Let It Rain

Let It Rain
(Clapton/Bramlett)
From the Eric Clapton album Eric Clapton

Like “Coming Home” from Delaney & Bonnie and Friends On Tour with Eric Clapton,
“Let It Rain” is credited to Eric Clapton and Bonnie Bramlett, but it was almost certainly a collaboration between Clapton and Delaney. Delaney was at the top of his game in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as Bobby Whitlock said, “everyone wanted a piece of what Delaney had.” And it seems Delaney was willing to spread it around, giving away songwriting credits, among other things.

“Let It Rain” is the last song on Clapton’s first solo album. Carl Radle plays bass on every track on the album, and turns in a masterful effort on this classic. For the verses and choruses, he has a pretty concrete skeleton of a line that he sticks to, but he continually improvises around it. Radle’s concept for the line is to hit the root of the chord then walk up or down, diatonically or chromatically, to the root of the next chord. (“Diatonic” means notes within the key. “Chromatic,” generally, means notes outside of the key. In this case, a chromatic walk-up or –down means moving in half-steps regardless of the key.)

Looking at the first few measures of the first verse, we see Radle’s path through the chord progression. He plays the root (D) on the downbeat of the first measure. He leaps briefly to the 5^th of the chord (A) on the “and” of beat 2, then back to the root. At the end of the first measure he begins a diatonic walk-down (D-C-B) to the root of the next chord (A). In measure 2, he takes a similar approach. He plays the root of the chord (A) on the downbeat, moves to the 5^th (E) on beat 3, then moves back to the root to begin a chromatic walk-up (A-A#-B) to the root of the next chord (C). In the third measure, he plays the root (C) on the downbeat, then walks down diatonically to the next root (G) on beat 3, then walks up chromatically (C-C#) to arrive back at the root of the next chord (D).

Radle approaches much of the song this way. Even when the chord progression changes for the guitar solo, he keeps this idea of approaching the root of each chord via a chromatic walk-up or walk-down.

In playing a melodic bass line—rather than just playing chord roots, or a repetitive riff/pattern that gets transposed up and down the neck—we essentially have two options: play a line based on the scale (diatonic or chromatic) or play a line based on arpeggios (root, 3^rd, 5^th, 7^th, etc.). Often a line will be some combination of the two. Much of the bass line for this song utilizes the scale. Radle doesn’t explore arpeggios much until the outro (mm. 89 to the end). At this point, the line becomes almost exclusively arpeggio patterns. Or, more precisely, it makes use of major pentatonic scales, which are root-2^nd-3^rd-5^th-6^th. You can think of the pentatonic scale as a major scale without the 4^th and 7^th, or as a major arpeggio plus a 2^nd and 6^th above the root. In this way, a pentatonic scale is somewhere in between a diatonic scale and an arpeggio. In the example below, I have labeled each note of the scale, with the 2^nd and  6^th in parentheses to show they are members of the pentatonic scale, but outside of the arpeggio.

A full transcription is below.

You

You
(George Harrison)
From the George Harrison album Extra Texture (Read All About It)

This song was released on George Harrison’s 1975 album Extra Texture (Read All About It), but was written five years earlier during the recording sessions for All Things Must Pass. Harrison originally wrote the song for Ronnie Spector, who intended to include it on a 1971 solo album, which ultimately never materialized. The basic tracks were recorded in 1971 featuring the some of the same musicians who participated in the All Things Must Pass sessions: Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, and Gary Wright, plus Concert for Bangladesh participant Leon Russell. “You” is a strong song and became a top 20 hit in the US for Harrison, so it is a wonder it took Harrison so long to return to it. It is in a similar style to much of All Things Must Pass, bearing a particular resemblance to “What Is Life.”

The song is built around a 4-measure riff, which Radle plays, doubled by multiple guitars. This riff, seen below, is heard throughout both the verses and choruses, which comprise most of the song. A brief pre-chorus and an 8-measure bridge provide the only relief from this riff.

Though the pre-chorus is only 4 measures long, and simply stays on one chord the whole time, it plays a major role in making this song work. With so much of the song being dominated by the main riff, the pre-chorus serves as a way of building tension that is released when the riff returns for the chorus. Radle plays a simple, 1-measure pattern with light syncopation. This repetitive pattern helps the pre-chorus feel static, like it’s not moving, which in this case is a good thing. Had he played a melodic line that had some sense of forward motion over those four bars, the pre-chorus would have lost its sense of tension. The point of the section is to interrupt the main riff, and leave the listener suspended in wait for its return. Radle’s groove here helps achieve that, and provides a nice contrast to the melodicism of the main riff.

As you play through the bass line, be careful with the key signature. In F# major, all notes in the scale are sharp except B. Watch those E#’s especially!

A full transcription is below.

Home Sweet Oklahoma

Home Sweet Oklahoma

(Leon Russell)

From the album Leon Russell and the Shelter People

There’s not too much to this song from Leon Russell’s 1971 album, Leon Russell and the Shelter People. The verses feature a nice arpeggio pattern, where the lowest note descends chromatically from G down to D. On the choruses, Radle plays bouncy octaves in eighth notes.

It’s a fun song to play. Try playing the verse arpeggios in different positions on the neck. In the full transcription I have the tab starting up near the 10^th-12^th frets, but the fingering below is another option. We can’t be certain where/how Radle played it, but I like the tone higher up the neck. It is a little warmer, which feels right for the song.

A full transcription is below.

High

High

(Eric Clapton)

From the Eric Clapton album There's One in Every Crowd

“High” is a lesser-known track off of one of Clapton’s lesser-known albums. Riding the success of “I Shot the Sheriff” from the critically acclaimed 461 Ocean Boulevard, Clapton took his band to Jamaica to record the 1975 follow-up, There’s One in Every Crowd. The album mixed reggae, blues, and rock, but was generally underwhelming and seemed like a pale imitation of its predecessor.

Critical disappointment notwithstanding, there are some good performances on this album. From a bass player’s perspective, “High” is the most interesting. Radle keeps the song moving by playing a descending syncopated line, matching the rhythm of the guitar. Aside from a sparse bridge that only occurs once (mm. 62-81), this syncopated line serves as the basis for the entire song. Radle never embellishes it, except for occasionally leaving out the C-D pickup on beat 4 of the 2^nd measure of the pattern (in parentheses below).

A variation of it is used as the intro and outro, and appears after the bridge.

A full transcription is below.

Feelin' Alright

Feelin' Alright
(Dave Mason)
From the Joe Cocker album Mad Dogs and Englishmen

This song, written by Dave Mason and originally released on Traffic’s eponymous 1968 album, is constructed of only two chords repeated over and over. The melody and lyrics change as it moves between the verse and chorus, but the chord progression remains constant. On the rendition of the song on Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Radle plays a fairly consistent groove throughout.

The above bass line serves as a sort of starting point from which to improvise. Most often, Radle’s embellishments are rhythmic variations of this line. He does not vary the line to the point of distraction, but as the song itself is extremely repetitive, Radle’s improvisations keep the groove lively and fresh.

A full transcription is below. Because it is easy to get lost, I have included approximate timings for each section that correspond with the recording. 

Don't Know Why

Don't Know Why

(Bramlett/Clapton)

From the Eric Clapton album Eric Clapton

“Don’t Know Why” is another song that came from the fruitful months of collaboration between Eric Clapton and Delaney Bramlett, from the fall of 1969 through the spring of 1970. Bramlett was a huge influence on Clapton, and helped him gain confidence in his singing and songwriting. This is mostly a Delaney Bramlett song. In a 1970 interview with Melody Maker Magazine, Clapton said, “it was an idea Delaney had when he came to England, and we finished it while he was staying at my house.” It’s essentially a gospel ballad, the type of song Bramlett could write in his sleep.

Radle’s bass line leaves plenty of space, but still moves around enough to keep things interesting. Had this song ended up on a Clapton album in the later ‘70s, Radle likely would have played a simpler, stricter line, probably closer to the style of “Wonderful Tonight.”

The verses and choruses feature very similar grooves. Radle uses the pattern below often, with only occasional variation of it.

The song builds in intensity to the final chorus and outro, which is just a two-measure tag repeated multiple times before fading. This outro is one of the funnest parts of the song to play. On the C and Bb chords, Radle plays the roots embellished with upper neighbor tones. Then on the F chord, he ascends through two octaves of an F pentatonic scale.

A full transcription is below.

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

(Bramlett/Whitlock)
From the Delaney & Bonnie album On Tour with Eric Clapton

This transcription of “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way” is taken from Delaney & Bonnie's On Tour With Eric Clapton. (Also see my transcription of "Coming Home" from that album.) On the verses, Radle sticks with a one-measure groove in constant eighth notes. When the chord changes from D to G, he keeps the same pattern, but transposes it up a perfect fourth. He maintains the straight eighth notes in the chorus, but notice how in the second half of the chorus, the pattern is cut in half, from four beats to two beats. This helps build excitement and makes the chorus feel like it is really moving forward.

In the bridge, Radle simplifies his line melodically, playing mainly roots, but incorporates a little more syncopation. This is a really effective method of building tension, which is the primary purpose of the bridge in this song--to provide relief from repetitions of the verse and chorus, but also to build tension that can be released by a return to the verse. Playing a more active bass line might have made the bridge feel frantic. Instead, Radle increases the energy of the song with less melodic movement and slight syncopation.

A full transcription is below.

Alcatraz

Alcatraz
(Leon Russell)
From the Leon Russell album Leon Russell and the Shelter People

Leon Russell’s “Alcatraz” from his 1971 album Leon Russell and the Shelter People, is based largely around a G minor groove. While the rest of the band is just vamping on Gm, Radle plays a tight, one-measure groove that becomes the main riff of the song. His line is built around the root, 5^th, and 7^th of a G minor chord.  Russell had a penchant for large bands with many layers of sound, perhaps something he picked up from his days with the Wrecking Crew. This recording has three guitars, piano, organ, drums, and percussion, all stacked on top of Radle’s bass. With all of that going on, Radle keeps his groove simple and steady, rarely varying it, other than adding the C on beat 4 of the 2^nd measure in the example below. Even this unobtrusive addition he uses sparingly. His role in this song is to be rock solid and provide a foundation for the guitars and keyboards to improvise over.

His bass line on the chorus is more linear (melodic) and relies heavily on neighbor tones (nt) and chromatic passing tones (cpt). He varies this line slightly from chorus to chorus, but the basic framework remains the same.

A full transcription is below.

Cocaine

Cocaine
(J. J. Cale)
From the Eric Clapton album Slowhand

I decided to continue the trend of the last few weeks by posting another J. J. Cale song. Like last week's transcription of "After Midnight," this is Radle's bass line from Eric Clapton's cover released on the 1977 Slowhand album.

This is a typical J. J. Cale song, elegant in its simplicity. The chord progression just alternates between E and D for most of the song. There is no chorus to speak of, just a refrain at the end of each verse that steps down E – D – C – B. So by learning a few measures of music, you’ll be prepared to play this whole song.

Radle’s groove is appropriately simple. During the verses, he usually plays the root of the chord on beat 1, the 5^th on beat 3, then back to the root on beat 4. (See sample measures below.) At its core, it is essentially a simple country bass line. He embellishes it regularly, but this is the basic groove.

During the riff (heard in the intro and after each refrain), Radle alters his line only slightly. He consistently plays D-E sixteenth notes on the “and” of beat 4 in the E chords. (See sample measures below.) It’s just a little pickup to get to the D chord. This is kind of a tricky spot to feel. If you play it by yourself with a metronome, it’s not too hard. But playing it with the recording feels a little weird, because it plays against the rhythm of the guitar riff, rather than playing with it. It creates a nice little rhythmic counterpoint, but if it isn’t entirely locked into the groove, it’s easy to make it feel sloppy.

A full transcription is below.

After Midnight

After Midnight
(J. J. Cale)
From the Eric Clapton album Eric Clapton

“After Midnight” was written by J. J. Cale and recorded by Clapton for his first solo album, Eric Clapton, produced by Delaney Bramlett. (Cale also recorded the song for his album Naturally, which featured Carl Radle on bass. See previous posts.) Bramlett initially wanted to call this album “Eric Clapton Sings” because of the emphasis on Clapton’s singing and songwriting rather than his guitar playing. At the time, however, Clapton was not a very experienced singer. On most of the tracks, Bramlett recorded a guide vocal and Clapton later overdubbed his own vocal, trying to match Bramlett’s phrasing and inflection. Because of this, and the fact that most of the musicians were currently members of Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, the album sounds less like a Clapton solo album, and more like a Delaney & Bonnie project.

When Clapton needed another song for his debut album, Radle played him a tape of some of Cale's demos. Clapton was immediately smitten, and chose to record "After Midnight," which would become one of the signature songs from this album. Clapton would later record Cale's "Cocaine" for his 1977 Slowhand album. Much of Clapton's post-Dominos music is seriously indebted to Cale's laid back approach. 

Radle’s bass line on “After Midnight” is a bouncy gospel groove. It is essentially a country bass line with embellishments. The ghost notes give it a percussive feel and infuse it with a sort of instant kinetic energy. The bass line would work without them, but the ghost notes are what makes it groove. Below is a sample measure from the verse, followed by the same line with the ghost notes removed. Play them both and notice how crucial the ghost notes are. The groove is in the ghost notes.

A full transcription is below.

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