Elvis - The Vegas Cheeseburger years. Who was his bassist?

[Marky L]

Was watching the Elvis in Vegas prog on TV last night and was reminded how damn hot his bass player was. Well in fact the whole band, but it was the bassist and drummer that just drove those songs along.

Was he session player?

[Huge Hands]

Jerry Scheff?

[cetera]

Yep, Jerry Scheff.

His son Jason Scheff (currently with Chicago) is no slouch either!

[Marky L]

Sweet, thanks.

I need to dig out some live Elvis stuff methinks!

[tredders]

[quote name='Marky L' post='700432' date='Jan 4 2010, 01:37 PM']Sweet, thanks.

I need to dig out some live Elvis stuff methinks![/quote]

I can recommend Live in Vegas.... just bought it on iTunes. Decent compilation and amazingly tight band

[Marky L]

[quote name='tredders' post='700501' date='Jan 4 2010, 02:45 PM']I can recommend Live in Vegas.... just bought it on iTunes. Decent compilation and amazingly tight band [/quote]

Will do!!

Hey, nosing at your sig... not interested in selling your black/maple P are you?

[Beedster]

There's a live version of Suspicious Minds which I reckon has some of the best bass playing ever on it, real tight and the line just builds and builds. Pretty good bass line anyway, but Elvis takes the song out at a hell of a pace which makes the musicianship even more impressive

C

[wombatboter]

I had the pleasure to meet Jerry Scheff in France and I enjoyed his company while we went for something to eat in a restaurant.
Nice person, still an amazing bassplayer (he also played on "Riders on the storm") and he told me that he listens to a lot of Radiohead these days..
He does need hearing-aids (in both ears) nowadays..
He also plays on the Roy Orbison-dvd (black and white-night) together with Ronnie Tutt (also the Elvis-veteran), highly recommended.

[Marky L]

[quote name='Beedster' post='700561' date='Jan 4 2010, 03:45 PM']There's a live version of Suspicious Minds which I reckon has some of the best bass playing ever on it, real tight and the line just builds and builds. Pretty good bass line anyway, but Elvis takes the song out at a hell of a pace which makes the musicianship even more impressive

C[/quote]

Yeah, I know that one and I totally agree, it's vastly superior to the standard recorded version, it absolutely kicks

[tredders]

[quote name='Marky L' post='700549' date='Jan 4 2010, 03:33 PM']Will do!!

Hey, nosing at your sig... not interested in selling your black/maple P are you? [/quote]

Never Never Never! It's my fave bass ever. Now, the 62 I could be persuaded to sell

[Beedster]

[quote name='Marky L' post='700585' date='Jan 4 2010, 04:15 PM']Yeah, I know that one and I totally agree, it's vastly superior to the standard recorded version, it absolutely kicks [/quote]

Do you know which album it's on Mark, I feel a bit of an ebay purchase coming on

[Marky L]

[quote name='Beedster' post='700618' date='Jan 4 2010, 04:40 PM']Do you know which album it's on Mark, I feel a bit of an ebay purchase coming on [/quote]

Alas no. I have it as an mp3 that I obtained some years back. It's lurking on a back up CD... somewhere.

I'll ask my incredibly unreliable friend who is a big later years Elvis fan. Don' hold your breath though!

[Marky L]

[quote name='tredders' post='700601' date='Jan 4 2010, 04:28 PM']Never Never Never! It's my fave bass ever. Now, the 62 I could be persuaded to sell [/quote]

Ah well.. no harm in asking! .... or how about just the neck...

[Beedster]

[quote name='Marky L' post='700626' date='Jan 4 2010, 04:47 PM']Alas no. I have it as an mp3 that I obtained some years back. It's lurking on a back up CD... somewhere.

I'll ask my incredibly unreliable friend who is a big later years Elvis fan. Don' hold your breath though![/quote]

Cheers mate, would be good to know as there are afew pretty crap live versions also


[quote name='Marky L' post='700629' date='Jan 4 2010, 04:48 PM'].... or how about just the neck... [/quote]

Gotta laugh

Seriously though, there's a lot of late '70s P necks on USA ebay. Although it's always a bit of a risk buying a used neck, many come from perfectly good instruments that have been bought cheap and split for profit. This is big business in the US, but the good news is that prices for necks and bodies seem to have come down recently. I've bought three necks from the USA and only had problems with one, and even then I received a partial refund from the seller to pay for the fix.

Still think you should get the original fixed....

Chris

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Beedster' post='700561' date='Jan 4 2010, 03:45 PM']There's a live version of Suspicious Minds which I reckon has some of the best bass playing ever on it, real tight and the line just builds and builds. Pretty good bass line anyway, but Elvis takes the song out at a hell of a pace which makes the musicianship even more impressive

C[/quote]
I think you may mean the version on [i]That's The Way It Is[/i].

[wateroftyne]

Jerry does a great solo on Polk Salad Annie... The Live at Madison Square Garden version is great.

Elvis' band of the time was crap-hot.. the only thing that lets it down is that Ronnie Tutt always seems to be in a hell of a hurry to get to the end of the tunes...

[Marky L]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='700832' date='Jan 4 2010, 07:22 PM']Jerry does a great solo on Polk Salad Annie... The Live at Madison Square Garden version is great.

Elvis' band of the time was crap-hot.. the only thing that lets it down is that Ronnie Tutt always seems to be in a hell of a hurry to get to the end of the tunes...[/quote]


Yeah, that's the one my friend had just texted me with. But if there is one of That's The Way It Is, that's got to be worth a shot.

[Marky L]

[quote name='Beedster' post='700641' date='Jan 4 2010, 04:55 PM']Gotta laugh

Seriously though, there's a lot of late '70s P necks on USA ebay. Although it's always a bit of a risk buying a used neck, many come from perfectly good instruments that have been bought cheap and split for profit. This is big business in the US, but the good news is that prices for necks and bodies seem to have come down recently. I've bought three necks from the USA and only had problems with one, and even then I received a partial refund from the seller to pay for the fix.

Still think you should get the original fixed....

Chris[/quote]

Yup, I have been having a look on the evilbay and thinking about one of those. Actually I find it quite sad that all these great instruments are being bopught and broken up to sell as parts, presumably at a better profit than as a whole.

Seriously though, I would get the current one fixed. Is there anyone you could recommend?

Mark

[Cat Burrito]

That was one of my first ever favourite bass moments. I hope to go to Las Vegas this Spring so I am sure Elvis will be on my mind. Great band and I agree about that drummer too

[EssentialTension]

Suspicious Minds from [i]That's The Way It Is[/i] with wild bass.



Notice the costume change at 6.14.

Edited January 4, 2010 by EssentialTension

[jezzaboy]

A shout also for Emory Gordy. He played bass on some of Elvis`s early 70`s sessions, notably one of his best songs, burning love (which is what you get for spending a night with some of the females around these parts!). Fantastic little bass line.
Don`t know if he played on any live dates but Emory was the guy he used when Jerry was off doing other stuff. But Jerry Scheff is a cool dude!

Another fact pop pickers, Jerry played on the Doors album LA Woman and would have joined them if Morrison hadn`t popped his clogs. Oops! Just noticed that this has been mentioned before. Ah well.

Jez

Edited January 4, 2010 by jezzaboy

[nick]

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='700910' date='Jan 4 2010, 08:21 PM']A shout also for Emory Gordy. He played bass on some of Elvis`s early 70`s sessions, notably one of his best songs, burning love (which is what you get for spending a night with some of the females around these parts!). Fantastic little bass line.[/quote]

+1 ; 'Burning Love' has a killer bassline. Emory Gordy's my favourite of Elvis' bass players.

Edited January 5, 2010 by nick

[lonestar]

[quote name='Beedster' post='700561' date='Jan 4 2010, 03:45 PM']There's a live version of Suspicious Minds which I reckon has some of the best bass playing ever on it, real tight and the line just builds and builds. Pretty good bass line anyway, but Elvis takes the song out at a hell of a pace which makes the musicianship even more impressive

C[/quote]

That's the one that immediately sprang to mind when I saw this thread.
fantastic stuff.

[wombatboter]

Like a lot of people before, I complemented Jerry Scheff on his "best work ever" on "Burning love"...but he didn't sound irritated when he told me it was another bassplayer who played that one. I quickly raved on about his sound on "Way Down" and he found his pride back and said "thàt's me, allright !".
I met James Burton and Ronnie Tutt on the same night (they were all there with their women who seemed very eager to spend the earned money in the fashion shops in Paris..)
I remember Scheff talking to me about James Jamerson. Scheff told me that he was quite familiar with the scene at that time where Jamerson came out off and he said that Jamerson was not really remarkable at that time, he said that in different clubs you could find bass-players who had the same qualities as Jamerson but that he was the one they picked up. Apparantly there was a lot of bass talent at that time.

Me and Jerry in France :

[cetera]

[quote name='wombatboter' post='701575' date='Jan 5 2010, 01:42 PM'][/quote]

Wow.... you really remind me of this classic 'Gerry Anderson' character!

[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/anderson/thunderbirds/gallery/images/340/hood.jpg"]Hood[/url]

No offence meant!