rushbo

Yet another five-star transaction from Mick. He's a class act.

I'm not a man with violent tendencies, but there is something about that ghastly phrase that makes me grateful that my wife has hidden all the sharp objects in our house.

Mars Cowling was so good. I saw him play with Travers on the 'Crash and Burn' tour, and he was outstanding.

Be Bop Deluxe: 'Live in the Air Age' Charlie Tumahai did an amazing job in supporting Bill Nelson's extravagant and complex material. He's surprisingly funky, too. He also contributed some outstanding harmony vocals and had a very cool stage presence. fIREHOSE: 'Ragin' Full-On' There's nothing like a three-piece band to get a bassist to put the effort in. Mike Watt blazes all over this album, filling up the dead air in melodic and interesting ways. Max Webster: 'Live Magnetic Air' Max Webster were more than 'that band who hung about with Rush' - they made some great albums and bassist Dave Myles was at the heart of them. This live album really showcases his superb playing - always forceful and driving. 'Paradise Skies' is a high point, but it's all good. (An honourable mention must go to the guy he replaced after their first two albums - Mike Tilka). 10cc: 'Deceptive Bends' I've picked 'Deceptive Bends' but it could have been any 10cc album, really. Graham Gouldman is criminally underrated as a bassist. His composition skill carries over beautifully into how he writes his bass lines, and they are always superbly constructed. 'The Things We Do For Love' from this record is a great example of what he does.

This. Very much this.

I love Indonesian Squier basses -fantastic basses for not much money. My favourite flavour is the P/J, but this is a lovely looking thing. While I love tort plates, I think the pearloid plate works really well here. Good work fella!

As the 10cc albums got smoother. Godley and Creme stepped up and made a handful of records that had a real edge. I was never that sold on 'Consequences' (although 'Five O'Clock in the Morning' is a breathtaking tune), but 'L', 'Freeze Frame' and 'Ismism' are incredible. 'L' especially - that's a really abrasive record. If you're a G+C fan, and you haven't heard Godley's solo album 'Muscle Memory,' you really should check it out.

10cc were the first band I ever saw - Brum Odeon, September 1978. They were brilliant. I'll be at their Birmingham show next year - I think I've seen them (and Graham Gouldman's solo shows) about thirty times. I've never seen a bad gig. Sadly, I got into them too late to see the original line up, and I'm incredibly jealous of anyone who did. Their seventies albums are almost all superb. "Sheet Music" and "How Dare You" are about as good as Pop music will ever get. Unbelievably, my band got to support GG at a rain soaked outdoor gig in Manchester in 2023. When he walked in to our shared dressing room, I was reticent to speak to him. What if he turned out to be a Diva? Well, he wasn't. He was a lovely chap, and we had a very geeky chat about bass guitars while I tried not to burst into tears. Later that year, I interviewed Kevin Godley (via Zoom) about his brilliant solo album 'Muscle Memory'. He was ace. Funny and clever and sharp as a nail. GG is also one of the most underrated bassists ever. He's up there with McCartney for me.

Oh God this...1000 times this. Every time I see someone casually dangling their lead carelessly, my inner voice screams "SORT THAT LEAD OUT OR YOU'LL TRIP OVER IT AND DIE!" I've never seen, or heard about a fatality caused by an untucked lead, but it's only a matter of time, isn't it? Isn't it? I'm right, aren't I?

...but I think this looks really pretty: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205394216015?chn=ps&_ul=GB&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&google_free_listing_action=view_item Yeah, the hardware is probably made of cheese and the body is shaped from wood shavings and PVA, with pick-ups that sound like the mating call of a Dalek, but I do like the way this looks. I'm not sure about all the gold stuff, though. I think I'd go with black. Sorry.

Back when I worked in a very big record shop in Brum, one of my co-workers - a very affable chap called Chris Long - was in one of John Peel's favourite bands, The Noseflutes. They had a snappy way with marketing and released albums with titles like 'Girth,' 'Several Young Men Ignite Hardboard Stump' and the all-time classic 'Zib Zob And His Kib Kob.' They also had some stellar stage names - take a bow Sven Vortex, The Hog, Peter Heater, Shrobengo Tullonge His Levitating Masterfulness, Vic Pelthrust and Ralph Dangerfish. Chris' stage name was Legs Akimbo. As a side note, Chris once adopted the name of a colleague of ours who was in hospital when one of their Many John Peel sessions was broadcast. Peel dutifully announced the band line-up and our bed-ridden colleague screamed, thus waking the entire ward and bringing several alarmed nurses to her bedside. True story. The Noseflutes were bloody brilliant, too.

In the same week that a distant relative of mine - Sir Henry Rushbury - had a retrospective exhibition of his work in the Brum Art Gallery, my band was featured in Record Mirror. Sadly for me, the picture used went across two pages and I appeared to be impaled by a staple. My bandmates thought this was hysterical, and for the remainder of the mercifully brief duration of the combo, I was referred to as Sir Henry Staple.

Here's a picture of a gentleman from China, knocking one out in his shed. I'm not sure what the esteemed and not-at-all AI generated luthier here is doing, but I'm sure it's boutique.

This is good advice. I kept a short scale bass at work to noodle on a lunchtime, but I found that when I picked up my "regular" bass, it took a bit of acclimatisation. A "cricket bat" bass may be the way forward.