Any information on Brad Lang?

[Rib13Bass]

This guy is a complete mystery. The Lexicon of Love by ABC is, to me, a near perfect pop album: like a dancy version of Eldorado by ELO ( another near perfect album)...Brad Lang did all the great fretless parts on that album and even did fretless for them on subsequent albums (like the end of "Be Near Me" from How to Be a Zillionaire)...there is practically no information on him except being a UK session guy in the 80s.....Would love to hear more of his work.......Anybody?

Edited February 11, 2024 by Rib13Bass

[EJWW]

One of my favourite records and a terrific bassist.

 

Trevor recommended the band sack their original bass player Mark Lickley and Brad replaced him. 

 

According to Trevor Horn's book Brad was the son of Don Lang who was the trombonist in the Bob Miller band and had sung the original theme for the Six-Five Special TV series. 

 

There is a really challenging bass lick in 'Show Me' at the end of the string intro at 0.38s where the drums come in. Awesome dextrous bass guitar playing which took me ages to figure out!

 

 

[Rib13Bass]

5 minutes ago, EJWW said:

One of my favourite records and a terrific bassist.

 

Trevor recommended the band sack their original bass player Mark Lickley and Brad replaced him. 

 

According to Trevor Horn's book Brad was the son of Don Lang who was the trombonist in the Bob Miller band and had sung the original theme for the Six-Five Special TV series. 

 

There is a really challenging bass lick in 'Show Me' at the end of the string intro at 0.38s where the drums come in. Awesome dextrous bass guitar playing which took me ages to figure out!

 

 

Thanks for the info! Thats more information I learned just posting here than I did in the past decade lo....this begs the question: Did Lang also play the fretted parts? Lickley is in the music videos from the album's singles which means he was still in the band post release....and yes, I love that Show Me bass riff.......

[Woodwind]

1 minute ago, Rib13Bass said:

Thanks for the info! Thats more information I learned just posting here than I did in the past decade lo....this begs the question: Did Lang also play the fretted parts? Lickley is in the music videos from the album's singles which means he was still in the band post release....and yes, I love that Show Me bass riff.......

 

Did Trevor Horn play the fretted parts?

I'd always thought that was the case, but not really based on much.

[Rib13Bass]

1 minute ago, Woodwind said:

 

Did Trevor Horn play the fretted parts?

I'd always thought that was the case, but not really based on much.

 

In the videos, Lickley is playing a Kramer DMZ bass. Although the bass in videos is often not what is being played on records, the fretted parts on Lexicon sound like a high-endy brittly P-Bass, which is what those basses sound like

[TimR]

This Brad Lang?

 

 

https://www.taxi.com/members/tMUWdre-QSa6sorKSEufiA-brad-lang

[Rib13Bass]

52 minutes ago, TimR said:

This Brad Lang?

 

 

https://www.taxi.com/members/tMUWdre-QSa6sorKSEufiA-brad-lang

 Yes...Thanks

[itu]

Wasn't the Kajagoogoo bassist, Nick Beggs, involved in the project?

Edited February 11, 2024 by itu

[sprocketflup]

Did he play on 'Poison Arrow'? Absolutely love the bass tone on that track

[Rib13Bass]

On 11/02/2024 at 17:08, itu said:

Wasn't the Kajagoogoo bassist, Nick Beggs, involved in the project?

Yes but in the 2000s

 

 

On 11/02/2024 at 17:22, sprocketflup said:

Did he play on 'Poison Arrow'? Absolutely love the bass tone on that track

Lang did all the awesome fretless parts....The fretted parts are attributed to Lickley although there are some sources that state that Trevor Horn (who produced Lexicon) did all the fretted parts, which is also believable

[TimR]

Currently playing with Barbara Dickson.

 

https://www.barbaradickson.net/my-own-adventure

 

She's currently on a farewell tour but seems the bass parts on the Album were recorded in France and I can't find out who is in her live band. 

 

[Barking Spiders]

One of my fave bass albums and fave albums full stop. Every track has a great bassline the best being 4ever 2gether and Valentine's Day. I've searched high and low on the web for other bass credits for Brad Lang but nada. 

[KingPrawn]

PLAYEEEEEEER!

[TimR]

27 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

One of my fave bass albums and fave albums full stop. Every track has a great bassline the best being 4ever 2gether and Valentine's Day. I've searched high and low on the web for other bass credits for Brad Lang but nada. 

 

Sewms to be Barbara Dickson first call bassist.

 

Fretless and other on Albums:

Words Unspoken

To Each and Everyone

My Own Line

Time is Going Faster

My Own Adventure. 

 

 

 

[stephen2eq]

Deleted

Edited November 1, 2024 by stephen2eq

[stephen2eq]

 

 

See also

 

[Steve Davis]

Not sure how much info i can really add to the discussion , but i'll try; there is a fair bit of info (clearly written by Brad himself!) on taxi.com, along with a fair number of self-penned tracks (which i have yet to listen to!). What i can add, over and above what is written there, is that i was at school with Brad! Even as a teenager he was a phenomenal bass player; a very musical family, since his dad was the legendary Don Lang (of Don Lang & His Frantic Five, who were a staple of British music TV in the late 50s/early 60s. If i remember correctly, Brad's sister could belt out a tune or two as well! According to taxi.com, Brad now divides his time between Yateley, Hants and rural France....

[itu]