Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 859 The Cursed Band
The guitar solo is like the sound of time rubbed out by an old record player, so elegant that it seems like this is not a rock concert but a classical music concert in a concert hall.

With the evening breeze, Bian Lang looked at the audience below the stage. When the spotlight swept across, he could see several female fans sitting on the shoulders of men, swaying their arms to the music. Just like that afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum in 1977, the swaying light made people feel a little unreal.

"Is this Wave's ability? It can surprise people at any time..." Although Ronald felt that the guitar part of this song was not as good as Thor said so far, he was still very impressed by the overall feeling created by the arrangement.

Thor glanced at him, snorted coldly and said, "Boy, don't rush to draw conclusions. It's not too late to make your comments after you finish listening!"

Ronaldo didn't say anything back, but just looked at Thor strangely, muttering in his heart: "This is blues American country rock, what else can the Rolling Stones do?"

From his perspective, what impressed him most about the performance of this song was the cooperation of the three guitarists. In the most famous songs of the Rolling Stones, the solos were basically performed by one person, especially the ending of "Fade To Black".

Although there is some cooperation among the three guitarists on "Comfortably Numb" and "Wish You Were Here", strictly speaking, it is actually possible for Di Li to carry the main responsibility alone.

In "Wish You Were Here", Bian Lang plays the vocal part. If we go back to the original song, Bian Lang can just let go and sing the lead vocals.

But this song is different. During the prelude, the three players started to play together in sequence.

Bian Lang's rhythm starts first, followed by Strauss who also sings the lead, and then Di Li who plays with a slide joins in. This is a carefully designed guitar ensemble arrangement.

The configuration of three fixed guitarists was not a regular configuration for the band on the original Earth and Blue Water Planet, but Lynyrd Skynyrd is best known for its guitar ensemble.

Many fans of the 90s went back to do some archaeology. After listening to the songs and learning about the band’s life, they would say, “If Lynyrd Skynyrd didn’t take a plane, they would kill the eagles.”

So it was inevitable that Ronaldo would be attracted by the guitar ensemble of this song.

At this moment, Bian Lang shouted into the microphone: "Piano, Hua Yan..." Then the piano solo as gentle as the prelude appeared again.

As Hua Yan played the piano under the spotlight again, she felt a different kind of excitement than before.

Some people may think it is inappropriate to use piano as accompaniment in a rock concert, let alone playing such a lyrical and elegant interlude. But at this moment, no fans at the scene raised any doubts. Even the most strict critics closed their eyes and enjoyed the performance!

Why do some people think it is inappropriate? That's because there are really not many bands and songs in the past that can perfectly integrate piano arrangements into rock music.

But there are three typical exceptions in the original Earth. The first is Queen, the second is XJapan, and the third is naturally Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Back to this song, "Free Bird" was co-written by the band, with keyboardist Bill Powell contributing piano solos for the prelude and interlude.

Guitarist Gary Rossinton contributed the intro solo; another guitarist Allen Collins & lead singer Ronnie Van Zant created the melody and other music of "Free Bird". Allen Collins wrote the remaining harmony framework, and Ronnie Van Zant also contributed the vocal melody.

Therefore, when Hua Yan played this passage, the resonance was particularly strong and it was completely traceable.

Although it was Hua Yan's piano solo, Bian Lang's rhythm guitar and Strauss were still moving. Only Di Li stopped playing normally and continued to play bird calls with the slide.

Bian Lang closed his eyes and followed the rhythm, recalling the classic live scene. When this piano performance was going on, the girls in the front row were lying on the isolation fence with their hands under their heads.

They were so peaceful and elegant in the afternoon sun, and completely became an integral part of the song.

Therefore, Bian Lang plans to wait until he goes to the United States to recreate it completely when he has the chance!
At this moment, although there was no sunshine in the audience, some female fans in the evening breeze were looking at the stage in the same posture. They also didn't understand why there was a rock band live that allowed them to enjoy such a moment of pure peace while playing.

Even the cameraman who scanned the faces couldn't help but sigh: "What kind of magic is Wave's music? This is a rock concert! How could this happen?"

Jiuli and his gang had the same sentiment. They used to think that the more exciting a rock concert was, the better. But now that they saw the infectious power in the calm, they felt that it would be pretty cool to have such a concert one day!

But what they don't know is that it's all a scam.

"Bye, bye, Baby its been a sweet love.Though this feeling I can't change..." (Goodbye, goodbye, baby, this once sweet feeling, even though I can't forget this love)

“But please don't take it so badly, 'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame…”

Bian Lang's singing voice started again, slowly piercing the tear glands of the female fans at the scene. Looking at this scene, recalling the various things between Bian Lang and Dong Youbian, Chen Manman smiled bitterly.

"If Brother Lang and You Bian had switched roles, Bian Lang's song would have been more appropriate... What a pity, such a talented man..."

As a friend and business partner, Chen Manman has the courage to accompany Dong Youbian until he hits his head against the wall, but that does not prevent her from being unable to figure out the matter in her heart.

"Perhaps, only when you reach the level of Silva and Guo Sichu can you have the confidence to stand up to a man like Brother Lang!"

"But, if I stayed here with you girl, Things just couldn't be the same..." (However, dear girl, if I chose to stay here with you forever, things would not have turned out like this)
"Cause I'm as free as a bird now, And this bird you'll never change..." (I am now as free as a bird. This bird will never be shaken by you)

The tail note of Bian Lang suddenly picked up, resonating with the high-distortion sound played by Di Li. In a way that rock fans can understand, it gave everyone an early warning: "Here it comes, it's time to prepare for takeoff."

Although many fans at the scene were watching the Rolling Stones live for the first time, they had a lot of experience in listening to rock concerts. When they heard this signal, they started cheering. Their bodies also automatically turned on the high-energy mode, waiting for the last signal from Bian Lang. They would use their enthusiasm to raise the temperature in the venue by another two or three degrees!
But the Rolling Stones were not in a hurry. Instead of taking off from the spot, they began to advance step by step:
“And this bird you can not change.And this bird you can not change.Lord knows， I can't change.……” (This is a bird that cannot be shaken by you...The Lord knows, I can't change...)
Hearing this, the faster rhythm made the fans at the scene start to jump, and the crowd was like boiling water, with many bubbles generated by the heat starting to rise.

"Lord help me, I can't change..." As Bian Lang stretched out the last syllable, Tang Dafeng in the audience laughed and cursed: "Bian Lang, you are a Chinese, God damn it, let the Lord save you! Are you going to bring Jesus to play rock and roll with you?"

"Lord I Can't Change..."

After another sentence, the tempo increased a little bit, and most of the fans in the audience started dancing and clapping to the rhythm!
Thor glanced at Ronaldo at this moment, and it seemed as if he was thinking, "Wait, kid, it's about to start!" But what came out of his mouth was, "Wave, don't use the Lord's name, the Lord only wants to solo with you now!"

“Won't You Fly High Free Bird Yea…”
The vocal part of the song finally came to an end, but this was the beginning of the classic solo that was wildly recommended by the original Earth music fans.

The 15-fret vibrato and quick strumming made the fans, whose bodies had already adapted to the rhythm, jump up and down to the beat. With their scalps tingling and adrenaline rushing, this solo, which was in stark contrast to the previous one, made the fans just want to give their bodies to the Rolling Stones!
Many fans were busy enjoying themselves and didn't pay much attention to the situation, but after a brief moment of shock and confusion, the guitarists in the circle immediately discovered a new problem: "It's not Dili who is playing the solo, but Strauss!"

The original soloist of the original version of Original Earth was guitarist Allen Collins, who also wrote this solo. Although it doesn't seem to be related to the previous arrangement, as an electric guitar solo, it brings the highest principle of "just having fun" to the extreme!

Bian Lang chose the 1977 live version. At this moment, Strauss was just like the lead guitarist Allen Collins, without any nonsense or exaggeration. Then after the chorus, Bian Lang started to improvise and play quickly.

I used the 15fr6 Pentatonic Scale for half a minute, then quickly switched to the 6fr1 Pentatonic Scale for another half a minute; then I moved up a few notches to the 11fr3 Pentatonic Scale for nearly another half a minute...

然后又转回15fr的6型……最高上到高八度的8fr(20fr)2型……最后又退回到15fr的6型一直绕到结束……

The entire solo has no melody and almost no creativity, it is all improvisation of Blues guitar positions, but it is this improvisation, plus Allen Collins' hand speed, that laid the foundation for this song to rank third on the original Earth guitar solo rankings.

The song is the last track on Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1973 debut album, Pronounced ' Leh -' nerd ' Skin -' nerd.

In a parallel comparison, Allen Collins is much faster than Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Ritchie Blackmore (Deep - Purple), and Tony Lommi (Black Sabbath), the three major heavy guitarists in the UK at that time.

As for Van Halen's "Eruption", it would not be released for another five years.

When Strauss was assigned to this part, he was also somewhat surprised by Bian Lang's decision. In her opinion, this kind of fast-playing task would actually be more suitable for Di Li.

But after listening to the part played by Di Li with the slide, she felt that the ancient speed was more practical.

But in fact, as far as the live version is concerned, Allen Collins's is just an improvised quadratic version, so much so that many guitarists who cover the song are not sure which version to follow to transcribe the score.

Now it seems that maybe that was the last glimmer of hope for Lynyrd Skynyrd before their demise. Knowing that this lineup would never be complete again, they worked extra hard...

Speaking of this, we have to talk about the experience of Lynyrd Skynyrd, a band cursed with doom, and their story is filled with endless sadness.

Lynyrd Skynyrd was a prominent figure in the American rock music scene in the 70s. Their fifth album, Street Survivors, was quickly certified gold after its release in 1977.

The 1977 Oakland Coliseum Live video was the largest tour in the band's history done to promote this new album.

The first five stops were all very successful, with enthusiastic support from music fans, including the most classic 1977 Live at Oakland Coliseum Stadiu.

As a result, the band was on its way to the sixth performance city (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the core city of Southern rock) when the plane they were on encountered a serious air crash and the band was almost wiped out.

A total of 26 people, including the band and tour staff, boarded the plane which was packed with equipment.

Three hours after takeoff, the old plane crashed directly into the wild jungle of Mississippi, killing six people including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (guitarist's sister), tour assistant manager, and the pilot and co-pilot. The remaining 6 people suffered various serious injuries.

The two solo guitarists, Gary Rossington, had both arms and a leg broken, and punctured stomach and liver; lead guitarist and Top 100 player Allen Collins had his arm severely damaged, and doctors recommended amputation, but his father stopped the decision before the operation began, and he later recovered and started playing guitar again.

A few years later, in 1986, he was involved in another car accident, and his girlfriend died at the scene. He himself was paralyzed below the lumbar spine. A few years later, in 1990, he died of chronic pneumonia at the age of 48.

Keyboardist Bill Powell's nose was almost completely knocked off and one knee was shattered; bassist Leon Wilkeson was trapped in the wreckage of the plane, covered in blood; drummer Artimus Pyle had a large area of ​​rib fractures...

The scariest thing is that the cover design of the band’s last album, Street Survivors, which was released to promote the band’s last tour, shows a group of band members fighting in a blazing fire, which is full of the meaning of fate and curse...

It wasn't until 2007, on the 30th anniversary of the album's release, that the original cover was restored.

Later, original member and bassist Leon Wilkeson died of drug overdose in 2001 at the age of 49; keyboardist Bill Powell died of a heart attack in 2009 at the age of 56; Gary Rossington is the only original member left in the band.

Gary Rossington also died in 2023 at the age of 71.

Bian Lang didn’t know whether God was jealous of them or wanted to listen to rock music, so he summoned them to heaven.

But Bian Lang really hopes that they are just like himself, traveling to another world to continue playing rock and roll, and singing the music they like to people who like it.

Just like him now!
(End of this chapter)