Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder

Three days of rain and cold weather has left me off the bicycle and spending too much time roaming YouTube, probably to my detriment.

Have you got 9:23 to spare? And do you like rock and roll piano?

Right click and open in a new tab Quicksilver Messenger Service. This is Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder from the Shady Grove album from 1970. It features the legendary Nicky Hopkins on piano.

I came into possession of this album and this tune on a reel to reel tape while I was in the United States Army stationed in Cam Ranh Bay Republic of South Vietnam. I was there from 1 April 1969 through 3 November 1970 (but really, who was keeping track?). While there I possessed an Akai reel to reel tape recorder which allowed me to play my own tunes. The music was extremely helpful in keeping me sane. I played Quicksilver Messenger Service a lot.

I had a large 20 inch fan which was enormously useful to me in survival and maintaining relative comfort in the 12 degrees north latitude tropical climate. I think it was either NoDak or Dutch who got his shirt caught in the fan once when I was still an FNG**. After that the fan was always referred to as Edward.

This is really really good piano playing. It is really good for the first 5 or so minutes but the first 5 minutes is only a warm up. At about the 5 minute mark Nicky starts playing fast, and then he plays faster, and then for the last couple of minutes he plays really, really fast. And really, really good.

It is an obscure little bit of music, not extremely well known. Every time I get someone to listen to it they say they have never heard it before.

If you like Nicky Hopkins, after Edward is over listen to She's Like a Rainbow by the Rolling Stones. I know they say Rolling Stones but that's Nicky Hopkins on piano.

Hockey again tomorrow, I hope to be riding my bicycle again on Monday.

**FNG - slang term for a ____ New Guy.