It’s Bad You Know – R L Burnside [..with tab]

Background

I remember seeing R.L. Burnside in Brighton in the late 1990′s. “She asked me why. I just went on and told her. The engineer blown the whistle, the fireman he rang the bell.”The gig was above a pub (the Flying Pig I think) on Queens Road, just down from the railway station. My enduring memory will always be of Cedric, his grandson, silhouetted behind the drum kit, pumping out ‘tribal’ blues rhythms. There were just the two of them, but it was amazing. I’d never really experienced blues if this nature before. It was far removed from your standard Chicago 12 bar. It took you somewhere intensely sweaty, down in Mississippi.

Who’s blowing the harp?

Only Lester Butler of The Red Devils! I believe recorded scraps were sequenced and engineered by Tom Rothrock and the track was released into the underground dance scene in 1998. Where it flourished. The message was then adopted by the likes of Moby, Little Axe and now Alabama 3. More recently by Son of Dave. If it’s any testament to quality, this track and, of course, Alabama 3′s Woke Up This Morning have been used in the TV series The Sopranos.

Harp tab (C major diatonic, 2nd position)

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 1D 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D 2D

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 1D 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D 2D

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D

1D 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D 2D

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D

1D 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D 2D

2D 3D’ 4B 4D’ 4B 3D’ 2D

2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 1D 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D 2D

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 1D 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D 2D

Fading

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 1D 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D 2D

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D’ 2D 2D 3D’ 2D 2D 2D” 1D 2D” 1D…1D’

2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 1D 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D” 2D 2D