Old Man Riva
-
Posts
1,223 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Shop
Articles
Posts posted by Old Man Riva
-
-
46 minutes ago, meterman said:
Thank you 🙏🏻 The Filthy Six are like a proper grown up version of what we were trying to do, except they’re a proper band and we were just a couple of herberts with a Tascam portastudio and a crate of Skol. 😂
Way too modest! Sounds great to me - just treated myself to the album from Amazon!
We’ll have to start a petition to relaunch Blow Up...
-
1
-
-
18 minutes ago, meterman said:
Yeah, the strings were ancient when I got the bass so I’m not really sure if they were original to the bass or just worn out? There never was much sustain to it anyway, I used to have to compress it like mad whenever I recorded with it.
The bass and it’s ancient strings made it onto a few records but this one is pretty funky. Sort of like Beastie Boys instrumental vibe but done on a 4-track cassette recorder instead of a Hollywood studio. It all kicks off around 1:15...
I really dig that. It reminds me of a ‘dirtier’ version of The Filthy Six (which is a good thing!)...
-
1
-
-
This brings back some very happy memories.
Still get excited hearing this, all these years later...
-
3
-
-
1 hour ago, drTStingray said:
It just shows how wrong the calculator is. If you consider actual salary or wage for say a 19 yr old - I had quite a decent job in 1973 at just under £1000 per annum. A new Precision was £252 (without case) in a particular shop (natural finish). So this is more than a quarter of that annual salary.
A quarter of say £15000 now gives you a new US P bass at £3750 - so they are now relatively cheaper and should be around £3k.
GHS did flatwounds in the mid/late 60s and a new Musicman Stingray came with them fitted. A sign of the times is they changed to GHS rounds in early 78.
I do not recall anyone in my local scene who played bass even considering using using flatwounds and the normal replacement string (in the UK) was Rotosound.
You have to remember that in the 70s stuff from the early 60s era was very deeply uncool - this extended to pastel coloured instruments, liking the Shadows, and in the later 70s, passive Fender basses even (unless you were a punk band) and even then there were as many people playing Rickenbsckers and the like (The Jam for instance).
The idea anyone ever saw a Fender catalogue in the UK was also a misnomer - you bought what was in the shop - I'm doubtful anyone would be able to get a retailer to make a special order (I.e something not in stock).
Times were different - we'd never heard of Jamerson, even less what make of instrument and strings he used - although his bass lines were, of course very influential to some people (rock fans would probably not listen to Motown in the same way that punks would not listen to Genesis and Yes!)
So flatwounds were really not something of the 70s at all - I don't recall them being on sale in the music shops I frequented and of course there was no mail order or Internet. You have to question why would people stock something virtually no one used - and even if they did they didn't change them!!! I don't think I was unique in wanting that first two or three weeks lasting sound of a new Rotosound set of strings but wasn't wealthy enough to change them that often.
Remember amplification and speakers were not what they are now also. Although things were changing over to solid state (Acoustic for the very wealthy; HH for something more affordable) the standard available now is light years away. The chances are with flatwounds you would have even less chance of hearing yourself than you had. For valve stuff, Marshall and Ampeg stacks were the preserve of the super rich!!!
That’s my experience too. In Coventry at the time the two shops to go to were Coventry Music Centre and the Sound Centre. Both leaned very much towards guitars, and, as such, only Rotosound were stocked for bass strings. ‘Swing Bass’ were what most people bought but they had the flatwound version stocked, albeit in significantly smaller numbers.
A lad I knew was sold a set by mistake and never quite recovered!!
For me, buying a new set of strings was a luxury (and a rare event) due to the cost of them vs. what I was earning as an apprentice at the time. I once tried boiling a set and nearly ended up scalding myself as they chased me around my mum’s kitchen.Nowadays I post on here wanting really worn-in/out flatwounds - the younger me would not have been impressed!
-
4
-
-
Apologies, not sure what I did with Al’s quote in previous post!
-
19 minutes ago, Al Krow said:For me, punk = rebellion against the 15 min prog rock tracks that the 70's gen, at the time, felt was stifling music. It was raw, simple, energetic and powerful.
Probably one for a different thread, but... I think punk in the UK was more a backlash against the bands you’d hear/see on Radio 1/TOTP at the time - ELO, Sad Cafe, Leo Sayer, Rod (in his Britt era), etc - rather than prog bands.
You’d be hard pushed to hear ELP, Yes, Gentle Giant, King Crimson et al on daytime radio - and by the time both ELP and Yes had singles out in ‘77, New Rose and Anarchy in the UK had been and gone the previous year.
-
1
-
-
On 01/03/2021 at 11:34, Nail Soup said:
New film doc about Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex......... Sky Arts 9pm Saturday 6th March.
From what I gather it's told from the perspective of Poly's daughter Celeste.
Really looking forward to this..... one of my heroes!
One of Mrs Riva’s musical idols.
She’s most impressed that I told her about the programme. Less so, and a little bemused, that I found out about it from an online Internet forum dedicated to the bass guitar - “this is the modern world”, though not for Mrs Riva!
This Sky Arts thread is an absolute winner!
-
1
-
1
-
-
18 hours ago, PaulWarning said:
it's the all downstrokes (I think) that kill me, same with Bruce Foxton, you can do it up and down but it's not the same
Totally agree. I used to sit and try and work the parts out, but could never manage to get them to sound as fluid and ‘nailed’ as Segs. The downstrokes were key to tracks like Babylon’s Buring and Demolition Dancing (brilliant interplay with Paul Fox’s guitar on that), and I just couldn’t master them.
As for Society... don’t get me started!
11 hours ago, Lozz196 said:I was fortunate enough a few years back to play the Babylon’s Burning bass. We were in the dressing room and I was drooling over it so Segs said I could have a go on it, very decent chap, and very very decent bass.
That’s great! Was/is it a 60s or 70s? In a previous life many years ago I did some work with Ruffy and he was one of the nicest people I’ve met. Also one of the funniest - like being in a room with Tommy Cooper!
When I first met him it didn’t take long for it to become clear that I was a bit of fan (to say the least). He was chuffed to bits (though took the p##s mercilessly - “you’ll be after my inside leg measurement next!”) and was kind enough to spend hours indulging me and talking about the band.
A really lovely guy, and a fabulous drummer...
-
1
-
-
40 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:
Tony James (Gen X) used Thunderbirds and Ric 4001s. Steve Severin used a Musicman. Those three basses seemed pretty popular too.
I think that Paul Gray used a Rickenbacker and an Overwater (Thunderbird style), and Algy Ward used a Thunderbird.
(Paul Gray used a Thunderbird in UFO...)
-
Pretty much everything Segs ever played with the Ruts is excellent, IMO.
Creative, driving, groovy, tight as anything with Ruffy... He was a massive influence on me when I was really getting into (learning) the bass, across different styles.
I spent hours trying to learn his lines and never got anywhere near...
-
4
-
-
11 minutes ago, paul_5 said:
What?!? The Pistols rehearsed?!?
Only when Malcolm wasn’t looking!
-
3
-
-
14 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:
I've eyed the Ibanez Talman control plate, would look great on a rear route P...
bit 'Strat Jack'... bit Tele 51 P...
Single hole for concentric Vol and Tone...
Plain 'n Simples...
Even better!
-
26 minutes ago, bass_dinger said:
Nice . . . .
Part of the appeal to me was the grubby shops, and Andy's with the 50p coin stuck on the wooden stairs. The rebooted Denmark Street looks very modern and it is not even clear if there will be shops there: " . . . Outernet’s immersive digital walkway linking Denmark Street to the district’s wider retail and event venues". But then, this is the future of music and I am part of the past.
I wish it every success.He’s waited many years but this is Bob’s revenge on the punk movement!
He probably took the first swing of the sledgehammer to the Pistols’ rehearsal space!
-
1
-
-
22 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:
The bass is not my cup of tea either but it has an interesting story:
Thanks for posting. I enjoyed that.
Re. the P/J p/up configuration. I like the idea of the stack-knob controls and retaining the jack socket as part of the scratch plate, rather than a v/v/t approach, and the socket being tucked underneath the body. It’s probably been done before but I’ve not seen it like that...
-
3 hours ago, Nail Soup said:
In football the stereotype goalie is like the stereotype drummer - the 'loony' of the group.
Any bass players who fit that bill?
Roger Waters in goal... he’s excellent at organising The Wall.
-
3
-
-
Tim Lefebvre as a centre forward.
Has the physical presence, and can play in a variety of ways to suit the occasion.
Has the deftness of touch, and also possesses the maverick creativity (as shown with his use of pedals etc.) to add an extra creative element, when required.
He’s a big name player who could deliver on the biggest of stages, and also “a rainy November evening in Stoke”.
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, The fasting showman said:
Glad you like it, the whole series has some amazing archive footage including the rarest of things, a contemporary George Murray interview!
Agreed! And thanks again for the heads up. There’s some fabulous footage of the Young Americans period featuring Andy Newmark and Willie Weeks (it’s in one of the Visconti interviews). There’s a lot of the footage that is completely new to me, which is great!
39 minutes ago, Beedster said:What an extraordinarily life affirming piece of film, made my evening:)
Isn’t it just. The whole series is excellent, and Dennis Davis son is a wonderful young man. Finding out about his dad via his work/art, it’s a joy to watch.
More of this on the internet please!
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, Oopsdabassist said:
When I were a lad, I could never get to see enough live bands so live albums were pure heaven for me, so:-
Slade - Slade Alive
Yes - Yessongs
Curved Air Live
Genesis - Seconds Out
Jethro Tull - Bursting Out
These 5 pretty much defined my youth, and I still listen to all of then regularly today, I love the energy they put out over relevant studio albums.
Slade Alive! was like a ‘Beatles moment’ for want of a better phrase.
Everything changed after hearing that, and seeing Bowie, Mott the Hoople, Roxy Music, T Rex et al all loud and proud on TOTP in the same year - a game changing time...
-
2
-
-
A slight detour, I know, but thanks to The Fasting Showman’s excellent recommendation re. Dennis Davis I stumbled across this...
Too good not to share... Enjoy!
-
2
-
2
-
-
Love this! Dennis Davis on drums (Bowie drummer on Station to Station through to Lodger), and, I think, Emir Ksasan on bass (played with Bowie on the second/soul leg of the Diamond Dogs tour)...
-
David Bowie - David Live
-
1
-
-
I think this is the very bass... He’s had a few from the Gallery for the competitions.
-
1
-
-
He played with Nick Heyward in the 80s. I seem to recall him appearing live on The Tube (or the Whistle Test) with Nick Heyward around the Warning Sign era (I think they did that track live).
If it’s out there it’s well worth a watch as it also features the excellent Alan Murphy on guitar...
-
1
-
-
9 minutes ago, BigRedX said:
I saw Furniture at Nottingham Trent in the late 80s (promoting Food, Sex & Paranoia album) knowing nothing but "Brilliant Mind" and was utterly blown away by both the music and the performance.
Through the world of Google I’ve just checked and the Leicester gig was in ‘86.
The band were flat, the audience was flat and the gig just meandered along into nothingness. I think the band felt it and the singer started making a few barbs about how flat the audience was, which didn’t particularly help, and it almost all ground to a halt.
Genuinely the only time I’ve ever left early because I wasn’t enjoying the band...
I’m pleased your experience was better!
Great bass lines in punk
in General Discussion
Posted
You’ll be suggesting “everything’s going well for me” next...