Classical Gasses

John Thomas8 · #1

Weird mood tonight, trawled through YT looking for Classical Gas covers by folks I like to listen to play:

Mason Williams' original:

Jim Stafford:

Glen Campbell:

Eric Clapton:

Chet Akins:

The Ventures:

Steve Howe:

Roy Clark Band:

Steve Hackett:

Tommy Emmanuel:

#2

Tommy Emmanuel having some fun with it...

(TL;DL: the guitar work starts around 3:00, but the percussion work is fun too)

#3

We just saw Tommy Emmanuel a few months ag up in desert near Joshua Tree. He’s fucking AMAZING in person.

John Thomas8 · #4

Phoenix520 wrote: ↑Thu May 04, 2023 11:23 pm We just saw Tommy Emmanuel a few months ag up in desert near Joshua Tree. He’s fucking AMAZING in person.

Added to the post

#5

Here is the original Mason Williams arrangement again.

It is my candidate for the very first made for TV music video (film). I know Tony Bennett says he did one in the 50's but I don't think it was for TV, I think it was for cinemas. Somebody will find something earlier I'm sure, but it is the oldest one that I can identify in my brain bone.

Anyway, this was the way Classical Gas was presented on TV for the first time. It was shown on the Smothers Brothers Hour. I don't think the record had even been released yet. Possibly the reaction to this film encouraged the record company to release it and history followed.

ETA: I'M WRONG (I know, how can that be?)

From Wikipedia:

Originally named "Classical Gasoline", the tune was envisioned to be "fuel" for the classical guitar repertoire. The title was later inadvertently shortened by a music copyist.[3] Mike Post, later famous for television theme music, was a producer and arranger for the song.

Williams was the head writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour at the time of the piece's release and premiered the composition on the show. Williams performed it several times over several episodes.

After the piece had reached the Top 10, Williams asked an experimental filmmaker named Dan McLaughlin to adjust a student video montage that he had created of classical art works using Beethoven's 5th Symphony and edit it in time to "Classical Gas", using the visual effect now known as kinestasis. The work, 3000 Years of Art, premiered in 1968 on an episode of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The song peaked at number two for two weeks in August that year,[4] behind "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors. On the US Easy Listening chart, it went to number one for three weeks.[5]

#6

I don’t remember seeing that on the Smothers Brothers show. Whoa, that was trippy!

Thank you Keith.

#7

Phoenix520 wrote: ↑Thu May 04, 2023 11:23 pm We just saw Tommy Emmanuel a few months ag up in desert near Joshua Tree. He’s fucking AMAZING in person.

I've got tickets to see him in Melbourne on May 28th.

#8

Phoenix520 wrote: ↑Thu May 04, 2023 11:49 pm I don’t remember seeing that on the Smothers Brothers show. Whoa, that was trippy!

Thank you Keith.

Oh, yeah. I definitely remember seeing it when first broadcast. Trippy indeed.

#9

Enjoy the show!

p0rtia · #10

Nice.

Now I feel old.

noblepa · #11

keith wrote: ↑Thu May 04, 2023 11:43 pm Here is the original Mason Williams arrangement again.

It is my candidate for the very first made for TV music video (film). I know Tony Bennett says he did one in the 50's but I don't think it was for TV, I think it was for cinemas. Somebody will find something earlier I'm sure, but it is the oldest one that I can identify in my brain bone.

Anyway, this was the way Classical Gas was presented on TV for the first time. It was shown on the Smothers Brothers Hour. I don't think the record had even been released yet. Possibly the reaction to this film encouraged the record company to release it and history followed.

ETA: I'M WRONG (I know, how can that be?)

From Wikipedia:
Originally named "Classical Gasoline", the tune was envisioned to be "fuel" for the classical guitar repertoire. The title was later inadvertently shortened by a music copyist.[3] Mike Post, later famous for television theme music, was a producer and arranger for the song.

Williams was the head writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour at the time of the piece's release and premiered the composition on the show. Williams performed it several times over several episodes.

After the piece had reached the Top 10, Williams asked an experimental filmmaker named Dan McLaughlin to adjust a student video montage that he had created of classical art works using Beethoven's 5th Symphony and edit it in time to "Classical Gas", using the visual effect now known as kinestasis. The work, 3000 Years of Art, premiered in 1968 on an episode of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The song peaked at number two for two weeks in August that year,[4] behind "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors. On the US Easy Listening chart, it went to number one for three weeks.[5]

The story I heard was that Williams wrote it so he would have something original to play at parties, when they passed a guitar around the room. He envisioned it as "fuel" for such parties.

Mike Post was responsible for the trombone and brass parts in the middle of the piece.

I remember when he played it on The Smother Brothers Show, in front of his "Bus Book". This was a full-sized photograph of a Greyhound bus that folded up into a "book" about 18 inches square and six inches thick. There were only about 50 copies printed. I'd love to find one, but I probably couldn't afford it, and I wouldn't have anywhere to open it. I think I remember that it had a warning printed on the box that said "Do Not Open in The Wind".

BTW, the song won the Grammy for Best Song in 1969, one of the few instrumentals to achieve that honor.

#12

So that's where that came from! My guitar teacher had been really excited for me to learn it, but I'd never heard the original, so I had no idea what it was supposed to sound like. I only learned the part up to where the brass comes in. That sounded really familiar, though, so I must not have been TOO far off....

much ado · #13

noblepa wrote: ↑Fri May 05, 2023 5:29 pm I remember when he played it on The Smother Brothers Show, in front of his "Bus Book". This was a full-sized photograph of a Greyhound bus that folded up into a "book" about 18 inches square and six inches thick. There were only about 50 copies printed. I'd love to find one, but I probably couldn't afford it, and I wouldn't have anywhere to open it. I think I remember that it had a warning printed on the box that said "Do Not Open in The Wind".

I certainly remember Classical Gas. I've looked it up on YT a few times in recent years. And I remember the Mason Willams Phonograph Record and the Mason Williams Reading Matter. But I didn't remember the Bus Book.

One sold at auction last year. The estimate was $4,000–6,000. It sold at $20,000.

https://www.lamodern.com/auctions/2022/ ... iew=mosaic

#14

Hubby got interested in this and found what he calls a guitar god from Brazil. He looks like The Kid (our youngest). Wow!!!!

much ado · #15

Nice one trl!

I kinda liked this video of Mason playing it...

John Thomas8 · #16

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Fri May 05, 2023 10:11 pm Hubby got interested in this and found what he calls a guitar god from Brazil. He looks like The Kid (our youngest). Wow!!!!

At first glance it looks like Dave Grohl.

Reality Check · #17

Not Classical Gas but one of my favorite Glenn Campbell performances.

#18

Back to Classical Gas and another Mason Williams performance

much ado · #19

Cool! That is some harp!

#20

much ado wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 4:15 am Cool! That is some harp!

She does a TED talk describing how it came about.

#21

Keith, thanks for this thread, I haven’t heard Classical Gas in years but it is part of the soundtrack of my youth and I’ve always loved it. It brings back memories of family time in front of the TV.

The harp is beautiful! ( I thought I heard her break into Tacobell’s Pachelbel’s Canon at one point).

Hahaha autocorrect e

John Thomas8 · #22

Phoenix520 wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 2:04 pm Keith, thanks for this thread, I haven’t heard Classical Gas in years but it is part of the soundtrack of my youth and I’ve always loved it. It brings back memories of family time in front of the TV.

The harp is beautiful! ( I thought I heard her break into Tacobell’s Pachelbel’s Canon at one point).

Hahaha autocorrect e

Giggle. It was fun making the first post and gratifying other folks chipped in.

noblepa · #23

I've always been a big fan of Mason Williams. At one time, I think I had all of his albums on vinyl.

One of my favorites is "J. Edgar Swoop", about "an eagle who was not very regal".

Another is his version of Greensleeves. I have read that it was intended to be his next big hit, after Classical Gas, but it never quite did that well. It has the same sort of guitar opening, then seques into a big orchestral piece.

#24

John Thomas8 wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 4:42 pm
Phoenix520 wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 2:04 pm Keith, thanks for this thread, I haven’t heard Classical Gas in years but it is part of the soundtrack of my youth and I’ve always loved it. It brings back memories of family time in front of the TV.

The harp is beautiful! ( I thought I heard her break into Tacobell’s Pachelbel’s Canon at one point).

Hahaha autocorrect e

Giggle. It was fun making the first post and gratifying other folks chipped in.

Just jumped in and really enjoyed everything. Thanks JT8

#25

Phoenix520 wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 2:04 pm Keith, thanks for this thread, I haven’t heard Classical Gas in years but it is part of the soundtrack of my youth and I’ve always loved it. It brings back memories of family time in front of the TV.

The harp is beautiful! ( I thought I heard her break into Tacobell’s Pachelbel’s Canon at one point).

Hahaha autocorrect e

You are more than welcome, I'm sure, but its John Thomas8's thread I think.