I knew I said that it would be awhile before posting another cover, but this song really didn’t take long to learn, and it’s one of my favorite GORDY (Motown) label songs.
PAPA WAS A ROLLIN’ STONE was first performed by “The Undisputed Truth” and released in May of 1972. It was then again recorded by the Temptations (who made it a hit) in September of 1972.
The Temptations who went into the studio in the summer of 1972 to record “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” were a very different group than the one that released “My Girl” just seven years earlier. David Ruffin had long departed and was replaced by Dennis Edwards. Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams were also out of the group, and the new lineup faced a very different musical atmosphere.
“Psychedelic Soul” was all over the radio, but Motown was keeping up with the times and producers Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote a stupefyingly funky song about an absentee father. Contrary to widespread belief, Dennis Edwards’ father didn’t die on the third of September; he died on the third of October. Still, it was close enough to enrage the singer, though he ultimately agreed to sing the song. It shot to Number One on the Hot 100 and was their final monster hit.
The song is identified by three bass notes backed by hi-hat cymbal drumming. Those three notes, as simple as they appear, put the full meaning into the lyrics and create a solid foundation for the song. Sometimes “Simple is Better”… It was this simplicity that drove bassist James Jamerson from the recording studio during the recording since he refused to play those three notes over and over.
There’s still a bit of controversy over as to who actually performed the bass recording on the Temptations version, but it is documented that Bob Babbitt performed the duties on the Undisputed Truth’s cut. Most fingers point to Eddie Watkins as Bob Babbitt openly admitted that he was not the bassist for that recording.
In the following cover video, I’m using my modified Yamaha TRBX174EW in BEAD tuning to perform the bass line. Although those three simple notes might appear simple to play, keeping perfect time with those notes is a great exercise. Given the (almost 7 minute) length of the recording, I have included plenty to keep everyone occupied throughout the entire cover.
Given the size of the cover video files, I have uploaded two separate size versions to my server. one large, and one smaller. Enjoy! And feel free to provide any constructed feedback.
PAPA WAS A ROLLIN’ STONE (SMALL 84mb version)
PAPA WAS A ROLLIN’ STONE (LARGE 126mb version)
Keep On Thumpin’!
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