Rutger Gunnarsson

[garethox]

So I sit down and learn 'Money, Money, Money'; 'S.O.S'; 'Waterloo'; 'Mama Mia'; and 'Dancing Queen' - and I'm just amazed at the figure's this guy is playing. I don't know if it is because he has a Swedish folk background, but his lines are just pure genius.

I've listened to the songs for 30 years but never really isolated the bass - wish I had. There is a great deal of humour and feel in what he plays and it is so much fun to play!

Anyone else ever been pleasantly surprised by Rutger's work?

[OldGit]

Yeah! The basslines were one of the best bits of the Mama Mia film. Lovely loud bass.

[steve-soar]

I love this man, what a feel.
Err... look at his friends page,
[url="http://www.myspace.com/rutgergunnarsson"]http://www.myspace.com/rutgergunnarsson[/url]

[garethox]

[quote name='steve-soar' post='721683' date='Jan 22 2010, 09:39 PM']I love this man, what a feel.
Err... look at his friends page,
[url="http://www.myspace.com/rutgergunnarsson"]http://www.myspace.com/rutgergunnarsson[/url][/quote]


A few notables on there!

Read a great comment from him. Mentions the basses he plays (Jazz, Musicman) then says 'don't ask me about strings though - I have had them on for about 5 years!'

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

You could always hear the bass on old Abba singles. There was me thinking it was Benny orBjorn doin' it in the studio...

[Kiwi]

He's been an influence on me for as long as I've played bass. Love his playing to bits, a seriously under rated disco bassist who deserves to be up there with Bernard Edwards. Thats not his actual myspace page though, its a tribute.

[XB26354]

Didn't he do some of the string arrangements as well as being the musical director on tour? I'm sure I read that in some blurb next to a transcription in Bassist mag years ago. A great bass player, and surprising that he's not more well-known, considering the number of hits he played on.

[garethox]

[quote name='XB26354' post='721754' date='Jan 22 2010, 11:18 PM']Didn't he do some of the string arrangements as well as being the musical director on tour? I'm sure I read that in some blurb next to a transcription in Bassist mag years ago. A great bass player, and surprising that he's not more well-known, considering the number of hits he played on.[/quote]


I was guilty of thinking that Bjorn or Benny played bass on the tracks.

He is a producer and arranger as well - I'm sure I read that he arranged stuff for B&B's folk group in the late 60's.

[steve-soar]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='721713' date='Jan 22 2010, 10:21 PM']He's been an influence on me for as long as I've played bass. Love his playing to bits, a seriously under rated disco bassist who deserves to be up there with Bernard Edwards. Thats not his actual myspace page though, its a tribute.[/quote]"We Know".
He has that "Wallander" vibe about him and other Swedes do too, where by you don't need to tell others you are a star, to be a star.

[4000]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='721713' date='Jan 22 2010, 10:21 PM']He's been an influence on me for as long as I've played bass. Love his playing to bits, a seriously under rated disco bassist who deserves to be up there with Bernard Edwards.[/quote]

+1. Genius. One of my all-time faves (the band wasn't bad either ). Oh and yes, he did the string arrangements too.

[lowdown]

Fantastic Bassist with a real feel for Music.
He's done a bit, aint he?..


Garry

[paul_wolfe]

Check out his line to KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU - that's a seriously creative piece of bass playing - almost like a Pino type line several years before Pino came on the scene. Very very creative player - very underrated.

[woodenshirt]

I'm a Rutger fan too (there I've said it, and I tell you what I feel better already!)

At the time when ABBA were at there peak and having hits every other month..... the problem I had was that I was in a heavy rock band at the time, and liking that kind of music was, well, just bad form!

Now, at last I can admit my love for those amazing bass lines and maybe, just maybe try and play one or two of them......


Erm..........

No, I think that will have to wait a bit longer........

it's all too soon...........


Mart.

[JJTee]

Fantastic bass player - effortlessly cool, musical bass lines. There are too many great lines to list. I love those strange notes he plays at 3:11 to 3:14 in Knowing Me Knowing You. They shouldn't work, but they do.

There was another bass player for ABBA - an English chap called Mike Watson (I think). I'm sure I read somewhere that he played bass on Mama Mia and The Winner Takes It All - both great bass lines. Anyone know any more on this?

[wombatboter]

"The Name of the game" and "One of us" are also great bass-tunes !

[mxm]

I've got a lot of time for the ABBA ! Great tunes and great musos.

Always thought that the US band 'Foxy' were the studio musicians for 'Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) ?!!!

[William James Easton]

yup a+ player. and when you manage to learn his lines they are so much fun to play.

[iconic]

wow, I never knew what basslines were in those ABBA tracks, good fun too

[originalfunkbrother]

+1 Dancing Queen. Another seriously underrated bass player.

[cetera]

One of my all-time fave bassists..... from that wonderful 70's period where so many bassists played beautiful, imaginative, melodic and memorable basslines!

[JJTee]

Done a bit more research and found at some more info on the "other" ABBA bass player, Mike Watson. All from here: [url="http://www.abbasite.com/the-story/people/musicians/mike-watson"]http://www.abbasite.com/the-story/people/m...ans/mike-watson[/url]

"[i]Born in Sheffield, England, bass player Mike Watson has been in show business since the age of eleven.
He came to Sweden in 1964 as part of the Hi-Grades, American singer Larry Finnegan's backing group during his Sweden tour of that year. Subsequently, Watson became a member of various Swedish bands, most notably Lenne and the Lee Kings (who scored two Number Two hits in 1966 with Stop The Music and L.O.D.), and Lasse Samuelsson's Dynamite Brass.

Mike started working as a session musician in 1969, and did his first known ABBA-related session in July 1971 when he played bass on a Frida single, produced by Benny. Watson also contributed to People Need Love, the very first recording issued under the name Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid.

Although Rutger Gunnarsson was to be ABBA's most frequently used bass player, Mike Watson played on notable tracks such as [b]SOS, Mamma Mia, If It Wasn't For The Nights, The Winner Takes It All, and Super Trouper[/b]. He is also the man dressed up as Napoleon on the cover of ABBA's Waterloo album.

Today, Mike Watson is best known as a singer and performer in his own right. He was the leader of the cover band Little Mike and the Sweet Soul Music Band, who were very popular as live entertainers in the mid-1980s." [/i]

So you can cross SOS, Mamma Mia, If It Wasn't For The Nights, The Winner Takes It All, and Super Trouper from Rutger's work.

[JJTee]

By the way, PM me if you would like a full transcription (including tab) of the bass line for Dancing Queen, and partial transcription of Knowing Me Knowing You. I'm sure I have a scan somewhere from an ancient magazine, which was spot-on for accuracy.

Edited January 26, 2010 by JJTee

[Apex]

[quote name='JJTee' post='725422' date='Jan 26 2010, 04:51 PM']By the way, PM me if you would like a full transcription (including tab) of the bass line for Dancing Queen, and partial transcription of Knowing Me Knowing You. I'm sure I have a scan somewhere from an ancient magazine, which was spot-on for accuracy.[/quote]

Timely offer - it's next on the band's list! You have PM!

[BobVbass]

Absolutley forst class and inspired playing in Abba's tunes - I learnt many for a functions band I was in and was so surprised I hadn't noticed how great the lines were.

Other surprises - Kenny Loggins - Footloose - cracking bassline (sounds like a synth to me) but great laugh and (preparing to be shot) Alan Lancaster's stuff for early quo <bang> really great solid and unusual in places

[Paul F.]

[quote name='mxm' post='723528' date='Jan 25 2010, 12:51 AM']...
Always thought that the US band 'Foxy' were the studio musicians for 'Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) ?!!![/quote]

The US band 'Foxy' were the studio musicians for 'Voulez-Vous' (the song).
The SWEDISH Crew were the studio musicians for 'Gimme ...' .