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[quote name='spiritchaser' post='908487' date='Jul 28 2010, 05:53 PM']Yes - back to the proper thread: Hi all, This is my new Moby Dick Wal MK II, currently being shipped to Germany. This is Paul's first shot of it taken at Wal basses last week to wet my appetite and two close ups of the neck and body taken by Paul during the building process. spex: Wal MkII 4 white polyester finish gold hardware fretted macassar ebony neck solid Spanish cedar body 4,4 kgs yummy!![/quote] Must be one of the most beautiful Wals I have ever seen...congratulations

I love the fact that he is so enthousiastic in this interview and has such a broad taste (and meanwhile he seems to be really funny). The roadie we work with for the moment here in Belgium has toured the world with Status Quo and the stories he tells ...!

I have always liked the approach of Kai Eckhart when he slaps... he puts chords and odd timing into it. A bit of harmony in slap doesn't do any harm [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gli5XkBJ538&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gli5XkBJ538...feature=related[/url]

This just shows how good he was...not perfect but it breathes and swings [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld-MFjV8_Yw&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld-MFjV8_Yw...feature=related[/url]

I don't want to convince anyone, I'm only here to share...

A really good one indeed...together with "Got to get you into my life" by EWF one of the best Beatles-covers. McCartney once said that he was a bit disappointed by the interpretation which The Bee Gees gave to the Sgt Peppers album and that he had expected to hear a bit "more Bee Gee" instead of keeping too close to the Beatles. He loved the EWF -cover version.

The fact that I've had studio-sessions during which producers tell me "play like Paul McCartney" (for me a fat creamy sound without sounding too undefined and with some high melodic fills without losing the low end) surely means something...I've heard countless tunes on which someone imitates his sound and phrasing.

A couple of years ago Mark King was a guest in a Belgian Summer tour with a Belgian backing band for Martin Fry (ABC) and Sister Sledge. They did four or five concerts and one day Mark was a bit late for the soundcheck so the Belgian bassplayer had to soundcheck Mark's basses. Roberto Mercurio knows all these Level 42-licks so he started playing Mark's bass but meanwhile Mark showed up. Roberto said it was a weird moment to play in front of the person you've learned lines from but Mark put him at ease, laughed and said "Great man, you're doing a better job than me !". A friend of mine did backings and suggested that I should meet Mark and come backstage but I didn't feel the need. I am really fond of his playing and I know how he changed bass but I don't need to tell him. I remember hearing "Love Games" on Belgian radio and it was a bomb, never heard anything like it. I bought the album without really knowing anything about the band and then someone said : "the bassplayer also sings in case you didn't know"... It made it even more unreal. I've seen them around 15 times live and I've never been disappointed (except for that one concert when they had become really succesful over here and had to play in big halls where the sound of the bass was just terrible).

Well : as a positive note, whether it's McCartney, The Kaiser Chiefs, The Smiths or anyone else : you can be proud of what the UK has contributed to popmusic. It beats Belgium ! :-)

Funny enough I get the impression whenever I'm visiting bass-chat as a "foreigner" (I'm not from Great Britain) that in general people aren't that "proud" of McCartney (this tread is again proof) which surprises me since he's part of the British culture, if you like it or not. There are various treads which show that no one is favouring him or putting him on a pedestal (like 'favourite bassplayer" or "big influence"). I don't get the impression that he's "God" whenever I'm around here so I don't get that "fascism". He's got his fans (I'm amongst them) but not to the extreme. Actually I feel that around here (Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, etc) people are showing much more appreciation for what he's achieved (as a bass-player or as a singer) than in his own country but I could be wrong.

Good interview, some questions which show that the interviewer knows what he's talking about which is not always the case.. (I would love to hear them play "The Return of the handsome rugged man" live, b-side of "Are you hearing")

Been reading comments starting from personal taste and that's just pointless ... I happen to like also "Wonderful Xmas time" ànd "Mull of Kintyre" (I thought the bagpipes were fantastic when it came out and I still love it, a friend of mine gets tears in her eyes when she hears it because it touches her, would you call her stupid or tasteless ?) I don't like Kyuss or Metallica but I wouldn't call that crap music...If millions of people buy their albums, who am I to doubt their taste and think mine is better or worse, it's just different. I feel very fortunate to have McCartney's music in my collection, that's all I need...no one can or will take that away from me. I don't need to be convinced of anything and I don't want to convince anyone. I'm happy as it is.

I was once with a band in a sort of tv show where Jan Akkerman was honoured.. He passed me by backstage and he had his real expensive Gibson and it hung on his back. At the moment he passed me the strap broke and the Gibson smashed on to the floor. I didn't even dare to look to see the damage...From what I had heard when it hit the ground I don't think much was left of it.

I was sure it was a bass... I was wrong, Alannah said in an interview it was a keyboard bass...

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='903097' date='Jul 23 2010, 12:36 PM']Read your post and then listened to While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Brilliant, I'm smiling big time. Now listening to Happiness is a Warm Gun and still smiling. I'm sure lots of the White Album, especially McCartney's bass, is a massive influence on later heavy rock.[/quote] I'm actually going to see a show tonight in Gent where a band plays the entire White Album (from start to finish without pauses or any talking) and they do a remarkable job (saw it two months ago and I was stunned). Five people who cover the entire album (they rehearsed 6 weeks to get every detail). Not even The Beatles themselves played this ever live.. Hardest job is for the stand-in McCartney who has to play "Why don't we do it in the road", put his bass down, grab an acoustic guitar and continue with "I Will". Kills his voice but he pulls it off (it's harder when he does 'Helter Skelter"). They even play "Number 9 " :-)

I like it.. it's got that reggae-ish vibe like "Obla-di obla-da" (pity about that Press to Play-album, that was really awful)

Just an extra bonus : I am Flemish and because of the fact that I was listening to Beatles-Wings music, my English got better :-) You all have the luxury of listening to someone in your own language but I don't have that, it takes nothing away from the fact that his songs are great (and the bass-playing is excellent too)

It was mentioned here that people don't even know that McCartney is a bass-player : people don't know àny bass-players (hardly know the instrument) so.. ? I started playing bass because of McCartney.. started with listening to Beatles -Wings-tracks, moved over to Pastorius, Palladino, etc.. After all that I have learned I remain a fan of his songs ànd his tasteful bass-playing which I find mindblowing. He has a unique sound on his bass, showed the power of bass-lines and how some one can not like the bass-line of "With a little help" is a mystery to me. It stands the test of time and my musical evolution wouldn't be the same without him. McCartney made my life "better". Whenever I was/am down and one of his songs comes on the radio, I feel better (just hearing the intro of for instance "Band on the run" and the clouds disappear). I feel very fortunate to have his music as the soundtrack of my life, it is a blessing. I've read books about him, listened to all his music and he still is an enigma to me.. I've never met him so I haven't got a clue who he really is. Those people who say that after the Beatles his Wings-stuff was less inspired. If some Wings-tracks had been on Beatles-albums no one would have known and they would be called Beatles-classics. People sometimes refuse to listen with their ears and think in boxes. I think for instance "Hi Hi Hi" could have been one of those Beatles classics without any doubt.. I'm enjoying his music still... The man is great !

I recorded a short medley of two "Shadows"-themes with my Wal bass... the soundquality is not superb and the playing could be better but it was just for fun :-) Don't know how to embed so here's the link.. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYppWzAVsWY&translated=1"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYppWzAVsWY&translated=1[/url]