KevB

Re Kinsley, that looks about right reading the wiki entry here; [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Kinsley"]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Kinsley[/url] Not a bad career, playing on 'Sorrow' in the 60's. Backing Chuck then Rod Stewart, being part of Liverpool Express etc plus all those paying sessions on the 'Top Of The Pops' covers albums - someone had to play 'em!

Didn't he get done for secretly filming women in the toilets at a club he owned?

The one thing I would say is talk to your bandmates and tell them that you are still sorting out 'your sound'. In truth there is only so much you can do about getting the right tone in isolation. Things change once you are in your band situation and you have the other instruments sitting over the top of what you are playing. You can get more out of adjusting a few things in 10 minutes in a rehearsal with other people than all evening trying things out at home and then trying to second guess how that might translate to your live band. Get the others to accept you might be periodcally dropping out of the mix during rehearsals to tweak a few things during a song and they should not stop playing.

I think we've established there was lots of stuff recorded in the 80's that had nothing to do with what would be broadly recognised as '80's sounding' (electronica, new romantic etc). Some well established artists like Ian Gillan for example (big in the 70's, disappeared for a bit then came back) had considerable UK chart success both albums and singles between 80-82(7 top 50 singles, 4 top 20 albums), then a quick stint in Black Sabbath then Deep Purple reformed and produced one of their most successful albums ever in 1984. NWOBHM almost entirely an 80's phenomenon. Ace of Spades is an eighties record! Jethro Tull had a Grammy award winning album in 1986 (edging out Metallica iirc). I'm sure others can chip in with examples from other genres that didn't have the accepted '80's sound' that were either critically well received or commercially successful or both.

The Prisoners were really a retro band though, their sound owed more to late 60's garage/psychedelia than the 80's itself. Then again that's pretty much what bands like The Stone Roses did in the 90's and people thought it was 'new' all over again

Neither do we really, I'm playing the keys bit with my feet on PK5 pedals whilst doing the bass.

[quote name='gadgie' timestamp='1436800254' post='2820871'] ah, just found Echo Beach:) [/quote] In my current band's set list, fun to play and seems to go down well so far despite our singer's reservations ('It's a woman's vocal'). Think there's a video snippet of it on our FB page (link below).

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1436804441' post='2820935'] On a side note, I met Gerry Marsden (from the Pacemakers) years ago, and he was so down to earth and friendly, it was unbelievable. Had time for everybody. [/quote] On the other hand I've spoken to people who'd worked on the same bill as him who said the opposite. I guess this is the problem with 'known' people. You catch them on a bad day and they can get tarnished with it as a generalisation in next to no time.

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1436798796' post='2820849'] Oooooh a scandal! Do tell Kev. [/quote] I'm afraid I'd end up as part of a bridge support on some road extention somewhere. You don't mess with 'shell.

A lot of the mainstream pop was rather so-so for me but genres such as heavy rock had a whole new lease of life in the 80's and prog also had a real resurgence in the early to mid 80's putting paid to the oft quoted nonsense that punk killed it off. Some of those bands that came to the fore then are still going. There was some interesting stuff going on with synths and whatnot, fairlights and all that changed the game for those that could afford them. A good pop song is just that irrespective of the era and some 80's tunes still stand up but many don't.

I suspect I also fall into this general category. Never had any formal one to one lessons, paid or otherwise. I started getting music books out of the library with basic pointers about what to do then played along to songs in conjunction with the music score where possible. Except I don't sight read so had to get one book to tell me which squiggle meant which note then usually go through it and write it down long hand so I could remember it then play along. I'm going to annoy people here but thank christ for tab and programs like guitarpro. Speeded up my picking up new tunes by about 300%. But on reflection I've probably really learned most in any useful context by playing with other people.

It would take some front on the part of the band turning up at the Dog&Duck armed with perspex surrounds for the drummist though.

I can't recall anyone being bumped off stage like that even at an open mic session. For supposedly professionals to have it done must be incredibly embarassing. The bass player looks like he'd rather be somewhere else right from the off though.

The way the guy who stops the show makes a point of mentioning his own substance dependencies makes you wonder if he's trying to send out a message without being too obvious. I don't think that part of the discussion should probably be expanded too much as you point out though.

Now I think of it didn't our own Roland Rock's band U-Jahm support FQ for a gig, last year maybe? wonder if he could give us his experience then, could be FQ's been on the slide for a while or this is a recent thing?

Though[i] in principle [/i]I wouldn't want a third party dictating to me if a performance went on or not that did look like a shockingly uprepared 'performance' and it was a brave decision in that the guy running it will have been out of pocket if he followed through with the refunds (sold out apparently)

Ah those heady days when blackberry picking would comprise an entire family day out.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1436786137' post='2820661'] It's great when you find out someone you admire is actually likeable in real life! Not so good the other way round though. As I found out with another Midlands musician recently. [b]My lips are sealed[/b]. [/quote] Alright how much to keep mine the same way?

Don't ipods have the option to be able to shuffle at either 'song' or 'album' level anymore? mine does but it's not a particularly recent model. Personally I hardly ever shuffle at album level, prefer to do it at song level from a predetermined playlist. I'd never fit all that I have on iTunes onto any portable device anyway.

Had a US precision deluxe with the regular P pickups and a sort of double jazz humbucking stingray-ish pu at the bridge. With all the various EQ options (bass, mid and treble boosts) it did all manner of tones, bit of a beast. If it had an active/passive switch I might have kept it but my particular model (around 2003 manufacture) was active only and by then I had a passive jazz and a passive precision so it wasn't getting played and I moved it on, the next owner was well chuffed with it.

I don't tend to pick up real silly bargains but my best effort was the 2003 US S1 jazz I picked up around 2005 or 2006. Apparently it had been up on eBay, the deal had fallen through so the owner had relisted it on a very short bidding window. I won it for under £400 and it included an SKB moulded hard case. The bass had barely been played, a few faint scuffs on the scratchplate and the seller had left the original receipt in the case - paid over £800 for it (Denmark St). Never met the seller, the pickup address turned out to be a hairdressing salon in Northampton. Handed the cash over to whoever was holding it in the shop and off I went, still have it (it's my avatar too).

It's a real problem. The guy in the band I left earlier this year was in all other technical aspects very good but the overrall volume and specific tone of his snare was giving me a headache. It also meant there was a natural volume below which the band couldn't go as the drums were the limiting factor (not mic'd up). The drummer in the new band isn't a patch on him in terms of timing, picking new things up and general ability but I don't leave the gig with my ears ringing again. Finding drummers with the ability to do the tricky stuff, rock out when needed but also reign it in isn't easy, they are always in demand.

I seem to have gone against the general consensus. After years of trying various manufacturers (rotos, elixirs, ernie ball, elite, fender own brand, others I can't even recall) I came to the conclusion that one 45-105 roundwound stainless sounds much like another, there were other parts of the process that were having far bigger influences on 'my tone' than the string. So I just looked around for a cheap reliable string of the type I wanted and ended up with these; [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coban-Guitar-Strings-Deluxe-DCG3/dp/B00A3HGGP8"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coban-Guitar-Strings-Deluxe-DCG3/dp/B00A3HGGP8[/url] No issues so far.

Probably either Spock's Beard or Big Big Train, as long as I could keep my day job,

I'm a bit dubious about the sabotage claim. I don't think one crew would deliberately go in and damage another crew's set up and who else would have the opportunity? I doubt Glasto is somewhere that any old tom dick or harry can wander backstage at these days. I'm not a big Who fan but considering the ages of the main band focus and there is frequently less than great onstage sound at these things it sounds OK to me. There are at least 2 extra keys players (maybe one of them was also doing extra guitar too?) so it's at least a 6 man band on there live so should be getting a full sound instrument wise. Admittedly it's at first glance but to me Townsend looks least convincing of all of them at times. Maybe he didn't have as much control over things as usual and it's put him off his stroke a bit on the night?