"Hard Times" guitar solo

[Phoenix]

Anybody here know who plays it?  Carl?  Blondie?  Ricky?  Ed Carter?  Tony Martin?

I can tell you there's at least one inquiring mind that wants to know.

Thanks!

[Jason]

If by "Hard Times" you mean the Blondie/Ricky co-write from late 1972 ("Rolling Up To Heaven" is sometimes mistitled as "Hard Times"), that solo, I'm almost 100% sure, is Blondie. Carl didn't really have that kind of bluesy style in his playing.

[Phoenix]

Thanks for the reply!  That was indeed the song n question.

[Howie Edelson]

For what it's worth, Blondie told me that there's no Beach Boy connection to the track other than being recorded on the group's dime. I don't recall who exactly the actual players were on the tune -- but it was no one from the BB camp.

[smile-holland]

For what it's worth, Blondie told me that there's no Beach Boy connection to the track other than being recorded on the group's dime. I don't recall who exactly the actual players were on the tune -- but it was no one from the BB camp.

But still I can hear Carl backing vocals very clearly on this track.

[Howie Edelson]

I guess Blondie lied to me when he told me -- "That was just me and a bunch of my friends, it had nothing to do with the Beach Boys. I was just doing my own thing."

[Andrew G. Doe]

For what it's worth, Blondie told me that there's no Beach Boy connection to the track other than being recorded on the group's dime. I don't recall who exactly the actual players were on the tune -- but it was no one from the BB camp.

But still I can hear Carl backing vocals very clearly on this track.

I'm with Howie - never heard any other BB on this track (unless you count Ricky), and it was first introduced to me as "a sorta Flame track".

[smile-holland]

For what it's worth, Blondie told me that there's no Beach Boy connection to the track other than being recorded on the group's dime. I don't recall who exactly the actual players were on the tune -- but it was no one from the BB camp.

But still I can hear Carl backing vocals very clearly on this track.

I'm with Howie - never heard any other BB on this track (unless you count Ricky), and it was first introduced to me as "a sorta Flame track".

O, I'm not doubting at all that this is what Blondie has told you, Howie. And I have no reason not to believe that Blondie is telling the truth when he mentioned it as a sole Blondie/Ricky collaboration. And listening to it, to me it doesn't sound like a Beach Boys production at all, nor that I can imagine any of the Boys playing on it.

The only reason I responded to your Blondie-quote is that it sounds like Carl singing some background voc's on the bridge.
Listening to the All This Is That b00t as I'm typing this. If you have that one, check out the "Hard Time To Live, Easier To Give" line at  1:14-1:20 and 2:11-2:17. It certainly has that CW-vibe in it...

But my ears can be fooled of course.  




O, and I forgot to mention that I really like this song. And for that matter much better than the Rare Bird cover on their "Somebody's Watching" album from 1973.

[Jason]

Hard Times is a pretty cool track. It wouldn't have been out of place on an eventual follow-up to Holland provided the band kept the progression going in 1973, but it obviously would have needed some embellishments to make it a "Beach Boys" track.