Yup... completely agree !!

Same thing hold true to those who devote themselves to the Chapman Stick.

Wasn't that drum solo a combo of both Chuck Ruff and Edgar Winter? I remember they both played that solo live but I thought they'd recorded it that way too.

Love that his name came up here. I was a huge Edgar Winter fan back in the 70s. I was just a kid but I was already a fair saxophonist and pianist and so his multi-instrumental talents were something I could really look up to. Just a superb musician all the way around and hugely underrated IMO.

Yes...it was Edgar on timbales, and Chuck on drums. But they gave credit (Rolling Stone) for the drum solo to Chuck. A bit of history on Frankenstein. It was a song that Edgar had played for many years in his brother Johnnys band, they called it Double Drum Song, and it was a showcase to show Edgar’s multi-instrumentalist status...on keyboards, saxophone and drums. Once he formed The Edgar Winter Group, they’d invented the synthesizer...and Edgar invented the keyboard strap, as a way to get out from behind the stationary keyboard, and move around front and center. They synthesized the Double Drum Song...and recorded a super long version in the studio to showcase the synth. I believe it was the first recorded synth solo ever. (Billy Preston soon copied Edgar’s strap on synth idea...and the rest is history!). Here’s the kicker tho! They recorded the song on recording tape, and cut it into hundreds of pieces strewn all over the studio, to edit it down to the shortened version we’ve all grown to know and love today. Edgar and Rick Derringer were in the studio editing the song...and Chuck Ruff walked in and said “Oh man...that looks like it’s a real Frankenstein!” It clicked with Edgar, and the monster was born! Unexpectedly, it hit it big on college radio (something they never expected) and went straight to Number One on National Radio...an unexpected bullet!

man, that's beautiful... what a great story.

Funny you mentioned the Chapman Stick. I was down on the boardwalk on the beach years ago...and came across a guy who was playing one! My first thought was WTF is that?!? But as I stood and watched, I was fascinated with how much music he was getting out of the thing! I stayed there with him for a good long time, and picked his brain about the instrument. Enough so that I learned a lot about the instrument, so that I could go home and Google it! I almost sprung for one, but they were pretty pricey and my bet was that there was a huge learning curve to perfecting your abilities on one! So I passed! I’ve only run across two guys that play them...one I met years later. They take a great deal of dedication...that’s for sure!

One thing I didn’t mention earlier was that I was Edgar Winter’s PR guy for ten years. So I knew he and his bands pretty well, and Johnny too! I met everyone who ever played in a band with him, including Jerry LaCroix, Rick Derringer, and very close with Chuck. You nailed it on Edgar being so musically well rounded, I always considered him a “Musicians-Musician”...and he sure attracted just about everyone in the business. Sadly, Chuck passed away a couple of years back. Jerry passed a few years ago, and I never met Dan Hartman, who passed many years back. I miss Johnny, who was a great person.

This was an amazing thread to read. I love old musician/gig stories like this. It reminds me why I still play every day.

Thank you,

Michael

I just realized today that this message board is for all you experts who are Chapman Stick players! I got wrapped up in the Lorna Lee conversation and didn’t realize you guys are the cream of the crop on a compl x instrument that’s a real challenge to play! Like I said before, the instrument caught my immediate attention many years ago, as being a lover of stringed instruments, I immediately recognized its complexity’s! A tip of my hat to all of you who have accepted, and mastered, the Chapman Challenge! Well done!

Back in the 70s there was a guy who hosted late night horror movies who went by the name "The Ghoul". He started out in Ohio and ended up in Detroit. He was hugely popular in Detroit just because of the antics. During commercial breaks he was lewd, crude, blew things up with M-80s on air, and was all around "rock and roll". He started to use "Frankenstein" on air all the time and pretty much every kid in the greater Detroit area had to have it. It was like the perfect marriage and the tune is still synonomous with The Ghoul with folks my age who grew up here. The Ghoul (a.k.a. Ron Sweed) eventually went back to Ohio but stayed active right up until last spring when he sadly passed away.

Also ... regarding the "first recorded synth solo", I think folks could debate well into the evening on what might constitute a "solo" but as far as rock and pop music go, "Lucky Man" certainly has a very recognizable Moog solo recorded in 1970.

Any others that were earlier?

Beatles maybe? Maxwell's Silver Hammer?

You’re right there! There were a whole slew of different versions of Frankenstein. The “Album Version” was 4:46 long, they created a “Radio Edit” that ran 3:32, and the live version was all over the place in length, from 9 minutes all the way up to 30 minutes depending on the band he had playing with him, the length of their set (30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes), etc! The ones who got to see the longest show would get the longest version of the song, kind of how it worked. A lot of Edgar’s songs were long ones, like Tobacco Road...so it was hard to milk a whole lot of songs into their sets. Working for him, I’ve seen him play it with four different bands over 150 times live, and it’s always a different song. It’s Edgars favorite to play, too...he never lets it get old! And it’s in EVERY set he plays (over 100 dates a year to this day!) so you can imagine how many live versions there have been!

Here’s a version of the song that’s one of my favorite live telecasts of the original Edgar Winter Group, playing Frankenstein...which ran about 9 minutes in this particular performance. It features Edgar Winter on keyboard, saxophone, and timbales, Dan Hartman on bass, Rick Derringer on guitar, and Chuck Ruff on drums. Chuck has a fantastic sense of humor, and the “honky horn” thing was his idea! Totally cracked me up! Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/P8f-Qb-bwlU