By special request, here's Mason reprising his hit single on the Smothers Brothers reunion special. Ripped from a beat-up old VHS tape so the quality isn't too good. /
It was 67 or 68 when I first heard this piece. My stomach hurt so bad because this piece was soooo go that it changed my life and off I went to conservatory in Spain to learn how to play classical and flamenco guitar well. I still play this piece as I have since 1968. To me it is still the best guitar solo with orchestra that I have ever heard. It has everything! I wish there were more pieces in the world like this! Thanks Mason!.
11 year old post and still relevant. This may indeed be the best guitar solo ever written and played. Mason Williams should go down in Music history as one of the greatest musicians ever!
The first time I heard Classical Gas in 1968, I called the radio station for information. I was so emotional I was barely coherent. The rush hasn't dimmed with time. Thank you Mason Williams. Greensleeves ain't bad either!
According to Mason Williams online; the song took 3 grammy awards, two of them were for Mason Williams: 1968: GRAMMY AWARD for "Best Instrumental Theme" Mason Williams, composer 1968: GRAMMY AWARD for "Best Instrumental Performance", "Classical Gas" Mason Williams, performer 1968: GRAMMY AWARD for "Best Instrumental Arrangement", "Classical Gas" Mike Post, arranger And it was #1 on the CashBox chart (45 sales?) and kept at #2 on BillBoard (radio plays?) because of the Doors "Hello, I love you".
I bought this record somewhere late 60's. It stimulated me to take up learning how to play guitar. After some weeks of studying, it came to me I had no talent at all. Since than I collect great guitarists records/clips. I still can enjoy.
Thanks for speaking with me on the phone Mason . You were the inspiration which got me playing guitar 45 years ago . Cancer got me . See you later -> Lefty
This song was on the radio more than Hotel California. I loved it the first 10 million times I heard it. Nice post. It wasn't all hippies and Supremes,this was on a lot.
it isnt that hard, this was my 1st fingerpick song i learned on guitar at the beginning, the takting is a little difficult but nothing special. Keep up the work, good luck its a good Song to hunt chicks at Campfire =)
A timeless classic to say the least. Composing an instrumental that had such enormous impact has been done by very few people. This song is a landmark. It is the most requested song of guitar virtuosos. It showcases guitar chops & is very pleasing to hear. It has drive, energy, & excitement. I was 13 in 1968 when it came out & I've been hooked ever since. Mason did much more than just CG, but he didn't need to. CG alone makes him immortal in time.
Absolutely in-freaking-credible and terrific!! Many thanks for ripping this from that old VHS tape!!! A pure classic we're unlikely to ever hear again!!
I have seen scores of covers of this majestic piece by some of the greatest guitar players of the last 45 years and each look as if they are struggling to keep up with the pace of the guitar work. Williams makes it look effortless. Considering that he was the head comedy writer for The Smother's Brothers, Andy Williams and others and his other work, the man is undeniably a genius.
This terrific tune was One of the first piece’s I ever learned to play, the genius of it is, it looks more difficult and intricate than it actually is, it can be mastered relatively quite quickly by almost any intermediate player, even less so, and If I can learn it anyone can , it almost plays itself tbh, that’s what made Mason Williams such a brilliant composer!... wonderful stuff...and don’t worry to much about trying to play it verbatim, in fact, I think even Mason Williams played it differently every time he performed it 😂
Actually, I listened to the 1968 version just before this one, and I'm finding the opposite: he plays it pretty well on the nose - which I think was quite a feat. The orchestra arrangement was a tad different, but Mason pretty well did his part to the note. Probably because of the occasion.
almost everyone does it different..it`s almost impossible to find accurate sheet music for it in standard notation..when I started looking for it maybe 10-20 years ago he wanted $40 for the actual transcription which I have to admit seemed at best pretty cheesy..now you can get it for about the same price I think if you buy his songbook which has like 10 other tunes in it..there are 2 " official " versions one as a piano score the other with the chords and melody as well as numerous unofficial tabs online..it is a great song however..turned me on to classical guitar back in 1970 and I`ve played it ever since..not particularly well but it`s part of my personal musical dna..the video was the 1st I ever saw and in my humble opinion the best music video ever made..3000 years of art
When I was just a kid in the early 80's I LOVED this song. By 1989 I was playing a guitar and shortly thereafter, playing a rendition of this song. It had to be the song that started me on my way to being a guitarist in the first place. Thankyou, Mason Williams for composing this piece and thankyou for posting this 2old2rock!
for most budding guitar players in the late sixties-early seventies,THE song that made you want to play!...... perfect,alluring guitar composition that says all the right things..............mason williams; absolutely underrated and under-recognized!
super thanx to you, 2 old! just amazing, how beautifully Mason plays. All those beautiful sounds and such seeming effortlessness with the guitar. I had to go play John Williams & Boston Proms playing Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez to be able to duplicate the tingle up and down my spine of a great guitarist creating such magic.
The drums adds something I wasn't expecting but enjoyed. Every time I listen to a new version of a song I try to forget what I've heard before and decide if I like what I just heard. I'm not always successful, but I thing we should try.
This was my fav for many years. Sat spellbound watching Smothers Bros and hoping I'd get a chance to hear it one more time. Moved to OKC and heard Edgar Cruz play it. Makes my heart smile....
Look, Ma, no beard! The Smothers Brothers were too awesome for words. Good to see this. Call them, me, and Mason Williams himself any names you care to (pendantic, geeks, tune lovers, bullshitters, etc.), this lives and will live on in music history.
never 2 2 rock, my kind of music, the entire channel, this is music 2 me...grew up in the 60's yes far out, peac, love understanding all of it..loved this
Thanks for posting this clip. I spent hours and hours today just playing "The Mason Williams Phonograph Record" over and over, and smiling the whole time. I've seen several video presentations of this piece, and each one is fun for different reasons. I love them all, and I really appreciate seeing this one tonight, which I had never seen before.
My song! Trying to find this tune for YEARS! I asked a guy at a Mexican record store, wrote it down, lost the paper, and finally heard it on KROC Friday, April 16, 2010 with the name. Wow! So I heard it on the Smothers Brothers show? Also on Channel 11 Movie-go-round with Jay Brown in San Francisco in 1974 as the show's theme and on Instrumental Gold
Hauntingly beautiful and I remember him playing it on the original Smothers Brothers show. What a great time to grow up. The music was so diverse, soul, rock and instrumentals. Terrific, Mason Williams and his Phonograph Record.
A true Anthem song of the sixties. As I said on another post, one of the greatest acoustic guitar pieces of all time...and, they wouldn't know what to do with Mason Williams today..he doesn't fit their cookie-cutter mold of crappy music...a true genius!
Not only this tune survived to this day. Also the original guitar Mason Williams recorded this tune on, a "Cordova" branded guitar but in fact a German Oscar Teller guitar, still in possession of Williams, can be admired in one of his video's. As a 17 years old kid I was already fond of this tune and 55 years later I was able to buy exactly the same model from the Oscar Teller company, somewhat later (1971) and to honour this artist I've recorded Classical Gas on that guitar, once restored to make it playable again.
@2old2Rock Thank you,thank you,thank you.."Once I had a love and it was a gas,soon turned out got a heart of glass"..I finally understood what that line meants.
On this day in 1969 {March 23rd} Mason Williams performed "Classical Gas" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'... Eight months earlier on June 22nd, 1968 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #2 {for 2 weeks} and spent 14 weeks on the Top 100... The song won two Grammy Awards in 1968; 'Best Instrumental Theme' and 'Best Instrumental Arrangement'... R.I.P. Mr. Sullivan {1901 - 1974} and Mr. Williams will celebrate his 75th birthday this coming August 24th...
Every song was pop music, at the time it's creation. All "classical" music was pop music when it first came out, but it's songs like this which have endured through the years which define the music of the past for us
For those who don't believe it. yes inmortality exists. Manson Williams is now inmortal he will live forever within this song. Wherever this song is played he will be there. "You can achieve inmortality simple by doing one great thing"
thank you for sending me the link to video...yes its a very happy song..for many years have loved this song but didnt know the name of it. Now its my ringtone on my cell! thanks again
Great composition that is part of a fond childhood memory: 8 years old, having pizza at Me 'n' Eds, playing this on the jukebox every time I was there.
Thanks for posting this! A great time capsule to find for all who time travel... and no fooling around on this one with a live band backing him up... a nice slice of music and television life!
Steve Howe was my hero when I was learning the guitar. I remember hearing about a tour where he played everything on an acoustic. I didn't know he covered Classical Gas although it makes sense.
I began to record my first album for Warner Bros. " The Mason Williams Phonograph Record" and Classical Gasoline was one of the tunes to be included. On the charts for the session the music copyist inadvertently abbreviated "Gasoline" to "Gas" and so that's how it actually got its title. It wasn't until sometime later that I realized most people were thinking "Gas" as in "Hey man, it's a gas!" --From the Mason Williams website.
Mr. Williams is the epitome of cool. The 22 second mark when the spotlight turns up- and right on the downbeat- is stunning. And he doesn't leave it there; he goes into an 11th-hour extra riff at 2:53 to finish it off. Made me cry with a smile on my face- dammit!!
Joe McDaniel Joe McDaniel , well nobody will ever really be able to play it verbatim to Him, the best way is to make it sound ..well...like yourself, as with any great tune, and if it sounds right, it is right 😊
I think you’d struggle to beat the 1978 Glen Campbell version of this with the full orchestral backing. Credit to Mason for crafting the piece but Glen perfected it in that performance.
God bless the internet for preserving things like this.
It will stand as one of the classics of all time. Always gives me chills.
I don't care who you are or what your age is. Listen and absorb. This is the best piece of modern music ever written.
It was 67 or 68 when I first heard this piece. My stomach hurt so bad because this piece was soooo go that it changed my life and off I went to conservatory in Spain to learn how to play classical and flamenco guitar well. I still play this piece as I have since 1968. To me it is still the best guitar solo with orchestra that I have ever heard. It has everything! I wish there were more pieces in the world like this! Thanks Mason!.
11 year old post and still relevant. This may indeed be the best guitar solo ever written and played. Mason Williams should go down in Music history as one of the greatest musicians ever!
LOVED this song since it came out!! Still do!! ❤ ❤
One of the best classical guitar pieces ever composed! Expertly performed! One of my all-time favorites!
I remember watching the Smothers Brothers show the night he played this... could never forget it.
The first time I heard Classical Gas in 1968, I called the radio station for information. I was so emotional I was barely coherent. The rush hasn't dimmed with time. Thank you Mason Williams. Greensleeves ain't bad either!
Still moves me to this day....
How did he ever make up such a classic guitar masterpiece? This proof that a great piece of music can never die.
There are few tunes that make me wish I could play the guitar as much as this one does.
Better than all that crap rap " music".
According to Mason Williams online; the song took 3 grammy awards, two of them were for Mason Williams:
1968: GRAMMY AWARD for "Best Instrumental Theme" Mason Williams, composer
1968: GRAMMY AWARD for "Best Instrumental Performance", "Classical Gas" Mason Williams, performer
1968: GRAMMY AWARD for "Best Instrumental Arrangement", "Classical Gas" Mike Post, arranger
And it was #1 on the CashBox chart (45 sales?) and kept at #2 on BillBoard (radio plays?) because of the Doors "Hello, I love you".
i love the synths added in this version. it's always great to hear something done different for a change.
I had this on VHS when I was growing up and still laugh when I think about some of the skits. wish there where shows like this now.
I bought this record somewhere late 60's. It stimulated me to take up learning how to play guitar. After some weeks of studying, it came to me I had no talent at all.
Since than I collect great guitarists records/clips.
I still can enjoy.
One is never 2 old to rock. Have loved this song for almost 50 yrs. Classic music like this piece will be played forever! Rock on people!
Thanks for speaking with me on the phone Mason . You were the inspiration which got me playing guitar 45 years ago . Cancer got me . See you later -> Lefty
love how chill he is sitting there playing, he might as well be watching the weather
Wow. I only wish this could have had better sound quality. That said, thank you for uploading this. It was a pleasure to listen to.
The tune is iconic in my life. The fact that the name is short for Classical Gas Stations that he and a friend saw on their auto trip out west !
Used to have this single; I was heartbroken when it cracked. Amazing piece of music that, alas, even the oldies stations around here have cast aside.
+John Kreiser It turns up regularly on BBC Radio 2 in the UK if you can pick that up wherever you are.
This song was on the radio more than Hotel California. I loved it the first 10 million times I heard it. Nice post. It wasn't all hippies and Supremes,this was on a lot.
I've been working on this song for years...and it's great to see the master play it so smoothly.
it isnt that hard, this was my 1st fingerpick song i learned on guitar at the beginning, the takting is a little difficult but nothing special. Keep up the work, good luck its a good Song to hunt chicks at Campfire =)
stormnr2 did you learn the version he's playing
A magnificent piece of Music... a true Masterpiece.... Thank you Mason and thank you for posting.
His song will never die it is a great classic and he will always be the best person to play the song as it was meant to be
After a piece like this. Where did he go. Brilliant.
No one does it better. Just timelessly beautiful.
Totally in love with this and the man. Brilliant!!
Mason is great, cool calm and collected! Love you man!
Can never get enough of this song! Love it
I always envision this being the soundtrack to some western in my head with an outlaw escaping prison and hiding in the desert from the law.
A genius piece of music, a modern masterpiece that I have loved since I was a young girl
A timeless classic to say the least. Composing an instrumental that had such enormous impact has been done by very few people. This song is a landmark. It is the most requested song of guitar virtuosos. It showcases guitar chops & is very pleasing to hear. It has drive, energy, & excitement. I was 13 in 1968 when it came out & I've been hooked ever since. Mason did much more than just CG, but he didn't need to. CG alone makes him immortal in time.
Absolutely in-freaking-credible and terrific!! Many thanks for ripping this from that old VHS tape!!! A pure classic we're unlikely to ever hear again!!
A masterpiece for eternity!
I have seen scores of covers of this majestic piece by some of the greatest guitar players of the last 45 years and each look as if they are struggling to keep up with the pace of the guitar work. Williams makes it look effortless. Considering that he was the head comedy writer for The Smother's Brothers, Andy Williams and others and his other work, the man is undeniably a genius.
rogers cover was better
This terrific tune was One of the first piece’s I ever learned to play, the genius of it is, it looks more difficult and intricate than it actually is, it can be mastered relatively quite quickly by almost any intermediate player, even less so, and If I can learn it anyone can , it almost plays itself tbh, that’s what made Mason Williams such a brilliant composer!... wonderful stuff...and don’t worry to much about trying to play it verbatim, in fact, I think even Mason Williams played it differently every time he performed it 😂
On my bucket list.
Actually, I listened to the 1968 version just before this one, and I'm finding the opposite: he plays it pretty well on the nose - which I think was quite a feat. The orchestra arrangement was a tad different, but Mason pretty well did his part to the note. Probably because of the occasion.
almost everyone does it different..it`s almost impossible to find accurate sheet music for it in standard notation..when I started looking for it maybe 10-20 years ago he wanted $40 for the actual transcription which I have to admit seemed at best pretty cheesy..now you can get it for about the same price I think if you buy his songbook which has like 10 other tunes in it..there are 2 " official " versions one as a piano score the other with the chords and melody as well as numerous unofficial tabs online..it is a great song however..turned me on to classical guitar back in 1970 and I`ve played it ever since..not particularly well but it`s part of my personal musical dna..the video was the 1st I ever saw and in my humble opinion the best music video ever made..3000 years of art
Glad to see ONE MW version of the song on CZcams, not overdubbed with Chuck Berry! Thanx for the post!
When I was just a kid in the early 80's I LOVED this song. By 1989 I was playing a guitar and shortly thereafter, playing a rendition of this song. It had to be the song that started me on my way to being a guitarist in the first place. Thankyou, Mason Williams for composing this piece and thankyou for posting this 2old2rock!
for most budding guitar players in the late sixties-early seventies,THE song that made you want to play!...... perfect,alluring guitar composition that says all the right things..............mason williams; absolutely underrated and under-recognized!
For budding guitar players, it's still THE song that means you CAN play. Truly a classical guitar composition............Always loved it.
On this day in 1968 Mason Williams topped the Cashbox Charts with this fabulous number...
super thanx to you, 2 old! just amazing, how beautifully Mason plays. All those beautiful sounds and such seeming effortlessness with the guitar. I had to go play John Williams & Boston Proms playing Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez to be able to duplicate the tingle up and down my spine of a great guitarist creating such magic.
Mason Williams always made playing and finger picking that song look so easy
How can anyone not like this? You got to be kidding. Also think of the time when this was made. This is a great classic.
The drums adds something I wasn't expecting but enjoyed. Every time I listen to a new version of a song I try to forget what I've heard before and decide if I like what I just heard. I'm not always successful, but I thing we should try.
This was my fav for many years. Sat spellbound watching Smothers Bros and hoping I'd get a chance to hear it one more time. Moved to OKC and heard Edgar Cruz play it. Makes my heart smile....
Classical Gas was such an awesome song when it came out almost 50 years ago and you can bet your boots I have it synced to my smart phone
Look, Ma, no beard! The Smothers Brothers were too awesome for words. Good to see this. Call them, me, and Mason Williams himself any names you care to (pendantic, geeks, tune lovers, bullshitters, etc.), this lives and will live on in music history.
never 2 2 rock, my kind of music, the entire channel,
this is music 2 me...grew up in the 60's yes far out,
peac, love understanding all of it..loved this
Nice work Mason! Always one of my favorite musical pieces.
Thanks for posting this clip. I spent hours and hours today just playing "The Mason Williams Phonograph Record" over and over, and smiling the whole time.
I've seen several video presentations of this piece, and each one is fun for different reasons. I love them all, and I really appreciate seeing this one tonight, which I had never seen before.
One of my most favorite pieces of music.
My song! Trying to find this tune for YEARS! I asked a guy at a Mexican record store, wrote it down, lost the paper, and finally heard it on KROC Friday, April 16, 2010 with the name. Wow! So I heard it on the Smothers Brothers show? Also on Channel 11 Movie-go-round with Jay Brown in San Francisco in 1974 as the show's theme and on Instrumental Gold
BEAUTIFUL TO THE EARS
I remember him doing this version -- and on the original Smothers Brothers Show. This IS guitar playing!
Me too!
Hauntingly beautiful and I remember him playing it on the original Smothers Brothers show. What a great time to grow up. The music was so diverse, soul, rock and instrumentals. Terrific, Mason Williams and his Phonograph Record.
A great departure form the rock songs of the 60's, although even THOSE are far better than most of today's offerings, lolol...Rating: A+
A true Anthem song of the sixties. As I said on another post, one of the greatest acoustic guitar pieces of all time...and, they wouldn't know what to do with Mason Williams today..he doesn't fit their cookie-cutter mold of crappy music...a true genius!
Dude the quality is good enough to hear this amazing piece. :)
Not only this tune survived to this day. Also the original guitar Mason Williams recorded this tune on,
a "Cordova" branded guitar but in fact a German Oscar Teller guitar, still in possession of Williams, can
be admired in one of his video's. As a 17 years old kid I was already fond of this tune and 55 years later
I was able to buy exactly the same model from the Oscar Teller company, somewhat later (1971) and
to honour this artist I've recorded Classical Gas on that guitar, once restored to make it playable again.
One of my all time favorite songs! They don't make music like this any more.
I love hearing this song by Mason Williams, and I love hearing Glen Campbell playing it live too.
a super cool tune for back in the day and still a super cool tune.
thank you sharing a beautiful song that has so much feeling
@2old2Rock Thank you,thank you,thank you.."Once I had a love and it was a gas,soon turned out got a heart of glass"..I finally understood what that line meants.
On this day in 1969 {March 23rd} Mason Williams performed "Classical Gas" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'...
Eight months earlier on June 22nd, 1968 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #2 {for 2 weeks} and spent 14 weeks on the Top 100...
The song won two Grammy Awards in 1968; 'Best Instrumental Theme' and 'Best Instrumental Arrangement'...
R.I.P. Mr. Sullivan {1901 - 1974} and Mr. Williams will celebrate his 75th birthday this coming August 24th...
Every song was pop music, at the time it's creation. All "classical" music was pop music when it first came out, but it's songs like this which have endured through the years which define the music of the past for us
For those who don't believe it. yes inmortality exists. Manson Williams is now inmortal he will live forever within this song. Wherever this song is played he will be there. "You can achieve inmortality simple by doing one great thing"
I still listen to this. Love it!
Still kneeling down in front of of this masterpiece. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Amazing song! Still love it today..maybe even more. Happy song
thank you for sending me the link to video...yes its a very happy song..for many years have loved this song but didnt know the name of it. Now its my ringtone on my cell!
thanks again
Still gives me goosebumps. Thanks so much for uploading this!!!!!
Mason thanx 4 being there man I
i remember when this song was new,....and it still sounds new. amazing.
i had this on a 45. Tells you how old i am!
Great composition that is part of a fond childhood memory: 8 years old, having pizza at Me 'n' Eds, playing this on the jukebox every time I was there.
I recall this version of The Smothers Brothers Show. Was only a kid.
Thanks for posting this! A great time capsule to find for all who time travel... and no fooling around on this one with a live band backing him up... a nice slice of music and television life!
Steve Howe was my hero when I was learning the guitar. I remember hearing about a tour where he played everything on an acoustic. I didn't know he covered Classical Gas although it makes sense.
The universal will preserve this phenomenal classic to time indefinite
wow mason is the best.....love this tune......i could listen to it over & over. sigh...beautiful.
Classical Gas was the first single I ever bought. I didn't have a record player and had to go to my brother's house to play it!
A classic! Thanks for saving it for us to watch and listen to.
Will be played at my funeral ❤️🙏
Gets me every time!!!!
I grew up listening to those records.
such a classic piece of music. the youth of today have no clue what it was like
Sounds good now as it did then, a lot better than the crap you get today!!!
I began to record my first album for Warner Bros. " The Mason Williams Phonograph Record" and Classical Gasoline was one of the tunes to be included. On the charts for the session the music copyist inadvertently abbreviated "Gasoline" to "Gas" and so that's how it actually got its title. It wasn't until sometime later that I realized most people were thinking "Gas" as in "Hey man, it's a gas!" --From the Mason Williams website.
There's still damn fine guitarists out there of this caliber...you won't hear them on the radio but they're out there.
Always good to hear the orginal. Thanks for the post!
Mr. Williams is the epitome of cool. The 22 second mark when the spotlight turns up- and right on the downbeat- is stunning. And he doesn't leave it there; he goes into an 11th-hour extra riff at 2:53 to finish it off. Made me cry with a smile on my face- dammit!!
Wonderful. I still have my $1.75 Irving Music, Inc. piano sheet music version of this classic.
This is SO beautiful.
Mason has a certain rhythm when playing this song that I haven't really heard anyone perfect on covers
He's swinging much more than most covers, he's a bit more in the pocket and not as on top of the beat IMO.
Joe McDaniel Joe McDaniel , well nobody will ever really be able to play it verbatim to Him, the best way is to make it sound ..well...like yourself, as with any great tune, and if it sounds right, it is right 😊
I think you’d struggle to beat the 1978 Glen Campbell version of this with the full orchestral backing. Credit to Mason for crafting the piece but Glen perfected it in that performance.
like the video one of my favorites
Good ,we need more of this
I love Mason to pieces. Especially this piece.
Love this tune, it's my most fav... of all time...
Always great old time favorite!
Thank you for uploading this!