This is my cover of Rush's song "Witch Hunt" (1980). How prophetic it is considering the PMRC began shortly after -- a strange alliance between ex-hippie turned yuppie "liberals" and the christo-fascist Moral Majority types that thought they were pretty cool during the Reagan Era. The PMRC's goal was to censor rock lyrics, and because Tipper Gore (wife of then Senator Al Gore) was one of the leaders, the case was brought in front of the Senate in 1985. Musicians such as Dee Snider, Frank Zappa, and John Denver testified in favor of free speech. (How you piss of John Denver is beyond me. These people were obviously assholes.) Search it on google and YouTube if you have no clue what this is.
I played it on my Fender Violet Deliriums ESM Signature Model Blacktop HH Jaguar (ESM = Explosive Space Modulator) which has Seymour Duncan SH-1 pickups, a killswitch, and some neato stickers on the pickguard. I ran it through my 1970s Silverface Twin Reverb with various effects. I have made a special pedalboard for this song using six pedals rigged kind of like my crazyboard plan, but not quite. If you want to know more about it, I posted a video in my "Violet's Pedalboard" playlist called "Violet's Crazyboard Concept: How to turn your guitar into a synth",
Violet's Crazyboard Concept: How to turn your guitar into a synth
There are two "virtual instruments" in it, the first is a normal guitar sound consisting of: Line 6 DM4 distortion + Boss CE-5 chorus + E-H Memory Boy delay running into Twin Reverb. The second is a synth that will layer on top at certain moments consisting of: Digitech Synth Wah (patch #4) + E-H Stereo Electric Mistress chorus/flange + Line 6 Verbzilla reverb (set on "octo") running into a small Hartke B150 bass amp.
Pedalboard Dance:
At start, the DM4 is set to my preset 1 (Boost Comp patch), the Boss CE-5 and E-H Memory Boy is on, and volume pedal is in the up position. I slowly rock it downward so that the "March to the Scaffold" (or whatever it is) seems to get closer and closer to you.
0:38 Switch Line 6 DM4 to preset 2 (an overdrive type sound made from "Line 6 distortion" patch) and continue to move the volume pedal until is is fully down.
0:56 Switch to Line 6 preset 3 ("Line 6 distortion" with drive cranked)
2:20 Digitech Synth Wah engaged (Patch #4 "Synth 2", with E-H Stereo Electric Mistress and Line 6 Verbzilla coloring that loop)
2:46 Digitech Synth Wah off
2:49 Digitech Synth Wah on
2:56 Digitech Synth Wah off
3:41 Digitech Synth Wah on
The night is black without a moon.
The air is thick and still.
The vigilantes gather on.
The lonely torch lit hill.
Features distorted in the flickering light.
The faces are twisted and grotesque.
Silent and stern in the sweltering night,
The mob moves like demons possessed,
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right,
Confident their ways are best.
The righteous rise with burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will.
Mad Men fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill.
They say there are strangers who threaten us
In our immigrants and infidels.
They say there is strangeness too dangerous
In our theaters and bookstore shelves.
That those who know what's best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves.
Quick to judge. Quick to anger. Slow to understand.
Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand.
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Rush - "Witch Hunt" (guitar cover)
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