The Who. The Real me.

[bubinga5]

I don't buy a lot of rock music but i bought Quadrophenia last week..its a great album but as soon as i heard this record, i was blown away. the bass playing is just SUPERB..!!! as is the drumming. always something interesting going on with his bass playing. a joy to listen to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2h1MY70uag

[TimR]

Simply the best Who song. It was released in the states as a single but not the UK so doesn't appear on the Greatest Hits album. It should though.

Edited September 27, 2014 by TimR

[bonzodog]

Yes a great song. WASPs cover version isn't bad too

[sbrag]

One of my favourite bass lines ever. The ox at his best.

[ezbass]

[quote name='sbrag' timestamp='1411836078' post='2563200']
One of my favourite bass lines ever. The ox at his best.
[/quote]+1 A great bass line with tone to die for.

[TimR]

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1411830408' post='2563142']
Yes a great song. WASPs cover version isn't bad too
[/quote]

It's quite funny that I'd seen Qadrophenia several times before I bought Headless Children and that track stood out to me. Well before the days of the internet and TAB. I learned it and I only realised it was a who song a lot later.

[TimR]

Don't ask me to play it now, that's was in 1987!

[KiOgon]

As bass lines go - that's a real beauty thanks Mr JE

[SteveK]

The Who... in all their glorious, scrappy, untogetherness - Great stuff!
Their scrappy untogetherness added to the excitement and magic of The Who...
If you or I, or most any other musician were as scrappy, by design or accident, it would sound... well... crap!
Funny ol' thing... music!

[inthedoghouse]

One hell of an awesome song and bass line!

We do a cover of it and it's such a great song to play - one of the best Who tracks ever! :-) I never get tired of hearing The Ox playing on different versions of it.

[Billy Apple]

Anyone know what he was using on the track?

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1411857153' post='2563402']
Anyone know what he was using on the track?
[/quote]

High-grade coke, himself, plus speed and amphets for Moonie, I'd guess..?

Edited September 27, 2014 by Dad3353

[Tuco]

[quote name='sbrag' timestamp='1411836078' post='2563200']
The ox at his best.
[/quote]
^

[Lozz196]

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1411830408' post='2563142']
Yes a great song. WASPs cover version isn't bad too
[/quote]

Yep, love that cover version. Great song to play, though I`m sure I never did it properly.

[bonzodog]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1411871911' post='2563451']


Yep, love that cover version. Great song to play, though I`m sure I never did it properly.
[/quote]

I would love to try it in our band especially as we do mainly who and jam songs. Only problem is me and guitarist share lead vox and this song is more suited to my higher voice. I dont fancy trying to sing it and play that bass line at same time!

[bubinga5]

[quote name='SteveK' timestamp='1411841508' post='2563248']
The Who... in all their glorious, scrappy, untogetherness - Great stuff!
Their scrappy untogetherness added to the excitement and magic of The Who...
If you or I, or most any other musician were as scrappy, by design or accident, it would sound... well... crap!
Funny ol' thing... music!
[/quote]i never noticed that "scrappy" aspect but yes they were all over the place in a way with the drumming and the bass playing. adds a definite edge to the music. scrappy in a great package.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1411857153' post='2563402']
Anyone know what he was using on the track?
[/quote]

Gibson Thunderbird, probably still using Hiwatt at the time.

[TimR]

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1411900687' post='2563614']
i never noticed that "scrappy" aspect but yes they were all over the place in a way with the drumming and the bass playing. adds a definite edge to the music. scrappy in a great package.
[/quote]

It was more that the roles of the instruments were not as you would expect.

Bass - melody and counter melody.
Dums - solid but lots of fills where you wouldn't expect them but not trampling over the vocals as would normally happen. Almost melodic in places.
Guitar - rhythm.

A very interesting band to study.

Edited September 28, 2014 by TimR

[SteveK]

Anyone who's interested, here's the isolated bass track

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAahWxWIS9o#t=89[/media]

[inthedoghouse]

Here's the isolated bass track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPl-ToM9WiQ

[ern500evo]

Both of those isolated tracks are different to the version I've got on a Quadrophenia soundtrack!

[Sonic_Groove]

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1411904877' post='2563686']
Gibson Thunderbird, probably still using Hiwatt at the time.
[/quote]

[b] From April 1994 Bassist interview[/b]

“…by [color=#000000]‘[/color][color=#000000]Quadrophenia[/color][color=#000000]’ and [/color][color=#000000]Who By Numbers[/color][color=#000000] I was playing Gibson Thunderbirds. I felt I was getting stuck in a rut, using all the treble. So I changed to Sunn Colosseum[sic: Coliseum] power amps and a German preamp called a [/color][color=#000000]Stremp[/color][color=#000000] [sic: Stramp], and took up with the Thunderbirds. Eventually I found that I had developed a new playing style, then discovered [/color][color=#000000]Alembic[/color][color=#000000] basses and went back to playing with treble. I go backwards and forwards like that all the time.”[/color]
B

Edited September 28, 2014 by Sonic_Groove

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='ern500evo' timestamp='1411919517' post='2563884']
Both of those isolated tracks are different to the version I've got on a Quadrophenia soundtrack!
[/quote]

John was in charge of remixing the songs for the soundtrack and re-recorded his bass lines with his Alembics. It's a much grittier, treblier sound than the original but unfortunatley his playing is a lot sloppier on the soundtrack. Probably fuelled by brandy.
The soundtrack album is a bit hit and miss - do yourself a favour and get the original, it makes much more sense.