The Friday Night Project-Riff-Quiz

[Liam Schwilik]

I heard a riff played by the house band on the (naff) Friday Night Project on TV the other night. I recognised it, and was a little surprised at the cross-genre usage. Also, the lack of credit.

Does anybody else recognise the riff? I have seen a previous reference on this forum to the artists who composed the riff.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[mikec]

Errr Nope.
Do i get a prize for the firsrt reply 

Sorry but couldn't resist it Mark 

cheers

MikeC

[Liam Schwilik]

Might be a prize, depends on how astute you all are? Or, indeed proove that you/we are a bunch of old hippies?

Mark 

[Sir Robert Peel]

Good evening, Lord Mark of MixingDeskshire.  Sir Robert Peel here, Global Moderator and designer of the Modern Police Service, currently stationed in the Greater Manchester metropolis on important matters of state.

By heck, you've given us a puzzler and I need to confirm some details with you.  A riff by the House Band on Friday, 4th March 2005, you say - but at what time, roughly?

Reply toute suite, if not sooner, or else I will be ordering my best detectives to bring in Jimmy Carr, the Houseband and the head of Channel 4 for questioning. 

Second question, dear Mark (may I be so familiar?).  Do you have a reasonable suspicion about the answer?

I was charmed to make your acquaintance at the Corporation Arms New Members Reception party, by the way.  You brought some stonking CDs to entertain us, and polished off as much sherry and nibbles as yours truly.  I apologise for the enthusiasm of Lady Peel, aged 212 years.  As you may have gathered, she is a fan of yours.  I will, of course, pay for the damage to your clothing.

Sir Robert Peel
Senior Investigator 

[Liam Schwilik]

Good evening Sir Robert,

How pleasant it is to make your acquaintance, again!

Well, the riff in question has been played at various links and nebulous points in the show, every week. You are quite right in assuming that it is in fact the house band, and not any of the many musical guests on the show that performs the aforementioned riff.

The reason I picked up on this? Because the man responsible for writing the song that contains the riff is yet another record producers and guitar player that influenced me greatly over the past thirty odd years. he has been recognised for a very particular guitar sound and style. To most his career ended in the 70s, when in fact he left the UK in the late 70s for USA when all things musical changed.

He has been and is still responsible for a varied and huge repertoire of recordings released across the world. I might add, that his reputation for narcotic indulgences was firmly established in the 70s, although, given his prolific output of work, and vitality, I suspect he gave all that up years ago?

Got it yet?

Mark

[Jim]

big Jim Sullivan?

[Liam Schwilik]

Sorry No. But he did have a similar amount of hair.

Mark

[Tasha]

John Mayall??? He played guitar as well as Harmonica didn't he? I'm wrong aren't I? Drat

[Liam Schwilik]

Good try, but it's wrong. The riffer is still alive!

Mark.

[Nick]

Good try, but it's wrong. The riffer is still alive!

Mark.

 

I thought John Mayall was still alive!?

[Shane (Skirky)]

Either that or the audience Ippo for the Bluesbreakers was sadly misinformed...
I'm guessing the 'narcotic' reference rules out Richard Thompson?  I'm guessing at hints here - or, of course, I could just listen to the riff? - but after consecutive viewings of Jordan and Kelly Osbourne suddenly, despite the genius of Jimmy Carr, it's not big on my 'must do' list...
Any more clues? 
Shane

[Liam Schwilik]

Just though I would make sure you knew he is alive.

So you're not the old hippies I thought you were.  (prooves I am!)

Spose I better put you out of your misery?

Now primarily a producer and techno-animal, guitarist Steve Hillage first established himself as one of the leading names in the 60s psychedelic rock movement. His first notable band was Uriel, which included the talents of keyboardist Dave Stewart; Uriel then became Egg (isn't it usually the other way around?) when Hillage went off to university in 1968. A brief reunion of the two under the name Arzachel took place in 1969, spawning an eponymous record.

Upon returning to music in 1971, Hillage had a brief stint with his own band Khan, another brief stint with ex-Soft Machinefrontman Kevin Ayers, and then moved on to the group that really established his reputation: the hippies-from-outer-space collective Gong. He added his signature echo guitar to the Radio Gnome Invisible Trilogy, toured extensively, and then - thank you ma'am - set out on a solo career in 1975.

After a brief detour playing with National Health, Hillage flew to the States to record the solo effort L with Todd Rundgren at the production helm. The album met with considerable success, aided in part by a promotional tour across America with The Electric Light Orchestra. Several more solo offerings followed, but by the early 1980's interest in his music was on the wane and so Hillage instead turned his skills to producing, putting together albums for the likes of Simple Minds and (less successfully) Robyn Hitchcock.

Hillage made his return to performing through a chance meeting with The Orb's Alex Patterson in 1989, which led to the creation of the techno band System 7 in 1991. System 7 released several albums during the 90s through the labels Astalwerks, Butterfly and Cleopatra, and continues to be active in the new millennium.

    Arzachel Guitarist 1969
    Gong Guitarist 1973-75
    National Health Guitarist 1976
    The Steve Hillage Band Guitarist 1976-79
    System 7 Electronics 1991-present

The track is Light in the Sky, from the Motivation radio album. A classic!


Mark.

P.S. Shame, the prize was fantastic!

[Randlepmcmurphy]

The best ever Steve Hillage reference has to be the one in the young ones remember it ?

[Nick]

Wouldn't have got Steve Hillage... but then I've not heard the riff on the TV programme.

I did enjoy the Ultraworld stuff he did with The Orb though, and the first few bits of System 7 (named after the Apple Mac operating system and co-staring Miquette Giraudy if I recall). Last saw them 2-3 years ago at Glastonbury in the Avalon field. Gone a bit noodly I thought which was a shame.

I'll keep my eyes and ears open next time.

Cheers

Nick

[Liam Schwilik]

Hillage is a noodle!

Can't remember the Young Ones reference? Must have missed that one.

[mikemush]

     Loved Gong and got loads of The Orb stuff,but Hillage apparently these days believes he invented the whole techno/ambient genre......I just figured he'd got so far up himself by now that he'd simply blinked out of existence.....

    actually,didn't mean to write that out loud.......the space-whispers made me do it.......

[Liam Schwilik]

Really? Where did you hear that?

Mark.

[Nick]

Hillage apparently these days believes he invented the whole techno/ambient genre......

That's actually quite possible. It was a close call between The Orb and The KLF. I still rate Chill Out as an after-hours masterpiece.

Mind you, neither come close to Banco de Gaia in my book.

I just figured he'd got so far up himself by now that he'd simply blinked out of existence.....

And isn't that the point of rock stars? Even ambient ones.

Cheers,

Nick

[Liam Schwilik]

Nick, I agree!

[Tullfanatic]

And speaking of techno/ambient...

I just found out that the great Ozric Tentacles are coming to my hometown!!  I can't wait, they're one of my favorite bands.   If you haven't heard them then I highly recommend you give them a listen --- to me they're the mad hippie scientists of prog.   And damn fine musicians, too!