Did Lana play guitar on No Kung Fu?

[firecracker 59]

Most other songs I've heard by her during that period had guitar, but it was usually much simpler and after listening to No Kung Fu a couple of times over, the guitar seems rather sophisticated? Did someone else play the guitar for these tracks?

[Sitar 22,172]

I was going to say she probably did because the guitar isn't that sophisticated

 

Sure, it's more advanced than Sirens, but I think that's because she had more experience by then. I mean, even the songwriting is noticeably evolved, so her skills on the guitar probably were, too.

[Guest Maru the Cat]

I don't think it was her actually... although we don't have any evidence for either stance.

[Madrigal 2,612]

I've wondered this myself...I guess we should probably ask Davey, but I doubt he would even know.

[SugarVenom 459]

I've wondered this myself...I guess we should probably ask Davey, but I doubt he would even know.

 

We may as well ask~ he might know

[Hundred Dollar Bill 21,460]

I doubt it. In Brite Lites, there's a guy whispering "1, 2," etc. in the beginning so it was probably one of her band members playing the guitar.

[evilentity 13,303]

I was going to say she probably did because the guitar isn't that sophisticated

 

I'd be surprised if it isn't her playing "Get Drunk". I also believe she mostly wrote the guitar parts on the other NKF songs, and she might have played them, but I think it's more likely she had a more polished guitarist play them on the recordings.

 

She doesn't "play a good guitar", as she sings in "For K Part 2". (That's why I don't think it's her playing on the "For Brandon" instrumental track on her ReverbNation page.) But she did play a competent guitar at a lot of her early gigs. I'm pretty certain it's her playing on all of these:

• Sirens
  
• Money Hunny
  
• Axl Rose Husband
  
• Elvis
  
• 1949
  
• You're Gonna Love Me
  
• Fordham Road
  
• Get Drunk
  
• Queen of the Gas Station (acoustic demo)
  
• Pawn Shop Blues (demo)
  
• Pawn Shop Blues (live)
• Yayo (acoustic demo)
  

I also believe she more or less wrote but likely didn't perform guitar parts for these songs, perhaps others:

• Disco
  
• Jimmy Gnecco
  
• Oh Say Can You See
  
• For K Part 2 (demo)
  
• Jump
  
• Brite Lites (NKF)
  
• Put Me in a Movie
  
• Smarty
  
• On Our Way (demo)
  

I've wondered this myself...I guess we should probably ask Davey, but I doubt he would even know.

 

David Kahne was asked this in a LanaDaily interview, but about AKA, not NKF:

 

LanaDaily.com: What was it like working with Lizzy in the studio? Describe her creative process.

 

David Kahne: It was good working with her. We were alone working most of the time, as it was a small budget album. Towards the end we were moving more into beats programming. I wanted her to play guitar, as she had a really different way of choosing notes, and there were some really interesting chords implied when she would have to accompany herself. I’d figure out a lot of the most interesting chords based on harmonic cues she gave in her guitar parts. I don’t think she plays anymore, or so I’ve been told.

 

My theory that she at least wrote guitar parts for a lot of her early songs is just intuition based both on listening and this David Kahne quote. I'm curious what other people's theories are on what she did or didn't write or play.

[Hello Heaven 1,575]

Well they were only demos (mostly), nothing big so there's a chance she could've as she probably wrote all/most of the no kung fu tracks but then again, if she knew better guitar players then why not ask them to play for her?

Edit; and as HDB said, the small male voice in brite lites gives away that there probably was a guitarist involved.

 

I do love the acoustics though, they're very raw.

[ednafrau 831]

i do think she played the guitar on some songs, but of course we can't be sure on which. the older demos are most likely, i think.

apart from what david kahne said, david nichtern, the head of 5 points records, recalled: "When she first came to us, she was playing plunky little acoustic guitar, [had] sort of straight blonde hair, very cute young woman. A little bit dark, but very intelligent. We heard that. But she very quickly kept evolving."

i have to search for it, but if i remember correctly, another interview - i think with one of the davids, but i'm not sure cuz i read it almost a year ago - stated, looking at a new picture of lana, that it was strange not seeing her with her guitar. so yeah, even if she didn't "play good guitar", she did play well enough to record and her style, although maybe a bit rudimentary, was really personal and affecting, imo. no need to be virtuoso to be good

[firecracker 59]

The "1,2,3" part is the reason why I started wondering in the beginning, haha, but I do agree that I think she probably wrote the songs and preformed lots of them.

 

Thanks for replying, it was interesting hearing your thoughts