SpondonBassed

...and Marmite

Just caught up on this. Well done Neil Hannon! Marc Almond... very odd how he kept sharpening the high notes. He hasn't improved except that maybe he looks a bit more like Liz Taylor than before. J Cale, didn't seem to have practiced much. He struck me like those "walk-on" guests that turn up in the likes of "I love Lucy". The audience recognises them for an achievement that was made in a previous generation and the enthusiastic applause promises a performance to remember but that's the ONLY thing going for him. Still and all, I appreciate that they loved Bowie too and that is what counts in a tribute. I loved your work David. Thanks for keeping us interested to the very end of your life.

I started off enjoying this thread...

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1470520787' post='3106565'] If you put the Land of the Giants headstock back on that (for show) it would be the ugliest thing this side of the black stump. In fact a black stump with strings would be prettier. [/quote] "Land of the Giants headstock" Priceless! The ugliest motorcycle I ever owned was a black 1995 Triumph Tiger. It was PLUGLY (plug ugly)!. Bear in mind that I had had TWO CX500 Hondas before that. I loved my Tigger. Its looks were bizarre but strangely functional. It may be controversial to say but I think ugly is the new pretty in cases like this. Beauty in the eye of the beholder and all that.

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1470499993' post='3106428'] Turns out Cort were reading this thread for inspiration, then jumped into their time machine and popped back to 1985 to create this: [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Random/CortHeadlessP_zpsgrgxb6eb.jpg.html"][/url] Including genuine Steinberger-licensed bridge! But yes, looks are very important. Fortunately I like basses in general so can find something to love in most styles, colours and designs. Not seen too many singlecuts that I like, but I think that's down to trend-led aesthetics rather than the underlying concept. There is no intrinsic need for a singlecut to look like the misbegotten offspring of Snoopy and a sperm whale. But most of them somehow do. Jon. [/quote] Oh wow! Thank you for that. The only modification I'd make to its appearance is to fit a second strap button so's it is more stable when leant against my amp.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1470485792' post='3106335'] Oh, I don't know, have you heard Mathcore? [/quote] Oooooh! That's quite, er, niche. I had to look it up and I am none the wiser, sorry. I wouldn't like for us to go back to tape formats but this thread coincided with my "rediscovery" of all my old recordings, some being over thirty years old. Deep joy. I remember always being fascinated by reel to reel decks, turntables and finally four track cassettes. I reckon it was because all of them had spinny things on or in them. I wont apologise, I was very young then.

Indeed Dad. Don't let the whippersnappers grind you down. You can honestly claim to have hand crafted your code. (Off-topic again! Oh well, partly my fault I suppose)

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1470469285' post='3106166'] "Digital" and "tape" are two words that should have never gone together ever. [/quote] Now hang on a minute. If it weren't for tape (paper tape at that), how else would programmers do their voodoo back in the day? Would you have them revert to cards?

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1470307678' post='3104912'] OK, for those of you local to Watford [url="http://www.lemonrock.com/firefly?page=gigs"]http://www.lemonrock...refly?page=gigs[/url] Don't forget to wear your BC tee shirts just to put the pressure on. [/quote] Unable to attend but all the very best. Have a laff.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1470467109' post='3106152'] I'm 63, I really don't attract anything. I perform, have fun, get paid and go home. [/quote] I hear that. Heeheehee, at our age it would be good to attract owt other than flies.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNPx6RS8PiM[/media] Has anyone suggested a uBass? Edit: Yes someone did. That'll teach me not to skip whole chunks of thread!

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1470340457' post='3105376'] A few years ago I cracked out my old Spectrum 128. All the games that were on tapes [/quote] Off topic for a post entitled "Music Tapes in 2016"? Sorry to be a pain in the 'arris KB. That would be a great thread all on its own though - cassette storage for digital media.

[quote name='Trueno' timestamp='1470382677' post='3105554'] Funnily enough... now I've quit gigging. I've even been thinking of joining a choir just to... erm... get my performing rocks off (so to speak) [/quote] Done it for a year just for a laff. Very glad I did too. I can recommend it as long as you don't get involved in any sort of committee business.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1470387105' post='3105613'] Not that it really matters, put my fingers in the correct starting position, click Go, and go to sleep. [/quote] Heeheehee. I like your style.

[sniggers inwardly so's not to disturb the afflicted]

Have you attracted any "gropey" groupies Blue?

Someone's already mentioned headstocks. They seem to take a major part in how the instrument looks. On basses they tend to make an already long instrument a little longer. I avoid the problem by avoiding the headstock altogether. I've grown to prefer tuning from the other end and I like the space saving benefits. I still want the instrument to look good though. Headless for me then apart from my fretless at this time. I'd love to see a decapitated Fender (P [i]or[/i] J) with Steinberger bridge done by someone who cares. [Ducks behind flameproof sofa]

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1470342019' post='3105401'] Surely a 'bassist' is anyone who plays the bass part of the song? If that means it is played on a keyboard or pedals or whatever then fine, but it's still the bass part and it is being played by the 'bassist'. I realise this will sound pedantic but I read the topic title as bands that don't have a bass part in their music, whereas it actually seems to mean bands without a bass guitarist - a whole different thing altogether. [/quote] It does sound a bit like that. I take your point but I think it was generally taken to mean "bass guitarist". I don't play keys myself but I have no objection in principle to picking it up at some point. Bear in mind that I want to become skilled with my guitar before playing with keys. Not quite accurate I know but when "Ace of Base" released their early hits I thought the spelling was "Ace of Bass". I'd joke about how misleading the name was because I was expecting lots of percussive bass (Level 42 were THE thing at the time). I still feel short changed on that one.

[quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1470319576' post='3105086'] i learnt stevie wonders do i do playing along to the record.This was long before the youtube army turned up to show us all how. I down tuned the E to an Eb (4 string bass obvs) but the A,D,G in standard tuning. Absolute bitch to learn. Got it sorted but couldnt get it exactly on the money.Then I sussed out Nathen Watts (i think it was him) tuned a half step down on the recording which makes this already challenging to play not half as much. [/quote] I've seen an interview where Nate Watts says that from way back he detunes his guitars by a semitone. He runs a high action to suit the additional slackness and likes it for the sound. More growl, I think he said. It's a sound that I felt to my core when as a child Songs in the Key of Life was released.

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1470309199' post='3104934'] The Doors had former Elvis bassist Jerry Scheff on LA Woman and Roadhouse Blues IIRC. [/quote] Good to know. Many thanks.

[quote name='Barking Spiders' timestamp='1470306871' post='3104901'] This may be sacrilege here but are there any proper bands - not duos like The White Stripes, Black Keys etc - that managed just fine without one or could they've been much better with a bass player. The Doors first come to mind. Cant stand them meself and am not convinced the keyboard bass lines sufficiently compensated. [/quote] I used to think that The Doors had one until recent years. Turns out that the session bassist(s) used to catch my ear. Once that hooked me I was interested in their music. Take this as meaningless hindsight if you will but I don't think I would have listened to The Doors at all if it wasn't for some of the memorable bass lines like on Roadhouse Blues or LA Woman. Stevie Wonder seems to interchange keyboard bass, string bass and both together on some of his numbers with little problem. Not sure what that says for us poor lot!

I was only pulling your leg Steve. The live clip above was interesting enough though, I thought the live vocal arrangement was good. If they hadn't got the recorded backing of 256 voices (overdubs for the pedant) it may not have struck me the same way. So much of what I perceive is subliminal that I would only miss it if it were gone. Did that make sense?

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1470229965' post='3104288'] This is publicity. Why no name the time, place etc. Maybe folk here can come along? [/quote] Excellent suggestion.

Heeheehee. There speaks a man who has eaten a LOT of traditionally made rice pudding.

I had two recorded versions of Marley's "Sheriff" along with an Eric Clapton recording. Two versions were in G and one in F#. I found it fun to play along to each of them. I noticed however that the F# version appeared to be detuned by the way it had been recorded. The pitch had been slowed down possibly due to the recording medium running faster than it should have. We're talking about pre digital, SMPTE time codes and pitch correction of course. When I was offered a place in a band I was given some new songs to learn. I learned some songs off of the set from yooboob clips. First I learned them in their recorded keys. Then with some of them, I re-learned them in the key that favoured the vocalist's range. I feel it was a worthwhile exercise as it helped me to understand the dynamics of the songs a bit better. Hope this helps.