Here be another Christmas present for all of ye guitar players out there. I have completed another unofficial Setzer transcription, this one due to popular request by many of you from both forums, including Daddio, TV, WebElvis, Brett, Ponczek007, among others.
So, here it be matey's, in my opinion, the best B.S.O. song ever done, transcribed for electric and acoustic guitars as well as vocals.
Hollywood Nocturne (off the Dirty Boogie album, key of E minor)
Hollywood Nocturne.pdfI am running short on time today, so I will either put up another post, or re-edit this one within the next few days discussing the musical analysis and technical playing tips, but I wanted all of you to have the .pdf file as soon as I finished with it, so I'm dispensing with all the other stuff and just posting it now.
Enjoy it.
Capt. Jones
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OK, as promised before, here goes the analysis:
According to the Dirty Boogie liner notes, Setzer actually recorded this song during the sessions for the Guitar Slinger album back in 1995. So, he used those musicians instead of the ones on the rest of the Dirty Boogie album. Why this song wasn't put on Guitar Slinger as originally penned, I don't know, but given the fact that there are 3-4 diff. versions of that album (counting Japanese releases), I guess I can see where that track may have gotten lost in the shuffle, especially with the change from Hollywood Records to Interscope clouding things up as well. Regardless, I'm glad he finally released it, the inclusion of that song really was the highlight among highlights of the Dirty Boogie album. Also, and RockyMountainCat would know for sure, I don't think this tune has ever been performed live. That probably has to do with the mix of acoustic and electric guitars, however, if the BSO ever performs in the ocean somewhere (i.e. cruise ship) perhaps I'll volunteer to sit in on acoustic gtr. if he agrees to play this song, as I think I know the arrangement. (Ha!Ha!Ha!) Ok, enough joking around, here's some tips on how to play the song.
Hollywood Nocturne (Key of Em) Performance Notes
1. I arranged the song for one acoustic and one electric guitar, however, I believe that in spots (i.e. intro.), Setzer actually overdubs a second acoustic guitar. For simplicity, I combined the two acoustics into one line on the arrangement, and that contains 95% of the music performed, but I just want to make everyone aware, in case ye hear something a bit different on the record when playing through the piece.
2. Unless you play this with another guitarist, you might want to switch between the acoustic and electric parts on your electric (i.e. neck and bridge pickups, effects pedals, etc.) by playing the lead lines during the solos, and then going to the acoustic rhythm parts during the verses.
3. I notated the song pretty much line for line, but you might want to improvise the rhythm lines, as they are pretty extensive. The rhythm work is actually the harder of the two, especially to hear clearly under all of the orchestra.
4. Once ye play through the melody (lead gtr. and vocal), if ye like, it will be easier to transcribe the orchestra parts, as they embellish the melody.
Song Analysis
The form is a modified jazz standard (AAB), where I've notated AA as being the 1st 16 bars of the Intro. & Verses after the 4-bar intro. and/or transitions, and B as the 8-bar descending, modulating section or Pre-Chorus (as I've labeled it), with the transitions after the 1st and 2nd Verses as the Chorus (as I've labeled it).
Intro.The 1st chord is Em9, followed by an altered minor chord D#m(maj7) that suggests either the E harmonic minor or E melodic minor scale. He pretty much plays various positions and extensions of these chords throughout the song. The lead gtr. plays a form of the melody based on the E minor scale with two extensions (the b5, Bb, and the #7, D#). Same for the saxophone, which I notated for guitar. At the end of the 16 bar AA sections, the next 8-bar section B comes into play:
Am-Am(maj7)-Am7-Am6-D7-Gmaj7-Abm7-Db7-Gbmaj7-Gm7-C7-Fmaj7-F#m7-B7#9
If ye recall, the descending line from the Am chords is a Setzer-favorite as he used the same progression in Jade Idol with the Stray Cats. From there, he back-cycles through the keys of G, Gb, and F, before returning to Em via a ii-V change. The lead line and vocal line later follow those changes.
1st TransitionAfter the Em9 arpeggio, it was really tough to hear the accompanying G-chord, so I may be off here, but I think this is another part where he overdubs.
1st Verse, Pre-Chorus, and ChorusFollows the intro. form with chordal alterations. The chorus is played slightly differently than the 1st transition.
Sax SoloRhythm comping similar to intro. and verses, however, he only plays one A section before the B section.
BridgeOk, here under the Em9-A9#11, Dm9-G9#11 changes, I arranged the acoustic guitar, with an eye toward keeping time, and as it's hard to hear it under the electric and piano, towards incorporating the piano line as well. The ascending augmented chords were also inundated with the orchestra, so I tried to capture what the guitars were doing there as well. The theory behind that line, to me, is he's outlining an Edim7 chord (E, G, Bb, C#).
Gtr. SoloAgain, he shifts between E minor and E harmonic minor, mainly at 7th position. Great solo, and although not his hardest to play, one of the best, primarily because it focuses on restating the melody instead of just cramming licks, one of the secrets of jazz soloing.
2nd Verse, Pre-Chorus, and ChorusA crescending volume swelled feedbacked electric guitar line (D#-E) opens the 2nd Verse, which follows the 1st with more embellishments (note the arpeggios played in the 1st A section and the Harmonics played in the 2nd A-section). The Pre-Chorus and Chorus echo the 1st Verse, while he ends the song with a higher melody note. As the orchestra fades out, a couple of horns play notes from an Em9 chord, while an acoustic guitar plays a fast run up the Em and E dorian scales (C# instead of C) to finish the song.
Well, that about covers it. Again, I hope everyone enjoys the song, keep in mind that it's tough, especially the acoustic part, but well worth learning in my opinion.
As always, any comments, questions, or corrections, feel free to post em. Thanks to all those who've posted so far as well.
Capt. Jones
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Subject: Hollywood Nocturne 
Fri Dec 26, 2008 2:30 pm
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