TrevorR

The Them

Proxy Music …actually that would be a decent Roxy Music Tribute Band name…

I don’t want to go to Chelsea - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

My top 5 have all been mentioned… Davey Paton Herbie Flowers Neil Murray Lee Sklar and Abraham Laboriel Sr …but there are several vying for a place - Alan Spenner, Tony Levin, Mo Foster, Chuck Rainey, Willie Weeks. Though a few other faves haven’t been namechecked yet… John G Perry (ex Caravan, Giltrap etc) John Gustafson (ex Roxy Music, Giltrap Gillan Band etc) Jimmy Johnson (James Taylor et al) Laurence Cottle (Alan Parsons, Sabbath etc) Bob Daisley (Gary Moore and others) Well, that’s another “Five” list.

That’s OK. Just put Basingstoke. Same thing…

Off to the Royal Albert Hall tomorrow evening to see Public Service Broadcasting doing a new album length piece with the BBC Symphony Orchestra celebrating the Centenary of the BBC. Should be an interesting show. Their 2019 Prom celebrating Apollo moon landings was fabulous. My fave PSB tune… The complete 2019 “Race For Space” Proms performance…

…and I learned a new acronym today. Courtesy of @Stub Mandrel http://www.stubmandrel.co.uk/workshop/18-reference-information/246-what-is-a-tlrt

That anecdote puts me in mind of an incident with a former worship leader who, how shall we put it, could have done well brushing up his person management, team leading and tech skills… We were rehearsing for a service and our usual very very good sound tech (as in ‘having engineered for artists like Queen, Steve’s Hackett & Howe, Gary Moore and OMD’ good) was away. The very junior sound guy was running sound. Anyway, we started having this huge low end resonance on certain songs and chords. The WL turned to me and said, “Trevor, your bass is way too loud. Can you turn it down.” I said, “I don’t think it’s the bass is the issue, I think it’s the acoustic guitar getting close to feeding back.” “Just turn it down!” “OK.” So I turned down my amp a bit even though I knew it was nothing to do with the problem. Next song… huge blooming notes. He turned round. “Trevor, I said turn down.” “I really think you should check out if the guitar monitors and check they’re not too loud.” He watched me turn down and then it happened again. He turned back round visibly annoyed now and hissed “I said turn your amp down!!!” I could barely hear the bass now and knew what would happen next so while he fussed with his keyboard and grumbled to the singers I very calmly and quietly switched off my amp, unplugged the amp from the extension socket, unplugged my bass, put it on the stand, coiled up my lead and put it on the floor in front of the bass. All the time the drummer was looking at me like “What on earth’s going on?” I just smiled back, put my hands in my pockets and stepped away from my gear. The song resumed. Lo and behold, big low end bloom… the WL spun round, furious, and yelled, “FOR GOODNESS SAKE TREVOR WILL YOU JUST TURN DOWN LIKE I TOL…” I smiled sweetly at him and said, “You really want to check that the acoustic guitar monitor isn’t too loud, that there isn’t too much gain on the channel input and that the EQ isn’t messed up…” I was in no way sad when he moved on a number of months later to inflict his manifold talents to another church!

I enjoyed the video as a whole but was disappointed that they stuck squarely with discussing flame top vintage burst Les Pauls from ‘59 etc… chances are they will be still be mega bucks in the future. Your question is the much more interesting question. Will your ‘78 Jazz or Strat still be pulling in 4 figures (equivalent adjusted for inflation) in 20 years time. Back in the 80s when I was starting out these were universally scorned and characterised as rubbish instruments with poor QC, over heavy bodies, shonky 3 screw neck joints, weak electronics, over thick varnish… and barely worth throwing away when you could get a nice 80s Japanese instrument instead… …now they’re “vintage” and “highly desirable”. Will that last? THAT’S the conversation I’d love to hear those guys having!

Oooh, you’re starting a Terraplane covers/tribute band, then? Sorry… 🙁

@BlueMoon @Piers_Williamson Chap called Vic Young…

And then continuing treading the boards playing jazz… http://www.deirdrecartwright.com

Ben Miller on drums and Ron Weasley’s dad on keys (great outfit, suits you sir!).

That is very pleasing as you say!

Maybe your browser just really hates reggae? 🤔🙄 #dadjoke

Well, of my top whatever of bassists Chris Squire, Geddy, ‘Nard and a few others have been namechecked already so I’ll nominate the leader of my joint fave band ever. Philip Lynott.

Yours for just shy of £12k! So John ‘Rhino’ Edward’s from Status Quo is selling off a load of his bass collection. Including his Wal. Quite a special Wal… Wal MK1 (ex-Rhino) Live AID bass: https://thebassgallery.com/collections/all/products/wal-mk1-ex-rhino-live-aids-bass Why special? It’s the Wal played on the Band Aid “Do They Know It’s Christmas” video by John Taylor of Duran Duran!!! A quick look at the distinctive flaming on the upper horn pretty much seals it! Wow!! Just WOW!!!

Yup, so many different sounds hiding in a Wal if you care to look. My personal Wal Custom faves are “Every Day I Write The Book” with Bruce Thomas on his Wal, Dave Paton on the Elton John Live In Australia video/album, Walking On The Clouds by Polish rock band Eleanor Gray (video below), Laurence Cottle on the Alan Parsons Project album Gaudi, Failure’s Stuck On You and Flea on Give It Away. All very different (but still somehow Wal-y to a greater or lesser extent).

Yes, I worked out the way to get a nice Wal at a reasonable price… buy second hand but do it 30 years ago when they were rather unfashionable and un-sought after.

My number 1 ever since I bought it second hand in about 1991 or 1992! 1985 Mk 1 Custom Series Wal.

It would be my 85 Wal Custom Mk 1. Done almost every gig with me since I got it back in around 91-92… Usually paired with this fella…

Just weird light reflection…

Managed to secure tickets to see Public Service Broadcasting (one of my new fave bands over the last 10 years) premiering a new album length piece at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms - so chuffed and excited! Not Proms but still a flavour if you've not come across them before...

Sounds like you need a conciliatory banana! When they came on I thought, “Oh, this is going to be some sort of super cool Daft Punky thing… oh how I laughed!

Insert profound thought here: [… …]