Growing up in Australia Tommy was a mainstream household name in the 80's and 90's. 25yrs or so ago I happened to be walking past the Seymour centre in Sydney and noticed the bill board "Tommy Emmanuel Tonite". As a guitar music lover I walked in off the street to the ticket office. The show was about to begin and they were fully booked. Just as I was hearing the bad news Tommy turned up to check on his reserved family tickets. He saw me and instructed the staff to make a seat available to me among his family!. I'll never forget his first words on stage - " Hi I'm Tony Enamel!". He is a world renowned Master of his craft and a good humoured,warm and generous Aussie bloke!. He is a one of a kind and a great Aussie treasure and ambassador. Thankyou mate,and thankyou Tommy!👍
There's a story that after playing his first number at a concert, Tommy asked if there were any guitar players in the audience. A loud voice from the back yelled, "not anymore!"
👍And that's why I watch!!! To see your physical reaction. Like at the 10:30 mark when he apparently bends the strings from the end of the neck. And it takes just one second. You need to watch when his thumb comes over the neck the music gets much Fuller. But around the 9:45 Mark you'll see that thumb not move while his fingers are running all over the place what he does seems impossible. With the exception of decades of playing like being a professional musician at the age of 6. and if you notice his guitar is well worn in three places either from doing percussion while playing. kind of reminds me of trigger. (You know Willie's guitar.) I remember when Mason WIlliams came out with classical gas it was played on the radio in between Iron Butterfly and the Doors. LOL 🙄 only to be followed up with MacArthur's Park. And while you were listening to Mason WIlliams play and thinking how incredible that was I kept thinking just wait your mind is about to be shredded. Tommy is in the same class as Chet Atkins. Don't get me wrong I love Gilmore but Tommy and Chet are the reason I don't call him or Stevie Ray Vaughan God. There's many greats playing many styles. By the way I wanted to give you a thumbs up, but I don't want to be the 666 person to do so. 😂
I love the videos of him doing guitar signings and playing the guitar he is signing or playing with the owner or even repairing a fan's guitar. Just a great guy
Listening to the original version first was a brilliant move on your part...gave me a chance, as well, to harken back (when you get to be my age, you do a lot of harkening hahaha) to the old Smothers Brothers TV show, where I first heard this awesome guitar piece played by Mason Williams...was also reminded of being in my barracks room at Naval Station, San Diego, and watching my new room-mate, a young Coast Guardsman, unpacking his belongings and putting a guitar case in the corner...I asked him if he'd mind playing something, as I've adored that instrument ever since I first heard Chuck Berry...he pulled out a gorgeous 12-string, sat and strummed a few chords, and then launched into a beautiful rendition of "Classical Gas"...Loved the expressions playing across your face as you watched and listened to Tommy Emmanuel slaying this song...he's definitely a showman, but, man, can he play! From all accounts, he's also a really nice guy...love to see him live! Great reaction, once again!
The original version run on television starts with Mason Williams sitting on what appears to be an empty stage with a spotlight on him and he begins playing. Then as the other instruments appear, the lights come up and it becomes apparent he is sitting in the middle of an orchestra. Then as the piece reaches the end and the guitar becomes the only instrument, the lights drop on the orchestra. "Walk Don't Run" was done by the Ventures which is a band that doesn't do vocals or lyrics. They are probably best known for their massive hit "Hawaii-Five-0" used in the famous TV show of the same name. While the cover is more like one of those jazz creations going all over the place inserting well known themes perhaps like someone on a drug trip in which the brain shorts out and randomly inserts memories of things, the original follows the systematic progression in classical music and I don't think it can be improved upon.
You’ve seen that [ right] video. It is exactly as you say. You see him playing the guitar, and you can really see him PLAY, then, as you say, as the orchestra comes in , the spotlight widens, as the camera zooms out, to see it all. Fantastic live performance. And I agree on the Hawaii Five-0. 📻🙂
@@starman2337 I believe that was likely since Mason Williams was a comedy writer on that show. It would be nice if a better resolution copy would be posted.
You should check out a duet he and his older brother Phil put together. Not one, but two Emmanuals in action.. Glad you enjoyed and laughed how your eyes opened wide at different occasions during the performance. Saw Tommy Live at the Kuranda Amphitheatre near Cairns Australia many many moons ago....
Had almost forgotten this song then a couple of months ago it played in a segment of the Netflix show "The Queen's Gambit". Great music always seems to come back. Never heard the cover so thanks for doing both. 👍👍
The song was written for a very short film. It had pictures of classical paintings which were shown for a half second each. That is why it is called Classical Gas, that was the name of the film. It was originally shown on the Smothers Brothers comedy show where Mason Williams worked.
There is no question that Tommy Emmanuel gives a virtuoso performance, but there are so many bells and wistles and tricks and guitar equivalents to vocal runs, slides and melismas being used that it makes his version bright and startling, but avoids the simplicty and purity of the original. When Mason Williams first performed this on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, it was something new and different and exciting. It added a whole new dimension to popular music a the time. Mason draws you into the song. It is warm and inviting. Tommy takes you out of it. He makes you stop listening to say wow.Thanks for the reaction.
Yes, the Mason Williams original was a big pop hit. It was on his first LP, "The Mason Williams Phonograph Record." (Once the album was put on other media like 8-tracks, each medium had to have an alternate title.) It helped that Williams got to perform the song on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, a show for which he was a writer. He later wrote for The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and for Saturday Night Live.
Yeah, Classical gas is a sweet song by Mason Williams... ...I noticed Tommy didn't try "Toad lickers" or "Moose Goosers" Real Mason Williams classis! lol
@@jeffking291 Most of Mason Williams songs were fun/funny songs (writer for the Smothers brothers...) It was a joke... ruclips.net/video/cJj2qcUEVBI/видео.html ruclips.net/video/0luZiyf3JJM/видео.html
I loved that you played the original first. A few years ago I ran across a video of Tommy Emmanuel and watched it without knowing who he was. My reaction was about the same as yours....I think my mouth was hanging open the whole video. He's from Australia and self taught. He started copying records he bought and didn't realize there was more than one guitar playing all the notes so he learned to copy what he heard. He has a lot of videos so it would be interesting to see you do one every now and then.
I still have the Classical Gas single by Mason Williams. Yet another great record from the 60s. I have to shamefully admit that I had never heard of Tommy Emmanuel before seeing this video. It's always a thrill to watch masters of their craft showing their incredible talents. Thank you Daniel for the introduction.
Tommy and his bro Phil. Learned at home by ear, from records. Not knowing how many instruments were played, he learned to do bass, treble and percussion, ALL on one guitar. He sands his guitars down to get them how he wants them, with sandpaper, when they are new. He is a bit hard on guitars. When he gets a new one, he looks for a player back-stage, to give his old one to. He plays because he loves music, all round the world, and that's all. He is an aussie.
I saw Tommy Emmanuel live at the Birchmere a couple of years ago. My life will never be the same. His Beatles medleys (Day Tripper, Here Comes the Sun, Lady Madonna, etc.) are pure joy as he plays lead, rhythm, and bass simultaneously in his inimitable way. But yeah -- he goes through guitars like I go through soap.
I was finishing 9th grade when this emerged as a hit -- June of 1969. Other hits of that month were "Grazing in the Grass", "Hello, I Love You", "Lady Willpower", "The Horse", the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", the Stones "Jumping Jack Flash", and Aretha's "Think!" . . so much great music blaring from our AM radios! Apollo 10 had just flown it's lunar dress rehearsal in May and we were all anticipating Apollo 11's moon landing in July! What heady times!!! This was a special tune for me. I loved all the bombast Mason Williams dumped on top of that artistic guitar riff. Note the tuba (or perhaps a bass trombone) providing the bass line under the other brass in the middle section. Mason Williams was the musical director for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" on CBS. Even on that TV show he loved to throw on a lot of brass instruments wherever they weren't expected.
Seeing the two really brings home the difference. it's interesting seeing the techniques that Tommy uses to replace the backing band that Mason used, such as using his thumb hooked over the fret board to play the base line.
As another Australian said 'you've been thunderstruck!' Good on ya for subscribing to Tommy. He lives and breaths guitar and loves to teach. For a young player he is Yoda. Peace and practice hard young Jedi.
Twas I who suggested Tommy Emmanuel. And it gave me joy to see you experiencing so much joy. :) I do not tire of watching that clip. I remember the first time I saw Tommy play he was on drums and his brother Phil was on guitar. Tommy was a very convincing drummer. Ta muchly for that. Dig it.
Thank you for recommending Tommy Emmanuel's mind blowing performance. I'd never heard this version and was skeptical to say the least. Mason Williams is a tough act to follow. Bravo!
I like your approach of comparing versions side by side. Two exceptional players here. Tommy is something, isn't he? I just started getting into him a little in the last year or so.
I had forgotten all about that song but remember seeing him play it on TV back then but can’t remember if it was on Andy Williams or Smothers Brothers show, or both
I've been listening to Tommy for a couple of year's I enjoy watching first reactions to Tommy Emmanuel's take on several covers. He is Chet Akins approved.
Tommy’s a legend, a world renowned master, very approachable and a really great guy.❤ Seeing this kind of reminded me of listening to the Beatles version of Help, followed by John Farnham’s version with the MSO (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra). Hardly recognisable as the same song. Loved your reaction.😊
I saw the title and was hesitant to watch this because I had seen this Tommy Emmanuel version (and others). Thank you for doing the original first. I was a toddler when this came out. My parents had at that time a better than average stereo and we would listen to radio in the kitchen/dining. I didn't go to school which was closest, but went to another farther away. The band director of the closer school was a friend of the family. We would as a family go to their band concerts. Sometimes, the concerts were their jazz ensemble, and they did a cover of this, with the director's son playing keyboard doing the guitar parts. The school where I did go, had a new band director just when I was the age to start playing a musical instrument. This song largely is why I chose to play trombone, and because of the small towns, in my high school years, I played in a summer jazz band with them as an welcome outsider. Teenagers still in school, and some parents who kept their instruments, it was an awesome concert when we got to it, with a ton of talent. Sadly, I could not convince them to have us do Classical Gas, because even though I was 15, it would have been a bucket list item before the term bucket list ever came to be. Pure coincidence, today is that band director's 90th birthday. Known for playing the French Horn, and always wearing eccentric neckties. The original album, Mason could not come up with a name. He was a bit of an eccentric and posed in front of his full size mural of a bus for the album cover, and named it: The Mason Williams Phonograph Record I got to relive that childhood experience about 15 years ago. A local radio station came under new ownership and while they were deciding what to call themselves and what music format to play, they did something rather unique. For the entire summer of 2005, they would play on one day, the top 100 Billboard hits for the year 1965. The next day 1966. It incremented to 1980, then they started over. They got through all those years at least three times. The 1968 year had two great one-hit wonders. This and another you might want to react to is the original Macarthur Park, also a rather eccentric song in its style. Getting to hear both of those songs on the radio in the same day, and knowing when to listen to them to hear them multiple times. I can remember specifically that July 4 was the 2nd time for the year 1968, and I can remember exactly what I was doing that day to be driving around and listen to them. I still love this song, all versions, and I still have my trombone. Fond memories.
I love this song. Such a great piece. The original is always nice to listen to, but Tommy infuses everything he does with so much joy and energy that I just sit with a dopey smile on my face feeling super happy. He's beyond amazing 😊💜
got to see Tommy Emmanuel in person at a concert once (a.k.a. Tony Enamel). he's a charming and down to earth guy, and needless to see extraordinarily skilled with the guitar. As was his brother, God rest him.
HUGE hit! It is often hard to surpass the original....unless of course you are Tommy Emmanuel putting the 'classical' guitar into Classical Gas! All the emotion of the original with an injection of caffeine.
In the 2nd version he added parts of other songs. The Ventures " Walk Don't Run " was one. An instrumental guitar band, The Ventures were very popular in the 60's and I believe may be the highest selling instrumental band ever.
Original is the best, I think..... Haven’t heard the other yet, will listen..... Well, certainly great, yet very different. Great guitarist, wow..... BIG wow. Och, you’re terrific. Thanks, this brought me back, way back. Lovely.
Mason Williams was also in a very funny horror movie, Phantom of the Paradise. Unless I wasn't paying attention again, (that happens a lot), this is a shorter version? I missed the trombones? You can also see a video of this performed live in concert. It seems I can't type and listen at the same time, though it seems shorter than I remembered. I believe Mason Williams was another songwriter for other singing stars. I think I first saw'/heard it on the Smother's Brother's Show. There's a bit of other borrowed songs in this man's adaptation. And now I hear some Who.
Mason did several version of CG. I think one of his albums has a strictly guitar version. Years later he paired with Manheim Steamroller and released a version that some airplay.
Chet Atkins handed out the honorific award "Certified Guitar Picker" only four times during his lifetime. Tommy Emmanuel is one of them. Don't need to say much beyond that, really. Other world famous players, such as Knopfler and Clapton for example, all regard him as one of the greatest ever. Is he especially world famous? Not really. Famous to players, especially great players in their own right? Absolutely. As many no doubt will have mentioned in the comments, however, Tommy is also legendary for being a remarkably kind, generous, sweet natured person. I don't know of a single story about him being difficult or unpleasant, but there are thousands of him being generous with his time and vast knowledge with fans, and players regardless of their skills. I've heard him say in an interview something along the lines of "There's no ego, it's not about me. I'm trying every day to be the best player I can so I can channel whatever the universe has to share with everyone through my playing". From a lot of people you'd think that sounds like pretentious twaddle. Not from him, however. He's the sort of person you might just want to clone so there's ALWAYS a version of him alive on the planet. How many people can you think of who fit that profile? I don't have many.
In, of and for its time, Classical Gas was a sort of gentle revolution, taking a folk-pop guitar sound and marrying it to classical-pop band instruments. The result was an upbeat, head-bobbing, get-up-and-go instrumental that inspired action and joy. For me, this is the ultimate road trip montage score. The "cover" (?) is all showboating. Emmanuel's abilities are legion here, except that he seems to have zero care for the actual melody. The result, to me, is the same as if one took 3-4 different covers of the song and edited them all together just for the sake of burying the core under a fuzzy blanket of irrational and inappropriate noise. To be clear, Emmanuel can play jazz guitar like a fiend (this is my first introduction to him, btw) ... but his rendition is painting bright, psychedelic colors on a beautifully hand-crafted heirloom cabinet. (Disclaimer: I loved this when it first came out on the radio station where my Dad worked at the time. I am biased AF.) Cheers for your always-excellent reax. :)
In the hometown I grew up in as a teenager, the local ABC TV affiliate used this (Williams' original) as the theme song for the 11 o'clock news report. It fit really well.
Many years ago, I saw Tommy and his brother in a band called Gold Rush. Tommy was playing banjo, ukelele and mandolin, while his brother played electric guitar. His brother was as good with the electric as Tommy is with the accoustic. RIP Phil.
Tommy Emmanuel is one of the guitarists' guitarist. I learned this song long time ago just a cool one to listen to and play. I can't play it like they can of course but it's passable.
Mason Williams was mainly known as a TV producer/writer (THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS SHOW) while Tommy Emmanuel was with the Wrecking Crew and is often cited as the greatest guitarist of them all.
Thanks for playing both versions together in the same video -- that was a great idea! I remember the original well, and I still prefer that one as a piece to listen to. But for sheer impressivness, it would be hard to beat Tommy Emmanuel's version.
Wowsers indeed. I love how you baselined it against the original first, so you knew the mastery you were seeing with Tommy's one-man-band version. The "Saturday" section, where he keeps the base going with his thumbs, while playing the chords with his fingers, blows me away, every time. Just magic.
The original title was "Classical Gasoline". When Mason Williams originally recorded it, the engineer made a label with the name abbreviated as "Classical Gas." Williams saw it and loved it. It's been known by that name ever since...
I love to watch those who are seeing Tommy play for the first time. It's ok, we were all speechless too. He was the first to be bestowed the title of C.G.P. (Certified Guitar Player) by the man himself, Chet Atkins. Check out "Live at Her Majesty's Theater" or "Center Stage" DVDs. The video quality is amazing. It's truly the next best thing to seeing him live in concert.
Tommy and his brother Phil Emmanuel are both brilliant guitar players, Tommy is hugely popular here in his home Australia, but also worldwide for his genius on the acoustic guitar. Both of these versions of Classical Gas are excellent the original is wonderful for its mix of guitar and orchestra so to compare that with a man and a guitar is not really fair. Tommy did his own thing with it and 2 other songs mixed in and in my opinion showed his mastery of the acoustic. Any who think it is easy is only because he made it look that way give it a go and you will find out about 30 seconds in it is time to stop and just admire his genius.
happy for you that you have been introduced to tommy. he is just special. his brother was also incredible. watch tommy and phil emmanuel playing together
Awesome watched this second video for the first time last night, This might be my favorite reaction yet. You know Daniel we might have to get new guitars, ours don't do that! The smile on your face after the neck bend at about 10:30 is honestly everything. Screen shot it for your portrait. You're going to love Mike Dawes fingerstyle tribute to EVH of the song Jump after Eddie's death last year. You should do this with that one. Original then cover.👍👍 You sounded good today! #The Warning #Tori Amos piano goddess #Angelina Jordan 🦶👸 Love you Tocayo.
So many techniques used in one short song. That half chord change walk down thing was incredible... A good one for non-beginner guitarists to come back to see what they might want to learn next.
Classical Gas is found on an album called the Mason Williams Phonograph Record which has some beautiful songs on it including this and 'Sunflower'. He has a silly and entertaining sense of humor which finds its way into a lot of his songs. He re-recorded it in the 90s with the eclectic band known as Mannheim Steamroller and their version is also outstanding.
When I was in 8th grade, one of our assignments from the teacher was to pick an instrumental song and match it to a picture. So I picked Classical Gas by Mason Williams and matched it with a picture of a Cross Country runner. They played the song as I held up the picture. In the very beginning of the song it starts off quiet then quickly picks up as if the race was starting. During the course of the song you could feel the emotions of the runner, getting tired then catching a second breath and pushing forward, struggling but keeps going. Finally at the very end the music slows down as if the race just ended and I could picture him crossing the finish line, tired but satisfied. I remember getting an A so the teacher liked it. That's my personal memory of this great song.
Wow, I suggested the original ages ago, glad you got round to it! The cover of it, wow super souped - up version! But for sentimental reasons I still choose the original, I was 6 when it came out! And I remember listening to it in the car at night on a road trip and just being transported in my imagination.
The song was played on the Smothers Brothers tv show during a montage of news reels highlighting 1968 which was a very bleak year. The music blew minds and Williams came back and did a live version.
take a look at Tommys thumb on the left hand & how its used to play chord. Also Tommy plays a base line with his right thumb and lead with right hand fingers. 2 parts at same time.
Loved your reaction as always, thank you. You might also enjoy Mason Williams playing with a harpist. I think it lands the version somewhere between the two you reviewed. I don't like pasting links but if you search for "Mason Williams - Classical Gas w/ Deborah Henson-Conant" it should come right up.
This shows why its important to hear the original version. The second version goes off into another famous tune "Walk Don't Run" by The Ventures from the early sixties - another great tune.
There is technique and there is artistry, when the two combine, as you say, wowzers! You would probably really like rodrigo y gabriela (they apparently like lower case for their personal nomenclature). Two kids from Mexico with metal sensibilities who went to Europe, discovered flamenco guitar, and then proceeded to shift all sorts of paradigms. Turns out that you don't really need a Strat and a P-bass plugged into a big Marshal stack with a full drum kit to rock out. Two nylon strung acoustics will do quite nicely, see the first sentence.
Three years hence I commented on this. Why is RUclips revisiting this particular post now? I figured Dicon would be half way to a full blown physician by now...
I've NEVER seen anyone bend the neck to show how to create a different kind'a sound. WOW. One of the few times that actually ' Don't try this at home' really means it. WOW!
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Growing up in Australia Tommy was a mainstream household name in the 80's and 90's.
25yrs or so ago I happened to be walking past the Seymour centre in Sydney and noticed the bill board "Tommy Emmanuel Tonite".
As a guitar music lover I walked in off the street to the ticket office.
The show was about to begin and they were fully booked.
Just as I was hearing the bad news Tommy turned up to check on his reserved family tickets.
He saw me and instructed the staff to make a seat available to me among his family!.
I'll never forget his first words on stage - " Hi I'm Tony Enamel!".
He is a world renowned Master of his craft and a good humoured,warm and generous Aussie bloke!.
He is a one of a kind and a great Aussie treasure and ambassador.
Thankyou mate,and thankyou Tommy!👍
There's a story that after playing his first number at a concert, Tommy asked if there were any guitar players in the audience. A loud voice from the back yelled, "not anymore!"
👍And that's why I watch!!! To see your physical reaction. Like at the 10:30 mark when he apparently bends the strings from the end of the neck. And it takes just one second. You need to watch when his thumb comes over the neck the music gets much Fuller. But around the 9:45 Mark you'll see that thumb not move while his fingers are running all over the place what he does seems impossible. With the exception of decades of playing like being a professional musician at the age of 6. and if you notice his guitar is well worn in three places either from doing percussion while playing. kind of reminds me of trigger. (You know Willie's guitar.)
I remember when Mason WIlliams came out with classical gas it was played on the radio in between Iron Butterfly and the Doors. LOL 🙄 only to be followed up with MacArthur's Park.
And while you were listening to Mason WIlliams play and thinking how incredible that was I kept thinking just wait your mind is about to be shredded. Tommy is in the same class as Chet Atkins. Don't get me wrong I love Gilmore but Tommy and Chet are the reason I don't call him or Stevie Ray Vaughan God. There's many greats playing many styles.
By the way I wanted to give you a thumbs up, but I don't want to be the 666 person to do so. 😂
Thank You so much for doing the original first
Tommy has earned the accolade “Certified Guitar Player” from Chet Atkins, which is probably the most profound honour a guitarist can get.
Love the look on your face watching Tommy. He is a one of a kind. If you met him he would sit down and try to show you how to play it.
I love the videos of him doing guitar signings and playing the guitar he is signing or playing with the owner or even repairing a fan's guitar. Just a great guy
My dad has always played "Classical.Gas" (the original) on guitar, And I will forever love it! Always makes me think of him.
Listening to the original version first was a brilliant move on your part...gave me a chance, as well, to harken back (when you get to be my age, you do a lot of harkening hahaha) to the old Smothers Brothers TV show, where I first heard this awesome guitar piece played by Mason Williams...was also reminded of being in my barracks room at Naval Station, San Diego, and watching my new room-mate, a young Coast Guardsman, unpacking his belongings and putting a guitar case in the corner...I asked him if he'd mind playing something, as I've adored that instrument ever since I first heard Chuck Berry...he pulled out a gorgeous 12-string, sat and strummed a few chords, and then launched into a beautiful rendition of "Classical Gas"...Loved the expressions playing across your face as you watched and listened to Tommy Emmanuel slaying this song...he's definitely a showman, but, man, can he play! From all accounts, he's also a really nice guy...love to see him live! Great reaction, once again!
The original version run on television starts with Mason Williams sitting on what appears to be an empty stage with a spotlight on him and he begins playing. Then as the other instruments appear, the lights come up and it becomes apparent he is sitting in the middle of an orchestra. Then as the piece reaches the end and the guitar becomes the only instrument, the lights drop on the orchestra.
"Walk Don't Run" was done by the Ventures which is a band that doesn't do vocals or lyrics. They are probably best known for their massive hit "Hawaii-Five-0" used in the famous TV show of the same name.
While the cover is more like one of those jazz creations going all over the place inserting well known themes perhaps like someone on a drug trip in which the brain shorts out and randomly inserts memories of things, the original follows the systematic progression in classical music and I don't think it can be improved upon.
You’ve seen that [ right] video. It is exactly as you say. You see him playing the guitar, and you can really see him PLAY, then, as you say, as the orchestra comes in , the spotlight widens, as the camera zooms out, to see it all.
Fantastic live performance.
And I agree on the Hawaii Five-0.
📻🙂
That Mason Williams original video may come from "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" TV show.
@@starman2337
Possibly, as he was a Comedy Writer for the show at that time.
📻🙂
@@starman2337 I believe that was likely since Mason Williams was a comedy writer on that show. It would be nice if a better resolution copy would be posted.
I played Classical Gas at a piano recital many years ago. It's a wonderful instrumental.
Make me green with Envy why dontcha? 🔥👍
@@danieljodrey8863 Sorry about that Dont'cha know der. Oops.
It isn't a song. A song is sung.
@@brian5154, you are right. My mistake.
You should check out a duet he and his older brother Phil put together. Not one, but two Emmanuals in action.. Glad you enjoyed and laughed how your eyes opened wide at different occasions during the performance. Saw Tommy Live at the Kuranda Amphitheatre near Cairns Australia many many moons ago....
Had almost forgotten this song then a couple of months ago it played in a segment of the Netflix show "The Queen's Gambit". Great music always seems to come back. Never heard the cover so thanks for doing both. 👍👍
Queen's Gambit was incredible. The soundtrack, and also the cinematography, which leaned heavily on Kubrick.
The song was written for a very short film. It had pictures of classical paintings which were shown for a half second each. That is why it is called Classical Gas, that was the name of the film. It was originally shown on the Smothers Brothers comedy show where Mason Williams worked.
Found it; ruclips.net/video/viyufRQKlto/видео.html
There is no question that Tommy Emmanuel gives a virtuoso performance, but there are so many bells and wistles and tricks and guitar equivalents to vocal runs, slides and melismas being used that it makes his version bright and startling, but avoids the simplicty and purity of the original. When Mason Williams first performed this on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, it was something new and different and exciting. It added a whole new dimension to popular music a the time. Mason draws you into the song. It is warm and inviting. Tommy takes you out of it. He makes you stop listening to say wow.Thanks for the reaction.
Yes, the Mason Williams original was a big pop hit. It was on his first LP, "The Mason Williams Phonograph Record." (Once the album was put on other media like 8-tracks, each medium had to have an alternate title.) It helped that Williams got to perform the song on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, a show for which he was a writer. He later wrote for The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and for Saturday Night Live.
We had such good radio. So much variety. The Herb Alperts, the old Marty Robbins songs.... it ran the gamut.
I did not know about his connection with Glenn Campbell.
( I have seen Glenn Campbell’s version is excellent.)
📻🙂
Yeah, Classical gas is a sweet song by Mason Williams...
...I noticed Tommy didn't try "Toad lickers" or "Moose Goosers" Real Mason Williams classis!
lol
@@whitelfner4582
Not sure what you meant ❓
📻😐
@@jeffking291 Most of Mason Williams songs were fun/funny songs (writer for the Smothers brothers...) It was a joke...
ruclips.net/video/cJj2qcUEVBI/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/0luZiyf3JJM/видео.html
I saw Tommy Emmanuel on Woodsongs a number times back when I used to watch that program. He was always amazing.
I loved that you played the original first. A few years ago I ran across a video of Tommy Emmanuel and watched it without knowing who he was. My reaction was about the same as yours....I think my mouth was hanging open the whole video. He's from Australia and self taught. He started copying records he bought and didn't realize there was more than one guitar playing all the notes so he learned to copy what he heard. He has a lot of videos so it would be interesting to see you do one every now and then.
I've watched a lot of reactions to this song and I like how you played the original first,so you can see how well Tommy does
I still have the Classical Gas single by Mason Williams. Yet another great record from the 60s. I have to shamefully admit that I had never heard of Tommy Emmanuel before seeing this video. It's always a thrill to watch masters of their craft showing their incredible talents. Thank you Daniel for the introduction.
Tommy and his bro Phil. Learned at home by ear, from records. Not knowing how many instruments were played, he learned to do bass, treble and percussion, ALL on one guitar. He sands his guitars down to get them how he wants them, with sandpaper, when they are new. He is a bit hard on guitars. When he gets a new one, he looks for a player back-stage, to give his old one to. He plays because he loves music, all round the world, and that's all. He is an aussie.
I saw Tommy Emmanuel live at the Birchmere a couple of years ago. My life will never be the same. His Beatles medleys (Day Tripper, Here Comes the Sun, Lady Madonna, etc.) are pure joy as he plays lead, rhythm, and bass simultaneously in his inimitable way. But yeah -- he goes through guitars like I go through soap.
I was finishing 9th grade when this emerged as a hit -- June of 1969. Other hits of that month were "Grazing in the Grass", "Hello, I Love You", "Lady Willpower", "The Horse", the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", the Stones "Jumping Jack Flash", and Aretha's "Think!" . . so much great music blaring from our AM radios! Apollo 10 had just flown it's lunar dress rehearsal in May and we were all anticipating Apollo 11's moon landing in July! What heady times!!!
This was a special tune for me. I loved all the bombast Mason Williams dumped on top of that artistic guitar riff. Note the tuba (or perhaps a bass trombone) providing the bass line under the other brass in the middle section. Mason Williams was the musical director for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" on CBS. Even on that TV show he loved to throw on a lot of brass instruments wherever they weren't expected.
That guy is just insane. It’s crazy how good he is. Epic.
Seeing the two really brings home the difference. it's interesting seeing the techniques that Tommy uses to replace the backing band that Mason used, such as using his thumb hooked over the fret board to play the base line.
As another Australian said 'you've been thunderstruck!' Good on ya for subscribing to Tommy. He lives and breaths guitar and loves to teach. For a young player he is Yoda. Peace and practice hard young Jedi.
Twas I who suggested Tommy Emmanuel. And it gave me joy to see you experiencing so much joy. :) I do not tire of watching that clip. I remember the first time I saw Tommy play he was on drums and his brother Phil was on guitar. Tommy was a very convincing drummer. Ta muchly for that. Dig it.
(There are some collaborations with Chet Atkins that are also sweet and worth a view one day.)
Thank you for recommending Tommy Emmanuel's mind blowing performance. I'd never heard this version and was skeptical to say the least. Mason Williams is a tough act to follow. Bravo!
@@bearballin Thank you. Oh and I do like the original too. Lots.
I’m so glad you reacted to Tommy Emmanuel. He’s one of the greatest.
If available, Mason Williams played "Classical Gas" on the Smothers Brothers Show,
on a plexiglass guitar filled with water and live goldfish.
I like your approach of comparing versions side by side. Two exceptional players here. Tommy is something, isn't he? I just started getting into him a little in the last year or so.
I had forgotten all about that song but remember seeing him play it on TV back then but can’t remember if it was on Andy Williams or Smothers Brothers show, or both
I've been listening to Tommy for a couple of year's I enjoy watching first reactions to Tommy Emmanuel's take on several covers. He is Chet Akins approved.
Oh, wow. I wish I had suggested the original Classical Gas. Looking forward to seeing what you think.
Me too!
Tommy’s a legend, a world renowned master, very approachable and a really great guy.❤ Seeing this kind of reminded me of listening to the Beatles version of Help, followed by John Farnham’s version with the MSO (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra). Hardly recognisable as the same song. Loved your reaction.😊
I saw the title and was hesitant to watch this because I had seen this Tommy Emmanuel version (and others). Thank you for doing the original first.
I was a toddler when this came out. My parents had at that time a better than average stereo and we would listen to radio in the kitchen/dining. I didn't go to school which was closest, but went to another farther away. The band director of the closer school was a friend of the family. We would as a family go to their band concerts. Sometimes, the concerts were their jazz ensemble, and they did a cover of this, with the director's son playing keyboard doing the guitar parts.
The school where I did go, had a new band director just when I was the age to start playing a musical instrument. This song largely is why I chose to play trombone, and because of the small towns, in my high school years, I played in a summer jazz band with them as an welcome outsider. Teenagers still in school, and some parents who kept their instruments, it was an awesome concert when we got to it, with a ton of talent. Sadly, I could not convince them to have us do Classical Gas, because even though I was 15, it would have been a bucket list item before the term bucket list ever came to be. Pure coincidence, today is that band director's 90th birthday. Known for playing the French Horn, and always wearing eccentric neckties.
The original album, Mason could not come up with a name. He was a bit of an eccentric and posed in front of his full size mural of a bus for the album cover, and named it:
The Mason Williams Phonograph Record
I got to relive that childhood experience about 15 years ago. A local radio station came under new ownership and while they were deciding what to call themselves and what music format to play, they did something rather unique. For the entire summer of 2005, they would play on one day, the top 100 Billboard hits for the year 1965. The next day 1966. It incremented to 1980, then they started over. They got through all those years at least three times.
The 1968 year had two great one-hit wonders. This and another you might want to react to is the original Macarthur Park, also a rather eccentric song in its style. Getting to hear both of those songs on the radio in the same day, and knowing when to listen to them to hear them multiple times. I can remember specifically that July 4 was the 2nd time for the year 1968, and I can remember exactly what I was doing that day to be driving around and listen to them.
I still love this song, all versions, and I still have my trombone. Fond memories.
I love this song. Such a great piece. The original is always nice to listen to, but Tommy infuses everything he does with so much joy and energy that I just sit with a dopey smile on my face feeling super happy. He's beyond amazing 😊💜
Tommy was on stage one night and he asked if there was any guitar players in the audience and a little voice popped up and said, "not anymore".
i like the Mason Williams one i grew up with. He puts so much emotion in his version.
This is great classic tune. I’ve never seen the Tommy Emmanuel video, so thank you for that treat. Keep up the wonderful tunes.
I am SO happy you discovered Tommy Emmanuel!!!
got to see Tommy Emmanuel in person at a concert once (a.k.a. Tony Enamel). he's a charming and down to earth guy, and needless to see extraordinarily skilled with the guitar. As was his brother, God rest him.
HUGE hit!
It is often hard to surpass the original....unless of course you are Tommy Emmanuel putting the 'classical' guitar into Classical Gas! All the emotion of the original with an injection of caffeine.
I've watched a couple of Mason live versions where he plays as fast as Tommy. Awesome! And I LOVE Tommy's
I noticed that the second version the guy broke into Walk Dont Run
In the 2nd version he added parts of other songs. The Ventures " Walk Don't Run " was one. An instrumental guitar band, The Ventures were very popular in the 60's and I believe may be the highest selling instrumental band ever.
Tommy is my all time favorite artist... Also he's a great person to meet. Super friendly and personable.
Original is the best, I think..... Haven’t heard the other yet, will listen..... Well, certainly great, yet very different. Great guitarist, wow..... BIG wow. Och, you’re terrific. Thanks, this brought me back, way back. Lovely.
You should watch Tommy play Somewhere Over the Rainbow. He has a few versions, from when he was young to one where he's an old man. All are unreal.
Mason Williams was also in a very funny horror movie, Phantom of the Paradise. Unless I wasn't paying attention again, (that happens a lot), this is a shorter version? I missed the trombones? You can also see a video of this performed live in concert. It seems I can't type and listen at the same time, though it seems shorter than I remembered. I believe Mason Williams was another songwriter for other singing stars. I think I first saw'/heard it on the Smother's Brother's Show. There's a bit of other borrowed songs in this man's adaptation. And now I hear some Who.
Mason did several version of CG. I think one of his albums has a strictly guitar version. Years later he paired with Manheim Steamroller and released a version that some airplay.
@@percysowner But why does everyone listen to covers before the original??? And why does that irritate me so very much?
Chet Atkins handed out the honorific award "Certified Guitar Picker" only four times during his lifetime.
Tommy Emmanuel is one of them. Don't need to say much beyond that, really.
Other world famous players, such as Knopfler and Clapton for example, all regard him as one of the greatest ever. Is he especially world famous? Not really. Famous to players, especially great players in their own right? Absolutely.
As many no doubt will have mentioned in the comments, however, Tommy is also legendary for being a remarkably kind, generous, sweet natured person. I don't know of a single story about him being difficult or unpleasant, but there are thousands of him being generous with his time and vast knowledge with fans, and players regardless of their skills.
I've heard him say in an interview something along the lines of "There's no ego, it's not about me. I'm trying every day to be the best player I can so I can channel whatever the universe has to share with everyone through my playing". From a lot of people you'd think that sounds like pretentious twaddle. Not from him, however.
He's the sort of person you might just want to clone so there's ALWAYS a version of him alive on the planet. How many people can you think of who fit that profile? I don't have many.
There are many covers of this. Including a girl performing it on-stage with Mason Williams - she plays it on harp.
Tommy Emmanuel - just world class playing - what more can be said!
One of my favorite records grow9up. Love the original recording the best.
🤣👍hey Daniel Tommy is a genius on guitar. Self taught all the way. Just years of practice 😃👍 awesome player from Australia.
In, of and for its time, Classical Gas was a sort of gentle revolution, taking a folk-pop guitar sound and marrying it to classical-pop band instruments. The result was an upbeat, head-bobbing, get-up-and-go instrumental that inspired action and joy. For me, this is the ultimate road trip montage score. The "cover" (?) is all showboating. Emmanuel's abilities are legion here, except that he seems to have zero care for the actual melody. The result, to me, is the same as if one took 3-4 different covers of the song and edited them all together just for the sake of burying the core under a fuzzy blanket of irrational and inappropriate noise. To be clear, Emmanuel can play jazz guitar like a fiend (this is my first introduction to him, btw) ... but his rendition is painting bright, psychedelic colors on a beautifully hand-crafted heirloom cabinet. (Disclaimer: I loved this when it first came out on the radio station where my Dad worked at the time. I am biased AF.) Cheers for your always-excellent reax. :)
In the hometown I grew up in as a teenager, the local ABC TV affiliate used this (Williams' original) as the theme song for the 11 o'clock news report. It fit really well.
Many years ago, I saw Tommy and his brother in a band called Gold Rush. Tommy was playing banjo, ukelele and mandolin, while his brother played electric guitar. His brother was as good with the electric as Tommy is with the accoustic. RIP Phil.
I got to sing with Mason Williams once. He performed at my church during our Christmas Eve service.
What an amazing experience that must've been.
Tommy Emmanuel is one of the guitarists' guitarist. I learned this song long time ago just a cool one to listen to and play. I can't play it like they can of course but it's passable.
Mason Williams was mainly known as a TV producer/writer (THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS SHOW) while Tommy Emmanuel was with the Wrecking Crew and is often cited as the greatest guitarist of them all.
Thanks for playing both versions together in the same video -- that was a great idea! I remember the original well, and I still prefer that one as a piece to listen to. But for sheer impressivness, it would be hard to beat Tommy Emmanuel's version.
Tommy Emmanuel is an incredible musician.
Tommy has been the GOAT for years.....glad you've discovered the greatest
Wowsers indeed.
I love how you baselined it against the original first, so you knew the mastery you were seeing with Tommy's one-man-band version.
The "Saturday" section, where he keeps the base going with his thumbs, while playing the chords with his fingers, blows me away, every time. Just magic.
The original title was "Classical Gasoline".
When Mason Williams originally recorded it, the engineer made a label with the name abbreviated as "Classical Gas."
Williams saw it and loved it.
It's been known by that name ever since...
I love to watch those who are seeing Tommy play for the first time. It's ok, we were all speechless too. He was the first to be bestowed the title of C.G.P. (Certified Guitar Player) by the man himself, Chet Atkins. Check out "Live at Her Majesty's Theater" or "Center Stage" DVDs. The video quality is amazing. It's truly the next best thing to seeing him live in concert.
Tommy Emanuel is SO talented! More! More!
I had forgotten all about this number. Glad you played it!
Tommy and his brother Phil Emmanuel are both brilliant guitar players, Tommy is hugely popular here in his home Australia, but also worldwide for his genius on the acoustic guitar. Both of these versions of Classical Gas are excellent the original is wonderful for its mix of guitar and orchestra so to compare that with a man and a guitar is not really fair. Tommy did his own thing with it and 2 other songs mixed in and in my opinion showed his mastery of the acoustic. Any who think it is easy is only because he made it look that way give it a go and you will find out about 30 seconds in it is time to stop and just admire his genius.
Each major war gets music associated with it. A lot a guys in Vietnam said this was in their head when preparing for battle.
Tommy is the most talented guitarist to ever strap on the 6-string. A guitarist nonpareil.
Ah, brings back memories - haven't heard this for a very long time. Thanks for doing this Daniel.
Tommy played "Walk don't Run." Learned to play that many years ago.
happy for you that you have been introduced to tommy. he is just special. his brother was also incredible. watch tommy and phil emmanuel playing together
There is a great live version [ fully orchestrated], with Mason Williams.
📻🙂
Great interpretation on the cover. I was waiting for the break, and it did not disappoint. ...and breaks into Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting.
I’ve always liked that song but that was insane!!!! 🎸🎸🎸
I like the way this kid works; original and then he works his way to the cover.
Love the original. Never saw the other. Thanks.
Awesome watched this second video for the first time last night,
This might be my favorite reaction yet.
You know Daniel we might have to get new guitars, ours don't do that!
The smile on your face after the neck bend at about 10:30 is honestly everything. Screen shot it for your portrait.
You're going to love Mike Dawes fingerstyle tribute to EVH of the song Jump after Eddie's death last year.
You should do this with that one. Original then cover.👍👍
You sounded good today!
#The Warning #Tori Amos piano goddess #Angelina Jordan 🦶👸
Love you Tocayo.
So many techniques used in one short song. That half chord change walk down thing was incredible...
A good one for non-beginner guitarists to come back to see what they might want to learn next.
Classical Gas is found on an album called the Mason Williams Phonograph Record which has some beautiful songs on it including this and 'Sunflower'. He has a silly and entertaining sense of humor which finds its way into a lot of his songs. He re-recorded it in the 90s with the eclectic band known as Mannheim Steamroller and their version is also outstanding.
When I was in 8th grade, one of our assignments from the teacher was to pick an instrumental song and match it to a picture. So I picked Classical Gas by Mason Williams and matched it with a picture of a Cross Country runner. They played the song as I held up the picture. In the very beginning of the song it starts off quiet then quickly picks up as if the race was starting. During the course of the song you could feel the emotions of the runner, getting tired then catching a second breath and pushing forward, struggling but keeps going. Finally at the very end the music slows down as if the race just ended and I could picture him crossing the finish line, tired but satisfied. I remember getting an A so the teacher liked it. That's my personal memory of this great song.
Search for "Classical Gas - 3000 Years of Art". This film was made for this song at the time, and was shown on the Smothers Brs show.
Wow, I suggested the original ages ago, glad you got round to it! The cover of it, wow super souped - up version! But for sentimental reasons I still choose the original, I was 6 when it came out! And I remember listening to it in the car at night on a road trip and just being transported in my imagination.
Love Classical Gas ! 👍
Mason Williams wrote a great piece and played it beautifully. But Tommy Emmanuel brought it to a whole, new life!!!
One of the greatest guitarists to ever live.
The song was played on the Smothers Brothers tv show during a montage of news reels highlighting 1968 which was a very bleak year. The music blew minds and Williams came back and did a live version.
Good description by the one person; don't know when last time an instrumental hit the charts.
This is a great reaction! Loved it!❤
Tommy Emmanuel is one of the best guitarists on the planet. He is the real item.
take a look at Tommys thumb on the left hand & how its used to play chord. Also Tommy plays a base line with his right thumb and lead with right hand fingers. 2 parts at same time.
Loved your reaction as always, thank you.
You might also enjoy Mason Williams playing with a harpist. I think it lands the version somewhere between the two you reviewed. I don't like pasting links but if you search for "Mason Williams - Classical Gas w/ Deborah Henson-Conant" it should come right up.
This shows why its important to hear the original version. The second version goes off into another famous tune "Walk Don't Run" by The Ventures from the early sixties - another great tune.
And Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright [for Fighting]"
There is technique and there is artistry, when the two combine, as you say, wowzers!
You would probably really like rodrigo y gabriela (they apparently like lower case for their personal nomenclature). Two kids from Mexico with metal sensibilities who went to Europe, discovered flamenco guitar, and then proceeded to shift all sorts of paradigms. Turns out that you don't really need a Strat and a P-bass plugged into a big Marshal stack with a full drum kit to rock out. Two nylon strung acoustics will do quite nicely, see the first sentence.
Fantastic reaction! What an amazing virtuoso performance!
Another instrumental I think you’ll love is Pipeline by the Chantays.
Three years hence I commented on this. Why is RUclips revisiting this particular post now? I figured Dicon would be half way to a full blown physician by now...
In addition to being influenced by Chet Atkins, Emmanuel has stated that guitarist Hank Marvin of the Shadows is his mentor.
I've NEVER seen anyone bend the neck to show how to create a different kind'a sound. WOW. One of the few times that actually ' Don't try this at home' really means it. WOW!
Did you catch where he went into The Ventures "Walk Don' Run?"