Every so often I encounter opinions regarding Trevor's playing which I find thought-provoking, and having discovered one particular proclamation during all the years of my continuing search for stuff, I've given it Serious Consideration...
Which, in fact, is the best available version of "Solly's Beard?"
This of course raises the consideration of conclusive statements - how can anyone, even an avid fan, be in a position to ponder and therefore assign that particular value judgment? What kind of critical assessment credentials would one need to possess? Granted, I have many live recordings in my collection which allow me to discern degrees of excellence in Trevor's performances during the YesWest era, but I find such a proclamation to be a slippery slope indeed if for no other reason than one's opinion is simply that.
But it's a good excuse to write about this particular composition as it is - in the opinion of many - one of the classics of Trevor's oeuvre. Thus I listened to numerous versions of "Solly's Beard" from every tour in which it was performed (as an example of the depth and breadth of my research, I heard the first time it was played on tour in 1984 and one of the last times it was played in 1992) and I will discuss the manner in which the composition developed over time as well as choose the performance I believe is the best. I will assert, however, that it's difficult to quantify such a judgment because as a performance piece "Solly's Beard" was meant to evolve and progress and was subject to the external influences of live performance: the mood of the performer, the mood of the crowd, considerations of technicality and pacing and equipment functionality, what Trevor had for lunch that day...anything at all which might affect the way he played the piece on any given night. Even as many iterations might sound largely the same, each one was strictly meant to reflect a particularly unique moment in time. And to keep it interesting for Trevor as a performer meant that changes - whether subtle or obvious - were incorporated over time.
"Solly's Beard" was, as long-time fans know, quickly developed as a setpiece by Trevor for the first YesWest tour in 1984, as an interesting acoustic change of pace, whereas all the other solo spots are performed with the musician's primary instrument (and in combinations, thus we have "Si/Solly's Beard" with Tony and Trevor, and what came to be known as "Whitefish" which is Chris and Alan's solo section). The original body of the piece remained mostly unchanged - save for the vagaries of performance - from 1984 through 1988, on two tours (9012Live and The BIG Tour). This was likely a concession to the length and pacing of the show overall. For the club tour of 1989 and the Around the World in Eighty Dates tour of 1991-92, the piece became longer and incorporated a few different genre nods, as by 1991 Trevor was performing it on a different guitar than previous, a white Yairi DY-88.
Trevor performing "Solly's Beard" on the The BIG Tour, 1988.
But that was the last time Trevor was to play the ode to his dog, as during the Talk tour of 1994 he decided on performing a piano piece instead, playing a long solo specifically for keyboards which then segued into "And You and I," transposing the introduction for that song to keys.
In my considered opinion "Solly's Beard" is not merely a solo which could be played on either acoustic or electric - Trevor was very specific in expression and tonality in regards to the instrument he chose. The piece was an exercise in the fusion of classical and jazz styles for acoustic guitar, quoting a number of influences, though at that particular time I maintain his primary influence was that of John McLaughlin. I've heard early renditions of the piece (from the first month of the '84 tour) and it was thoroughly focused on a jazz/classical fusion even when compared to versions later on in the tour. In 2012 I experienced a thrill of warm nostalgia to actually view up close the Martin acoustic guitar he originally used for the piece - as Trevor was departing his appearance at the Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks he kindly took the time to show it to those of us still chatting in the parking lot (he had brought it in for repair at an earlier date). He made special note of its provenance for the fans gathered before him, and we appreciated learning about its' particular role in YesWest history. Trevor also kept the stool he sat on to play "Solly's Beard" - any photo or footage you see of Trevor in The Jacaranda Room likely includes that very piece of furniture, such as this shot of the Maestro and his drumming BFF Lou Molino.
During the club tour of '89 Trevor took the piece to a whole other level, becoming a bit more indulgent because - after all - he could, teasing other songs in the midst of it. During the Toronto performance, for example, he included a bit of Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love." This practice would be the precursor to his inclusion of "Dueling Banjos" during the '91 performances. Reportedly, when Trevor and Shelley became naturalized U.S. citizens in May of 1991, he even incorporated a bit of "The Star-Spangled Banner" into the piece. I believe Trevor also lengthened the piece to include elements which would allow further engagement with the audience, to get them cheering and clapping along, and as you can see with his performance in Denver on the Eighty Dates tour that's exactly how they responded.
There is also now a version on Union Live from 1991 which reflects the changes he incorporated, as the piece is nearly two minutes longer than previous versions; I believe it represents the pinnacle of the evolution of the piece and as such, is to my mind the best. I appreciate the genre-hopping and touches of humor he incorporates into the montage of references - as he moves from classical to jazz to country to funk to shred to classical to bluegrass. There is less of an emphasis on speed and more nuance in Trevor's playing overall, which illustrates the general development of his taste and abilities in constant reassessment and striving for excellence. But by the time the Eighty Dates tour reached Japan, Trevor's performance circled back to its' origins in that those versions represented a more "classic" iteration, longer than previous but with less stylistic variations.
But in the end my opinion is only my opinion, and thus I've included clips of some of those performances so you, dear readers, can judge for yourselves...
9012Live: The Solos (6/24/84):
Live In L.A. (from 1984):
Hollywood, Florida 1/24/88:
Union Live (8/8/91):
