peteb

I'm sure that the managerial problems didn't help, but I don't think that religious strife was a big factor as it only really alienated the Christian rock market, which was hardly crucial to them. I think that their big problem was that they were just too original, which made them difficult to market them successfully. It was the 'if you knew, you knew' factor that made them a cult favourite, but didn't make it easy for them to appeal to a mass market...!

It could be argued that term 'genius' is often confused with 'virtuoso'?

Really??? I’ve got a LM3 (that I sometimes use with a Berg 410) and used to have a CMD102 combo. But I’ve also got a Mesa Boogie and the LM3 head sounds nothing like it. I haven’t used a TE rig for many years, but from I remember it sounds nothing like the MB amps that I’ve owned. Don’t get me wrong, I like MB amps (certainly prefer them to TE) and think that they always work great in a mix, although like FinnDave it took me a while to get to grips with the EQ. I would have kept the combo if I had room in the house for it – great amp. But they do have a certain sound…

I think that this is the real issue. I am not aware of any lightweight bass rig that is going to sound much like the OP's original Trace Elliot set-up

I’m afraid that I don’t agree. I would say that the list has pretty much included all of the musicians from the past last 60 years or so who have had the greatest influence on modern bass playing. Just look at the top three: No.1 James Jamerson – a highly skilled session player who isn’t a household name but played on a significant number of the most listened pop records of all time. No.2 Jaco – a virtuoso, who like Jamerson, isn’t exactly a household name but who is probably the biggest influence (along with Jamerson) on modern bass playing. No.3 Paul McCartney – certainly not a virtuoso like Jaco or JJ, but a great musician who has touched more people’s lives with his music than anybody and who is as famous as it is possible to be. These three archetypes are replicated throughout the rest of the list, but among multiple genres. Remember that it is looking at the ‘greatest’ bass players, not who is your favourite musician who happens to have a bass strapped around their neck…

The thing with Mark Bass is that the amps are pretty transparent, so it's not going to send like (for example) a SVT rig or whatever. I have used MB at various times in thepast (including that 210 combo you have) with a number of basses (including a Stingray) and they have always sounded great.

The thing is that there has always been a bit of a prevailing macho culture in musicians’ circles, which you could argue goes way back to medieval times. This is evident throughout 20th century popular music, from jazz to blues to the various forms of rock and roll. Even in classical music, there may be more females playing in orchestras but it’s certainly nowhere near 50:50 Of course, the occasional girl does come through. I can think of a few females playing successfully on the local circuit (generally bass players for some reason), but they are all happy to be ‘one of the boys’. Of course, not all girls are comfortable in that sort of culture.

I know that it's all subjective, but you genuinely can make a good case for everyone on that list (in terms of influence). If you include Tina Weymouth or someone relatively obscure like Kinga Glyk, then you are going to be accused of tokenism and you really don't want to go down that route. I suppose you could include Tal Wilkenfeld at a push. But good as she is, should she really be included in the top 100?

Top 100 ever??

The problem I have with these lists is that they claim to identify the ‘best’, rather than the most important or most influential. They have Paul McCartney as the third best bass player ever, which is a joke as he just isn’t. But the third most important / influential bass player?? Absolutely…! I know that it is all subjective, but given the above criteria, there are not many on the list I can argue with too much (even if they have ignored a few of my favourites).

I counted three - who else would you have included??

Rick Beato has just posted a new clip of '5 Things EVERY Bass Player SHOULD Master', except that he has miscounted and included two point 4s, so there's actually 6 things that every bass player should master...! Not exactly rocket science, but still an interesting summary of what you need to be a good bass player in a band...

That is the thing - what is the 'new normal' going to be and how will it impact on gigs in pubs / clubs as well as larger venues and events??

Depends on the supermarket - some have got it sorted quite well, some are just chaos and we're avoiding them.

The singer in one of my bands has just been told he is being 'unfurloughed' and going back to work on Monday. That might seem slightly early and I’m sure that pubs and clubs will take a bit longer to get back to ‘normal’, but I doubt that they will be kept shut till the end of the year.

I've got a Shure GLXD wireless system, which the best I've found for bass (and I've tried a fair few over the years)...

Lee's back with Stratus (off the Spectrum album by Billy Cobham). I have attempted to play this in the past (but never actually gigged it) and it is a real exercise in stamina. My right hand is cramping up just at the thought of it. I haven't had chance to watch this all the way through, so I will look forward to doing so tomorrow. One of the seminal albums he has contributed to and I am sure that he will have an interesting anecdote about making it to share.

It’s nothing to do with politics, it’s about competence. Murdoch and a large section of the Tory party are already out for the PM’s blood over the way he has mishandled this crisis, hence the extraordinary article in the Sunday Times. Ask yourself, out of the major economies, which country has handled the pandemic in the most effective way (hint: it’s Germany)? Who do you think is best placed to come out of the coming worldwide recession the strongest as a result?

Thanks Daryl - scary times - you look after yourself as well...

Please note that I agree with everything you are saying apart from when it is likely that smaller gigs will start to go ahead again. Exactly how things will look this time next year is another thing. For example, Glastonbury has been cancelled this summer. It will be very interesting to see if it goes ahead next year...!

Exactly...!

I’m basing my views on what I’ve read and briefings going out to public bodies and I’m not trying to be overly optimistic. I completely agree with your friends that there should have been a far earlier lockdown and can see why they would want to ban non-essential large gatherings. But that doesn’t mean that what they want will happen, if only due to economic pressures. We don’t know what the ongoing threat will be at the moment, nor do we know what the ‘new normal’ will be. Will there be a different protocol for mass gatherings to that for pubs and clubs? Certainly, the findings of the WHO and other experts are very worrying (hence the wish of certain governments to get rid of the WHO), but I imagine that most types of economic activity will resume in some recognisable shape or form.

From what I can gather, he is possibly being a touch pessimistic. There will be a lot of pressure to get back to ‘normal’ as soon as it is judged that the risk level is acceptable (my worry is that it maybe be lifted too soon) and I doubt that pubs / venues, etc will be still closed by the end of the year, provided that there isn’t a massive secondary peak of infection. Of course, the real issue is what the ‘new normal’ will look like? It is possible that in the future that there could be short-term seasonal lockdowns if the virus mutates and there is another coronavirus going round.

With respect, I don't think that your analysis is likely to be correct. If it is, then it's all academic anyway. I doubt that there will be a single venue that I play regularly that will still be in business.

I would imagine that you are probably right and July is a realistic target for gigs to open up again. We are on ‘lockdown’ (or the UK equivalent) for a further 3 weeks with probably a further 3 weeks after that. By then the infection / death rate will hopefully have flattened sufficiently for people to be allowed back to work in many sectors, with pubs / clubs / places of entertainment to follow a few weeks later. Of course, something might happen to change this, but I would think that your timeline is pretty likely from what we know now. As far as vaccines go, I’m sure that one will be produced in about a year’s time, which of course will be too late for this pandemic (note that they did eventually produce a vaccine for the more deadly SARS virus). Of course, what we need is a general coronavirus vaccine, but will they continue putting resources into developing one once the immediate danger from COVID-19 has passed?