Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.
“Walk Don’t Run” makes a strong case as a contender for the best rock and roll instrumental ever. Sure, others may argue for “Green Onions,” “Eruption,” or even dark horse “Rumble,” but “Walk Don’t Run” combines the best elements from all three. Like “Green Onions,” the riff is simple and instantly recognizable. Like “Eruption,” there’s some serious guitar work at play (no, not Eddie Van Halen-level guitar, but still). Like “Rumble,” it’s a super-short blast of sound that shows a guitar can lead as powerfully as any vocal.
That said, this “Walk Don’t Run” ditches pretty much all of those characteristics. For one, it’s not instrumental. For another, it’s definitely not short – over nine minutes. It isn’t even surf rock. Pink Fairies’ 1972 psychedelic cacophony uses the riff as a basic template, throwing some bizarre verses in between the guitar squalls.
MP3: Pink Fairies – Walk Don’t Run (The Ventures cover)
[audio: SOTD1110/WalkDontRun.mp3]
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Surf Rock? no, not even!! The Pink Fairies version of ‘Walk Don’t Run’, as with their cover of The Beatles ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ benefits massively from their brilliantly ‘irreverent’ approach, transporting this famous riff into the realms of early Rock at it’s most golden, energetic and exciting period. Great voice, awesome guitar, typical Paul Rudolph….Up The Pinks!!