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Slade Bass lines (are cool)

daz

By daz,
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daz Community Regular

daz

Posted
Posted (edited)

This will be of no news to some on here, but even myself who thought i knew Slade songs quite well didnt realise how complex some of Jim Lea's bass lines were. Though i should have realized it before, as Jim is a highly talented musician, who plays guitar, piano, and violin as well as bass. I was listening to that guy on Youtube playing the bass line to Merry Xmas, in that thread that mentioned it the other day. This set me off wondering about other Slade basslines from my favourites, so I went and looked up [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coz_I_Luv_You"]Cos I luv you[/url]. I must say i thought it most excellant and have been playing it all day. I then went on to look at bass lines in other songs he wrote. There are some real toe tappers, even with the bass line played on its own. The guy has a real talent.

If you have never heard it before, the [i]Coz I luv you [/i]single (which got to #1 natch!) is mucho worth a listen to. I cant belive i never sat down and picked it out before. Give it a try yourself, or maybe select your own favourite Slade "Choon" and plonk away pretending your in Slade on Top of the Pops circa 1971 (like i do) :)

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFUMkkGGzc0&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFUMkkGGzc0&feature=related[/url]

Edited by daz
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Big_Stu Proficient

Big_Stu

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Not certain who did what in the studio on that one; but the live set-up was as this..........("Set Of Six" from 1972)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dpp8vIgjnI

Jimmy started out playing piano & violin; by the age of 14 he was playing for his county orchestra on violin, which many assume to be where his nimble ability came from.

One of my faves was the theme tune to their film Flame, a song which Noel Gallagher (FWIW) said was one of the most perfect songs ever written, with scenes from the film in the video. This is mimed - all the band played their usual instruments on the recording, Jim spends a fair bit of time up the dusty end and Nod played the flute part (Not a lot of people know that)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRGvjsI2hvg&feature=related

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Dr.Dave Mentor

Dr.Dave

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Posted

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1322763182' post='1455626']
Old Noddy has a go on bass for this one! :)
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pPL9PPy1MI[/media]
[/quote]

Live - they dispensed with the piano part.

Pretty certain that on Coz I luv you Jim played bass on the record but Dave played bass live , so they did the same for the top of the pops miming type things. I have a dvd of a German TV show done live and that's what they did , Dave playing bass.

Tear to my eye stuff this. No doubt that I started playing because of Slade. I didn;t even like music till I first heard them.

I've been saying for years how Jim's such an underated player - hardly ever makes the 'who's the best bassist ever' type threads here. Wonderful to see him praised on this one.

You have to respect Nids decision to retire from playing while he was still pretty young. Tragic though. Slade would have come again , no doubt. The songs and the voice were too good for them not to.

Done a few supprt jobs with Slade 2 - great to see Do and Dave still doing it but.well , just but.

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Big_Stu Proficient

Big_Stu

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[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1322764856' post='1455653']
You have to respect Nids decision to retire from playing while he was still pretty young. Tragic though. Slade would have come again , no doubt. The songs and the voice were too good for them not to.

Done a few supprt jobs with Slade 2 - great to see Do and Dave still doing it but.well , just but.
[/quote]

Don's said himself that Nod's voice wasn't up to touring by mid-80's. but it could have evolved the Slade sound - if that was possible - who knows. He cancelled an '85 tour on the grounds of personal problems but there was a lot more to it than that. Recording wise Jim evolved the sound into being heavily synth laden, which lost any raw element completely - still a good few songs - but not "Slade".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDIdb8KwFbM

H & Don dropping the "2" from Slade2 has alienated a lot of fans with the effect that they now gig 90+% of the time outside the UK, though it's always good fun to catch up with them as & when.

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bremen Veteran

bremen

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I well remember hearing coz I luv you for the first time , I'd never head singing like that. Heard somewhere that they started out playing Zappa covers, or did I dream that?

I can forgive them merry Xmas. So long as that's playing, Mccartney's anodyne piss isn't. Or wizzard's flatulent twaddle.

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Dr.Dave Mentor

Dr.Dave

Posted
Posted

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1322768644' post='1455730']
Don's said himself that Nod's voice wasn't up to touring by mid-80's. but it could have evolved the Slade sound - if that was possible - who knows. He cancelled an '85 tour on the grounds of personal problems but there was a lot more to it than that. Recording wise Jim evolved the sound into being heavily synth laden, which lost any raw element completely - still a good few songs - but not "Slade".
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDIdb8KwFbM[/media]

H & Don dropping the "2" from Slade2 has alienated a lot of fans with the effect that they now gig 90+% of the time outside the UK, though it's always good fun to catch up with them as & when.
[/quote]

Yes - like 'Universe' isn't it.

I recall Nod saying how Radio Wall of Sound wasn;t in his key so Jim sang the verses and Nod the chorus - thought it worked very well.

When it came on telly I was fixing a door , standing on a stool chisel in hand , then the phone rang (Mrs Doc got it) I was so distracted I put the chisel across 4 fingers!!!

Turned out the phone call was my mate Mick telling me Slade were on telly!

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Big_Stu Proficient

Big_Stu

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Posted

[quote name='Blademan_98' timestamp='1322771752' post='1455784']
Brag time :)

About 6 months ago, the guitarist of tribute band Slyde let me have a noodle on a Super Yob guitar!

A nightmare to play :) but was a bit cool.

I love Slade and Jim Lea could really drive a tune along!
[/quote]

Yeah, apparently it's a much better instrument than the original; that had a solid brass plate covering the headstock, more neck dive than a squadron of stukas. In a rare moment of bon-amie H let me have a pop with his new one & it is a nicely balanced guitar, with LEDs & a laser out of the headstock on that one. Marco Peroni owns the original now.

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1322770496' post='1455759']
Heard somewhere that they started out playing Zappa covers, or did I dream that?
[/quote]
Just one AFAIK, "Ain't Got No Heart", in their pre-fame "Ambrose Slade" days - they put in on their album "Beginnings".

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Big_Stu Proficient

Big_Stu

Posted
Posted

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1322770093' post='1455752']
Try and hear "gudbye t`Jane" ...................... Very unusual for a mega popular band to be so kick a*s.

Jez
[/quote]

It was a constant in their gigs from the day it was written; this is how it was in the final years
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3HknJl2zVg

That sound from Jim's bass on the riff at the intro & 2.00 & 3.00 mark is what convinced me I had to have a bass like his. Check out the backline - and those Hiwatts still weren't enough, he's still got two of his early 70's Acoustics at either side of the stage.

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tazza1 Collaborator

tazza1

Posted
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[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1322764856' post='1455653']


Tear to my eye stuff this. No doubt that I started playing because of Slade.

I've been saying for years how Jim's such an underated player - hardly ever makes the 'who's the best bassist ever' type threads here.
[/quote]


Me too - all my schoolmates were Quo fans but Slade were & still are one of my favourite bands. I bought my EB3 because of Jim! (wish I still had it).

I too think Slade Alive is one of the best live albums ever. "How Does It Feel", "Man Who Speeks Evil" & "Far Far Away" are some of my favourite Slade songs. Great to see Jim is appreciated here. Their live version of Janis Joplin's "Move Over" is just fantastic.

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Big_Stu Proficient

Big_Stu

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Posted

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1322815104' post='1456072']
'Everyday' is such a bloody wonderful song. Always makes me cry.
[/quote]
Get your hankies ready then......................

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVCxA0sxTSQ[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me7KHnBwoSE[/media]


I had the pleasure of seeing them 36 times over 10 years while a mate of mine saw them 108 times. Both of us own one of Nod's Hiwatt amps & a cab each.

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Dad3353 Grand Master

Dad3353

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:)
Sorry, lads (and lassies...); I don't mean to pee on your party, but that was goddamned aweful (imho, of course...); yes, the whole thread, though I couldn't listen to all of it. I tried, but it's amazing just how long 2' 40" can be (or seem...). I'm going to stick to Phil Lesh and Jack Casady for my inspiration in future, I shouldn't have listened to your sirens.
Never mind, I couldn't wear the boots, either. To be fair, I thought it was rubbish at the time, too, so it's not just me getting old (or rather, gotten old..!). I shall thank no-one for these posts.
([i]Phew..! Glad that's over..! Back to the 12 dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, quick[/i]...)
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12stringbassist Experienced

12stringbassist

Posted
Posted (edited)

Jim Lea played bass on all of Slade's recordings, Dave or Nod would sometimes (rarely) do a bass part onstage,
if Jim was playing violin. I think Jim Lea was the reason I took up bass - far more so than McCartney.

My Slade site is at [url="http://www.slayed.co.uk"]www.slayed.co.uk[/url]

Edited by 12stringbassist
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