Level 42 Before Level42

[lowdown]

Sorry. Double Post.

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by lowdown

[Bean9seventy]

42 minutes ago, lowdown said:

 

Here we go once again. Who said loads of them? 

 

Although released late 1976, by 1977/78, the Jaco album was a talking point among some musicians in the UK. Well, certainly in my circle(s). Apart from Jaco's contribution, there were top, known players on that album as well. Granted, if you were not listening to fusion and such at the time, then the album and musicians on it, wouldn't have possibly gained your attention.

 

Musician Credits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaco_Pastorius_(album)

 

the gentryfied never give up ,,

we are bass players from the street & slapping the bass was not invented in no college & no jazz circles ,

 

if it was not for disco no one would have brought it

 

there are DJs btw who know extactly who was buying records

& why ,

 

42 minutes ago, lowdown said:

 

 

 

 

 

[Ricky 4000]

21 hours ago, drTStingray said:

Im surprised you didn’t look at a Wal - they were ‘affordable’ back then. I chose a Stingray at the end of the 70s because I wanted that fat, staccato (Bernard Edwards) sound - active basses did that well with concurrent amps, as well as slap sound (Wals have a great slap sound as well). I was turned on to Wals at the time by Alan Spenner (funk and also Roxymusic) playing one and Percy Jones (jazz funk). 

 

4 hours ago, drTStingray said:

He’s using an Ibanez Musician I think (could be an Aria) 1981. 

 

3 hours ago, Bassassin said:

 

There's an '81 TOTP video - he's playing either an Aria SB700 or an SB1000 - through-neck, single pickup, can't tell if it's active or passive. I'd guess that's what he recorded the track with.

 

Begs the question why the high-end Japanese basses like Aria SBs and Ibanez Musicians & Studios, which all emerged at the end of the 70s, don't seem to have been embraced by the players that @Bean9seventyis talking about - they'd seem to tick all the boxes, not Fendery, through-neck, 24 fret, 2-a-side headstock etc. Certainly very affordable compared to the Alembics that inspired their designs.

 

A bit off-topic I know 🤒, but I remember the Aria TSB ads featuring Gary Tibbs:

 

 

That was around the time that my bass teacher bought an SB1000... which was nice.

[Bean9seventy]

3 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

 

 

 

A bit off-topic I know 🤒, but I remember the Aria TSB ads featuring Gary Tibbs:

 

 

That was around the time that my bass teacher bought an SB1000... which was nice.

i am confused you saying the guy with the C.V thing & posting photos of himself & basses is gary tibbs ?

or this is just a photo of the guy with the same name as this gary chap ?

[lowdown]

3 minutes ago, Bean9seventy said:

i am confused you saying the guy with the C.V thing & posting photos of himself & basses is gary tibbs ?

or this is just a photo of the guy with the same name as this gary chap ?

 

No. it is not me.

[Ricky 4000]

No. It's Gary Tibbs outta Adam And The Ants, and Roxy Music. 👍

[EssentialTension]

1 hour ago, lowdown said:

 

Here we go once again. Who said loads of them? 

 

Although released late 1976, by 1977/78, the Jaco album was a talking point among some musicians in the UK. Well, certainly in my circle(s). Apart from Jaco's contribution, there were top, known players on that album as well. Granted, if you were not listening to fusion and such at the time, then the album and musicians on it, wouldn't have possibly gained your attention.

 

Musician Credits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaco_Pastorius_(album)

 

 

 

Yes, and by '78, as well as the solo album, there were three Weather Report albums with Pastorius appearing on at least some tracks.

 

Many of the musos I knew were listening especially to Weather Report, in particular Heavy Weather.

 

The idea that Pastorius wasn't influential (in listening and playing) by 1978 is ridiculous. It has its limits but its there.

[EssentialTension]

Double post

Edited January 2, 2022 by EssentialTension

[Stub Mandrel]

3 hours ago, lowdown said:

I just found this up on Google. The price for a 4040 back then:

 

 

 

"Selected lightweight obeche body" = made out of floorboards. 🙂

 

 

[drTStingray]

2 hours ago, EssentialTension said:

 

Yes, and by '78, as well as the solo album, there were three Weather Report albums with Pastorius appearing on at least some tracks.

 

Many of the musos I knew were listening especially to Weather Report, in particular Heavy Weather.

 

The idea that Pastorius wasn't influential (in listening and playing) by 1978 is ridiculous. It has its limits but its there.

You have to go back to my post about three strands of people being turned on to jazz/funk. Not only did he heavily influence me, I was in a cover band in the late 70s, mostly doing prog (Camel and the like) but we also did Birdland and some Tom Scott stuff - probably 77/78 right after Heavy Weather was available. I quite sure the underground dance and DJ scene was not interested in this.

 

I do accord with @Bean9seventy ‘s issue with colleges and the like and the distorted view sometimes projected - I actually discovered Jaco’s first solo album in around 2000 following an article on him in a bass magazine - and I was heavily into jazz/funk and a bass player when it came out. The idea it was universally heralded by bass players in the U.K. is ridiculous - I would also say I was far more influenced by Pino’s fretless work with Paul Young than Jaco back then - it was far more accessible - in fact on every juke box in a way Jaco never was. However possession of a couple of Weather Report albums in the late 70s/early 80s did result in ‘lifting’ some of his licks, though it would be about 2006, and in possession of a Hal Leonard book, that I learned some of his be bop stuff - and particularly Teen Town (always one of my favourite bass parts), and Portrait of Tracy. However I still have his second solo album on vinyl, which I’ve had since new - and I learned The Chicken from. IIRC I had it off our drummer, who was the source of many obscure jazz funk, disco and R and B albums - he didn’t like the Jaco album much and I would confess that much of it didn’t appeal to me until about 15 yrs ago, discovering some of his more obscure stuff!! 
 

Im sure my experience is not the same as everyone else but similarly I don’t think it was by any means unique or unusual at the time. You were more likely to be exchanging Louis Johnson or Larry Graham licks with other players than Jaco or Stanley Clarke’s. 
 

I would emphasise that this was the U.K. - in the US there were even some people using Precisions with flatwound strings at the end of the 70s - however not all - even Jaco used Rotosound roundwounds on his fretless by the mid 70s!!! Flatwounds (as with guitar) we’re very much a 60s throw back 😏

 

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by drTStingray

[tauzero]

7 hours ago, Bean9seventy said:

the 40 40 had a delux plastic pick up guard , seems you took it off ? quite a big move in 1973 ,

 

I put my Hayman together from parts when the Fender Soundhouse had a fire around the same time as Hayman went bust and a load of parts were sold off cheap. Didn't get a pickup guard, didn't see the point. Neither of the Precisions I've owned had ashtrays.

[NikNik]

How do I unsubscribe from this thread?

Edited January 3, 2022 by NikNik

[Hellzero]

Ok, let's face it another way : the typical island and particularly typical British "need for" isolation.

 

Living and studying in Belgium in the late 70's/early 80's we where more into hard rock, punk, new wave or cold wave, but at least one of us (he was a sax and keyboard player) was listening to some fusion and introduced us to Weather Report and Jaco Pastorius.

 

I clearly remember not liking it that much, but being interested by the whole concept.

 

That said I was more into Japan and the amazing Mick Karn or even Pino Palladino with Gary Numan or, a bit later, with Paul Young.

 

I was loving Hawkwind and, of course, Lemmy with or without Motörhead.

 

I really discovered Jaco Pastorius through Toots Thielemans in the mid 80's thanks to an extraordinary concert with Michel Hatzigeorgiou on Fender fretless Jazz Bass.

 

Talking about Lemmy reminds me that he always liked to say that he was listening to Radio Luxembourg when he was young as there was absolutely nothing to listen to on the BBC, especially nothing new or non British, just the typical boring stuff labelled Made in Britain.

 

With my best mate we also had a broadcasting show on Saturday evening on a local radio presenting almost everything musically different or obscure at the time, early 80's, with a real audience and some recognition too.

 

The concept of the show was also different as the name changed everything 10 shows as well as the jingle that we were making ourselves.

 

So why would Jaco be recognised in the late 70's/early 80's in Belgium and not in the U.K. ?

 

Just check above.

[Grassie]

On 26/12/2021 at 20:56, martin8708 said:

It’s probably well known that Mark King  was originally a drummer when he was playing as a youngster on the Isle of Wight . 
When he moved to London , he blagged a job at Macaris claiming to play bass , ( Macaris did not sell drums ) and that’s where he developed his percussive style of bass playing . 
As a resident of the Isle of Wight for the last 20 years , I have not had the pleasure of meeting him , but he is the patron of the IoW bass players society and all round good guy , unlike some of the unpleasant famous people who move down here .

Good day, fellow island dweller.

 

[iconic]

On 01/01/2022 at 20:36, drTStingray said:

Im surprised you didn’t look at a Wal - they were ‘affordable’ back then. I chose a Stingray at the end of the 70s because I wanted that fat, staccato (Bernard Edwards) sound - active basses did that well with concurrent amps, as well as slap sound (Wals have a great slap sound as well). I was turned on to Wals at the time by Alan Spenner (funk and also Roxymusic) playing one and Percy Jones (jazz funk). 

I had my Stingray bubble burst this week.

 

Niles been saying that a lot of the Chic et al recordings, were actually done on a Fender P but, Bernie used Stingray and BC Rich on stage as they looked cooler. 

[Downunderwonder]

On 31/12/2021 at 09:18, Bean9seventy said:

 

 

its like Mark Adams "on something"

Douglas Adams more like.

[Downunderwonder]

On 31/12/2021 at 12:20, Stub Mandrel said:

 

That was an idea that really flew...

....in one ear and out t'other.

[drTStingray]

On 03/01/2022 at 20:37, iconic said:

I had my Stingray bubble burst this week.

 

Niles been saying that a lot of the Chic et al recordings, were actually done on a Fender P but, Bernie used Stingray and BC Rich on stage as they looked cooler. 

You should re-inflate it!! If you hear the isolated bass tracks (a number shown in threads last year on Basschat), you can hear exactly which ones are on a Stingray (which is most of the 1978-80 tracks). The sound is unmistakable (whilst noting that Bernard’s strings were probably the GHS flatwounds it came with). 
 

I’ve heard Nile say various things on this when interviewed over the years - including that Bernard ALWAYS played a Jazz bass (which is clearly incorrect). 

Edited January 4, 2022 by drTStingray

[drTStingray]

On 02/01/2022 at 18:26, Ricky 4000 said:

No. It's Gary Tibbs outta Adam And The Ants, and Roxy Music. 👍

I had heard he played a played a Wal when with Roxymusic, as did Alan Spenner. 

[martin8708]

On 03/01/2022 at 10:29, Grassie said:

Good day, fellow island dweller.

 

Good day to you as well , hope you are well .

Are you gigging much ? 

[Grassie]

11 hours ago, martin8708 said:

Good day to you as well , hope you are well .

Are you gigging much ? 

Nope...  Have a handful of projects on the go, one almost ready but we've had delays due to illness/covid/bereavements, a couple of others just starting. Did an open mic last night, first time in front of a (small) crowd for three years... 

How about you?