Deep Thought

This incident happened in Liverpool on the current tour-some moron thought it would be a good idea to throw a full pint of beer over JJ. Years ago he would have been flattened, but JJ has obviously learned the value of restraint these days. The twat got thrown out. I still wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of that glare though! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vnzzIrR26c&feature=player_detailpage#t=0s"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vnzzIrR26c&feature=player_detailpage#t=0s[/url]

Yellow Submarine

I bought a Line6 G30 last month, first practice with it today-delighted. Stuffed if I can hear any difference. Only quibble is the battery compartment door, which seems a bit hard to lock. Not sure what the difference is between the G30 and the G50 and G90-as I couldn't afford them I never looked into it! Only trouble is I'm more likely to be somewhere else on stage when I should be at the mike!

I was also at Bristol on Saturday night-third year in a row I've seen them there. Cracking gig-and the most packed I've seen the Academy. Sadly the great man Jet Black is ill, and his drum tech Ian Barnard stood in for him, but I thought Ian did a fantastic job. I can't say the new album blew me away at first, but I'm definitely getting into it now. Was delighted to hear 'Tank', one of my favourites, for the first time in about 20 years.

I love Led Zep, but unlike a lot of people I find it hard to like the earlier stuff, especially IV which appears to be the one everyone raves about. I have it, listened to it many times waiting for it to grow on me, but it never has. Physical Grafitti was the first album I heard, and remains my favourite. I also really like In Through the Out Door. Black Sabbath have never really done it for me, I confess I've not heard much, but what I have heard hasn't made me want to hear any more. I think I've just about succeeded in getting Paranoid kicked out of our set. Great song, but it's the metal Mustang sally, every bloody band does it.

WALs-that body shape with the stubby little horns has always looked like something knocked up in somebody's garage to me. Bongo--Bog Seat and Peppa Pig headstock Alembics Jaydees-in fact symmetrical basses in general. Pedullas Burns's Warwicks except the Dolphin

[quote name='Rayman' timestamp='1331495414' post='1573798'] I remember The Three Johns, they were maybe my favourite, [/quote] I loved the Three johns, still do-to my great disgust I missed them when they played in Plymouth. Death of the European, still one of my favourite songs, in fact the whole album was superb. Hugely underrrated IMHO.

Saw them a couple of times during the 'Night Time' era when Paul Raven was with them, once at Exeter, once at the Elephant Fair (Cor that takes me back! Those were the days). Awesome at Exeter, Jaz Coleman in boiler suit with full warpaint , not quite so outdoors at Ele fair, with poncey leather jacket and Kevin Keegan hairstyle. Kind of took the edge away. Great band though, bought 'Laugh? I nearly bought one' a while back. Good to see they've still got it.

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1331156971' post='1568757'] I live in Cardiff and wouldn't, really wouldn't play anywhere near Gurnos. Rather play in the old docklands than that. [/quote] Many years ago I used to go to see bands at the Big Windsor down that way when I was visiting my mate. Always had a great night. I believe it's a curry house now.

Bought a Zoom H2 from Martin in a pleasant and smooth transaction. Very well packed and arrived in double quick time-no hesitation in recommending him.

[quote name='Rayman' timestamp='1330973662' post='1565676'] As an old fan, is life after Hugh really worth investigating? [/quote] Definitely. I also lost interest shortly before Hugh left, and never paid them any attention at all during the Paul Roberts era. When I saw them back to a 4-piece again, with Baz, 15 years later it completely rekindled my love of the band, and I've been the same rabid Stranglers fan as I was when I was 16. The debate rages on, many still would have Hugh back if they could, I'm not one of those. Not got my copy yet, heard a few tracks-I really like some of them, some not so mad about on first listen. I'm desperately hoping to scrape together enough to see them in Bristol on the 17th-if not it will be the first time I've not seen them since 2006. Reports from the tour so far are very favourable, JJ's bass is well up in the mix I hear.

I have a Shure PG58. About forty five quid. Apparently not as long-lasting as the SM58, but I give my SM to the drummer and use the PG.

Cor, I really like that-I can see one of those in my future. If I hadn't just bought a new wireless I'd be all over one of those by now! Love that Rick/Fender hybrid look. Wonder what it sounds like?

D'addario, either XL's or at the mo Pro Steels 'cos that's all my local shop seems to keep. Tried loads of others, but they seem to keep their zing longest.

I've seen them live three times, each time better than the last (Plymouth Pavilions, Eden Project and Teignmouth), and live I don't think there are many bands that can touch them. I always find it remarkable how tastes vary, as every time they are mentioned one of the principle complaints is Matt Bellamy's voice. Personally I would kill for a voice like that-his range is nothing short of incredible IMHO. Then again there are singers I can't stand either. The first album I bought was Origin of Symmetry, which has some real classics on it (Plug in Baby was the first song of theirs I heard, although I confess my first reaction was 'bloody hell, Radiohead have woken up'). My personal fave of their albums is Black Holes and Revelations-we used to do Knights of Cydonia, but I was forced to abandon the attempt as I just couldn't sing it credibly enough. It's a brave band that attempts a Muse cover, although it seems every bass player wants to do Hysteria for the intro. Resistance I am not crazy about-I find Bellamy's lyrics have become increasingly cringe-inducing in recent years. Incidentally I have recorded in the same studio as Muse recorded the first two albums, with the same engineer-yes, I have used a toilet used by Matt Bellamy-the engineer said they has the best rhythm section, bar none, that he had ever seen.

Punk was groundbreaking as far as I was concerned-punk made me into somebody with a genuine interest in music, as opposed to somebody to whom it was just a thing you listen to-I, and many others, cite the influence of JJ Burnel in inspiring them to take up the bass, but The Stranglers had in fact been in existence since 1974, and were already competent musicians, and I think would admit themselves that they and several other bands just got caught up in the punk thing and rode the wave, as it were. The thing that did it for me was in fact the Sex Pistols, and specifically Anarchy in the UK. After hearing that, for the first time I was interested not only in the music but the band as well, thus leading subsequently to JJ and the bass. It's interesting that several of the punk bands who couldn't play a note at the outset (Siouxsie and the Banshees, or the Damned), as they developed their musical skills, evolved into quite accomplished bands not unlike the 'Dinosaurs' they sought to overthrow. Much as I love it, 'Curtain Call' took up a whole side of the Black Album! In later years I have grown to love many of the bands despised during the punk era, but I can also quite see the punk point of view that many had become obsessed with musical virtuousity to the exclusion of all else-and that music was in dire need of a bit of bollocks, which punk provided. I had mates at college who looked down upon punk music 'because they're not very good musicians', as if that was all that mattered, and that attitude needed a kick up the arse IMHO. For me, the vast majority of stuff I've listened to ever since has been influenced in some way by punk, and I will be forever grateful to it for that.

Still got mine-Westone Concord I, bought new about 1983, still my 'sofa bass' which I reach for to plink about with whilst watching TV.

My favourite of these tales (of which there are many) is one that apparently happened at Plymouth Poly in 1981 (a gig I was at, although not down the front, where this apparently occurred). A pissed up twat was throwing his weight around and making a nuisance of himself to a couple of young lads. He was unwise enough to put a hand on the stage-JJ put his boot on it, put his full weight on to the hand, and continued playing whilst looking said twat in the eye. When he got off his hand the twat was no further trouble. JJ recounted a tale on the Stranglers website a while back of how he met Paul Simenon at a set of traffic lights in London whilst on his way to his son's gig on his motorbike. He recognised him, made himself known, they had a brief chat about Triumph motorbikes (Simenon was riding a Bonneville and JJ is a lifelong Triumph fan), and they shook hands before going their separate ways. He'll be 60 next week, and I understand he's a lot calmer these days.

This is mine-specifically the last five seconds. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIGTTuryc1Q&ob=av2e"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIGTTuryc1Q&ob=av2e[/url]

If that's a 50 year old Les Paul, that's a rotten thing to do to it IMHO. S'orrible now.

[u][quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1328703270' post='1531325'] I'm fairly sure that was a Yamaha. [/quote][/u] Nope-Baroque Bordello is on The Raven. at that time he was using the black Precision. The Yamaha appeared during the Feline period.

I PM'd Ped and this is now sorted-I had too many options highlighted on the filters on the left of the page-now it's just Forums and Content since last Visit, and everything's back to normal.

I had a go on a Monarch a few years ago, which was beautiful, but no use to me and my playing style-I wouldn't dream of digging into it with a pick, and some of the places we play I hesitate to take my Shuker into, much less a Fodera. It really depends what floats your boat-many people (me included, sometimes) think I'm round the bend for owning an Omega watch which costs not far short of three grand (I didn't pay anywhere near that) when a Casio will do the job better for a fraction of the price. I would [i]hate [/i]to have to sell it though. Same with Foderas I imagine. Sometimes it's just good to have nice things.