Pete Academy

This is one of my favourite Crusaders tracks, but listening to the great slap bass part, I strongly suspect a speed-up. Let me have your opinions, please. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWPjKDObcIo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWPjKDObcIo[/url]

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='659872' date='Nov 20 2009, 09:04 AM']I heard Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick was speeded up quite substantially taking it up from E to F. Common practice in the 70s to do this to give songs more punch.[/quote] So Norman actually played it slower than the original?

I've only ever tried a standard MM jazz, made in Mexico, amd I have to admit to being very disappointed. I think the preamp isn't great. Would this bass have a Sadowsky preamp at that price?

Some very interesting responses.

I bought the first 'affordable' digital drum machine - the Korg DM110. It had 16 PCM sounds and cost about £220. I also bought the percussion module that linked to it at the same price. Almost £500 for 32 PCM drum and percussion sounds! You youngsters don't know you were born.

I have to admit, I'm finding it a little difficult to convey what I want to say. Let's say you're in a band of totally non-readers, doing your own material. A band member - say the guitarist - turns up to rehearsal and plays a song he's written. The rest of the band listen and jam around. Eventually you have a finished number. But what if the band member turns up with his composition written out, and the other band members can read fluently? Would the writer be able to convey his newly-written song as effectively?

So, how much groove information can you put in written music?

I had a Fostex 250. It cost me £500 at trade in the early 80s!!! I could get 10 tracks out of it, though, with some bouncing.

I know EW&F had a great horn section, but on tracks like 'Got To Get You Into My Life' and 'Jupiter', the brass sounds impossibly tight. I remember seeing a documentary on TV many years ago, where Phil Collins was recording an album using those EWF guys. They sounded crap in the studio.

In the 80s I used to record a lot of my own stuff on a Portastudio. I discovered that playing something with the tape slowed down and then speeding it up to pitch made certain things sound tighter. Is it true that technique was used in the days of tape in recording studios? Some recordings I hear from funk bands of the 70s and 80s sometimes sound just a bit too good and tight, especially the horns.

I've played this quite a few times. I always slap it, but I can never tell how it's played. On record it sounds amazing. Anybody know who played on it?

My original thought was this: You are a reader, and suddenly get a call to dep for a show or session, where you have never heard the tunes before, and circumstances don't allow you to do so. Would the dots and rests and accents signpost you enough to be able to play the music as it was originally intended to sound and feel?

I had this problem at a few gigs, and I posted a recent thread about it.As your bass is active, it will accentuate the problem. Have you got a ground lift on the amp? A Boss Noise Suppressor would probably help.

How could you possibly write down a Rocco Prestia track, so that the player knew how to make it groove like he does? Are there any tricks you can use?

I don't read music. However, I've always wondered how you can write a piece of music and inform the reader that it grooves. For instance, if you've been in a situation where you have to sight-read a piece of music and you never heard it before, as it's an original piece, how do you know where to make it groove? Is it just instinctive?

What is your lineup? Do you have keyboards?

Verdine used a Jazz on their main recordings. He seems to play hard, so I would think it's really compressed. His sound is terrible live.

Thanks Peter. A pleasure to meet you, and glad you enjoyed the gig.

Has anyone tried the cab or owns one? Would like an opinion.

[quote name='KevB' post='652698' date='Nov 12 2009, 03:05 PM']Just when I finally decided to come see the band (having seen you advertised a few times locally over the past few years) I can't find any proposed dates for Nottingham at all - have you given up on us? [/quote] We're still getting gigs for 2010, so there may be a chance we'll play there. We usually do the Rescue Rooms, but I think we may be looking for something more theatre-y. Any suggestions?

There's quite a good article on the groove with Freddie Washington.

I think his solo Charlemagne is one of the best of all time.

The Alembic that got away is amazing.

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='652166' date='Nov 12 2009, 12:25 AM']Its not a case of lightening up, I just don't like what they're doing at the moment. As you've bought several of their CDs you can surely see that they have changed a lot (as you would expect over 30 years). Personally I far prefer the older stuff, whereas you quite like the newere stuff (and possibly the older stuff as well). Perhaps the interviews are a joke - I didn't realise that at the time as they didn't make me laugh much. The whole DVD still gave me the impression that they are a bit up their own bottoms, but that's my opinion and I respect yours.[/quote] Becker and Fagen are very clever. They are supreme p@ss-takers.