"SLEEPWALK . . . Key C/Eb demo of Wilkinson pickups"

[Beebs]

Recorded some time ago. My own B/T and I had the Wilkinson pickups in to see how they were.
Decided after a few recordings a little too 'ice pick' in the ear for me anyway. Maybe they work ok for this song


Rgds Beebs

http://app.box.com/s/ioxtwa23c2xlfyrihv7pu4vhp5kzne7q

[Iain Purdon]

That link doesn't work. Try this

https://app.box.com/s/ioxtwa23c2xlfyrihv7pu4vhp5kzne7q

[Beebs]

Yes it looked strange at the time Iain. Probably best to try this one which has the 's' (security)in https removed:

http://app.box.com/s/ioxtwa23c2xlfyrihv7pu4vhp5kzne7q Rgds Beebs

[Beebs]

Any chance of 1 comment guys ?

[dave robinson]

Had a listen Bob and I don't particularly think the arrangement does it anymore favours than the sound, although well played.
The version that The Shadows did was simple and to the point with a lovely smooth sound and yours is obviously deliberately not. For me it's far too fussy, but that's only my opinion, someone else might think totally opposite. I suspect that this maybe more in keeping with the original piece by Santo & Johnny, but compared with the version we all know and love by the Shads, I don't care for that one either. I suspect that quite a few others may think that too and prefer to stay silent, though I could be wrong.

[Beebs]

Yea the influence was Larry Carlton.

[David Martin]

I agree, Dave.

It's hard to express what it is about the original Shadows' sound that made it so popular, but somehow the theoretical "simplicity" of the tunes, the driving but subtle rhythm section, and the exquisite phrasing of that echoed lead sound made them unbeatable. Yesterday, while playing some Shads stuff for a friend, using the H&C, I stopped to play him some Hunters, Outlaws and Fentones...and only the latter came anywhere near.

Of all the alternative versions of this tune, for me, only the modern Hank rendition comes within an ace of the original.

[Beebs]

Interesting Mr Martin. Do we really want all submissions though, yet again, based on how exactly one can mimic the original HBM's songs.
What ever happened to putting up something different for the ears?
This is a blues version of the song we all know was done very well by the Shadows. And we've heard it eight million times, no question it was excellent.
For me this is submitted to the viewers thinking it might be more 'interesting' rather than the same old same old. I think I try to do that with all my submissions. My personal opinion is that this is, for me, the one song Hank got pipped at the post by, albeit Hank's versions were terrific on their own. Larry's recorded version of this is much better than his live versions though, something got lost intransit. Rgds Beebs

[Beebs]

Here's Larry's version. Much better than my meagher attempt, but my thread was after all about reviewing Wilkinson pickups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF46smnRlgY Beebs

[Iain Purdon]

I don't know about Wilkinson pickups, Bob but if you want comments on how they sound every other link in the chain needs to be the same as the version we know, so that we can concentrate on the pickup.
As to the version, it is a musician's tour de force. Years ago, when tunes like Sleepwalk first came out, the BBC Light Programme wasn't allowed to play many records on the radio, so various in-house combos such as Bernard Herrmann and the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra would play the tunes instead. Their versions were sumptuous and really could not be faulted: general listeners were appreciative but pop fans hated them because they wanted "the record". To use that parallel, you've come up with an excellent NDO version.