rushbo

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1455827059' post='2982830'] Really? In the week of the Beatles first big UK hit they shared the charts with...... Elvis, Billy Fury Nat King Cole (x2) Joe Brown Lonnie Donegan The Shadows Jet Harris Buddy Holly Ray Charles & Carole King [/quote] Compare that with the US chart...Elvis is in there but with "Return to Sender""...not exactly visceral Rock and Roll. The rest of the top 20 is pretty bland, with only The Crystals to add a bit of grit. Fortunately, it took a few years for Rock to get to Britain, so by the time it was on the way out in the States, it was getting popular over here. It's that second wave that revitalised Pop Music and reminded the US what all the fuss was about in the first place.

[quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1455812993' post='2982676'] The Beatles were just a band, they didn't change the world, the world was changing at that time anyway and they just went along for the ride. They rehashed 50's Rock n Roll to start with and their own early songs were pretty banal pop songs. Compare the lyrics from She Loves You, or I wanna Hold Your Hand to Dylans Mr Tambourine Man or Blowin in The Wind and you'll see that (lyrically anyway) they were nothing special really. [/quote] In the early 1960s, Rock and Roll was practically over. Most of the big names were emasculated. Presley was in the army, Little Richard turned to religion, Gene Vincent was well on his way to being an alcoholic, Jerry Lee Lewis was so discredited he could barely get any work and Cochran and Holly were dead. What the Beatles did was take that energy and combine it with "something" - Tin Pan Alley or Music Hall or Motown or Showtunes - and create something which helped to save a genre of music which could have passed like any other fad. The early stuff is simple...but it's thrilling. "I Saw Her Standing There" is pretty much a Little Richard knock-off, but that first recording is as raw and exciting as anything that's been recorded since. Simple-yes. Banal-No. In just a shade over eight years they went from "Love Me Do" to "Let It Be" taking in hard rock, soul, rhythm and blues, country, avant-garde, folk and even children's songs. They made films, and were at the forefront of recording technology. I'm sorry, but to say they were "nothing special" misses the point. Not everyone likes them and that's fine, but go back and look at what they did. The world was changing when they were around. But part of that change was inspired by or highlighted by that band. ...and Liverpool is great place to visit whether you like the Fabs or not.

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1455705933' post='2981583'] Only been once in recent years, stayed at Stu Sutcliffe's place [url="http://www.seftonparkhotel.co.uk/"]LINK[/url] Reasonable rates, friendly owner, big photo of Stu in the breakfast room, if you don't mind bass players on the wall. Kissing the ground was optional. Hope you make it to Liverpool one day. [/quote] I've been there too...lovely. I wouldn't have gone to Liverpool if it wasn't for all the Be@tl*s stuff, but I was really surprised by how cool the place was. The Tate is well worth a visit as is the Maritime Museum. Lots of decent pubs with live music too. I go once a year...sometimes for the Beatles convention and sometimes for the International Pop Overthrow Festival and I've always had a great time.

The Beatles were a very popular group. Lots and lots of people still like them. There is a place that those people can go where there is lots of stuff about that group that they can see. That's a good thing. Those places employ quite a lot of people. That's also a good thing. Just because they go and see the place dedicated to the old band doesn't mean that they only listen to old music. (I like the old band and I still like new music) The Beatles were an important band who changed the Art form that we are all a part of. Liverpool should be proud of that. Musicians from Liverpool have moved on, but the Beatles are still an influence and will always be important. (If you like Shakespeare, you go to Stratford-Upon-Avon. No one complains that Stratford-Upon-Avon should "get over" Shakespeare, because he is important). You don't have to like The Beatles, but they were important. And lots of people still like them. I like them. That's why some people go to Liverpool. You don't have to go, if you don't want to. And I think that's OK.

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1455567187' post='2980334'] Daughter... come on, keep up. [/quote] [quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1455570809' post='2980398'] If she keeps up the family tradition and does likewise would Kanye's grand-daughter be "North by North West"? [/quote] We have a winner!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1455574643' post='2980449'] 1978/79 I believe, but your point is correct. It was before Lennon's death. [/quote] [quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1455570489' post='2980389'] Can't remember the exact year but I think it was possibly on the back of Wings' success around 1977/78(??) that the entire Beatles 7" catalogue was re-released in batches, in pseudo reproduction pic covers. Many of them hit high in the charts, I remember buying "Get Back" and one other, I forget which. They did little for me but my brother was hooked (too young to remember any of it 1st time around) and went on to become a Beatles expert, with links to some of the members. [/quote] 1976 and 1978..."Yesterday" got to #8 in '76 mainly because it was never a UK single in the 60's. Ditto "Back in the USSR" (#19 in '78). Compilations did better as you'd expect and the live "Hollywood Bowl" album was #1. But there wasn't the Beatles tourist industry that there is now. The Liverpool conventions started in '77 - the first being poorly organised and attended. By the end of the 70's it was the new Liverpool bands - Teardrop Explodes, Echo and the Bunnymen etc that were making waves - all keen to play down the "in the shadow of The Beatles" tag.

Blue (and any other concerned parties) can rest safely in their beds, knowing that The Young People still like the Fabs. I've been in Music and Media education for 17 years and of all the kids I've taught, by far the most popular band was The Beatles. Of course, they still enjoy contemporary music, but Beatles music and legacy has a really appealing and enduring quality. I am incredibly biased as I am a massive Beatles fan - I've always tried not to brainwash my pupils, but sooner or later, those students with even just a passing interest in the contextual history of Popular music will find themselves drawn to those lovable moptops. In the early-mid seventies, during the "Beatles Hangover", most of the world was over the Beatles - after seven pretty intense years everyone needed a break. It took Lennon's murder to jolt them back into the public eye and when the "Anthology" series came out in the 90's the Beatlemania industry was fully established. Liverpool should be proud of The Beatles - they changed Pop Culture forever. You may feel it's overkill or exploitation, but almost every town, city or country has it's own tourist industry and the "official" Beatles stuff - The museum, the "Magical Mystery Tour", the National Trust houses, the Beatles convention are done superbly well. It's there if you want it. It's not compulsory.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1455267293' post='2977563'] Don't think I've ever earned £50 for a gig I'm more; Somebody who loads[b] £10000 [/b]of equipment into [b]a bus[/b] to travel [b]a mile or so [/b]to earn [b]nothing[/b] [/quote] I laughed. And then I cried.

Here's my motley collection of Bitsa's... Mainly mistreated Squiers and one heavily modified Aria. I love 'em all. You can't beat a Mongrel Bass! [attachment=212201:Picture1.png]

Another +1 for the Hot Rods. I depped for a band that supported them a couple of years ago and they were all absolute sweethearts. We had a lengthy table tennis tournament in the green room and they let us have their entire (sizeable) food rider as they'd eaten during the day. They were brilliant, too...Barrie Masters can still belt it out.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1455184649' post='2976703'] I reckon 'Rushbo' would have looked cool in the Fender script. Rushbo Prescription Bass. Make it so! [/quote] Being a vain and arrogant chap, I did try it and it didn't look quite right...I did make a "Rushbo Custom Shop" decal for the reverse of the headstock tho.

I'm one of those people who think a Bass needs something on the headstock (even though it doesn't, really.) The decals are really easy to do yourself- the paper is available on Fleabay for not very much. On my bitsa basses, I've gone for the not very original "Fedner" brand...I have a Jazzy bass, a Prescription bass and a Protruberant bass. Some basic desk top publishing skills and a squirt of lacquer and voila! But the Dan Dare idea sounds way better...a nice image of a retro rocket and some suitable lettering would be a great addition to the ol' peg head...

I worked in record retail for years and we'd often have the dreaded "in store". There were some lovely people in amongst the egomaniacs...Mark King was lovely as was Jim Kerr. Birmingham's own Roy Wood is a real gentleman. The vastly underrated Nils Lofgren was sweet and humble and I enjoyed a really geeky conversation with him about record production. Adam West however, is as mad as a box of frogs...

Has anyone made the "I haven't got TIM for this" joke yet?

I've never understood the level of hate for Adam Clayton. I think what he does is perfect for that band.

Another vote for the Zoom pedal. Brilliant value and incredibly useful.

I sneered at the current Quo output until I saw them a while back - mainly because 10cc supported them. Guess what - I was blown away. I saw the "Frantic Four" gig at Wolvo the same year, which was great fun too. I hope this is the last time around for them, as I've seen a few "heritage" acts performing really half-hearted, lacklustre shows. Quo can still deliver, but, with the best will in the world, I'm not sure how much longer they'd be able to do it convincingly. Go out with a bang and enjoy your retirement, gentlemen. ...and Rick Parfitt is up there with Malcolm Young as one of the best rhythm guitar players in Rock and Roll.

There's a guy on EBay selling the shells of a Flats drum kit for £60...search for "Flats Lite Arbiter Drums". He's based in Derby.

Blimey. Mine was £200 when I bought it last March. Not signed by Nikki tho. Is his signature worth £400? It's a superb bass, by the way...

I bought a bag of 50 from Ebay a few years ago. They're ace. I'm not a huge fan of the beer tho - I'm more of a Budweiser kinda guy (runs and hides from approaching horde of CAMRA geeks...)

I love both of those guys, but if I had to choose, it would be Chris Squire. Entwistle has a very improvisation-heavy style where he plays "through" the changes. Squire always wrote really carefully constructed basslines which he would execute beautifully on stage. A great singer too - as was John Entwistle. I was never a massive fan of Entwistles treble-tastic bass tone, but it worked really well for The Who. In short- for a masterclass in taking a set of simple chord progressions and pushing them as far as they can go - Entwistle - especially "Live At Leeds". To hear someone combining superb musicianship with a brilliant ear for melody - Squire. Go for "The Yes Album" or "Fragile".

It is John Paul Jones, according to his session lists on his website.

Beer I can live without. Aspirin...not so much. If you'd ever played with our drummer, you'd understand.

I have a flight case the size of a small suitcase full of stuff - my guitar stands, mics, leads, power cables, little tool kit, speakons for my cabs etc. Also inside are a couple of clear pencil cases full of things like aspirin, patch leads, batteries, torches, etc. Every so often, I have a look at it to see if I can remove anything I haven't used over the last few gigs. I can't remember the last time I took anything out. I envy the guys that just rock up with their combo in one hand and their bass in the other.

Relicing is just another finish option. The good ones are great but the bad ones are beyond ugly. Some of the reliced Limelights that pop up on BC from time to time look beautiful and are incredibly convincing. If you want something that looks like Rory Gallagher's Strat then go for it - it's your choice. Purists may whimper, but to me, it's simply a cosmetic issue. A few of my basses look beaten up and a few look pristine and they all get an outing every now and again. No one ever asks me if the dinks and dents and flaking paint are "real". When instruments are new and shiny and expensive, they make me nervous and I become really conscious of trying to keep them pristine - this of course, results in getting them more dinged than my old faithfuls! My old Ford Focus is on its way out after a long, hard life - I'm looking forward to replacing it, but I'm more nervous about that first scratch or dent. The current Rushbomobile is genuinely "roadworn" so the occasional chip gets laughed off. I feel the same about my basses...