Banjo or Uke on A Thing or Two?

[MBE]

I wanted to know if anyone else thought they here a ukulele or banjo during the choruses of A Thing Or Two?

[sockittome]

I think it's just a guitar, but I could be wrong.

[the captain]

The only string instruments I hear in either the verses or refrains are guitars and bass. Well, and I guess piano is a string instrument. But no, no banjo or uke that I hear.

[c-man]

The only string instruments I hear in either the verses or refrains are guitars and bass. Well, and I guess piano is a string instrument. But no, no banjo or uke that I hear.

Same hear (pun intended).  There is a subtle acoustic subtleness to the guitars in the choruses, and that may be what you're hearing.  That's just the natrual acoustic sound of the strings coming through.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

The only string instruments I hear in either the verses or refrains are guitars and bass. Well, and I guess piano is a string instrument. But no, no banjo or uke that I hear.

Same hear (pun intended).  There is a subtle acoustic subtleness to the guitars in the choruses, and that may be what you're hearing.  That's just the natrual acoustic sound of the strings coming through.

Thirded.

[MBE]

Thanks for the info everyone. I listened again and I guess it's just how the strings were plucked.

[the captain]

I understand what you mean, by the way. There is a certain kind of guitar-playing that is on that tune, along the lines of what jazz players do when playing rhythm in the "Freddie Greene" style. It tends to be up on the neck to use higher notes, getting out of the way of bass and some piano and cutting through the clutter, and hitting on straight quarter notes, really chiming out. That's similar to the sound you might expect of a uke player, for example. So it's not like you're way off base.

[c-man]

I understand what you mean, by the way. There is a certain kind of guitar-playing that is on that tune, along the lines of what jazz players do when playing rhythm in the "Freddie Greene" style. It tends to be up on the neck to use higher notes, getting out of the way of bass and some piano and cutting through the clutter, and hitting on straight quarter notes, really chiming out. That's similar to the sound you might expect of a uke player, for example. So it's not like you're way off base.

Great analyses, Luther.  I wonder if a similar thing is happening on a lot of the "Friends" songs?  "Diamond Head" has real ukulele, of course, but some of the other tracks have that psuedo-uke quality in the guitar playing. 

[the captain]

Not exactly, in that they're doing different rhythmic things--on a few, it's less on the quarter notes and using more pick-up notes in strumming (a little more typical on the guitar). But in terms of voicings, yes, there seems to be a lot of using those types of voicings. Plus, on Friends it seems that on several songs the guitar is doubling tack piano or organ parts, which plays with the sound somewhat. And then there's a sort of overarching exotic quality to the whole album (Hawaiian, bossa nova, etc.) that maybe implies sounds, too.

[MBE]

Luther you got what I was thinking, though you know your musical jargon much better then I. What really got me was the shuffle beat, it's undertone seemed like something out of the twenties.

[the captain]

... seemed like something out of the twenties.

No doubt Brian's got a lot of pre-rock influences. That's what I love most about his music, in fact. It's less the "Chuck Berry" or surf, and more the incorporation of standards, tin pan alley, Gershwin, etc. Must have seemed shockingly uncool in the late '60s, I'd think. Although Paul McCartney was doing some of the same stuff, I guess. What do I know about cool 10 years before I was born?

[MBE]

I think the way Brian used that influence was cooler then Paul in some ways. Something like Honey Pie is a pure novelty, but A Thing Or Two nods in that direction while still being a truly modern song for 1967.  Not saying McCartney wasn't good on his own terms, but Brian had such a subtle way of doing things that you can spend hours deciphering it all making repeated listening that much more fun.

[the captain]

But then again, there's something about doing a straight-ahead song in the style of [whatever--doesn't matter] that I find cool, too. For Paul to unashamedly do "When I'm 64" or whatever is great. In a way, it's the same as how I like the Beach Boys' work on the Fat Boys' "Wipeout." They're adding a part to a rap song. It's fun. f*** what's cool.