phil.c60 Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 (edited) As I have a lot of time on my hands, and I am of a certain age, I have been watching re-runs of this seminal police drama on ITV4. Come on George and all that. I have noticed that almost all the incidental music is bass guitar with a great tone and it really does add a great deal to the visual. Does anyone know who played it? Edited April 30, 2020 by phil.c60 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Herbie Flowers? http://www.mark-1.co.uk/Sweeney tracks.html 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.c60 Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 (edited) Thanks for that WOT! Might have known it would be him. He really was everywhere all at once at the time like some omnipresent bass god wasn't he. Following links from that led me to this: Scroll through to track 51 at 1:51:06 and it's all there! Great tone, lot's of space and feel with minimalist percussion. Time to get playing along! Edited April 30, 2020 by phil.c60 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaz66 Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Don't forget the great Dave Richmond and his Burns Bison. His tracks Heavy lead and Nightwatch in particular. He's on loads of KPM and Bruton library stuff as a composer and player and the bass always sounds amazing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JottoSW1 Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Minder (only a bit off topic cos of Dennis Waterman) theme was Mo Foster 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 2 hours ago, gaz66 said: Don't forget the great Dave Richmond and his Burns Bison. His tracks Heavy lead and Nightwatch in particular. He's on loads of KPM and Bruton library stuff as a composer and player and the bass always sounds amazing. Indeed, he was a great player. Dave played on lots of library/production stuff as well TV sessions back in the days of regular Light Entertainment Music. He comes into shot from around 01:25. Here he is with his Burns Bison... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Fascinating stuff ! I was convinced the guy at 2.45 was looking at a mobile phone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 11 hours ago, JottoSW1 said: Minder (only a bit off topic cos of Dennis Waterman) theme was Mo Foster I thought Dennis wrote the theme tune, sang the theme tune, played bass on the theme tune... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 (edited) ^^^ The tune started out life on Waterman's solo album before it was used on 'Minder'. Mo Foster played Bass on the Minder session. He has documented this many times, including talking about the Bass he used. A Kramer, I think. EDIT: Here is the Basschat interview 'Rich' did with Mo Foster back in 2012. Edited May 1, 2020 by lowdown 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 Mo is a lovely, lovely man. A true gentleman. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 On 30/04/2020 at 10:45, Lozz196 said: Slough trading estates and stacks of empty cardboard boxes 😆 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 Hey Mr. Garage Man, service me Granada! [Daylight come, and me wanna go home.] 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misdee Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 Dave Richmond is a brilliant bass player, absolutely fantastic. His work with Serge Gainsbourg is especially good: Yes, I know that at least three different bass players claim to have played on this album, but as far as I know, Dave Richmond is the most likely candidate. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaz66 Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 Yes, "Melody Nelson" is definitely Dave Richmond. There was a transcription of the track "Cargo Culte" in a bass mag a few years back and Herbie Flowers [ who was usually credited for it ] is quoted saying "I have a well worn copy of the original recording...I can tell his sound and style a mile away. It's him all the way on this masterpiece. " Dave is also on some great Scott Walker solo LP's. The track "The old man's back again" is particularly brilliant. As is his playing on the Labi Siffre recording "It must be love." Nothing sounds like that Burns Bison with a Pick! I think he is one of the greatest UK bass players and not rated enough these days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 On 30/04/2020 at 11:15, lowdown said: Indeed, he was a great player. Dave played on lots of library/production stuff as well TV sessions back in the days of regular Light Entertainment Music. He comes into shot from around 01:25. I've always loved the bass part on It Must Be Love, (surely another contender for the Wilton Felder thread). Dave Richmond is an excellent player (is he using a P bass in this clip?) , and I know guys have to make a living, but this Saturday night light entertainment stuff made. and still makes, me cringe! It's what my Dad imagined I'd be doing when I told him I was going to be a professional bass player. He was horrified when I told him I'd joined a Soul band based in Brussels. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaz66 Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 I think it is a P bass and I know what you mean about the light entertainment stuff ! But I imagine for a forty something session musician in the 1980's the Ronnie Hazlehurst gig was a nice steady earner. A gig for life or at least until the death of the bandleader! Shame they didn't do The Two Ronnies theme, that's properly funky. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 Something I liked about the Sweeney theme was the mellow version at the end of the show. Joe 90 was the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 6 minutes ago, gaz66 said: I think it is a P bass and I know what you mean about the light entertainment stuff ! But I imagine for a forty something session musician in the 1980's the Ronnie Hazlehurst gig was a nice steady earner. A gig for life or at least until the death of the bandleader! Shame they didn't do The Two Ronnies theme, that's properly funky. Yes, you are right. Those TV Orchestra gigs were steady earners back then. Actually, that particular Orchestra had a few of the regular musicians from the busy TV and Film session scene at the time. Agree about The Two Ronnies theme. Here is the full length version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 1 hour ago, chris_b said: I've always loved the bass part on It Must Be Love, (surely another contender for the Wilton Felder thread). Dave Richmond is an excellent player (is he using a P bass in this clip?) , and I know guys have to make a living, but this Saturday night light entertainment stuff made. and still makes, me cringe! It's what my Dad imagined I'd be doing when I told him I was going to be a professional bass player. He was horrified when I told him I'd joined a Soul band based in Brussels. It's usually about this time, in a thread about British session Bassists of the past, who sometimes played with a pick, that Russ Stableford pops up, Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visog Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 I always click on these posts with a 'really!?' attitude and then learn so much about the provenance... Can't help but enjoy and learn. Modern life is rubbish, etc. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouMa Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 I liked the lesser known theme from 80s Three up two down TV show its ronnie again. Well smooth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 The very first episode (Ringer) was on TV today , great 70’s TV, really enjoy looking out for all the actors of the time, many have sadly passed away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 The early episodes are also fun for seeing Garfield Morgan drifting in and out of the series, before he became the third key member of the cast. Morgan used to live in Turnham Green (Chiswick) at the other end of my road, I'd see him all the time walking up to Chiswick High Road. In a Dennis Waterman twist, Rula Lenska used to live about 100 yards further up ... they must have been bumping into each other all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 I remember Kojak used to have some old funky tunes in the program Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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