By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 01:47 pm:

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHO PLAYED THOSE TRECHEROUS GUITAR LICKS ON ARETHA FRANKLIN'S "THINK"? THAT LICK...ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES...IS MIXED DOWN ON THE TRACK...I SURE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THAT PART IN ISO. ARETHA WAS KNOWN TO USE BOBBY WOMACK, JOE SOUTH, JIMMY JOHNSON, AND EVEN ERIC CLAPTON ON MANY OF HER TRACKS FROM THAT ERA. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHICH OF THEM PLAYED THAT INCREDIBLE PART.

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.34) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 01:58 pm:

Stu,

Eric Clapton only played on one Aretha track
- "Good To Me As I Am To You"

I'm not sure who's on "Think" - I'll let you know
if I find out.

By LTLFTC (12.245.225.79) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 02:48 pm:

I'm pretty sure I read years ago that the guitar on "Think" is played by Tommy Cogbill , who was also a heck of a bass player and producer. It's defiantely got that soul/c&w fusion thing down, doesn't it?

Steve K.

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 03:14 pm:

THANKS DAVIE & STEVE;IF ANYONE KNOWS FOR SURE, PLEASE LET US KNOW. IT'S SOME OF THE MEANEST "PICKIN" YOU'LL EVER HEAR...STU

By soulboy (213.105.242.198) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 03:17 pm:

I am not sure who plays guitar on 'think' it may be that more than one player that was involved with that track, Bobby womack,joe south and Jimmy Johnson were credited on guitar on the 'aretha now' album. I doubt if it was Joe South because his sound was very distictive, as on the the intro to 'chain of fools' that particular riff is one of my all time favourites!

By SteveS (68.41.251.33) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 04:02 pm:

Aretha also used Duane Allman on a few things but I don't know if Think was one of them.

By LTLFTC (12.245.225.79) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 05:46 pm:

I still can't remember where I originally read it, but the "Rhino" 4-cd Best of Aretha has detailed track-by-track personnel and "Think" lists guitarists Tommy Cogbill and Jimmy Johnson. The hot licks are played on a telecaster and I've never seen pictures of Johnson playing anything but semi-hollow body Gibson's and Gretsch's , so I'm thinking Cogbill's a pretty good bet. That is some mean pickin' !

Steve k.

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 05:52 pm:

I DO KNOW FOR SURE THAT BOBBY WOMACK WAS ONE OF THE GUITARISTS ON THAT ALBUM...BUT I NEVER CONSIDERED THAT HE HAD CHOPS LIKE THAT...STU

By Eli (205.188.209.38) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 10:43 pm:

If it was in NYC it probably was Cornell Dupree or a combination of Dupree and Eric Gayle.
We must remember the MOST of Aretha's sessions were done in NYC, and very little down South, as she did and does not fly. That is why all of her later day stuff has her vocals recorded in Detroit.

By PhilH (203.220.96.200) on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 11:04 pm:

The Rhino CD reissue of "Aretha Now" also credits Tommy Cogbill and Jimmy Johnson as guitarists on "Think" (with Jerry Jermott on bass), and as Jimmy Johnson is a rhythm guitarist, then I would say that the lead part has to be Tommy's. Tommy is also playing guitar on "I Say A Little Prayer", "See Saw" and "I Can't See Myself Leaving You", and bass on "You're A Sweet Sweet Man", "Hello Sunshine" and "A Change" - it appears that Bobby Womack is the lead guitarist on those last three.

Eli - after the aborted "I Never Loved A Man" session at Fame, Jerry Wexler regularly flew the southern guys up to NYC, and so most of Aretha's first 4 or 5 Atlantic albums are a mixture of New York and Alabama/Tennessee cats.

Phil

By STUBASS (205.188.209.38) on Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 01:32 am:

IT LOOKS AS THOUGH IT MAY BE TOMMY COGBILL, BUT I'M NOT YET CONVINCED. I THOUGHT IT WAS TWO GUITARS...BUT I THOUGHT THAT BOBBY WOMACK WAS ONE AS I RECALL... BUT I'LL CHECK INTO IT SOME MORE TOMORROW. ONE NAME I HAVEN'T HEARD MENTIONED HERE IS MATT "GUITAR" MURPHY, WHO PLAYED A MORE UP-TEMPO VERSION OF THE TUNE IN "THE BLUES BROTHERS"...AT LEAST HE WAS PLAYING ON THE SCREEN, BUT I THINK THAT HE WAS PROBABLY MORE OF A RHYTHM PLAYER...STU

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.26) on Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 09:54 am:

Stu,

I checked my Aretha box set last night - it credits the guitarists on "Think" as Tommy Cogbill
and Jimmy Johnson. As Phil says Jimmy is a rhythm guitarist, he's on almost everything Aretha
recorded for Atlantic in 67-68 almost always
with another guitarist who's presumably the lead.
"Think" was recorded April 15th 1968 in a five day run of sessions (4/14 to 4/18). Jimmy Johnson's on almost every track recorded, Tommy's
on three or four. So it looks as if it's definitely Tommy. Bobby Womack was not on any of the April sessions, nor was Matt Murphy who as far
as I know only played on the film version of
"Think". I'd say that pretty much nails it.

Joe South's on "Chain of Fools" and some other
June 1967 tracks - again the rhythm guitar is Jimmy Johnson.

By LTLFTC (12.245.225.79) on Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 10:44 am:

Bobby Womack's an underrated guitarist, but most of the stuff I've heard that supposedly was him was more groove oriented riffs. I don't think I've ever heard him play long single-note lines like on "Think".
Joe South plays the tremelo drenched 6-string 'bass'. the Pop Staples type licks on "..Fools". I wonder if it's a Fender Mark VI or a Danelectro.

Steve K.

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 11:55 am:

OK DAVIE; YOU'VE GOT ME PRETTY WELL CONVINCED. TOMMY COGBILL IT IS!!!...STEVE; GOOD EYES AND EARS ON THE MAKES AND MODELS...ELI; IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT BIG FAT GREASY LICKS LIKE *THOSE* COULD POSSIBLY COME FROM A DAZZLING URBANITE FROM NEW YORK CITY..STU

By R&B (138.238.41.118) on Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 12:12 pm:

COULD IT BE STEVE CROPPER.

By Jay (24.55.210.61) on Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 01:20 pm:

Stu

My daughter has been performing "Think" for the last few months to a Karaoke track. And dmn if IT dosn't sound country. (We really should have recorded a track for her but time....)

The real trick with the Aretha track was keeping the soul feel at the same time as using the country guit licks :-) .

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.26) on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 02:06 pm:

Here's a quote from "The Billboard Book of No. 1
Rhythm and Blues Hits" about "Think"

Jerry Wexler recalls one highlight from the session - how bassman Cogbill spiced up the instrumentation with some guitar overdubs which kick in as the song changes key. "After we
finished the track, Tommy said 'There's like a little obligato I can do - a guitar obligato - listen to this". I said 'That's great, go ahead and do it.' Now, if you listen to it carefully and
it isn't what I'm telling you, it's a damned close cousin - it's Dixie"

Now to dig out my Aretha boxed set to listen to it again.

By STUBASS (205.188.209.38) on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 02:16 pm:

DAVIE: THANKS FOR THAT INFO!!! YOU NOT ONLY ANSWERED MY INITIAL QUESTION, BUT DOCUMENTED THE SCENARIO BEHIND IT. GOOD JOB!!!...JAY: GET CRACKIN WITH YOUR DAUGHTER...DON'T WANT TO MISS THOSE "KODAK" MOMENTS YOU CAN'T REPLACE LATER...STU

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.34) on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 02:39 pm:

Glad to help, Stu.

By Joe Moorehouse (205.188.209.38) on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 07:19 pm:

Glad to see Joe South's name on this thread--my favorite guitarist. He did tons of great sessions (Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, Simon and Garfunkel's Sounds of Silence, a lot of Atlantic stuff) but if anyone has a chance to hear his work on Ray Whitley's I've Been Hurt (an old but quite rare Northern favorite), it's awesome. An incredibly creative guitarist with a supremely distinctive sound. And he definitely bumped up Chain of Fools a notch or two.