Nile Rodgers is a genius. Even the first Chic hit “Everybody Dance” had jazz chords in it. His drummer Tony Thompson and bass player Bernard Edwards were incredible musicians. Rick Beato, I love these vids, you're a genius too.
Two things , in my humble opinion. Firstly really impressive and versatile musical skills and knowledge. And second, enviable enthusiasm and an ability to communicate it.! Thats more than two, isnt it? Glad i found his channel, great guy.
He plays the solo in "China Girl" - a solo that has been one of my favorites for decades and I had no idea it was SRV until about 3 years ago, I decided to learn it and upon close inspection heard some super fast cleanly played notes taking place in half beats that I didn't hear before. I was thinking: "who is this guy playing this solo???" - I Google it. It was Stevie Ray fricken Vaughan. I know exactly how you feel.
I've known and dug this song since it came out. Saw its video premiere on MTV and everything. And I had always assumed that solo was Nile Rodgers. And then a few years ago it came on the streaming at work and it just sort of struck me how tasty a solo it is. So I said something about it and a coworker said, "Well, it's Stevie Ray Vaughan, man. What do you expect?" And it was like "ooooooooh! Of course!" And then the world made sense again.
I didn't think so either until I saw the production credits for this song in Bowie's 1993 retrospective The Singles 1969-'93. This song and the entire Let's Dance album had his stamp on it. He had intended to go on tour with Bowie, called Serious Moonlight, but he also had his own debut album Texas Flood in the can, so conflicts arose; eventually, he chose to bail out of Bowie's tour to focus on his new album, which was finally released in June 1983.
This RU-vid series is so incredibly awesome. It definitely gives you more of an appreciation for EVERYTHING that goes into the songs that we love to hear (and sometimes take for granted). The only bad thing is that we no longer have some of these amazing artists around anymore. Thank goodness their music lives on! Keep up the great work with the videos!
When pop music was still a work of art and favored composition intricacy underneath the apparent simplicity. Wes Montgomery flavored pop rock at the top of the charts. I'm the same exact age as that song, it never gets old. 2018 would never include jazz voicings into radio-friendly pop music.
We're *all* feeling it. At least Bowie got to provide a lifetime of excellent music and died of natural causes. SRV only provided about a decade at best of his musicianship before having it all cut short in 1990. I still remember the day that SRV was killed as if it were yesterday, getting the news from my leading petty officer during quarters one morning in the Navy. I was just sick about it for the rest of the day.
Rick, that was your best yet. You looked so moved by the end of the video. Like you, I cannot imagine how the universe got, Bob Clearmoutain, Nile Rodgers, Omar Hakim, Bowie and SRV together. I miss Bowie and SRV so much
Slim Estrada Tony Thompson was the drummer on Let’s Dance ! Rick missed it on that one but he still does a great job w an amazing song !!! Long live DB SRV
Bowie has always surrounded himself with talented guitarists, the best of the best, From Mick Ronson to S.R.V., from Adrian Belew to Carlos Alomar, from Robert Fripp to Earl Slick and so on !!!!!
And drummers, percussionists, keyboardists, brass and woodwind players, producers, etc...his ear for talent and understanding of the art of arrangement was as prodigious as his singing and performing ability
A genius like Bowie wasn't going to surround himself with slouches. He also knew how to select producers and other tech people as well. Thomas Edison didn't work alone either.
David Bowie kept reinventing himself. He touched on pop, disco, and even experimental and a-vanguard a true artist. His music was compelling and heart felt.
It was a decade of pop rockers that would mimic the image that David Bowie created. Let's Dance would mean that Bowie would come back to show them how it is done A completely inovative original man
I choked up a bit, which ive never done for someone famous that id never met. Not for lennon, or diana. There was something very special about that guy.
I was kinda surprised out how cool I felt about his passing. He was a true artist through the lens of Oscar Wilde: Never morbid, could express anything. Blackstar was such a fine farewell, I think Bowie really made it to living forever.
When you said, "here's a little clip of Stevie..." I immediately thought of the "Voodoo Chile" video and BAM! You played it. I've binge-watched most of your "What Makes This Song" videos and enjoyed your insights, music clips and playing. I meant to write this in an earlier video I'd watched but the SRV clip forced my hand to the keyboard to write this. Cheers!
1st of all...Thank you for covering Bowie. 2nd of all...thank you for covering Bowie. Hah! Have to admit that I am not very objective when it comes to David. Still become very sad when I dwell on the fact that he is gone.
Be thankful that we were alive when he was. Had we lived before he was born we would never have known his art. Had we been born after his death he would just be this distant legend. Fortunately we were able to see him live and experience his artistic expression and metamorphosis.
I was excited when I saw you were reviewing a David Bowie song, but then immediately disappointed when I saw you had selected Let's Dance, which was never one of my favorites. I'm so glad I watched your video anyway. You gave me a new appreciation of not only the song, but of the influences and contributions of the musicians and technicians who made it great. Thank you!
@@chrisbitner7000 Me too. I'm shocked that out of all the amazing songs that Bowie recorded, he picked 'Let's' flipping 'Dance'. 🤦♂️ The best assessment of Bowie's 80s corporate phase (1983 to 1987) came from Bowie himself... _"When I performed I was thinking, you all look like you should be seeing Phil Collins. Then I thought... hang on... I sound like Phil Collins."_ ☺️
I challenge anyone who thinks otherwise to listen to 'Sweet Thing'/'Candidate'/'Sweet Thing' (reprise) from Diamond Dogs. For my money, Bowie was hands down the greatest vocalist of the 20th century.
And me. Was driving home from work early in the morning. As soon as I heard the news begin and headline with "The musician David Bowie..." I went all cold. Didn't discover Stevie until way after his passing, but listen to him almost daily.
I don’t know ANYTHING about music, so I don’t know why I enjoy hearing you pick all this stuff apart. I guess it’s an introduction to a world I’ve never known. Good job!
Knowing how all the parts come together to make the whole can take your appreciation to the next level. To make an analogy, you might not ever be a great chef, but being able to identify the individual components in a great dish, and appreciating how they are skilfully combined to make the whole can deepen your appreciation. You probably know more than you think, and are becoming able to hear each person adding their soul into a song, contributing to the whole. It's wonderful to be able to appreciate each contribution to the whole, rather than just hearing a mush of sound, or missing some of the more subtle aspects of a song.
Mr Beatto, greetings from germany - I love your WMTSG videos. It's just great to see you "unboxing" these songs and showing in detail the joy and wonders of people making real good music. In this case, thank you especially for the information that Manu Katché and Stevie Ray Vaughn played on this fantastic song, two of my absolute favorite musicians I just can't stop admiring. Please keep spreading your enthusiasm for music, it's a great pleasure to watch you!
Yo, Rick! Great video!!! Although I can't carry a tune or play an instrument, I've always been able to pick out the "subtleties" in music, much to the suprise and amusement of my musical friends!!! I also like to listen to the song right after I watch your videos. What you do makes the song's sound a little "richer", more fun to listen to, and much more appreciative of the talent poured into the effort!! I grew up on Bowie, and have been a SRV fan for years. R.I.P., Brothers.😔 And Rick, PLEASE keep doing what you're doing!!!🎸🎶🥁🎷🎹 🎵
Rick deserves this late in career success. Should have been a major figure in music in the 80's, but we get him as an older guy who never stopped loving the music. That's what makes his channel so great. There's 50 years of accumulated devotion to "everything music." He's every bit as talented as Bowie, just maybe not a songwriter.
not sure why Universal won't let you do more of these. literally just bought this song because I don't have it and it's so good! they are doing music a disservice.
This video was an eye-opener for me. I already loved this song, especially the conga section, but what I listened to here made me love it even more. It was surprised to know Steve Ray Vaughn played the solo guitar at the end. I just learned this on the very same day of his anniversary. RIP, Ray and David. Awesome job as always, Rick. 👍👍👍
RIP David Bowie. I was a freshman in high school when he died, and my school band decided to march a Bowie song as a tribute. Let’s Dance was that song. We played it in the local parade and at Disneyland.
What I really like about RB is that he takes an original composition and in many cases, breaks it all down sometimes better than the musicians who created the original version. And in a language that sometimes gets technical, but with repeat play and a little research, makes us all become much better musicians because he is sharing HIS knowledge with us so that we can learn and hopefully share with others. We used to call my brother Dr. Rock because he knew every fact about a band or musician that we were listening to at the time. But Rick really is the ultimate Professor of Jazz, Blues & Rock who makes it really easy to learn and more importantly appreciate "What Makes This Song Great". Thank You!!!
Saw Stevie Ray perform in Richmond, VA in 1985. Amazing performer. Blew my mind. Didn't know he played a solo on this David Bowie song. Good job, Rick Beato.
He played on the entire record. It's basically a SRV album as well as Bowie's. David saw SRV and Double Trouble live at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Music Festival, and immediately went to work on getting him involved on Let's Dance. What's funny is that the crowd all but booed SRV off of the stage, because they weren't expecting raw Texas blues at a jazz festival. He later went back to play Montreux in 1985 to a warm welcome. Of course, by this time, Texas Flood and Let's Dance had been hit records for 3 years.
When you took a minute to talk about SRV, at first I thought, “who doesn’t know about Stevie?”. But then I thought, if you just found out about him, lucky you. You have all this great new blues guitar to discover. Thanks for another great video Rick.
Amen. And even though SRV didn't tour with Bowie and the relationship went sour, it gave Stevie crucial exposure which led to great things. Stevie remains my absolutely favorite guitarist of all time and I miss him dearly.
Yes, a lot of "fans of the first hour" ridicule people who find out later, but nobody knows everything. And as we can see on Rick's channel it is so much more exciting to share music with people and get them interested and excited than ridiculing them.
@@TheNinnyfee I was lucky enough to see SRV play twice in the eighties. One of the times I had to see him open for the Moody Blues who I really don't like. Stevie was fast burning candle. Amazing guitarist.
@@jensfranck4125 Yep, He was burning that candle from both ends. A shooting superstar musical soul, who had to live the life he was given at 100 MPH. Passing away gently, just wouldn't have been S R V, screaming back to earth in a out of control flight, knowing the impact was rising to greet him, as in high-speed dirt, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The equation: Legendary, like S R V himself. Rest In Peace Wild Child.
MrAletube Nile is such a creative producer-and a really nice guy! After hearing my music he invited me to hang out with him in a diner in Ct..It was fascinating spending hours with him hearing the backstorys of recordings that he's done.A true creative genius!
There's no other producer that's produced relevant tracks loved by mainstream+underground audiences for four decades straight... *and* done so while maintaining a consistent & instantly recognizable sonic signature. Nile's swung & syncopated rhythm, intentionally imprecise muted picking & extended funk chord palette come together as an often imitated yet somehow uniquely Nile sound. P.S., Nile isn't a jazz guitarist
Nile Rodgers is a rhythm guitar genius. We hear about his production work constantly which I appreciate but so nice to see Rick break down the chords & the influences behind them.
I'm drawn to these videos because my Uncle's Dad in California used to be a pro bass player, and he would break down music like a musician, rather than a listener.
I was at SRV's last concert at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. It was an all time great concert. Stevie, Santana, and Robert Cray. Three great guitarists. I couldn't believe the news when I heard it the next morning. His helicopter crashed in the fog after the concert. Very sad.
Иван Протопопов yeah his guitar voicing is unmistakable. I've never been very into Bowie but I definitely feel shame for not recognizing SRV while hearing this song.
Wow Rick. This must take HOURS to put together a video like this. Thanks for going to the effort. It makes these songs so much more enjoyable knowing the musical secrets that lie within!
Just found your channel. Musically they are way over my head, but they give me a better appreciation of the music I already appreciate. Thank you. Subscribed.
SRV and Bowie were the only two artists whose deaths literally brought me to tears, and still do. I missed seeing SRV in concert just a couple of weeks before his death. It was a true gut punch. Weird thing is that I'd never really thought of myself as a huge Bowie fan, but there I was sitting in traffic practically blubbering.
I got to see SRV twice, and had tickets for the first European show after he died. I literally couldn't go in to work when I heard that he'd died. There was some upside to it, though. Instead of taking the refund, I got to go to the very last show at the T&C Club. Blues Band on stage for something like 3 to 4 hours. But SRV has to classify as the highlight of my life of going to, and working at, gigs. First gigs I went to were the likes of The Police in 77? 78? and took in pretty much every major performing band that performed in Europe until 95, and I can't think of a better gig that I saw.
It took me a long time to process that SRV was gone. I could not truly believe it for several weeks. The fact that Bowie kept his illness a secret also was a shock. My very favorite artist died without warning. I was fortunate to share this planet with him while he was alive and see him perform a few times.
David Bowie's death came right after my mother's. 2016 was just a horrible year. I was taking driving lessons when I heard of SRV's death. I had to pull over and it was a long while before I could see to start driving again. How did I not know they did this song together? Thanks, Rick. Got me right in the gut with this episode.
Wonderful lesson. I actually read that Bowie said that before Stevie Ray did the Solo he said "This one's for Albert (king)" and you can really hear his influence in that amazing solo. RIP both of those geniuses!
I think Bowie definitely got into jazz in his later years. His last work, Blackstar, had a modern jazz band headed by sax player Donny McCaslin. The drumming was by Mark Guiliana, one of the great modern drummers.
I've just started looking at Blackstar more, and particularly the jazz band involved. There's so much going on in that album, and they're very talented musicians all around.
He was into jazz since he was a kid. If I remember right, the saxophone was the first instrument he learned to play. Bowie just had his finger on the pulse of great music of the now.
The musicians are incredible on Blackstar, killer representation of the NYC jazz scene. My friend worked on that record and told me how the entire environment felt sacrosanct, there was a real sense of the importance of the record and material. That record continues to reveal layers. Bowie was on another level
He's easily the most underrated singer ever imo. Bowie actually can sing in 4.75 - 5 octaves, which is more octaves than Freddie Mercury could sing. He's hit a G1 to a Eb6 and has hit that and D6's live even!
Although I would agree, I don't think that David Bowie is underrated. But then maybe it's just because I've been an absolute fan since way back from the late 70s, early 80s.
@@laurent9285 I don't think he is underrated per say, I just think him as a singer is underrated. I feel he never gets credit for his singing ability. But it's always good to find another super fan of Bowie!
Nile Rodgers is a master in putting all the right elements together, the right people, instruments, recording, sound he has got clear vision what he wants with a song..so it is not hard to immagine that David Bowie wanted him as his producer. Great talents come together..always!!
This wasn’t ever my favorite phase of Bowie, but your analysis is spot on. Your enthusiasm is wonderful and greatly appreciated. Bowie and Vaughn - what an unlikely paring.
Rick, I believe you when you said some of your younger audience might not know who Stevie is. I, on the other hand, live in Austin, TX where you could say, uh, people are aware of him. The Holy Trinity down here are Willie Nelson, SRV and Matthew McConaughey! Hook 'em!
Stevie Ray is one of my favorite guitar players. I was a kid when "Let's Dance" came out. I worked for my dad's DJ company then spent 5 years at Tower Records, so I really am passionate about SRV. Anyway-I was listening to this song about 20 years ago and when the solo came on, I knew it was Stevie Ray by tone-dead on. Jackson Browne was also at Montreaux in 1982 and gave Stevie three days of studio time. That became the basis for Stevie Ray's album "Texas Flood."
I can pick Stevie's playing out of a crowded mall with tons of various music coming from shops and people's phones and lots of talking and yelling and car noise... I can hear it through all of that, every time, find the source of it and confirm his music is playing. Every time. I knew it "dead on" like you said when I first heard this album too, I just knew it was him. It's funny, because when I was a very young child I remember hearing this guitar tone every once in awhile and it just touched my soul, even as a kid... this profound thing... I didn't know who or what it was, but all these years later I'm convinced it was him. There was something magical about that man.
@@douglasgreen437 I've read different stories about that. If I recall, Bowie's first wife claimed it was written for her. And there was another person who claimed it was for them. The Elvis story seems the most plausible though
I'm not really a huge David Bowie fan but have always enjoyed listening to him. But this song pulled apart like this? Wow. I have heard this tune hundreds of times and had no idea how complex it was. Composition and production. Excellent! ( of course in the 80's I was into Glam Rock ;)
Likewise. I've listened to jazz guitar for 30 years and "Let's Dance" hundreds of times, and I never made the connection between those chords and jazz. Clear as a bell when Rick spells it out. While this song isn't quite as harmonically tricky as say Steely Dan, I definitely have a new appreciation for how many subtle touches it contains (harmonic and otherwise). I love Rick's sly comment "Everything is played", which if you read between the lines, is saying 'this track has none of that computer sequenced bs that passes for session work these days'. I never knew it was Omar Hakim on this track. Music nerds will know him as the drummer for Miles Davis and Sting in the mid-1980s, and a session player for many others including John Scofield and...as I now know, David Bowie. I wish Nile Rodgers had worked his magic one more time with Bowie. None of the later 1980s Lps have a track that can touch this.
As a Texan, I was always VERY aware of the genius and contribution SRV brought to the Blues genre - TY for acknowledging his collaboration with Bowie. So interesting :}
E Man When I heard the news that a helicopter had crashed, it sounded like it was Eric Clapton’s helicopter at first, and I was crushed. When I heard a few minutes that it was SRV, I was devastated. I didn’t get tickets to see him, but stood outside the auditorium and listened in amazement. He was first on my bucket list from 1987 onward.
I had the privilege of attending high school with Omar Hakim at the high school of music and art in NYC. I was an art student, but frequently passed Omar in the hall. He was always friendly, and known to be talented. He is beloved by our class. Overlapped with Marcus Miller and Kenny Washington.
Omar Hakim is incredible here, as always, keeping it simple and tight. His discography entry on Wikipedia is just unbelievable! Pretty much like his drumming in that Daft Punk classic "Giorgio by Moroder". (best song of the album, if you ask me)
Saw SRV live three times... first time opening for The Police, in Honolulu. I walked straight up to the stage and looking up, I could see Stevie's sweat dripping down his chin as he was just ripping on his Strat... oh what a memory!
And this is another reason why we should be thankful for Rick doing these videos, a musician who genuinely loves music talking about how amazing other musicians are 😊
I wish you could analyze at least one other Bowie song. Some suggestions: Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing(Reprise), Station To Station, Ashes to Ashes, Blackstar.
I never realized that Stevie played the guitar solo on Let's Dance..! Anyway, I find this series absolutely amazing. Enthusiasm, knowledge and skill all in one great mix. Songs I knew were good, but as a non-musician had no idea why. Now, please also do Heroes, Station to Station, Child in Time, Sympathy for the Devil, Stairways, and more Bowie,, and, and, ehm, more.. :)
Let me say that with my own, of a non-English native, words, I think you'll get the idea. Your emotion when you start mentioning SRV his passing away is SO strong, palpable and communicative. Wow. Almost took tears out of my eyes, man. It's almost like the emotional flow stopped you from keeping analyzing the song. What a tragedy that was. I loved SRV and David so much. Thank you for that, Mr. Rick Beato.
I swear, every time someone does a video on David Bowie I lean about another way in which he touched the music world & affected the larger popular culture by extension. I think it will be a generation before his entire influence is finally understood to any real degree. It truly is a privilege to have been alive on this earth at the same time as David Bowie.
@@RickBeato Are you certain about the guitar voicing? I learned it (G-B-E)(13-11-11)(12-11-9)(11-11-11)(10-11-9), which in my book is cool for three reasons...the chromatic descend on the G-string, the permanent Bb on the B-string and the up-down bounce on the E :-)
I think that Twist & Shout-style build-up is actually a nod to a similar section in the 1962 Chris Montez song "Let's Dance". Bowie performed it live with Tina Turner in the 80s.
Niles Rodgers and Bernard Edwards's group Chic used to be a Jazz outfit before they went to the prominent Black music at the time (which was called Disco), so it's not surprising that in the '80s when Let's Dance was made and Rodgers being the producer that this happened.
