The following video is a little loud and slightly distorted as a result, so you may want to turn it down a bit. I have two older brothers, one of whom is 13 years older and one of whom is 10 years older. The one who is closer in age largely determined my early musical tastes, and mostly for the good. When he introduced me to Roy Buchanan, he did me a great service. But, I happen to know that Can I Change My Mind is a favorite of both of my brothers whose musical tastes have never intersected all that much. This means that all three of us think this song is one of the most meaningful songs in our lives. And that means a lot to me.
Update [2014-4-30 13:17:14 by BooMan]: Here’s a documentary on Roy.
This song is a long-time favorite of mine as well, going back decades.
I had no idea how Buchanan died, though. What a sad, awful story.
One of the truly great, unsung axemen. Basically invented pinch harmonics. Thanks Bman.
I never really listened to him before. When I was growing up he was thought (by my fellow tweens) to be really fast, but too country (or something). This is really beautiful playing, though, and I’m sorry I’ve missed out on him until now. Thank you, Boo.
The lead break he does on that song is one of my favorite pieces of guitar playing. I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve played the song hundreds of times over the years, but it seems like you can anticipate every note, and he just delivers them perfectly. Or, in other words, every series of notes is a set-up that makes you crave the next series.
Now he can play!!! In tune, in good time, full of real passion.
RIP, brother.
RIP.
Play on elsewhere.
AG
A great song, and one I hadn’t heard in years. And, as AG mentions above – maybe the only time I’ll ever agree with him about music, lol – it’s great songwriting and playing with passion. There are a lot of technically amazing guitarists that wind up in an upper floor room at the mall giving lessons to teens because they can do all the riffs but they have nothing to say. Roy, RIP, was never one of them.
Sadly, that passion and emotional depth may have fueled his death. But he left behind some truly amazing music.