The sitar is a stringed instrument with strong resonation that was used since the middle ages in classical Hindustani music in India, as explained in the Wikipedia article. The sitar has a distinctive sound and produces a rich harmony. Before the mid-1960s, it would occur to noone that the sitar could be a rock and roll instrument as well, but that’s what it became.

There were apparently two main performers who first noticed the sitar and began to get others, such as George Harrison, interested in the instrument. In 1965, David Crosby (then of the Byrds) came into contact with the musician and sitarist Ravi Shankar and began to spread the news about classical Indian music.

The second figure was Shawn Phillips, whose Second Contribution was a topic of a previous post here. Phillips himself was more directly responsible for Harrison’s use of the instrument, it seems. Phillips, who had already become familiar with playing the sitar, actually gave George Harrison lessons, as mentioned in a recent interview of Phillips in Modern Guitars Magazine:

Interviewer: I understand that you sang backup on the Beatles “Lovely Rita”. How did you get there and what was that like?

Phillips: Well, hanging out in England and working with Don, you just sort of ran into all these people at the clubs we’d got to like the Speakeasy. We’d run into Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, all these people and gradually you get to know people.

At one point I was giving sitar lessons to George Harrison. He was just getting started with the instrument. We had dinner over at his house, I don’t know how many times, and I’d sit down and give him the pointers I knew and so forth and one day he said, “Why don’t you guys come over and visit the studio? We’re doing this new album.”

We walked in and Paul said, “Hey, why don’t’ you guys sing back up on this tune?”

You don’t think about the fact that you may be making music history. We were just a bunch of guys hanging out.

The sitar was soon to become an important sound of the Beatles as they entered their more interesting, psychedelic stage. “Norwegian wood” on Rubber Soul (1965) was the first use of the sitar on a rock record, it seems, and Harrison would continue to use the sitar along with his continued involvement in Hinduism. You can read a good description of this influence on Harrison’s life in The Guardian obituary. Soon others such as the Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones likewise began to incorporate the sitar into their music, as on “Paint it black” (1966).

As to Shawn Phillips, there is an interesting video on Youtube in which Shawn Phillips explains a bit about the sitar and he and Donovan perform on Pete Seeger’s Rainbow Quest show in 1965. Whether this was before or after giving lessons to Harrison, I’m not sure:

There’s also a video there regarding George Harrison’s subsequent lessons with Ravi Shankar:

]]> http://www.philipharland.com/VinylAddiction/2008/01/12/unexpected-rock-instruments-sitar/feed/ 1 http://www.philipharland.com/VinylAddiction/2007/08/27/phil-spectors-wall-of-sound-isnt-it-a-pity/ http://www.philipharland.com/VinylAddiction/2007/08/27/phil-spectors-wall-of-sound-isnt-it-a-pity/#comments Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:58:27 +0000 pharland http://www.philipharland.com/VinylAddiction/2007/08/27/phil-spectors-wall-of-sound-isnt-it-a-pity/ Listen while you read: Beware of darkness (Spectorized) (audio snippet)

Phil Spector’s influence on rock n’ roll cannot be underestimated. His production of several Beatles albums ensured this. Spector‘s style of production (by the mid-late 1960s) with heavy reverberation and very full orchestral arrangements mixed with the original performances and overdubs has sometimes been known as the “wall of sound”. Spector tunes also look like a wall when you see a wave file.

George Harrison’s “Beware of darkness” is a good case in point, since it is available in both fully Spectorized, “wall of sound” form and in more basic, quick run-through form on the CD re-release of 2001. I have mixed feelings about the “wall of sound” approach as my recent re-listen to All Things Must Pass (1970; CD remaster 2001; © Apple/EMI) reminded me.

On the one hand, you are overwhelmed by the fullness of the music and somewhat complicated instrumentation in the Spectorized versions, even if “Beware of darkness” is among the more modestly produced tracks. On the other, you start to yearn for a moment of hesitation or quiet in the music. I like french horns and orchestral arrangements as much as the next guy, but where is Harrison and his guitar? Where is the lyrical and melodic clarity.

Listen while you read: Beware of Darkness (basic) (audio snippet)

Thanks to the CD re-release you do get a taste of what “Beware of darkness” actually is. The more basic version — basic in a good sense, I would say — draws more attention to the emotion in the lyrics and Harrison stands out more fully. You still have the sense of a dramatic build in the song nonetheless. If you get a chance, pick up All Things Must Pass, which is excellent regardless of your view on what Spector did with Harrison’s great performance and writing.

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