But we did have strings on their two previous singles. There are strings on that record, but we didnвЂ™t have any ItвЂ™s where Queen вЂ“ not the Queen, she lives in Buckingham Palace вЂ“ Queen made their records there, the Beatles, everybody. London and we went to a studio called Trident Studios, which was a real hallmark studio. All the strings, the saxophone, the piano were added when the group came back to We went in that night and recorded the backing track at Wally HeiderвЂ™s вЂ“ IвЂ™ve got a photo of that, but IвЂ™ll come back to that later вЂ“ and Flo and Eddie sang backups that night. You canвЂ™t get more rock & roll than this.

So the rest of the band and myself, we all jammed on the song at a swimming pool in Los Angeles. In a previous incarnation they were The Turtles, who sang вЂњHappy Together.вЂќ These are very historical recordings, you might not even be aware of them. Then the next day we went to the backing singersвЂ™ house, which is Flo and Eddie from the Frank Zappa group. Marc had written it and the drummer heard it for This song we just learned the night before in a hotel room. So we did three or four tracks in Manhattan and two tracks in Wally HeiderвЂ™s. Rex acrossДЄmerica and record them when I could. The current song in the charts is #1, itвЂ™s been #1 for three weeks.вЂќ We had no album in the can so I literally had to follow T. My boss back in the UK вЂ“ I was in AmericaДЄt the time, visiting my mother and father вЂ“ said, вЂњWe need an album. No click tracks were used or computers because they werenвЂ™t invented yet. Taking your lyrical stylings such as arms and rondes and making them a little more subtle can often fit the music well.I recorded that in 1971 at the Wally Heider studio in Los Angeles. While R&B is not as free-flowing as an acoustic cover, it has a similar character. Use lyrical elements when appropriate.Instead, use the middle of the pattern to shape within your basics, or groove at the end of the slot while waiting for the next phrase to begin. Setting up large hits with patterns is too much for the relaxed sound of most R&B. Play within patterns or by extending patterns.For some styling options check out this page Lots of R&B music has volume changes within the phrase as well, and the height of your dance can change to reflect that quality. Within phrases, height changes can show volume.Contrast between the louder choruses and the quieter verses can be shown by shortening the distance between the partners during quieter sections and opening up the dance during louder sections. Keep your footwork smaller and closer to the ground (for instance, with a hold-ball change rather than a kick-ball change) in order to show that difference. In R&B, it tends to back up the vocals or the melody. In blues music, the rhythm is often the focus of the song. R&BвЂ™s blues heritage comes through in a lot of instrumental rhythms, and your blues footwork variations and syncopations are great tools to show this ancestry. An elongated, wider slot brings out the relaxed and flowing quality of R&B music. R&B is more subtle you want to include those isolations, but take them down in both size and frequency. Hiphop has lots of sharp hits and correspondingly large isolations. In a staccato section, listen for moments that flow, and use rondes, body rolls, and fluid movements to bring those sounds out. If youвЂ™re in a legato section, find ways to hit staccato accents (such as tap steps, isolations, and freezes). You want to have contrast in all of your dancing, but itвЂ™s particularly important when dancing to R&B music because the genre tends to blend smooth and hiphop already, so your dancing needs to acknowledge that mix. When you dance to R&B, keep in mind that contrast is key.

This post will help you feel the rhythm in your own dancing.ДЄs always, remember that these suggestions should not override your basics-they are styling choices and should be treated accordingly. If you want to dance to a relaxed, groovy rhythm & blues song, it would be hard to find a dance better suited than west coast swing.

Brian b west coast swing musicality