spongebob Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hope I've posted this in the right place. I'm not a Manics fan, but have always loved 'The Holy Bible'. I think it sounds like the work of another band! What I'd love to know is what bass(es?) Nicky Wire used on the recording? I've always assumed it was a Ric. But I heard some live stuff from Summer '94, which sounded fairly similar, and he was using a P to my surprise! He used a Jazz at the time - I think - as well. So any ideas on what he played on this magnificent record? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I always thought it was a Ric, certainly sounds mostly like a Ric to my ears. He used a J with a third pickup in the Ric spot on Everything Must Go but, to me at least, that vicious growl on The Holy Bible is all Ric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapolpora Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 It doesn't answer the question but I saw the Manic Street Preachers at Brixton Academy on Friday night and he was using an Italia Maranello bass in silver sparkle: [url="http://www.italiaguitars.com/bassDetail_outer.php?thisGuitarId=22"]http://www.italiaguitars.com/bassDetail_ou...thisGuitarId=22[/url] Can't say I was impressed much by the tone. Felt rather than heard, but it might be the PA system turning it into a poorly defined mush rather than the bass and his bank of Ampegs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I've always concluded it was the Rickenbacker, running in stereo. I think the clearest you can hear the tone unaltered by any effects is toward the end of '4st 7Ib', he plays a nice little descending run between verses, sounds too growly to be a Precision. Incidentally, The Holy Bible is one of my favourite albums ever, and the bass lines and tones are just monstrous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='spongebob' post='1100618' date='Jan 24 2011, 11:55 AM']I'm not a Manics fan, but have always loved 'The Holy Bible'. I think it sounds like the work of another band![/quote] Ahhhh, so refreshing! Normally people like the later stuff and not the holy bible. It's a work of art. No idea about the basses, but are you sure Nicky played his own parts on this one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='cheddatom' post='1100805' date='Jan 24 2011, 02:15 PM']Ahhhh, so refreshing! Normally people like the later stuff and not the holy bible. It's a work of art. No idea about the basses, but are you sure Nicky played his own parts on this one?[/quote] I'm not sure if he did either. I think the early stuff is a bit of a grey area as to who does what, could be that some bass stuff was recorded by Bradfield whilst Wire was still getting to grips with the instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 The first two albums are deffinitely JDB playing bass. Whether or not he played on the holy bible...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='cheddatom' post='1100805' date='Jan 24 2011, 02:15 PM']Ahhhh, so refreshing! Normally people like the later stuff and not the holy bible. It's a work of art.[/quote] The Holy Bible is one of the greatest albums ever written. Saying that though, I can understand why it's not to everyone's taste, especially people who can find merit in the later stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nash Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) P bass and James did the bass. i remember Nicky saying he only played the Ric and Thunderbirds live because they look cool. although he did use a white P bass for a lot of THB tour. you can hear the difference in bass playing on the records. the later stuff is Nicky. THB is one of my all time favourites. also that bass Nicky uses now is horrible Edited January 24, 2011 by nash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='Doctor J' post='1101000' date='Jan 24 2011, 04:39 PM']The Holy Bible is one of the greatest albums ever written. Saying that though, I can understand why it's not to everyone's taste, especially people who can find merit in the later stuff [/quote] I did go to see them last year with my mate who's a bit obsessed with them (as a result of the holy bible) and they were pretty good. I could listen to some of the later pop stuff, it's not bad, it's just not The Holy Bible. JDB's solo album is allright as well. We saw him play that in Stoke. Such a powerful voice. I swear at one point during an acoustic one they turned the PA down and you couldn't tell. But yeh, it's the weird, dark production of effects and samples, the unusual almost a-tonal riffs, and most of all the lyrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nash Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Does anyone prefer the USA mix? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='nash' post='1101031' date='Jan 24 2011, 04:59 PM']Does anyone prefer the USA mix?[/quote] I wouldn't say I [i]prefer [/i]it, but yeh it's better in many ways. I listen to them both equally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='nash' post='1101005' date='Jan 24 2011, 04:43 PM']P bass and James did the bass. i remember Nicky saying he only played the Ric and Thunderbirds live because they look cool. although he did use a white P bass for a lot of THB tour. you can hear the difference in bass playing on the records. the later stuff is Nicky. THB is one of my all time favourites. also that bass Nicky uses now is horrible[/quote] Interesting....I never knew that JDB played any bass on the records. Def could be a P bass on parts of the record...although I think riffs like 'Archives Of Pain' are totally Ric. Then again, all depends how things are mixed. I was always unsure about the bass sound on 'Kicker Conspiracy' by The Fall - sounds quite Ric-like. I actually had some e-mail correspondence with bassist Steve Hanley who confirmed it was his trusty Precision. But I'm sure tracks like 'Mausoleum' are Ric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='nash' post='1101031' date='Jan 24 2011, 04:59 PM']Does anyone prefer the USA mix?[/quote] No. The austerity of the original mix suits the mood much more than the gloss the US mix added. The original is perfect. Seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='lapolpora' post='1100725' date='Jan 24 2011, 01:07 PM']It doesn't answer the question but I saw the Manic Street Preachers at Brixton Academy on Friday night and he was using an Italia Maranello bass in silver sparkle:[/quote] Very much a later bass. He was all about the Ricky at first and seemed to be using Jazz basses come Everything Must Go. Personally I was a massive fan circa The Holy Bible but lost interest once they grew up. I liked the trash glam look of the early days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='Doctor J' post='1101123' date='Jan 24 2011, 05:54 PM']No. The austerity of the original mix suits the mood much more than the gloss the US mix added. The original is perfect. Seriously.[/quote]Perfect reply. Seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 I saw them live in '96 on the EMG tour (supported by Catatonia!) and Nicky played the Jazz throughout. They only played 'Faster' from THB, I felt a bit let-down! I used to own the 1st 2 albums, but was still totally blown away by THB. I remember to this day putting it on, just being thrilled about such music being made in my lifetime....a new release sounding this good! Just a shame what happened next, including all the records they've made since..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [attachment=69915:richey_8.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 A lot of people were shocked when he did this, including me. He was a really nice lad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 A masterpiece. Cracking album, I always thought it was a Ric too. Learning lots here, never even knew there was a US mix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 There's a 10th anniversary edition, both mixes are on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='nash' post='1101005' date='Jan 24 2011, 04:43 PM']P bass and James did the bass.[/quote] I wouldn't be surprised if JDB played the parts on record. But I can't believe it's a Precision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote name='nash' post='1101031' date='Jan 24 2011, 04:59 PM']Does anyone prefer the USA mix?[/quote] No way! It made for an interesting comparison but the spiky, brittle mix of the original was utterly perfect. It's funny but the band themselves have always maintained that the US mix was far closer to how the originally wanted the album to sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nash Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) nicky rarely used a Ric live. early on he used a TBird a lot then P Basses. Tbird [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnVkg_66VsM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnVkg_66VsM[/url] PBass [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsOcGNodZiw&feature=fvst"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsOcGNodZiw&feature=fvst[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbvPzJd1Ek"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbvPzJd1Ek[/url] EDIT: the bass on the whole album sounds like a Precision with various effects like Chorus, Overdrive etc Edited January 24, 2011 by nash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 [quote name='nash' post='1101598' date='Jan 24 2011, 11:37 PM']EDIT: the bass on the whole album sounds like a Precision with various effects like Chorus, Overdrive etc[/quote] I think we need to ask JDB! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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