KevB

Personally I think the singer is the issue. Technically fine but sounds nothing like Ozzy, which makes it sound like a general covers band doing an instrumentally very accurate Sabbath song rather than an actual tribuite. Compare with this, a band that have been knocking around East Mids for ages and are probably a bit past their best now but you hear the difference in the vocal and that goes a long way to carry a tribute band.

I was waiting for the interviewer to say to the Geddy pedal bloke 'But Ged's tone has been a bit sheeite for years and now you build a pedal to reproduce it?'

But Rush built an entire career out of NOT being cool.

You really notice vocalists who are a cut above but it's not so obvious with instrumentalists if they are not 'showy'.

There are some Italian and French (among others) prog acts that have stuck to their native tongues. Can be a bit frustrating as I like a good lyric, can make or break a song but still some listenable stuff there.

I don't know how these things work. Does the beneficiary get their share of royalties backdated to when it was written or just from when the court ruling happens? The latter would seem unfair (diminishing returns on many songs you'd think).

Neil Sedaka and the O'Jays did Stairway To Heaven. And some rock band too apparently.....Far Corporation.

Didn't realise it must be so long ago that I saw the ELO tribute, it was called Rockaria back then but I'm sure it was the same 'Jeff' as in your band Pete so I'm guessing it evolved into 'Experience' at some point.

I will try to keep tabs on this venture. Unfortunately I have a gig myself on Mar 30th but hope to see this at some point. I have family in west yorkshire so I get up there from time to time and Rotherham is doable from Nottm (occasionally get to classic rock society gigs there) so might see you at some time Pete. I've tried singing along to classic Magnum in the car and it always makes my throat hurt so I suspect Bob's voice isn't that easy to get someone to do justice to ! Good luck with it.

Alright now is always a bit of a bone of contention. I think part of the problem is that most guitarists have Kossof's lovely big fat sound in their heads whilst in fact what is coming from their cheap strat copy through weedy processing and backline is something rather different. As a result some bass players feel almost obliged to fill the sound out in some way and I've had to do that backing some folk while in the house band at open mic sessions. Fortunately the current covers band boasts 2 respectable guitar players and while neither of them tote les paul's the sound is big enough on the occasions we play this one for me to wait until the chorus kicks in as it should be. There are about 4 different recorded versions of this song even by Free themselves so theres scope for quite a variety of mash-ups in the arrangement for covers versions. On a more general note I used to be quite slavish about trying to get things note for note as per original but I've learned to be able to cut myself a bit of slack and play some stuff that I will never get 100% right but is close enough to satisfy the audience and other band members alike. Good example being Fool For Your Loving. Interestingly I happened upon a live rendition of this from the previous band I was in and the guy that replaced me plays a much more simplified version of the bassline yet I recall the bandleader having a moan at me that I wasn't playing it quite right ! The current band are more than happy about the way I play it, especially as I've started adding a bit of organ here and there on midi pedals.

His name used to crop up on loads of rock albums in the 80's and 90's, think I first knew him from Rodgers and Page's project The Firm.

Not forgetting Doug Ingle from Iron Butterfly (though he seems to be playing a vox continental in the video I'm sure he had a Hammond as well?)

Oh, go on then...

Maybe not pure jazz but check out Pat Metheney's Bright Size Life (Pastorius on bass), although there's usually something good on most of the albums he released on ECM from mid 70's to early 80's.

Im sorry youve lost me. Where did I suggest the band was 'cool' (whichever of the no doubt hundreds of differing opinions you happen to hold of what iscool or not)? so Im out of this one. Bye.

All I can say is we were gigging every weekend, in fact more often than I really wanted to (or agreed to when I joined) which partly contributed to me eventually parting ways with them.

The female lead vox in one of my previous bands also played keytar. I was never really 100% convinced by it but it served a purpose. We could get real keys in to songs without taking up the silly amounts of stage space that most stand mounted keyboards would.

He was in Curved Air for a bit so he's alright by me.

I got cramp in my left foot last night which is a first. Fortunately it kicked in after id finished the last song that needed midi pedals so i could lift it off the floor and move it around until the pain eased.

Wasnt in the best of moods on arrival. Venue is dreadful for load ins and we had been told (via singer who arranged the gig) we would be last of 3 bands appearing 'at various times during the day'. If I asked the singer once in rehearsal I asked him 6 times to check start times so we wouldnt overlap with another act. So i turn up at the time I'd been told and find a band just about to start an hour long set. The venue isnt big enough to have one bands gear waiting around while another is on so I might as well have turned up an hour later than I did. Then it just seemed to be one of those nights where it felt like I was holding everything together, setting the right tempo for the drummer, trying to guess when the singer was going to pink torpedo up an arrangement, giving cues to guitarists etc it just got very wearing and we were not at our best all round. Due to having to start late we had to cut the second set short but i think the audience were flagging by then, cant blame em if some of them had been having bands play at them all day long. Still I was home by 1am and a bit of xmas beer money in pocket so not all bad. I think the set needs a major overhaul, too much 'blues jam/open mic' material still for my liking but its a slow process. Someone from the audience specifically mentioned how good the McMillan 12 step triggered keys sounded which was nice.

I end up with an aching left calf when I've been effectively standing on one leg for 3 songs in a row playing midi pedals with my right foot. I used to play with a drummer who used to trot out 'Im too good for this sh!t' whilst loading out at the end of the night at pub gigs. I had to bite my tongue frequently not to put him straight.