grahamd Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 (edited) http://youtu.be/o-YCmncMCro Was listening to this again today, loving the bass as usual, before wondering who actually played it. Came across this on the Quietus, sweet story. Should probably be in the underrated bassists thread! He was 16 at the time. 16! GG: 17. Pretty early on we'd recorded 'Facist Groove Thang' and the backing track was down and we'd got this gap in the middle - a standard middle eight gap - and Martyn said, 'Why don't we do something really stupid like have a disco bass solo.' We didn't know any bass players who could do any more than play rubbish one note bass lines. At the time to get some money together I was working as a stage hand at the Crucible Theatre just doing the panto and shifting scenery. I asked in the green room if anyone played bass and this really quiet, nice guy called John Wilson put his hand up and said he played a bit. I said, 'Brilliant. At lunch time can we go to yours, get your bass and you can come to the studio and play it.' We got the bus to his, picked up his bass came to the studio and we recorded it in one take. He's left handed but hadn't restrung the bass, just learned how to play it upside down. He said, 'Is that OK? Because I don't usually play bass... I'm more of a rhythm guitar player.' And we said, 'Really? Can we go back to your house and get your rhythm guitar?' [both laugh] This is just as good too... http://youtu.be/aKZgdNomKYs Edited August 25, 2013 by grahamd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Brothers Sisters... Takes me back. I've been listening to Penthouse and Pavement and Depeche Mode's - Construction Time Again recently. They both need remastering to sound a bit more 'modern' but are classic albums. I've always thought that bass solo was a bit dodgy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratman Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Blimey, this takes me back! If I remember rightly, Heaven 17 formed when they left the original line up of The Human League. Penthouse & Pavement was, and is still a cracking album, not bad for a bunch of kids in 1981. I'm going to have to have another listen very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswareham Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 (edited) Ian Marsh and Martyn Ware are great musicians. I absolutely love the first two albums they did with Phil Oakey as The Human League - and the sleeve note on the second album always amuses me; "contains synthesisers and vocals only". Kick started my love of analogue synths, and when I could finally buy one I got a Roland Jupiter 4, which was the synth used on not only the first two League albums but also on Dare. Edited August 25, 2013 by chriswareham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatboter Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 I always thought that was a keyboard.. great story ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacker Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 There's a story that they heard Wilson playing bass as they walked through a part of Edinburgh during the Festival and that's - supposedly- how he ended up on FGT. sh*t DI'd bass sound, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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