EssentialTension

[quote name='pobrien_ie' timestamp='1347788416' post='1804862'] Nice thread indeed! Had only see the Marvin Gaye clip up until now. [/quote] Me too, the two I posted were completely new to me.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1347787672' post='1804847'] Depends on your idea of "expensive". I have read on other forums where people have had the same set of flats on their basses (still sounding warm and mellow) for up to twenty years. Even if you only change your roundwounds every couple of months, flats work out a lot cheaper in the long run. However, I suppose the question still remains, i.e. are flats more costly to make than rounds ? My guess is that they are not. [/quote] Even if they don't, as individual strings, cost more to make, if they sell less and more slowly then any economies of scale are reduced and the price point will go up.

Is it because they are better?

Martha and the Vandellas - clear shot of Jamerson at 6.10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mKm9BZU3n8&

Can't see much of him, but it is him .... [url="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiaidq_smokey-robinson-the-miracles-you-ve-really-got-a-hold-on-me-bring-it-on-home-to-me-live_music"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiaidq_smokey-robinson-the-miracles-you-ve-really-got-a-hold-on-me-bring-it-on-home-to-me-live_music[/url]

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1347742165' post='1804618'] I'll stand corrected if wrong, but it is quite a famous story, which is claimed, by a fender R&D rep, to have damaged the reputation of the Bass V. I'll find the actual story at some point, its quite a famous story, as the original poster stated. Can't imagine JJ having an issue with a fretless, as he was a doghouse player, ewhereas the Bass V, is just a dog to play! I'm off to trawl my many books to find the story...... [/quote] I too have always known it as a Bass V story. I've been trawling the net for two days trying to find it but haven't come up with anything yet.

[quote name='Blademan_98' timestamp='1347650806' post='1803717'] I always try to be part of the audience (just to tell everyone how great we are)............ [/quote] Do they believe you?

I love wearing a suit on stage and I hate going on stage in my everyday clothes ... but that's because I'm still a Mod at heart. As for those blues guys, I'm guessing that when Muddy Waters or Howlin' Wolf or whoever got a nice pay check, they were straight out buying a sharp suit and shoes and probably a large bottle of bourbon.

I [quote name='Wil' timestamp='1347633045' post='1803362'] Jeans and t shirt. What I'd wear if I were watching a band. I dont like the idea of dressing up to perform, I think it's a bit pretentious personally. [/quote] Seems somewhat pretentious to be pretending that you're part of the audience and not part of the band.

[quote name='daz' timestamp='1347643920' post='1803615'] Ah ya bunch a wimps! I've eat me dinner off worse than that. [/quote] It looks like someone did eat their dinner off it.

[quote] [font="Arial"][size="4"] Maybe some of the bits are genuine , but maybe not .[/size][/font] [font="Arial"][size="4"] This was the preferred set up of norman wattroy from the blockheads[/quote][/size][/font] [font="Arial"][size="4"]Huh![/size][/font]

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1347399907' post='1800427'] James Jamerson - a noted upright and fretted Precision bass player, is reputed to have thrown a fretless Precision at the wall of the Motown studio, after using it for a session. Not precise enough, perhaps [/quote] [quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1347516178' post='1801812'] I'm pretty sure the reputed bass was a Fender Bass V and not a fretless P. [/quote] I've seen the story told in that way too, and told it myself. [quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1347561385' post='1802516'] ... To clarify the Jamerson reference, it was the fretless Precision (ref is Standing in the Shadows of Motown - Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson) - it refers to him having played the fretless on the Supremes 'Someday, We'll Be Together' - it's actually a quote from keyboard player Earl Van Dyke who said he almost threw it at the wall and said "don't you ever let me play this piece of sh*t again". Presumably didn't work how he wanted. [/quote] That certainly sounds a reliable source for the throwing incident but the text doesn't actually say it was a fretless Precision: [quote]On a few rare sessions, James experimented a bit with a Hagstrom 8-string, an early Fender 5-string, and a fretless bass, but the results were usually unsatisfactory. (Earl Van Dyke recalled that James played the fretless on the Supremes' "Someday We'll Be Together" and almost threw it against the wall .... (pp85-86)[/quote]

4 ..... ..... that's it.

[quote name='Johngh' timestamp='1347557282' post='1802448'] ... Old men trying to re-live past glory's [/quote] More glorious than old, I'd say. Anyway, short of an attack of straightforward ageism, I don't see why musicians shouldn't be allowed to take to the stage whatever their age. If 'old' upsets you then don't watch or listen.

Faces used to cover it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lkPTrhFC8Q

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347478237' post='1801478'] Cant say I remember the name, I remember The Jameson Raid though. I'd stopped playing by mid 77 . Barrell Organ was a good gig on a Saturday night, even if you did have to pay to use their house PA. [/quote] I'm certain we used our own PA at The Barrel Organ. Our sound guy was called Wally and he went on to be keyboard tech for Kerry Minnear in Gentle Giant. After Mr Downchild split, the PA became Pangolin PA Hire. [quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347478237' post='1801478'] Was it like the Rebeccas/Barbs deal we got offered, You got Barbs on a Sunday night as long as you did Rebeccas for half the fee ? I wont mention the [s]price [/s]pittance they were offering, but the rest band I was with at the time, The Remoulds, wouldnt do it for the price, which is one of the reasons I quit. They werent from brum so didnt understand. i'd seen so many class acts at Barbs, that I woulkd almost have paid them. wasnt so keen on doing Rebeccas though. [/quote] I can't recall the Barbarellas or Rebeccas deal at all or how much we got paid. In fact, I cant remember how much we were getting paid at any gigs at that time. Though I do remember that any money got spent on beer (and other stuff), petrol, and on more equipment and with that band I was playing a Precision bass and HH amps and Electrovoice 1x15s and later a Hiwatt 2x15.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347444304' post='1800776'] C'mon, which one ? I might remember you. Pity it doesnt go back a year or two earlier. Pre punk Barbarellas was a geat venue for the time. [/quote] OK, Mr Downchild, Barbarellas, Sun Aug 21, 1977. We played there a few times including the following Saturday 27th. That listing has The Slits on the 27th but, IIRC, we were playing The Barrel Organ in Digbeth when the landlord got a call from Eddie Fewtrell (or one of his mignons) saying he'd sacked The Slits and could we do Barbarellas after we finished at The Barrel Organ, which we did. The five piece Mr Downchild didn't last long after that gig and three of us went on to become The Kidneys. We are also on the menu for Rebeccas ([url="http://birminghammusicarchive.com/rebeccas/"]http://birminghammus...e.com/rebeccas/[/url] - although named as Down Child). We're sandwiched between Blondie and Jamerson Raid. I remember playing the same bill as Jamerson Raid a couple of times with a previous band (probably Nimrod) and there being some handbags backstage about who was going on first. The Rebeccas flyer also lists Ricky Cool & the Icebergs who had the Saturday residency at The Barrel Organ before Mr Downchild took it over. On the list for 7th June 1977 at Barbarellas is The Jam - that was SIlver Jubilee day.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347382104' post='1800042'] just spotted this. Although i was at a fair few of them. why anyone would bother to compile a list like that I cant imagine. Rest of the sites got good bits. [url="http://birminghammusicarchive.com/memories-of-brum-gigs-77-79-where-you-there/"]http://birminghammus...here-you-there/[/url] [/quote] I was at a many of those gigs and at least one of them is a band I was in.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1347349542' post='1799538'] The difference between a technician and a musician perhaps? [/quote] [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1347357257' post='1799656'] I wasn't being derogatory, just trying to distinguish between musicians who are primarily players rather than composers. [/quote] So, it seems possible that you are claiming that only composers are musicians.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1347357257' post='1799656'] I wasn't being derogatory, just trying to distinguish between musicians who are primarily players rather than composers. [/quote] ... and which of those was Stravinsky?

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1347315005' post='1799348'] Amongst other music that I play I also play for a local morris team. Much of the music is in G or E minor. I tend to play at the bottom of the register because that way I keep out of the way of the bass end of the squeezeboxes and of the guitar. Going down to D would be really useful. I know I can get a bass with a D extension but I'm not in that sort of market (or price range) so the question is has anyone tried dropping the E string to D? If so, did it work? I'm currently using Spirocore mediums. Thanks, Steve [/quote] I'm using Spirocore Lights and I inadvertantly tuned to D-G-C-A. It sounded fine and I thought my fingers had got really strong - until I realised.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1347283134' post='1798779'] [url="http://www.monsterstudios.co.uk/"]This [/url]is the very best rehearsal studio I have ever used. They have very very clean and tidy air conditioned spaces to use. The guitar amps and drum kits are OK, the bass amps are a massive let down for me however (but I am a total snob) so I take my rig. They sell cold drinks, strings/sticks/fast fret whatever you damn well need to keep going. They are very friendly, but take the money up front (and why not, seems reasonable to me) with a very strict cancellation poilcy (again so they should!). They have a bright white light in each room which they turn on from the counter 10 minutes before the session ends to let you know its time to wind it up and get out for the next band, asystem that workds very very well indeed! If I could change anything it would be to improve the bass amps and cabs - but then I would say that! [/quote] I like Monster too. Its only problem for me is it has too few rooms and so it can be difficult to get a room when you want one.

They remind me of the Pompidou Centre in Paris:

[quote name='rubis' timestamp='1347295403' post='1798971'] I wonder how many other well known sessioneers couldn't/can't read notation......Jamerson,Dunn? ... [/quote] Dunn was self-taught, so likely he didn't read. Jamerson learned upright bass in school, so likely he did read at least to a degree.

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1347294104' post='1798943'] What i find quite interesting is how a top session player can't read music. Not that there is a problem with that, it's just you can encounter quite a lot of snobbery from session players who read towards those who can't. I've seen it on here, people going on about how in the 'real world' of gigs you need to read, no tab etc, i've witnessed it whilst on gigs towards those who can't....quite sad. So it's good to now some of the very best don't/can't. [/quote] ... but, as Palladino himself pointed out in the interview, if it was a reading session he wouldn't have got the job.