kusee pee

[quote name='CHW' timestamp='1452463362' post='2950218'] I have a vague memory of seeing a documentary about Duran Duran where JT was saying that I. The studio he played the verse with a pick and the chorus with fingers. He had to learn to do it all fingers live. Re the whole they couldn't play thing. I have seen them state that at the time they toured the first album. That was the entirety of their repertoire. I decidedly remember them mentioning that as a band, they couldn't even play Johnny b Goode. [/quote] You may be thinking about Hold Back The Rain with regard to the chorus versus verse I think. He talks about it on the Classic Albums documentary for Rio.

[quote name='Old Man Riva' timestamp='1452441099' post='2949945'] Always liked this from the Rio album.. http://youtu.be/25m4P72FK6E [/quote] A great bassline. I love the harmonics thrown into the middle section. An example of the fact that JT took his playing seriously.

I've never had a reason to believe it wasn't JT. The style of playing on the first two albums is pretty consistent and the line is pretty straightforward to play with fingers. Every time I've seen them live he plays it with fingers and it doesn't seem problematic at all. Harder to play with a pick IMO. The first two Duran albums were the reason I started playing bass. Great sound, prominent mix and a real mix of driving basslines and melodic/funky interplay. I don't think JT had got close to BE by 1982. By the time this was recorded Duran were just getting a larger following. He adopted a similar line on Last Chance On The Stairway which works even better to my ears. The fact that he was the coolest looking and speaking dude in 80s pop helped distract from his bass playing quite easily.

We all have our wireless IEMs in my four-piece band with individual mixes. I love it, it gives ear protection plus the ability to have exactly the mix we each want. Particularly useful for BV mixes. Our sound guy mixes any changes we want through the gig. I'd never go back to stage monitors now.

Before And After Science was a great album.

Just received Unorthodox Behaviour in the post. Great stuff. Phil Collins is a pretty amazing drummer too

That all sounds exciting. I discovered him playing on the excellent album by Melon. http://youtu.be/ihOzRcQU85M

Just discovered his work over the Xmas break and wondered if anyone else is into his stuff? Gonna start exploring some Brand X. Some interesting techniques he uses in this series: http://youtu.be/cgUMguYktPE

I remember seeing this version at the time. He added some nice little touches to the slap. Sounds great. I'd love to play it in my mind but it's not dancefloor enough for us.

I realised whilst gigging the other night that the other reason I prefer playing bass is that I get to play pretty much every second of every song, no pauses or gaps, just grooving all the time.

I bought a peavey cirrus 5 from them about 4 years ago. The service was pretty good, I tried a few different basses and traded in some too. I was even allowed to play with a bass from the workshop that had just been built for John Taylor. Made my day. It seems there is a variety of experiences of service quality which is a shame. Any small business should prioritise service quality and be able to make all different types of potential buyer comfortable. It's a skill but one that can make a big difference to the success of a business. With bass shops now so rare it's even more important to be able to entice people in with the customer experience as well as with the stock.

Yeah, that's pretty epic

Pretty impressive. Wish I could do that.

MK's playing is undoubtedly hugely skilful but the fact that he sings over the top is even more impressive. I read somewhere that he'd only been playing bass for six months or so before recording the early work - so to be able to play something like Foundation and Empire at that stage was amazing. I saw a relatively recent interview where he was asked how often he practised and his response was that he had better things to do than practice! The dep drummer in my band played with MK in Level 42 for a couple of years and says he's a lovely guy. His music certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea and sometimes I'm not in the mood for it but overall he's a great player and an inspiration to many players. I have no doubt that he could branch out and do more session work if he fancied as he definitely has broad abilities. But if he doesn't fancy it then who are we to judge?

I started because of Duran Duran. Firstly, the music was so bass driven on the first two albums that I just wanted the instrument that would be most fun to play along with. Secondly, JT was the coolest pop star around and I wanted to emulate him. It all continued from there. It does irk me sometimes that some people think of the bass as the poor man's guitar. But I think it's more fun to play as I love being part of both the rhythm and the song at the same time. I also find it easier to write songs starting with the bass and building everything else on top. The bass is the foundation of most great songs IMO. That said, there are many instruments that are great fun to play and to be in a band with. No instrument is great in isolation, it's about how they all work together to make something special.

JJ Burnell. Saw him the other week supporting Simple Minds and he was damn great. Super sound and his legs still moved in that strange way. A real innovator of bass.

Should I have put a smiley?

Good luck - it's worth spending time getting the right drummer IMHO as I do think they contribute most to the overall sound and feel of a band. Getting the right drummer can make a huge difference to how the music sounds and how it feels to play, particularly as a bassist.

Is that real?

Duran Duran last night. Have seen them many times but JT is having a slapfest with the current material.

[quote name='41.2Hz' timestamp='1448033038' post='2912542'] Sir Horace Gentleman - pretty much all of the first album by The Specials. This is why I play bass. A special (no pun intended) mention for Nite Klub - part of my warm up to this day. [/quote] So many amazing 80s' bass lines but I'd forgotten Nite Klub. I remember learning it many years ago, an absolutely cracking line and great fun to play.

Loved it. Was a little disappointed that his last album wasn't more leftfield but this was impressively out there. Was cool watching the 'world premier' on Sky the other night. I was lucky enough to see Bowie live during his Outside tour, at a time when he once again was pushing the boundaries. Hope the new album is of a similar ambition.

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1447275164' post='2906385'] So it was you that won that Ebay auction, I'd put a bid on it but went on holiday a day before the auction ended and was outbid! Anyway, it's some consolation that someone from here got it and I'm glad you're enjoying it. By the way, have you stripped off the blue paint to reveal the original finish? [/quote] Indeed, it was me. I was determined to have it, being a big SM fan. I kept the blue, wanted to keep it as Derek has used it. Plays lovely.

I bought a bass off Derek a few years ago, one he used with SM in about 1998, a Vigier. Lovely bass and a lovely guy. His SM work was truly outstanding.