"Root Beer Rag"
Written by Billy Joel
Performed live & arranged by Edward Jerlin & Bryan Celano
© 1974 Joelsongs ASCAP
Work continues on "On Broken Wings".
In the meantime, we're pulling a live track from EJ's archives...
This month, we're sharing a live version of Billy Joel's "Root Beer Rag", taken from a gig by EJ's college band G-FORCE a week before we all graduated from SUNY Potsdam in upstate New York. This was a "farewell gig" in the College Union's on-campus "night club" called "The Bear's Den".
As you'll hear, the crowd was an integral & active part of our gigs. Obviously, it was a "home team crowd", all on the same side, rooting us on, sharing good times, celebrating four years of friendships & college. It could also be a pretty discriminating bunch, with a large contingent of music majors from the Crane School of Music.
It was recorded with a couple of microphones in the back of the room, one in each corner. When listening on headphones, it really feels like one is hanging out in the back, with conversations going on to the right & to the left & in front. I'm thrilled with how well the tape has held up 23 years later.
Most of the talking into the microphone you hear is my buddy Bryan Celano, who is also playing the drums in this piano/drums duet. Listening to this all these years later, it struck me how much fun we all had & how rowdy the crowd could get, without any alcohol or any other stimulant being necessary. Just good clean fun & music.
I got a real kick out of listening to this; I hope you will too. A few of you long-standing college buddies might even hear yourself among the voices in the crowd. I know I recognized a few of them. Those gigs would not have been the same without you. :-)
Not a bad rendition, pretty clean. I pulled a few ideas from some of Billy Joel's live versions I'd heard at the time that are different from the studio version. At least I didn't miss any of the lyrics. ;-)
If you want to hear it the way it should be played, by Billy Joel himself in his prime, check out this YouTube video.
Enjoy!
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Thank you & God bless!
To download the music, RIGHT CLICK and choose "Save Target As":
"Root Beer Rag (Live)" MUSIC 4:17
