JJTee

Duff McKagan Flea Bernard Edwards

Great footage - never seen these before. And not a Stingray in sight…

Is there any live footage from the late 70s of him actually playing a Stingray? Always seems to be something else. In fact, the 1996 Budokan gig is the only time I’ve seen Bernard physically playing a ‘Ray.

Apparently so. John’s tech cut the original strings off when it arrived, to John’s despair! He wanted those old strings ingrained with Bernard’s blood, sweat and tears!

Interestingly, he uses a P-bass on this live version of Le Freak from 1978. Think he might have used this to record Dance, Dance, Dance and Everybody Dance. And a Jazz a few years earlier:

Seems that the bass player was one Jance Garfat, sadly no longer with us (and neither are the drummer or keyboardist, or Ray).

All sounds bloody good! Ovation maracas?!

Yep, that looks right. Mk 1 or 2, no idea. Jumper could be C & A. Tough call. Great performance though; looks like they may have been in the green room for a few hours beforehand as they look pretty happy!

Ah yes, knew I’d seen it somewhere before. I reckon the jumper is M&S.

What’s that chap, grooving in the smart v-necked jumper, playing then? Bonus points for the person who can ID the maracas!

Friday night round the neighbour’s last week for pre-Xmas drinks with a few families, I get chatting to the guy three doors down who moved in with his family in the summer. Out of curiosity I asked what he did as a job: “I build bass guitars”, he replies. The penny dropped pretty quickly. I live in the village where Wal build their basses and my new neighbour is one of the guys who builds them. Could have chatted to him all night. I don’t think he’s used to meeting people who know one end of a bass from the other, let alone have actually heard of Wal. Sadly, no chance of mate’s rates or reopening the waiting list I don’t think.

Can anyone confirm if Page was on a downward spiral at the time?

$299 on Sweetwater. So £300?

True. But I assume Mike Watson, The Other ABBA studio bass player, is still around? While lacking the quirkyness of Rutger’s unique style, he apparently (according to an ABBA bass transcription book I have) played on: The Winner Takes it All Gimme Gimme Gimme Does Your Mother Know SOS Super Trouper and Mamma Mia! Some damn fine bass work on those tunes! Very interesting interview with Mike here, although quite a bit of music interspersed: https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/?powerpress_pinw=10527-podcast

Classic 2nd album issue too. Far too much money to throw at it, too much studio time, complete lack of discipline combined with self indulgence resulted in putting together the double Use Your Illusion albums that contained two covers, five songs that are 7.5 - 10min long, and two versions of a fairly feeble ballad. Could’ve been so much better if they had stuck to another 12 song album and ditched all the dross, kept one cover version, and edited some of the longer ‘good’ songs down. And not over produced it. Could have been close to Appetite. Hey ho. They were young…

I know what you mean. Feels very improvised, with all kinds of quirky phrasing and note choices in the verses and choruses, very subtle and odd in places - just nothing that most bass players would think of playing - counterpointed with the solid walk down at the end of each chorus that works so well with the signature guitar riff for the song. It really contributes to the character of the song. Maybe it was a first take or something, which he thought he’d get a few go’s at, but Benny and Bjorn thought “f**k it, let’s keep it in!”. I can’t believe he got away with that barmy dissonant fill in the 3rd chorus at about the 3:11 mark.

I’m quite lucky in that a lot of my favourite basslines (Le Freak) or the bass to songs/bands (e.g. Guns N Roses) that really got me into music in those formative teen years, have appeared in their isolated form on YouTube over the last few years. For some, they just confirm what is obvious on the record - Rio, and Le Freak, for example which are very punchy and clear in the mix anyway, and where there is no mystery revealed as to what is being played. It made me think about which songs I would really love to hear the isolated bass, and I realised it would be more about songs where I’d want to reveal exactly what’s being played on some of those more subtle and less bass-punchy mixes. I decided it would be Knowing Me Knowing You. Many might consider it an odd choice, but it’s a crazy bass line and I still struggle to pick out exactly what’s being played, even with a good TAB and someone uploading a ‘sort of’ bass enhanced version. Notes are hinted at, the pitch being quite hard to hear on some very staccato notes, and with a wonderful use of dynamics. Anyway, what would others love to hear? And the two songs that made me pick up the bass. What a great player Duff is:

These are absolutely brilliant. This is well worth the money

This thread has inspired me to dig out some old TAB for ‘There It Is’ and finally try and learn it properly. Harmonically very simple, but it’s all in the note/rest lengths, timing and feel. Quite good progress. Very satisfying to play! Great tune.

Gotoh 201-B bridge. Simple, effective and lovely to look at.

That’s definitely Leon bass duties there. Superb.

No idea if this is Leon or not. Rocking a nice P bass in the brief occasions you can see him.

Well I’d never heard it in 1987. When I was in fact 12! Heatseeker was the first AC/DC song for me… in 1988.

Had never heard the AC/DC version. Think this was a b-side on the Sweet Child O’Mine 12”. Loved it. Full of energy.

Yeah. They were lucky to have two amazing bass players, with Rutger coming up with some really unique lines, with some incredible phrasing and quirky note choices, my picks being Dancing Queen, Money, Money, Money, Knowing Me Knowing You, and One of Us. And then the lesser known Mike Watson playing on Mamma Mia, Super Trouper, and The Winner Takes It All. Seven fab basslines right there.