Jerry Jeff Walker -- Best Version of -- CONTRARY TO ORDINARY HQ audio
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2022
- In 1979 Jerry Jeff Walker appeared with Joe Ely on Austin City Limits. Back then television didn’t broadcast stereo sound, so PBS radio stations sometimes simulcasted a stereo transmission. People would watch TV and listen to FM radio.
I recorded the radio transmission, and this version of CONTRARY TO ORDINARY is one of my musical treasures. Afterwards I bought his album with this song, but it just didn’t do it for me. I’ve heard a couple of live version that are great, but for me this performance is unmatched. Tomás Ramirez’s saxophone is spot on perfect. He studied jazz and jazz composition and it shows. His name was spelled Rameríz on a Lost Gonzo Band album, but I’ve also seen it as Ramírez - not sure which he uses. Bobby Rambo’s lead guitar is also excellent. BTW, Joe Ely’s band that night was also amazing.
Over the years I would occasionally check to see if someone had uploaded the video of the show and recently I discovered that indeed it was uploaded at the end of 2019. The video quality is marginal, but I’m really thankful someone had it and uploaded it.
I immediately upscaled it with A.I. software. Although A.I. can do some nearly magical things, the end result was a mixed bag. The close up shots worked fairly well considering the source video, but on the wide shots there simply wasn’t enough information for the A.I. The results were too blurry with affectations.
I almost gave up and planned to use some Steve McQueen clips (the ultimate rebel and perfect for the song) but then I got the idea to use the close ups and for the wide shots I replaced them with the Steve McQueen clips.
Of course I synced in the HQ audio.
The whole show, especially LA FREEWAY is worth watching, here is the link to the original:
• Music - 1979 - Jerry J...
One thing that surprised me researching this video was that the song was composed by a professional clown - I had always thought it was by Jerry Jeff Walker. Billy Jim Baker is a professional clown and a songwriter! Mr. Baker was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 2001. Come to think of it, Charlie Chaplin wrote the great song SMILE.
I met Jerry Jeff near Boston back about 1972. I had a cassette tape with me of songs I wrote. He invited me backstage and wished me well. Such a kind and courteous man. His time was so free!
Thank you very much for sharing that, yet another reason to admire JJW.😎
Best version of this Billy Jim Baker masterpiece is on Jacky Jack's live "Night After Night"....This is too blue eyed.On the live one Johnny's guitar solo still gives me goosebumps.
AINT IT FUN BEING FROM TEXAS!
Mr. Inman's guitar work is goose-bump worthy!!
This was great. Jerry Jeff looks tooooasted! And how sweet to end on a #11, classy!
Thanks Greg!!
great video... he was a wild man...
I think I left my heart somewhere at the top of one of those hills... Lombard street maybe... ✌️ thanks for sharing 🤠
Thanks Richard! He definitely was contrary to ordinary 😉 I appreciate you taking the time to comment & glad you enjoyed it.
I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this, but I'm glad I did. It sounds like you put a lot of effort into this, including the write-up, so I'd like to say thank you and well done. What a lovely Jerry Jeff song. I can'tr believe you recorded this from the radio and still have it after all these years. Pretty wild.
Thanks, that was a killer Austin City Limits with Joe Ely and Jerry Jeff. I didn't video tape it, but I did record the FM audio with a reel to reel. A few years later when CDs came out I burned it to a CD, that's how it managed to survive.
It really holds up musically, Tomás on the sax and Rambo ;-) on the guitar and the pianist -- still love it. Glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you taking the time to comment. BTW, this is part of a short playlist I made "Songs that deserve a music video."
Kudos to my brother! You are a creative genius. What a beautiful tribute.
To quote an old proverb: "Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet." Your helping hands always helped me navigate our childhood, and it wasn't easy because I was definitely "contrary to ordinary." 😉 Your musical taste shaped mine, and I'm eternally grateful for that.
My Gosh! Thank you for this. This is indeed the best. I love this song so much. I was in Luckenbach for the unveiling of the Hondo/Jerry Jeff bronze and Billy Jim Baker (the writer) was there to perform it. It is amazing that Jerry Jeff could hear a great song and make it better....make it his.
I remember after watching this and recording the audio, I quickly bought his album with this song. But I must say, this particular version is magical. They also did a great version of LA FREEWAY which I hopefully will get around to sharing one of these days.
Please do.
Thank you for posting this. Never heard this one before, but still prefer his album version.
Thanks, I know what you mean, the first version we hear, is often our favorite version.
@@Talking2musicians Yeah, we so often connect those songs/melodies we've heard for the first time with what's going on in our lives (good or bad) at that moment. When I hear his original version, I'm a Brooklyn Boy, living in Dallas and driving for my job throughout the SW, marvelling at the wonderful captivating landscape of our country, getting to know cowboys - of the real and rodeo kind. Never forget those times, and Jerry Jeff!
agree that the album version is the absolute best … much better arrangement
Thanks for a sweet sentiment to Jerry Jeff and my song. Wonderful.
Wow Billy, what a wonderful surprise to know you approve. I suspect you can tell from the effort that went into this just how much I love your song. One of my all time favorites. All the best!!!
What a masterpiece!
One of the greatest songs ever written.Love Inman's solo on Jacky Jack's
"Night After Night".
This belongs up there with Townes, Guy and Billy Joe.
AINT IT FUN BEING FROM TEXAS!
Knifey...Sweet surprise to wake up to. Thank you for your sentiment and being Contrary...billy jim, GatlinburgTN
@@TheBozorow Good Morning! I remember talking to Django at Gruene Hall many years ago(he was just a kid) at Jerry Jeff's Christmas Party.He was gonna add this tune to his set list.
Great song! Jerry Jeff is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Never heard this version before. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure , thanks Travis.
Jacky Jack didn't write this.Billy Jim Baker did.But us Texans damn sure share your opinion.
Fabuloso.
Gracias, que gran banda y fabulosa canción.
Awesome
Thanks for putting this together and posting it. My favorite JJW song and as a South Texas kid myself it's so great to hear Tomas Ramirez!
Really glad you enjoyed it, and cool that you dig Tomas Ramirez -- that was a fantastic backing band, and that night Tomas was simply perfection personified 😎
Mike...Billy Jim Baker, here. Thank you for your feeling towards my tune. Appreciate it. You're from S Texas? I was born and raised in Harlingen. Lots of contrarians blossomed there.
@@TheBozorow I did live in San Antonia for three months once in the 70s -- I was amazed at the Texas music scene, the bands that passed through there in that short time! Wow. If you're interested, my music bio is on my site www.talking2musicians.com basically, grew up in the USA, but have lived in Europe since the 80s.
@@TheBozorow Got dropped off in San Antonio at age 5 because the Air Force transferred us and we stayed. Grew up steeped in this music and spending time out at a friends ranch down around Tilden with a lot of those old cowboys as influences. Traveled all over the world since then but I always come back to Texas music. It's funny how telling it like it is as seen as "contrary" in our go along to get along culture. It's also always fun to surprise people by understanding more spanish then they think you do!
Hi Buckaroo's
Scamp Walker time again!🤣
Yup...really good version and good presentation. Heads up....on the Jerry Jeff You Tube channel...all his records have been recently uploaded.. click playlists. A bunch of the MCA records have been out of print and unavailable and the used vinyl commands high prices. Finally folks will get a chance to hear these old gems.
Tomás Ramirez was a class act playing some of the tastier parts on a Jerry Jeff Walker album, wish he’d stayed and played on all JJW’s album. We’ll he had hIs own dreams of fronting his own band, thank you sir for the music you helped make. I was fortunate enough to see this lineup when they blew through St Louis for an early and late show, up front and as close as my group could get with the first come seating. Somehow I ended up with some souvenir Ramirez reeds, lol. Thank you for posting this video…. I’ll watch it often!
😎Really enjoyed your comment Terry! That was a really tight band, with some excellent players, very cool to have been there live, you're a lucky fellow!
My buddy didn’t care for Rambo, but he was a solid guitarist.
I wish I could find Mike Reed’s Austin City Limits clip of him performing Eastern Avenue River Railway Blues. Don’t think JJW ever played it live, one of my favorites!
Great song from the «piano» album !😊
This rendition of Contrary is possibly my favorite version. Tomas and the sax, puts a soulful twist to that winding road. BTW, my least favorite is the original MCA album version, where JJ free formed with the lyrics, getting most wrong except for the first line and last chorus. Thank you for posting. billy jim baker, gatlinburg,tn
I put this up especially for music lovers like you, thanks!