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BIG UP YERSELF !!


xilddx
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6 Double Platinum Albums

15 Top Ten Singles

Top of the bill on a world tour that included Van Halen and Whitesnake on the bill.

Oh, and Mark King once asked me to give him lessons.

Other than that, I've done nothing. :)







Now for the truth. :)

Find it a achievement nowdays to find a band that sticks together for 5 minutes. Although I was once briefley in a band that had a No1 album and single in the Indie charts. Sadly, I wasn't in the band at this time.

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Being told, through a mate that a drummer I had jammed with said it had been great jamming with me. The guy was Dood's ex bandmate, and at the time, Glenn Hughes' touring drummer (well he had Chad Smith on the album), Matt Goom.

Most of my musical career has been working behind the scenes, and my big one there was re-uniting John Mayall and Eric Clapton for Mayall's 70th birthday concert.

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Height of my playing career - overhearing the producer of the album I played on this year telling someone that I was the best bass player he'd recorded, after Martin Mendez of Opeth... don't really know if that reflects well on me or badly on all the other bass players he's ever recorded!

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Actually thinking more about I've done plenty of musical things that I'm proud of:-

My first band, The Midnight Circus, despite being universally hated by our school mates because we played our own (weird) songs instead of doing rock covers like proper band were supposed to, sufficiently impressed the DIY cassette scene leaders The Instant Automatons for us to be included on their "Angst In My Pants" EP. The following review of this:
[quote]V/A -Angst In My Pants double EP (Street Level UK 1979) ...and extremely do it yourself DIY frenzy from the Midnight Circus. Who in "Silicone Baby" and "Hedonist Jive" have out-poignanted a tow-truck full of Aimee Mann's and Michelle Shocked's edgy humanity and funny as sh*t to boot.[/quote]
led to Chicago's Hyped To Death Records putting out a retrospective compilation CD some 25 years later!

My second band narrowly missed being signed by Innervision Records in favour of a couple of boys called George Michael and Andrew Ridgely...

My next band turned down the chance to be produced by William Orbit, because we thought his music was sh*t and we could do better ourselves. This was before Bassomatic and Madonna and so we were probably right.

I've played guitar live for [url="http://www.din.org.uk/din/node/310"]Ian Boddy[/url].

I've spent the last 30 years skirting around the edges of being able to make a living out of playing original music, and watched most of my contemporaries give up, but here I am still, and despite having turned 50 this year, I've started another band - Dick Venom And The Terrortones and we're gearing up for a single and album releases in 2011...

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Well I'll leave it to some of my Youtube comments to blow my trumpet for me...

[i]"I'm gonna have to agree with everyone that hates your playing. I hate it because I'm not even 1/10 the bassist you are. lol
I challenge Victor Wooten to do any better, and will be purchasing your album ASAP on iTunes. Freakin awesome."

"You're freaking amazing. This video alone has greatly influenced my technique. thank you."

"Great playing - gorgeous bass - great sound - love the thumb playing too, I'm still working on getting that down. Thanks for posting - certainly inspirational"[/i]

... but seriously I am proud of what I have achieved playing-wise, and all these mad positive YT comments are lovely and everything, but I know there's still a mountain to climb in some areas of my musicianship, not bass playing, and that's the stuff I need to work on more. I have played some awesome gigs, and some awful gigs, I'm more into writing and recording now than performing but wish I had the time and the energy (and opportunities) to play live more, but hey I've done a shed load of gigs so far. I do wonder if being into slightly weird/specialist music was the right choice, it feels like the right choice but I know if I was playing covers (like a buddy of mine who does it professionally and to thousands and thousands of paying punters) I think I'd go slightly mad, but the moeny would be nice! All I really want to do now is play with great musicians and learn from them - that's my ultimate goal - and to have a hit single! :)

Mike

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I'm constantly stunned and grateful that I manage to pay the bills every month doing this so-called 'job'.

I never take the next pay day, phone call or email for granted and feel so lucky to be able to do what I love every day of the week.

Bit gushy but you get the idea.

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I think i'm average at everything i do, not just Bassing. I dont excel at anything ! Still, we cant all be classy :)
In and out of bands all the time, pub level / club level / functions level - thats me. Wont ever make any money, but thats not the enjoyment. The happiness is in just playing

There's a few noodlings if anyone's interested, but thats all they are - nothing special. I'm not even sure if these links work ?

[url="http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=8071360&q=hi&newref=1"]http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_pl...hi&newref=1[/url]

[url="http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=7509632&q=hi&newref=1"]http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_pl...hi&newref=1[/url]

[url="http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=7509629&q=hi&newref=1"]http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_pl...hi&newref=1[/url]

Edited by fleabag
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I'll have a go, but I have self asteem issues.... :)

Got into recording stuff this year, and generally nail stuff in one take. Laid down a bass track for the new band I am in a few weeks back, one take, and was told I can come back and record anytime!

Being in Derbyshire's current "Band Of The Year", which is organised by Derbyshire Times. Was well chuffed with that one!

Sometimes get asked to help people work tracks out, or get asked "how do you play that"? I have an excellent ear for being able to work stuff out quickly. Most average songs, I can play after three listens.

Once had admiring looks for playing Cliff Burton's Anesthesia.....Still can't quite play it all the way through though :lol:

Had quite a few people compliment me recently on being a good bass player, which is nice, but I find taking compliments quite hard.

I'm very good at being able to play for the song, and know when to really dig in, and when to hold back, and play gently. Good solid player, not much technical flash, don't do slap, but rock solid, and in the groove.

Got gear that a lot of people would give up their wedding veg for!! :)



Does that count as a big up yerself??

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[quote name='Low End Bee' post='1051723' date='Dec 8 2010, 02:29 PM']There's way too much humility creeping back into this thread.

Pretend you're American.[/quote]

Ok.
Mods: Please cancel Low End Bee's account
Swedish Embassy: please start extradition proceedings - evidence will be in the post as soon as we've made some.
UK Government - SHUT IT! or we'll send the lads round.
Everyone else - Nothing to see here, move along...


:)

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[quote name='Clarky' post='1051536' date='Dec 8 2010, 11:54 AM']I would like to proudly state that I am undoubtedly worser-er than you John.[/quote]

This would require audio and maybe video prove. :)

[quote name='Clarky' post='1051536' date='Dec 8 2010, 11:54 AM']Cr@p and proud :lol:[/quote]

I'll pinch your second statement :)

The guys I'm practicing with at the moment think I do the job well. All I can imagine is that their are some dire bass players around these parts.

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[quote name='ezbass' post='1051950' date='Dec 8 2010, 05:57 PM']Other people think I'm good, but when I play by myself at home I often think I suck really badly. All I know is that I like to play and others like playing with me, so I'm going to go with those thoughts.[/quote]
You are British.

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[quote name='ezbass' post='1051950' date='Dec 8 2010, 06:57 PM']Other people think I'm good, but when I play by myself at home I often think I suck really badly. All I know is that I like to play and others like playing with me, so I'm going to go with those thoughts.[/quote]
Wow! I couldn't have put it any better.

Edited by philipleonard
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[quote name='silddx' post='1051971' date='Dec 8 2010, 06:14 PM']You are British.[/quote]
You got me. I'm actually going to blame my mum for my modesty rather than my country of birth, although that certainly plays a part too. She was always telling anyone who would listen how wonderful I was (at most things), when I knew I wasn't quite that good, so I went the other way and down played my talents. If I'm honest I can hold my own and given a drummer who understands what a rhythm section is supposed to do, I reckon I can lay down a pretty good groove with the odd fill thrown in to make anyone who listens to the bass (normally other bass players) take note. What I think I'm really quite good at is achieving a good solid tone. I certainly got more compliments for my tone rather than my actual playing. Of course that could be along the lines of "meet my friend, he's got a great personality" which as we know is code for "fugly" ergo "you've great tone" = "man alive your playing sucks". There I've gone all British again! Is there no escape from this modesty?

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