GUGUG Week: Get Carter Theme

As well as the chord songs, GUGUG put out a fair few instrumental overdub tracks - usually theme tunes. My personal favourite is their reworking of the Get Carter theme.

To play along with the GUGUG version, tune up a fret to G#C#FA#

And here’s the bass line (tabbed for bass in standard tuning).

If this is your first visit here, you can find the chords/tab in those posts by clicking on the song title in red.

UkeTube: GUGUG, Daisy Dobuyuki

It’s only fitting that GUGUG feature on this week’s UkeTube. And one of their best I’d say. [Read more]

Buy A GUGUG Ukulele Collection

Before we get down to business, Guitar Center are having a bit of a Black Friday blowout. Buy today and the code SAVE15 will get you 15% off (it doesn’t work on all ukes, but it does work on the Cordoba, Mitchell and Applause). They’re also advertising 10% on Saturday and Sunday with the coupon SAVE10, but you should be able to get the same deal all the way up to Christmas with the code TENOFF.

If you’re looking to build yourself a GUGUG style ukulele collection, the first thing you’ll want to do is stock up on plastic ukuleles. And you can usually pick them up on eBay fairly cheaply.

Right now there’s this TV Pal and this Flamingo.

With plastic ukes, you get extra marks for the original box. This Carnival comes with the original box - a different design to the GUGUG Carnival box (left).

As for non-plastic ukes, I only remember seeing Gus play two: the wildly extravagant Swinging Treholipee (as seen in the Daydream Believer) and a Bushman Jenny.

Fin’s collection, on the other hand, is much easier and cheaper to replicate. All you need is a red Mahalo and a Stagg.

Also on eBay this week…

Mahalo have started making a guitarlele. Very strange body shape and the sort of rock bottom price you’d expect from Mahalo.

Ukulele necklace.

Ukulele kitsch of the week: ukulele shades.

Amy Crehore, Yo-Yo Ma and 12hr Beatles

You can get a sneak peak of Amy Crehore’s next show Dream Girls and Ukes on her Flickr and find out more here.

“”The ukulele is already a magical instrument, but there’s something about his playing and being that is other-worldly.” Yo-Yo Ma discusses working with Jake Shimabukuro.

Roger Greenawalt will spend 12 hours performing every single Beatles song on the ukulele. But it’s for a good cause. All the money raised will be going to Warren Buffett.

4th Peg Forum closes.

I’ve been slowly working up a tab for Roy Smeck’s Music Box Waltz, and Dav on the KDUS forum has beaten me to it.

“How do you relax? This might sound slightly ridiculous but I play the ukulele for at least an hour a day and I find something really blissful about it.” Frank Skinner in The Guardian.

Anyone know who this is in the Dutch T-Mobile ad? (Thanks Martin)

Death Cab for Cutie and All Time Quarterback on Uker Tabs.

Bette Midler ukes it up on Ellen (head for around 6:30).

Peter and the Wolf and Amanda Palmer do Black Cab Sessions.

Get Del Ray or Terry Kinakin to play in your living room.

Jeffery Holland’s using-the-uke-to-pick-up-chicks technique in You Rang M’Lord?. Dangerous tactic, though, because apparently playing the ukulele means you’re an “eccentric nice girl who only pretends to be interested in sex.”

Julia and Wade display mad skillz. It’s a bit depressing watching Julia fans getting her CD. They get so excited they make me wonder if I’m living in an emotional coma. I wish I could get that excited about anything, never mind a CD. (And that’s not me picking the strangest two videos - that’s a random sample).

GUGUG Week: California Sun

GUGUG - California Sun (Chords)(PDF)

I couldn’t let GUGUG week go by without some reference to the Ramones (although this song was originally done by the Rivieras).

The chords for it are dead simple and so is the strumming. For most of the chords you can do a down, down, up, up, down. The only exception are the F and G chords on the, “…warm California sun” bit. For each of those do a down, down, up.

The tricky bit is the little riff at the end of each line of the verse.

GUGUG Week: Fin Raucous

Fin’s turn for some routine interrogation.

How did you and Gus get together?

I met Gus on my first day at Secondary school and we started jammin’ together a few years later. The fickle finger of fate I suppose.

What are your favourite songs to play on the uke?

All sorts of stuff really. At the moment my top tune is probably Guantanamo Bay by the Space Cretins but anything with a good beat will do.

What’s in your uke collection?

Just my trusty mahogany soprano Stagg and the old battered Mahalo I rode in on.

What tips do you have for anyone looking for YouTube ukulele stardom?

Pick a good tune and be creative but most of all enjoy yourself.

What plans do you have for your solo stuff?

To keep hammering it out and hope I don’t get an ASBO (Anti-Social Behaviour Order) from the neighbours for my troubles.

Visit Fin’s YouTube channel.

GUGUG Week: Honolulu Baby (MP3)

Gus Raucous - Honolulu Baby (M4A)
Gus Raucous - Honolulu Baby (MP3)

An exclusive GUGUG track today (just one - it’s the same track in M4A and MP3 according to taste) featuring Gus and his overdub orchestra (overgug orchestra??). Honolulu Baby was made famous by Ty Parvis in Laurel and Hardy’s Sons of the Desert (watch it here) and has become a ukulele favourite. There are chords for it here (although I’m pretty sure it wasn’t by Laurel and Hardy).

If you thought Gus’s description of his musical history was exhaustive, you’d be wrong. He was also in The Cobras who recorded this slice of genius under the name Gustav Temple and the Blades. And you can watch him ukeing it up with Davie from The Cobras here.

Visit GUGUG.
Puddings and Pies on eMusic

GUGUG Week: Are Friends Electric?

GUGUG/Gary Numan - Are Friends Electric? (Chords)(PDF)

I think I’ll have to do a Beirut on GUGUG at some point and write up all the songs they’ve done. All their songs are fun and easy to play and would work great as ukulele club songs.

I worked out the GUGUG version of Are Friends Electric? from their Are Friends Acoustic? version. But the uke parts for the two are pretty much identical.

Strumming Pattern

For the verses: you can go down, down, down on the C chord (with the last down being very short) and up, up, up, down, up, down on the Gm.

Without the chords and played slowly, it sounds like this:

MP3

With the chords, like this:

MP3

For the ‘uh-uh’ section: the easiest thing to do is two down strums like Fin does.

For the spoken word section: down, down, down, up, down, up should see you through.

GUGUG Week: Gus Raucous

It’s always a treat when a new GUGUG video appears on the net. They one of my favourite YouTube acts, so I’ve decided to dedicate this week to them. Starting off with an interview with Gus.

How do you pronounce GUGUG and where did the name come from?

The name comes from my name. When I was setting up my youtube account I put in “Gus” which was taken (d’uh), then “GusGus” which my pal Duglas BMX from the Greorgy Girl video calls me that but then that was taken too, so I tried Gugug cos I didn’t really care by that point to be honest. So according to this story I guess it must be pronounced Gugug as in “uh huh” although to be honest it is never really spoken out loud. I should have said something more esoteric like “it’s the most fundamental human sound - the gu-gug of a baby’s first goo-goo”, or “its derived from an ancient Polynesian chant” or “gu-gu-gug’ is the sound of chugging away on a cheapo ukulele with old strings”

What’s your pre-GUGUG musical history?

Short Answer:

Oh, I’ve played in a few rock n roll bands and ska bands.

Long Answer:

If you really want to know then:

Fin and I started mucking about musically when we were mere striplings of lads (well I was, Fin was always a big bastard). I used to record us playing bass and drums on one cassette player then Id record us playing along to the recording and I’d add some guitar or a borrowed Casio and we’d both sing. We wrote our first songs that way probably at the rate of about 2 a night. Eventually these musical fumblings developed into a band called Rubber Yahoo. We played fast, rough and noisy songs of our own composition – we were hardly aware of what a cover was at point let alone actually play one. Our “philosophy” if you could call it that, was, that everything must be “off-the cuff” so we wrote songs on the spot, and stuck absolutely with the original spark of an idea; consequently our songs were pretty odd. Still we seemed to be fairly popular in the Glasgow area at the time. Around the same time, Fin and I started doing busking around Christmas time to make some money cos we were unemployed and skint. We used to stand in Argyle Street in the centre of Glasgow in the freezing cold and belt out rock n roll numbers which we barely knew the words to. Fin played the T-chest bass and I played a shitty old acoustic guitar. The highlight of our “set” was a pretty awful version of Jingle Bells done in a rock n roll style. Still we made a few bob.

After Christmas we were still skint and at some point I persuaded my pal George (now Kaiser George) who at that point had an excellent fast and furiosly rockin’ combo The Styng Rites that we could start a rock n roll skiffle group in order to make some money. He abslotutely deplored the idea of busking but reluctantly agreed. We decided to give it a go there and then; I phoned and got Fin in on the act cos had a loud voice and he had a T- Chest. Our pal Keith came along too. We busked in the so-called trendy west-end of Glasgow’s shopping thoroughfare, Byres Road, and we marvelled at how many rock n roll songs George actually knew the words to. And were dismayed that we’d hardly made any money (cos the middle-classes are mean) However, we made enough money to buy some beer which we saw as “good”. That was the first and last time we busked there - and moved operations to the centre of Glasgow where people are about 20 times more generous.

When the Edinburgh festival was on we went to see if we’d make any more money there cos there were more people, and amazingly we drew a large crowd. We also got asked to do gigs, like that night, for like £15 quid each! We named ourselves Rick Raucous and The Rowdies, and we made posters and we seemed to get more and more gigs. It was a great hoot all round, we made a some beer money and happily spent it – but for me that was the beginning of the end! As soon as we realised we could get paid actual money for playing old tunes, then I forgot to think too much about writing new stuff. Eventually George soon got fed up, and we broke up the band. Shortly afterwards Fin and Keith started a new band along the same lines but with Keith singing lead (he’d been playing attention to the lyrics) and asked me to join. This time it was I who was reluctant, but I relented and we seemed to go down a storm both in gigs and on the street. Keith sung a mean rendition of Lulu’s Shout and Del Shannon’s Runaway which was guaranteed to draw the crowds when we were busking. We also discovered that it made us more money so we used to get Keith to sing them over and over again. Not that Keith minded. We were called Wray Gunn and the Rockets, and we even got on telly a couple of times.

Then it all gets complicated: We continued to play as Wray Gunn and the Rockets, and to our eternal amusement went on tour supporting Shakin’ Stevens; Fin joined a country band; Keith formed his own band The Parallograms in which I played drums; I joined a punk-ska band Capone and the Bullets; I joined the country band too; Fin started playing T-chest in folk sessions; Keith started The Scottish Sex Pistols; George sang in what I think was the first ever tribute act: “The Cretins” (certainly the first Ramones one); I joined another band The Ska-B-Dugs; I had an 60s instrumental band that never gigged; I also started playing in a great pub-rock / rhythm and blues band “The Spooks’ with Davie (harmonica king); and err eventually took the place of Keith on guitar and joined George’s band The Kaisers; I continued to play drums with Davie and his bands and we had a great laugh playing all over Scotland; At one point we got “blessed” by Lee Perry and had George Melly sing a few songs with us… however, The Kaisers was something else: Already fairly established, so I kind of jumped on the rolling train and immediately went on tour in Europe and the States. The Kaisers were an amazing live experience both for the audience and for us, the band. (I know this cos I’ve seen them as well as played in them) The last gig I played in with The Kaisers was in New York in 2001. After that I played more with Davie and kind of slowed down the playing in bands as work took over.

One night I was round at Davie’s and he usually has an old guitar or something to show me, but this time it was a Mahalo ukulele that he’d just bought “off the cuff’ as it were, and I thought “not really into those folky things” thinking it was like mandolin or something. But after playing it for a few minutes I thought Ok its better than I though it would be – in fact its quite good. I bought one probably the next day. Fin bought one a few months later.

You seem to have an extensive ukulele collection. Which are your favourites?

Once I’d got the ukulele bug I started buying random £15 ukes from ebay: non brand or Harmony-type with the plastic fretboard, but I don’t have them anymore cos I ve lent them all out.

My favourite ukuleles are the plastic ones. The reason for this is that I keep getting outbid on the really nice old Koa ones and vintage wooden ones on Ebay – so I opt for what I think, is the most interesting option – the mass-produced 50s plastic ones. I’ve got a few now – all from America. Specifically, I like my TV Pal; Flamingo; Lisa; Mauna Loa. Ive got about 2 of each ( I can never get my hands on a decent unwarped Islander) Ive also got a Singing Treholipee, but I broke it pretty quickly.

There was talk of you recording an album. How’s that coming along?

That’s coming on slowly. Not because Ive been labouring over it, but because I’m constantly forgetting to do it. I will do it one day soon I promise that’s all I can say. Its in the pipeline; its work in progress; its err coming along

What makes a song perfect for a ukulele cover?

Well I wouldn’t know the answer to that one, except that some bloke out of the Ukulele Orchestra of GB said “you can tell a good song if it can be played on a ukulele” or something resembling that. I suppose that’s true. I usually just try to see how a song feels on the ukulele when I play it – ie are the chords easy enough? Some songs I try are crap by the way - but hopefully you don’t get to hear them.

When it comes to the solo GUGUG multitrack stuff; then the perfect ukulele cover is one that I really want to play, like Guns of Navarone, Phoenix City, or the Joe 90 theme tune. I have to really want to cos it takes a little bit of time and effort. At the moment Ive stopped doing these as at the moment I don’t have the equipment that I need for the Gugug “Overdub” sound. As for the Gus and Fin stuff: Fin comes round to mine one evening and we just do one “off the cuff’. Usually I have half worked out a song; or we both know it a bit - but not always.

What plans are there for the future of GUGUG?

None. Maybe an instructional book “The Gugug Ukulele Method” because everyday I get asked for chords, advice on technique and what ukulele to buy. Maybe I’ll start a monthly magazine “What Ukulele?” (not that I know anything) Oh - and we’re playing at the Belgian Ukulele Festival I think in 2009. That’s it. Oh, yeah and the CD.

Super Mario Bros Theme (Simplified Version)

Super Mario Bros (Tab)(PDF)

MP3

First off, Seeso cropped up on Julia Nunes’ YouTube Live performance. The poor lad’s cable fell out (that should get the ladies clicking over). Wade Johnston looks like he’s going to be the next UkeTube hero that I just don’t get (beyond the fact no one can make a comment about him without using the words ‘cute’ and ‘adorable’). But if anyone’s opening a book on the Bushman Contest, I’ll have a tenner on him.

Down to business.

Dominator has already tabbed James Hill’s barnstorming version of Super Mario Bros Level 1 (you can download the tab here). Which is great if you’re a ukulele super hero like Dom and James but a bit beyond us mortals. So I thought I’d put together an easier version - heavily based on the James Hill arrangement.

Notice I said ‘easier’ not ‘easy’. There are still plenty of tricky parts. There’s a great deal of switching between picking and strumming and a few big jumps up and down the fretboard.

Buy Super Mario Bros. Theme
Visit James Hill’s website.

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