Biography
Paul, born Lester William Polsfuss (the last name simplified later by his mother to Polfus) in Waukesha, Wisconsin, first became interested in music at the age of eight, when he began playing the harmonica. After an attempt at learning to play the banjo, Paul began to play the guitar. By 13, Paul was performing semi-professionally as a country-music guitarist. At the age of 17, Paul played with Rube Tronson's Cowboys. Soon after, he dropped out of high school to join Wolverton's Radio Band in St. Louis, Missouri on KMOX.
In the 1930s, Paul worked in Chicago, Illinois in radio, where he performed jazz music. Paul's first two records were released in 1936. One album was credited to Rhubarb Red, Paul's hillbilly alter ego, and the other was in the backing band for blues artist Georgia White.
Les Paul's 'The Log', one of the first solidbody electric guitars.Paul was unsatisfied by the electric guitars that were sold in the mid 1930s and began experimenting with a few designs of his own. Famously, he created The Log which was nothing more than a length of common "4 by 4" fence post with bridge, guitar neck, and pickup attached. For appearances he attached the body of an Epiphone jazz guitar, sawn lengthwise with The Log in the middle. This solved his two main problems - feedback, as the acoustic body no longer resonated with the amplified sound, and sustain, as the energy of the strings was not dissipated in generating sound through the guitar body.
In 1938, Paul moved to New York and landed a featured spot with Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians radio show. Paul moved to Hollywood in 1943, where he formed a new trio. As a last-minute replacement for Oscar Moore, Paul played with Nat King Cole and other artists in the inaugural Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in Los Angeles on July 2, 1944. Also that year, Paul's trio appeared on Bing Crosby's radio show. Crosby went on to sponsor Paul's recording experiments. The two also recorded together several times, including a 1945 number one hit, "It's Been a Long, Long Time." In addition to backing Crosby and artists like the Andrews Sisters, Paul's trio also recorded a few albums of their own in the late 1940s.
In 1941, Paul designed and built one of the first solid-body electric guitars (though Leo Fender also independently invented his own solid-body electric guitar around the same time, and Adolph Rickenbacker had marketed a solid-body guitar in the 30s). Gibson Guitar Corporation designed a guitar incorporating Paul's suggestions in the early fifties, and presented it to him to try. He was impressed enough to sign a contract for what became the "Les Paul" model (originally only in a "gold top" version), and agreed never to be seen playing in public, or photographed with, anything other than a Gibson guitar. That persisted until 1961, when Gibson changed the design without Paul's knowledge. He said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music store window, and disliked it. Though contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument, and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Gibson renamed the guitar the " SG", and it also became one of the company's best sellers. Later, Paul resumed his relationship with Gibson, and endorses the instrument even today (though his personal Gibson Les Pauls are much modified by him - Paul always uses his own self-wound pickups on his guitars). To this day, the Gibson Les Paul guitar is used all over the world, both by novice and professional guitarists.
In 1947, Capitol Records released a recording that had begun as an experiment in Paul's garage, entitled "Lover (When You're Near Me)", which featured Paul playing eight different parts on electric guitar, some of them recorded at half-speed, hence "double-fast" when played back at normal speed for the master. This was the first time that multi-tracking had been used in a recording. Amazingly, these recordings were made, not with magnetic tape, but with wax disks. Paul would record a track onto a disk, then record himself playing another part with the first. He built the multi-track recording with overlaid tracks, rather than parallel ones as he did later. There is no record of how few 'takes' were needed before he was satisfied with one layer and moved onto the next.
Paul even built his own wax-cutter assembly, based on auto parts. He favored the flywheel from a Cadillac for its weight and flatness. Even in these early days, he used the wax disk setup to record parts at different speeds and with delay, resulting in his signature sound with echoes and birdsong-like guitar riffs. When he later began using magnetic tape, the major change was that he could take his recording rig on tour with him, even making episodes for his 15-minute radio show in his hotel room.
Paul was injured in a near-fatal automobile accident in January 1948 in Oklahoma, which shattered his right arm and elbow. Paul spent a year and a half recovering. Paul instructed the surgeons to set his arm at an angle that would allow him to cradle and pick the guitar.
In the early 1950s, Paul made a number of revolutionary recordings with wife, Mary Ford. These records were unique for their heavy use of overdubbing, which was technically impossible before Paul's invention of multitrack recording. Paul's multitracking system was made possible by the introduction of reel-to-reel audio tape recording, developed by Jack Mullin and the Ampex company in the late 1940s, with the backing of radio, film and recording star Bing Crosby.
Crosby gave Les Paul what was only the second of the now-famous Ampex Model 200 recorder, which was the world's first commercially-produced reel-to-reel tape recorder. Using this machine, Paul developed his tape multitrack system by adding an additional recording head and extra circuitry, allowing multiple tracks to be recorded separately and asynchronously on the same tape. Paul's invention was quickly developed by Ampex into commercially-produced two-track and three-track recorders, and these machines were the backbone of the professional recording studio, radio and TV industry in the 1950s and early 1960s.
In 1954 Paul, continued to develop this technology, by commissioning Ampex to build the first eight track tape recorder, at his expense. His idea, later known as "Sel-Sync," in which a specially-modified recording head could simultaneously record a new track and play back previously recorded ones, was the core technology for multi-track recording for the next thirty years.
During his early radio shows, Paul introduced the mythical "Les Paulverizer" device, which was supposed to multiply anything fed into it, like a guitar sound or a voice. This even became the subject of comedy, with Mary Ford multiplying herself and her vacuum cleaner with it so she could finish the housework faster (a typical joke in the pre-feminist era). Later Paul made the myth real for his stage show, using hidden equipment which over the years has become smaller and more visible. Currently he uses a small box attached to his guitar - it is not known how much of the device remains off-stage. He typically lays down one track after another on stage, in-sync, and then plays over the repeating forms he has recorded. With newer digital sound technology, such an effect is available commercially.
In the late 1960s, Paul went into semi-retirement, although he did return to the studio occasionally. He recorded an album Lester and Chester with Chet Atkins. He and Mary Ford (born Iris Colleen Summers) divorced amicably in December 1964, as she could no longer tolerate the itinerant lifestyle their act required of them.
In 1978, Les Paul and Mary Ford were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. He received a Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1983. In 1988, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jeff Beck, who said, "I've copied more licks from Les Paul than I'd like to admit." Les Paul was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2005 for his development of the solid-body electric guitar.
As of 2006, At the age of 90, Les Paul won two Grammys at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards for his album Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played. He also performs weekly at the Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway in New York City, despite the arthritis that has stilled all but two of the fingers on his left hand.
Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul
Fire
Les Paul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On this is the land of my fathers
Always was and will always be
I was born here and here I’ll die
And no matter how hard you try
You’ll never take this land from me
Unemployment in the alleys
The choirs don’t sing their song
Give us back all that you took
Re-write the history books
To tell what you did was wrong
Watch out this dragon’s spitting fire
Fire, fire
This dragon’s spitting fire
And the flames are getting higher
From this dragon spitting fire
You took our boys for your wars
And they died there for your cause
To feed your thirst for land and blood
The ghosts of Abervan haunt me
Like no others can
Our future buried in the black mud
You let us make you money
I guess it’s kind of funny
That whatever we have you take
You came and stole our water
You corrupted our daughters
Our patience’s not a bottomless lake
Watch out this dragon’s spitting fire
Fire, fire
This dragon’s spitting fire
Flames are getting higher
From this dragon spitting fire
This dragon’s spitting fire
On all those thieving liars
Who’ve raped our land for so long
They can’t rob our identity
Through their legal obscenity
They may think we’re weak but inside we’re strong
The cheating Prince came to town
Dressed in jewels and fancy crown
On a day trip away from the smog
His Mother gave him another name
But everything remained the same
They fed caviar to her Corgi dogs
Can you understand the situation
This is the re-birth of a nation
That’s broken your shackles and chains
Don’t believe in your ‘Hope or glory’
Just another of George’s stories
His empty words are all that remain
Watch out this dragon’s spitting fire
Fire, fire
This dragon’s spitting fire
Flames are getting higher
From this dragon spitting fire
Paul Robert Thomas
The lyrics to Les Paul's song "Fire" deal with themes of patriotism, identity, and resistance against oppression. The song begins by painting a vivid picture of the singer's love for their homeland, describing the beauty of the green valleys, lakes, and harbors of their country. The land is deeply ingrained in their identity, as they were born there and are determined to die there as well. The lyrics convey a sense of pride and ownership, as the singer defiantly declares that no one will ever take this land from them.
At the same time, there is a recognition of the struggles and hardships faced by the people of this land. The silence in the valleys and the unemployment in the alleys depict a sense of despair and loss. The choirs no longer sing their songs, indicating a loss of cultural richness and spirit. The lyrics call for justice and restitution, demanding that what was taken from them be returned and that the history books be rewritten to acknowledge the wrongs committed against their land.
The song also criticizes the exploitation and mistreatment of the people by those in power. The singer condemns the sending of their boys to die in wars for the sake of land and bloodshed. The ghosts of Aberfan, a tragic coal mining disaster in 1966, haunt the singer, symbolizing the lasting impact of such tragedies on their community. The lyrics highlight the unfairness and hypocrisy of those who profit from the labor and resources of the people, while corrupting their society and endangering their future.
The final verse portrays a disdain for the ruling class and their false promises. The "cheating Prince" represents the privileged elite who visit the town for leisure, surrounded by luxury, while the common people suffer. The reference to the Queen's dogs being fed caviar adds a touch of irony and serves as a symbol of the extravagant and out-of-touch lifestyles of the ruling class. The lyrics express a desire for a rebirth of the nation, one that breaks free from the chains and shackles imposed by those in power and rejects empty words of false hope and glory.
Overall, "Fire" by Les Paul is a passionate protest song that speaks to the resilience and determination of a people who have been exploited and marginalized. It calls for justice, exposes the inequalities perpetuated by those in power, and emphasizes the strength and unity of the oppressed.
Line by Line Meaning
The green valleys lakes and harbours
The beautiful natural landscape of the country, including valleys, lakes, and harbors.
On this is the land of my fathers
This land is where my ancestors come from and have lived for generations.
Always was and will always be
This land has always been ours and will continue to belong to us.
I was born here and here I’ll die
I was born in this land, and I will stay here until my death.
And no matter how hard you try
No matter what you do or how much effort you put in.
You’ll never take this land from me
You will never succeed in taking away this land from me.
There’s silence in the valleys
The silence in the valleys represents the lack of joy and happiness.
Unemployment in the alleys
There is a high rate of unemployment in the alleys of the country.
The choirs don’t sing their song
The choirs no longer have the spirit or motivation to sing their songs.
Give us back all that you took
Return everything that you have taken from us.
Re-write the history books
Change the content of the history books to reflect the truth.
To tell what you did was wrong
To acknowledge and expose the wrongdoings that you have committed.
Watch out this dragon’s spitting fire
Beware of the power and anger of the people, represented as a dragon.
And the flames are getting higher
The intensity of the anger and resistance is increasing.
You took our boys for your wars
You sent away our young men to fight in your wars.
And they died there for your cause
These young men lost their lives fighting for your interests.
To feed your thirst for land and blood
To satisfy your desire for more territory and the shedding of blood.
The ghosts of Aberfan haunt me
The tragedy of the Aberfan disaster continues to haunt and disturb me.
Like no others can
In a way that is unique and deeply affecting.
Our future buried in the black mud
The hopes and prospects for our future have been destroyed and buried in the tragedy.
You let us make you money
You allowed us to work and generate wealth for you.
I guess it’s kind of funny
Ironically, it is somewhat humorous to think about.
That whatever we have you take
No matter what we possess or achieve, you find a way to take it away from us.
You came and stole our water
You took away our natural resources, including water.
You corrupted our daughters
Your influence and actions have negatively affected the purity and innocence of our daughters.
Our patience’s not a bottomless lake
Our tolerance and patience have limits and will eventually run out.
This dragon’s spitting fire
The people, represented as a dragon, are expressing their anger and resistance.
On all those thieving liars
Directed towards those who have dishonestly taken away from us.
Who’ve raped our land for so long
Those who have exploited and abused our land for an extended period of time.
They can’t rob our identity
They are incapable of taking away our sense of self and belonging.
Through their legal obscenity
Through their unethical and unjust legal practices.
They may think we’re weak but inside we’re strong
Despite their perception of our weakness, we possess a strong inner resilience.
The cheating Prince came to town
A dishonest and deceitful member of the royal family visited our town.
Dressed in jewels and fancy crown
Adorned with expensive jewelry and a lavish crown.
On a day trip away from the smog
Taking a break from the polluted and oppressive atmosphere of the city.
His Mother gave him another name
His mother tried to hide his true identity by giving him a different name.
But everything remained the same
Despite the attempt to change, nothing actually changed in essence.
They fed caviar to her Corgi dogs
They provided luxurious and extravagant food for her pet dogs.
Can you understand the situation
Are you able to comprehend and grasp the reality of the situation?
This is the re-birth of a nation
This represents the revitalization and renewal of our nation.
That’s broken your shackles and chains
We have freed ourselves from your oppressive control and constraints.
Don’t believe in your ‘Hope or glory’
We no longer trust or have faith in your promises of prosperity and greatness.
Just another of George’s stories
Your words and claims are just empty narratives, like those of George.
His empty words are all that remain
Nothing substantial or meaningful is left of his hollow promises.
Watch out this dragon’s spitting fire
Be cautious as the people unleash their fiery anger and resistance.
Flames are getting higher
The intensity and strength of the anger and resistance are increasing.
From this dragon spitting fire
The people, represented as a dragon, express their anger and resistance.
This dragon’s spitting fire
The people, represented as a dragon, are expressing their anger and resistance.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Paul Robert Thomas, Paul Odiase
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aaroncicanese
This vid is my childhood right here, growing up learning/playing guitar and getting the latest issue of guitarist magazine
@tedmunford2234
I own one and I absolutely love it. It is the most incredible guitar I have ever owned.
@icedviking4485
How am I here again... holy sh...I remember watching this 8 years ago :o
@dickdastardly2560
Does this guitar have a Auto-Tune feature that automatically re-tunes the D G & B strings when they go out of tune every 5 minutes?
@robertdowneypeenis6139
I think if it's still on the key you're tuned to, not matter what if you engage the tuner and open strum then those out of tune strings snap back to tune
@darkfire959
@BenTomSamvideos I've had mine for over 2 years now, and nothing has gone wrong. (Except the little dilema I had not long after I got it, one of the strap locks didn't lock in place properly, and popped out as I was putting the guitar over my head, foolishly not holding the neck just the strap, and it fell hit the ground chipped the head and cracked the neck all was fixed though) They are great guitars.
@Jimmy87268
it´s the record. The guitar sounds awesome!
@bkpenta
Great guitar!! Real innovation!
@ryan4391
i play one of these and i was amazed at its sound but i am still a fender fan boy
@88_TROUBLE_88
Yeah sure.. Whatever