TrevorR

Sitting in a guitar shop about to start trying out that nice bass and realising I have suddenly forgotten every single bassline I’ve learned in the last 30 years except for Money by Pink Floyd and The Chain by Fleetwood Mac. Every. Single. Time!

You need to hire some stooges at your next few gigs to keep on complaining that the guitar’s way, way too loud!

Probably the single most interchangeable item in all of a band’s gear!

👍

Who knows what counts as provenance on the inter web these days but this Rose Morris article suggests that it is Bobby Sands too... https://rosemorris.com/blogs/news/14900469-bobby-sands-and-his-nobbly-ned-callan-shaftesbury

“The previous owner of this Ned Callan Bass worked for a few touring bands in the 70's, which included The WHO. This Callan Bass had been given to him as a gift. Now, the only prominent musician I can find who ever played a Ned Callan Custom Bass was John Entwistle. So, was this one of John's personal Basses... "WHO" Knows.” Well, the Ox’s Ned Callan Bass was sold at the famous Sotheby’s (or was it Christie’s?) JE Collection so if the owner can’t remember bidding for it then it’s safe to say it wasn’t Mr Entwistle’s bass...

The Necromancer is absolute bottom of the list of my least fave Rush songs. Juvenile sub-Tolkien Hobbit bothering hogwash roughly thrown together and poorly presented... apart from that I love it! 🤣 Fountain Of Lamneth ranks down there next to it, with Bald ranking third from bottom. Didacts and Narpets is the runner up on my least fave pieces of recorded music ever (only beaten by Jewel’s gawd awful version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer). But like I said, apart from those 36 minutes and 30 seconds of its 45 minute running time, Yup, its a classic! 😂

THAT. IS. JUST. SO. COOL! Props to Gibbo!

Easy, Caress of Steel. End of new thread

I would guess my top three top albums would be Moving Pictures, Grace Under Pressure and Signals. Although id actually be tempted to answer “Any that don’t contain The Necromancer and The Fountain Of Lamneth...” Lakeside Park I’ve always loved but Bastille Day’s the only other track on Caress of Steel that I don’t actively dislike!

It’s also worth finding the remixed versions on Retrospective III - Different from the remastered album and infinitely better than both that and the original. The opening riffing one OLV where Alex seems to be channelling Richard Dale is nothing short of stunning. Check it out...

Make that two of us!

Kudos for bigging up a fabulous band! Love love love Capercaillie! And don’t forget Pilot! Or Kate Bush’s and the Alan Parsons Project’s backing musos if you prefer...!

Ok to redress the grumpy old Bass-tard sound of the last post I’ll tell you about a 50th birthday party gig our cover band did once. Biggish back garden, marquee sort of affair. We arrived, set up and sound checked while dad, teenage son and chums watched us run through a few songs. Waiting for the guests to arrive we were chatting to the family and then after the first set remarked that the kids very interested and engaged in watching the band. She laughed and said, “Yes, they’re all just learning instruments with the intention of forming a band at school.” The were all really nice, polite, well mannered kids (the antithesis of the teenage yobbo stereotypes) so B/L threw me a nod... then said would they like to do a couple of numbers to start the second set. Son said lthat was really kind but all the other’s instruments were at home so it wouldn’t be possible. But thanks so much for the offer.” - in a totally genuine, non-angling way. B/L and I glanced at each other and said, “You could just use ours...” Kids nearly fell off their chairs! Of course their instruments were the typical teenage starter stuff... bottom of the range Squiers, Epiphones, Encores and the like. The looks on their faces when we slung a Les Paul, a Takamine and a Wal round their necks, plugged them into a valve Fender, an AER and a MarkBass rig and gave them the big “Hello Wemberley, welcome to the stage a brand new rock sensation...” intro over the mic. Seventh heaven, grinning from ear to ear as they hacked nervously through a couple of covers doesn’t come close. We certainly racked up a few positive karma points in our favour that night!

I’ve had my amp rig used as a multi band backline or as an ad hoc “lend” (there was one where we all lent our amps to a bunch of teenagers “support band” doing their first gig - they’d all come on the bus!) but I’d never leave it unattended either. It’s only been backline for shows organised by people I know so they were happy for me to lay down the law. Basically that came down to, “it’s loud enough as it’s set up, you really don’t need to touch any of those knobs. You want more level - just ask that sound guy over there” or at least discussing and approving any settings at sound check. Frankly, if one of the bands bassists had come up on stage, whacked all the knobs up to 11 and launched into the first number I’d have had no problem with walking right up onto stage and turning them back down then standing by the amp with my arms folded glaring at him all the way through his set! I’d have got no complaints from either the promoter or sound guy!

Same here!

You could always play bass and add one of these at your feet... gives you a kick drum sound. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logjam-Logarhythm-MK4-Stomp-Box/dp/B01MU9PRWC/ref=asc_df_B01MU9PRWC/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310872962114&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5495049981354183162&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007104&hvtargid=aud-544645955450:pla-581695227046&psc=1

Same here. That is my big gig rig. I like both the 2x10 and the 1x15. Light rugged, good sound. Solo I probably prefer the 2x10 but it’s pretty marginal.

Just try saying you bought a ClassD amp by MarkBass or that you love the sound of your 4x10 on top of your 1x15 and wait for the abuse...

One and a half grand for the bass, ten and a half grand for the shades, belt, wristband and a bit of stencilling!

Popped up on BookFace I think and then some likeminded music lover chums also spotted it and shared. And when I opened iPlayer to check it out, there it was on my “Recommend for you” bit... Plus, with all the space and Apollo stuff I’ve been watching and podcasting and watching on iPlayer this last month it was also a dead cert for the algorithms!

Anyone else catch the performance by Public Service Broadcasting of their Race For Space album live from the Royal Albery Hall at the Proms. OK, so I love that album already but the addition of a choir, orchestra, horn section and visuals was nothing short of stunning. For those who don't know the album it's inspired by the race between the Soviet Union and USA throughout the 60s to conquer space and reach the moon. The music is accompanied by lots of voice over recordings from cosmonauts, contemporary news reports and mission control recordings. It makes for an absorbing piece of music ranging from ambient to full on funk. Some pretty cool bass sounds from J F Abraham. It's still on iPlayer for the moment... https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00071mr/bbc-proms-2019-public-service-broadcasting

Funny, I’m perfectly happy with my “untrue” Wals!

Yes, I saw you drift over to the monitor guys for a stern word every so often - only a bass player would have noticed. Sound out front was pristine though. And the atmosphere out front was great!

Fantastic evening out on Friday at Hampton Pool singing and dancing along with some cracking tunes courtesy of Bootleg Blondie and The ELO Experience. And groovy bass courtesy of our very own @casapete