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Ronnie Lane


BassBus

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Just been watching a documentary about the Small Faces on YouTube and was struck by the sound of Ronnie Lane's bass. So full sounding and luscious. Kenny Jones spoke very highly of his ability and how much he enjoyed playing with him. Some fantastic songs too. That is all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgzwrSxeh3A

Edited by BassBus
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Ronnie was a bit of a hero of mine growing up. Always loved the Small Faces, I've always enjoyed a well written pop song and the band always had a sense of fun about them as well as being a great rock band. I briefly met Ronnie when I played the disco at a Slim Chance gig in Reading. They say never meet your heroes but he was a real gentleman, a lovely warm human being. Actually stayed and danced the rest of the night after the gig. Actually sent his girlfriend over to ask for a couple of songs, I wish I could remember what they were. Couldn't believe it when I found out soon after about his illness, there's no doubt about it, he was a wonderful person as well as a great bassist.

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Yes, one if my teenage heroes too. He was great in Rod Stewart's Faces and I've always had a hankering for a Les Paul bass because of him (but no longer want a pale satin suit with big lapels and flared trousers).

The irony is that the Faces' most well-known song, Maggie May, has on the recording Ronnie Wood playing the (imho) over-cooked bass part.

It's worth reading up on the travelling circus-style tour Ronnie Laine tried. The guy was a one-off and a talented song writer also

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I only really discovered Ronnie's solo material about five years ago, but I was totally seduced by it: such genuine, organic, and nostalgic music I hadn't heard in a long time.  I think I now own pretty much every piece of recorded music he produced as a solo artist.  My band play Ooh La La, How Come, Annie and Debris on a regular basis, and audiences love them.

The documentary about the man himself is worth a watch here

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I only know his playing with The Small Faces and the popular Faces tunes that get airplay, but was happy enough to be told out of the blue by a punter after we debuted our latest original tune, that it sounds like a bassline that Ronnie Lane would've written. 

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4 hours ago, visog said:

Erm I confess I don't know his oeuvre but I did enjoy Eric Clapton's 'Rainbow Concert' album which I think might have been a benefit for him? Prepared to be corrected on this...

I don’t think EC’s Rainbow Concert was a benefit for Ronnie, although it may have been recorded using his mobile studio set up? 

You’re maybe thinker of the later performances in the early 80’s, known as the ARMS (Action into Research for Multiple Sclerosis) charity concerts which involved Ronnie, who sadly suffered from MS. Think it was a handful of gigs played at The Albert Hall and some in the US which featured EC and many other famous players including Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page , Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts. I had a copy on VHS back then!

Ronnie’s old band Slim Chance coincidentally have recently reformed and toured in the UK, performing some of Ronnie’s material as well as some new stuff too. I missed them when they played near me, but hope to catch them soon.

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On 09/11/2019 at 08:04, Len_derby said:

Yes, one if my teenage heroes too. He was great in Rod Stewart's Faces and I've always had a hankering for a Les Paul bass because of him (but no longer want a pale satin suit with big lapels and flared trousers).

The irony is that the Faces' most well-known song, Maggie May, has on the recording Ronnie Wood playing the (imho) over-cooked bass part.

It's worth reading up on the travelling circus-style tour Ronnie Laine tried. The guy was a one-off and a talented song writer also

Ah but the bass to Stay With Me makes up for it

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On 09/11/2019 at 08:04, Len_derby said:

The irony is that the Faces' most well-known song, Maggie May, has on the recording Ronnie Wood playing the (imho) over-cooked bass part.

The irony is that Maggie May was a Rod solo song and not a Faces track😉

The record has  probably one of the most disrespectful credits in pop: "The mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind":/

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12 minutes ago, SteveK said:

The irony is that Maggie May was a Rod solo song and not a Faces track😉

The record has  probably one of the most disrespectful credits in pop: "The mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind":/

And mined on Top of The Pops by John Peel.

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2 hours ago, SteveK said:

The irony is that Maggie May was a Rod solo song and not a Faces track😉

The record has  probably one of the most disrespectful credits in pop: "The mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind":/

Ah yes, I stand corrected. It was fantastic to be a teenager in the 1970s but It's all a bit of a blur now. 😀

 

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I saw him supporting Bob Marley and the Wailers in Dublin in 1980. I know this seems unlikely and I was mistrusting my memory, so I looked it up and found this on Rootfire. An extract ...

"The main support act The Average White Band was cancelled, and this caused a lot of confusion outside the gig as the promoters were advising customers when they entered the grounds, offering refunds of the £7 admission charge. No takers, so it was obvious everyone was there to see Bob. A crowd who had gathered outside the event were let in for free halfway through the concert.

The replacement support act was Ronnie Lane and Friends, who did a short set. Ronnie was at this time suffering from MS."

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I saw Slim Chance a couple of weeks ago at the Half Moon. The mix was horribly swamped in sub-bass, common enough nowadays but extra inappropriate on songs of that vintage and quality. Anyway... still worth it to hear personal fave tunes like Roll On Babe and The Poacher, plus Geraint Watkins doing a really lovely Debris. 

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