left the group.