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BBC on Bass

bubinga5

By bubinga5,
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51m0n Mentor

51m0n

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[quote name='dlloyd' post='849243' date='May 27 2010, 10:42 AM']It was what it was, a light entertainment programme aimed at a general TV audience. The choice of artists had to reflect the musical tastes of those watching, who wouldn't have a clue who Bootsy Collins was, let alone Victor Wooten or Jaco Pastorius.[/quote]

No, they wouldnt necessarily know the name of Bootsy Collins, then again most of them wouldnt be able to name a single bassist, and if you ask Joe Public to name a bassist they are more likely to answer with Flea or Mark King than anyone else IMO & IME (we tried this at a pub quiz - results where hilarious). Lemmy might (just might) get a nod from a very select few, them with the bullet-belts and stick on facial warts. Few would name the bassist from the Who, certainly not the Stone Roses, or Happy Mondays though, especially if asked to name best bassists. No one on here is going to name those people as high on the list of greatest bassists.

However if you asked the same people what song is this - and played them Sex Machine, they'd get it right. Almost everyone knows it, so letting them know that the bassist was a bloke called Bootsy who went on to play in a band called PFunk would be fine IMO. Especially if you then point out that said PFunk were a huge influence on the likes of RHCP and Flea.

It was supposed to be about great bass players, not bass players in indie bands you have probably heard of ffs!

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Musicman20 Grand Master

Musicman20

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[quote name='RhysP' post='849208' date='May 27 2010, 10:08 AM']Really?
Kenickie were a sh*t band who were vaguely famous (if you were a student at the time) for a couple of weeks when it was the in thing to have a female fronted indie band (see Sleeper, Lush & a load of other useless guff from that time).

I actually enjoyed the programme, taking it in the light hearted way it was intended. But why have somebody like her, who is so blatantly anti-musician, commenting on a programme about musicians.
All she does is sneer, and that's what pisses me off about her.

Music was of so little importance to her that she stopped doing it as soon everybody lost interest in her band, and became a (not very good) TV presenter.[/quote]

+1

Cannot understand why she is still presenting. Awful band as well.

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Bottle Collaborator

Bottle

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Yeah, wasn't overly impressed with the 'I'm in a Rock Band' programme, but then it's not aimed at me, it's aimed at the great unwashed. Filled the time I guess. 'The Stones in Exile' was much better IMO - fascinating insight into the bands' ups-and-downs during the recording of 'Exiled on Main Street' - couldn't believe the hedonistic lifestyle produced such great results. Now that's Rock 'n' Roll.......

Anyway, just my tuppence in the mix

Ian

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dlloyd Rising Star

dlloyd

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[quote name='51m0n' post='849387' date='May 27 2010, 01:25 PM']It was supposed to be about great bass players, not bass players in indie bands you have probably heard of ffs![/quote]

This programme was never intended to be about who were the "greatest" bassists. It, and the whole series, is about members of bands who appeal to certain section of the general public. One that doesn't appear to listen to a whole lot of black musicians.

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dlloyd Rising Star

dlloyd

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If you want to be really annoyed, how about their poll for the "greatest bass player":

[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/rocknrollband/bassists/"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/rocknrollband/bassists/[/url]

Shortlist:

John Entwistle
Flea
Peter Hook
Alex James
John Paul Jones
Lemmy
Mani
Paul McCartney
Paul Simonon
Tina Weymouth

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Stu-khag Community Regular

Stu-khag

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[quote name='dlloyd' post='849495' date='May 27 2010, 03:36 PM']If you want to be really annoyed, how about their poll for the "greatest bass player":

[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/rocknrollband/bassists/"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/rocknrollband/bassists/[/url]

Shortlist:

John Entwistle
Flea
Peter Hook
Alex James
John Paul Jones
Lemmy
Mani
Paul McCartney
Paul Simonon
Tina Weymouth[/quote]


that list contains my top 5 bassists so no complaints from me!
horses for courses yadda yadda

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Meenie Contributor

Meenie

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that top ten has some massive emissions doesnt it,eh?

Any list of top Bassists with no Rocco Prestia involved isnt worth the paper it probably isnt even written on as far as i'm concerned.

As far as Ms Laverne is concerned,i saw Kenickie on a few occasions simply because they just seemed to be everywhere i went for some reason,i grew to quite enjoy their bubblegum pop and she was very adept at wearing short skirts and high boots which in my book makes her a pretty good musician! :)
To be fair,she did the whole frontwoman job pretty well,allways had some razor sharp one liners and banter if my memory serves me right,i'm not saying they were the best band in the world but i certainly don't think they were the worst either.
As for Lush,well yes they did sell out and go really awful but their earlier shoegazy stuff was really good....Sleeper? you can keep Sleeper.

I would just like to add at this juncture that Cerys Mathews of Catatonia was the greatest frontwoman back in the nineties,she was and probably still is my favourite Welsh person ever!

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xilddx Veteran

xilddx

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The programme was about ROCK 'n' ROLL! Not reggae, not funk, not jazz, not Victor Wooten, not Rocco Prestia, not Joey Spampinato.

[b]ROCK 'n' ROLL[/b]

Get over yourself and realise it's a lighthearted, populist look at ROCK n ROLL musicians. What in god's name do you want a serious TV programme on bass players for? There would be nothing on it you haven't got access to already, no amazing insights, no rare footage of Geddy Lee playing upright when he was a 17 stone teenager, nothing. All it would be is the bass equivalent of getting your ladyfriend to sit on the sofa with you and watch porn. All that will happen is you get all horny over the same sh*t you've seen a thousand times before, you think your girlie feels the same, then you realise you haven't even spoken to her, looked at her or thought about her for 58.5 minutes and you then see she's fast asleep next to you with drool on the left side of her chin. Off you go on your own to your bedroom, and have a w*** on your bass for 20 minutes.

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Delberthot Veteran

Delberthot

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well I've just watched 'the top ten rock bands' on VH1 and number one were the Rolling bloody Stones . Ironically number 2 were Led Zeppelin who trounced them during the 70s

Only reason you hear great things about the Stones is that they are the only band still going: 60s = Beatles were huger than the Stones but 2 of them are dead and the Stones are still going; 70s = Led Zepp were huger than the stones but their drummer died and the stones are still going.

Apparently next years tour is going to be called the 'Steel Wheelchair' tour. :)


What?

I don't like the stones :snob:



One last thing - who's Lauren Laverne? Is that her of Laverne and Shirley fame?

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nick Experienced

nick

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[quote name='dlloyd' post='849495' date='May 27 2010, 03:36 PM']If you want to be really annoyed, how about their poll for the "greatest bass player":

[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/rocknrollband/bassists/"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/rocknrollband/bassists/[/url]

Shortlist:

John Entwistle
Flea
Peter Hook
Alex James
John Paul Jones
Lemmy
Mani
Paul McCartney
Paul Simonon
Tina Weymouth[/quote]

Thought the programme was [i]alright[/i] myself.
Personally don't have a problem with that list either. All of them, bar two, have had some impact in one way or another on myself & I'm sure many other bassists, with regards to bass playing & approach to it. They have all, in their own way ; projected the bass to the forefront of their genre too.
There are obvious ommissions like Jamerson,Jaco,Bootsy,Graham,Vicious etc... but this programme was aimed at the typical non-muso type person who probably never even thinks of what goes on in the lower register. If this programme goes in some way to make those people think about what we do & some recognition, then that's no bad thing surely?

Myself, I'm looking forward to the release of this film, if/when the makers finish it.
This is more like a proper bass documentary! :)

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Marvin Veteran

Marvin

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[quote name='nick' post='850090' date='May 28 2010, 09:42 AM']Myself, I'm looking forward to the release of this film, if/when the makers finish it.
This is more like a proper bass documentary! :rolleyes:

[/quote]

You're going to have to give us the heads up when that's released, looks the dogs do da's. I'm not sure Mrs Marvin will enjoy it though :)

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discreet Grand Master

discreet

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[quote name='Johnston' post='851290' date='May 29 2010, 06:07 PM']Four glaring omissions I think are Steve Harris, Gordon Sumner, John Deacon and Jack Bruce.[/quote]

He doesn't like being called 'Gordon'.

And I won't hear a word said against Tina Weymouth! Not that you were. Ahem. :)

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Marvin Veteran

Marvin

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[quote name='discreet' post='851298' date='May 29 2010, 06:16 PM']It's a right large portion.[/quote]

Oh right. :)
You're going to have to send me a list of all the euphemisms and slang you know so I don't have to keep asking and looking a complete ........ (fill in the gap)

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