el borracho

The Skids were better than I was expecting. Really good gig. Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets up next.

The Skids tomorrow night

I worked in a place a few years ago where Absolute was on every day. It drove me up the wall - the same playlist day in day out. Apparently each band only recorded one song. One girl campaigned for Radio 1 on a Friday and despite me not liking most of the music it was a welcome relief!

I haven't tried a 2012-16 neck so unsure what they are like. I do though have two bitsas with USA P necks, one from 2001/2, the other 2007/8. They are both identical in size and very slim, in fact not far off my similar age Jazz, and much more playable than my 62 reissue. Worth comparing if you can find a bass from that era.

I started on an Ibanez Blazer bass identical to this one through a WEM Dominator. My amp sounded bad though, possibly why it was free! My current goto bitsa features the brass bridge & knobs from a Blazer. I never realised how good the bass was at the time - I "upgraded" to a Roadster - but looking back it was just a sideways move from a P to a PJ. It was black though which seemed to make a huge difference back then 😄

The Cure headlined last time I was there - in 1986!! They were very good - it was raining so we sat in the tent & watched them in the days when you could camp overlooking the stage.

Hendrix, Funk, Psychedelia, Rock?? Dr Phibes & the House of Wax Equations??

Wild Willy Barratt had a few completely impractical ones - this is the only picture I can find.

I seem to remember that Integra was the name of the IGB series at one time.

Freddie Mercury's death I remember well although I have never particularly been a Queen fan. The radio alarm woke me on the hour and the first words I heard on the news were "Freddie Mercury is dead" Two that hit me more as I liked their music were Rory Gallagher & Rick Parfitt.

I like it when old threads like this reappear. I recall seeing a bass like this on Youtube - took a bit of searching but here it is - this one's called a Belamy

Me too - although I alternate between them and the Flex 50s. I actually play with the textured surface in contact with the strings - ie sideways. I've always held them like this since I first picked up a guitar in 1982.

I gigged this a couple of years ago and thought I had made a decent attempt at it - apparently not!!

I found this out the hard way. I spent weeks practicing one of their songs to get up to speed (can't remember which one it was) and had got through it at a couple of gigs. Then I saw some footage of Flea playing it live - and he had simplified it 😄... I wouldn't worry too much!

I saw him with Whitesnake at Newcastle City Hall. I remember being very impressed by his bass solo - I seem to recall he sat down for it. Prior to the gig I was aware of his talents but I was also disappointed that I managed to miss the only Whitesnake tour without Neil Murray (one of my favourite bass players) in about 10 years - he rejoined after this. I still haven't seen him! I had tickets for their tour in about 1980 but they cancelled on the day.

Probably the first one I learnt was Ashton, Gardner, Dyke's Resurrection Shuffle. First one I learnt for a band was Chatterbox by the New York Dolls. Still remember it!

Not one I've played recently live but I always loved playing this one. Can't find any footage of Paul Jeffreys actually playing it as the whole band left about the time this was released - all performances seem to be session musicians. Sadly he died in the Lockerbie disaster.

The Struts. Incredible audience reaction - the entire crowd was singing the chorus of the first song seconds into the gig and carried on all night. Must have felt great on stage!

I was talking to guy from the USA last year who was touring the UK with a band. He admitted that music wasn't his main income and he works as a self-employed web designer (I think - I'd had a few ) which pays for his musical projects.

I played with a guitarist who would learn the songs OK but then set about 'improving' them! Problem was he wouldn't mention it to the rest of the band. He was of the opinion that if a chord was used somewhere in a song, you could randomly substitute it for any other chord because the song was still in the same key. He would also change the order of the chords as "I like to do my own version". Amazingly he was 60 and had played in bands since he was a teenager - I left...

First one I remember was a local Beatles tribute who seemed to attract quite a following & made it onto local TV - they weren't good though! I googled them & found this - which sparked a long forgotten memory. The singer was sold his jacket by the late guitarist in my first band, who wore at my first ever gig in 1984 😂

He's got a new band - Zal Cleminson's Sin Dogs

Definitely this but I also used to slow the parts right down and think about how the two melodies and the timing of them inter-reacted. Sometimes I could get a part to work that seemed impossible at first. Unfortunately, while I could sing the right things in the right places my voice still sounded horrible 😃

Same with me. In recent years I've mainly used a bitsa that was temporaraily thrown together to check it all worked. It worked so well that the various MIA & MIJ Fenders, Stingray, G&L, Gibson & old faithful Ibanez Musician all stay at home.

Looks like a Gordy Blueshift to me - top horn is identical