colgraff

Twice in my playing career I have made significant steps up the price range. First when I went from Hohner to Yamaha TRB and then from TRB to Dingwall Prima. In both cases, the improvement in quality gave an identifiable improvement in sound and (more importantly) required less effort to play because of the build quality. Would the audience notice? Maybe, maybe not but I felt that my playing was enhanced which I guess is most if the point in retail.

@ TimR. Thank you for telling me what is wrong with my singing. If only I had known that all I needed to do was to sing with passion, I wouldn't have wasted the last 20 years behind a microphone! Trust me, it is very, very hard to manage vocal synth effects either by way of a vocoder and/or effect patches while playing bass and singing at the same time. Obviously, for the Geddy Lees among us, that is less true. It could be that you are one, in which case I apologise.

Mine never did much for me. Of far more value was piano lessons with lots of music theory because it helped me to understand how melody and rhythm slotted together and looking at bass from the views of a related instrument gave a fresh perspective.

'To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose...' as I read somewhere. Seems apposite.

@Delbert. We used to put Batman in Brown Eyed Girl.

A fair point, Bilbo, I find this to be especially true with effects being applied to vocals that would be very expensive to reproduce live, but the alternative is my vocals sounding amateurish. Up to a point, a response could be "Twas ever thus." with examples being Simon and Garfunkel double tracking each vocal track (having four vocal tracks between them) or Elvis having a full orchestra behind him whenever he pocked up a guitar. I have no solution.

Its one thing for the likes of Leonard Cohen to tour through his 70s and 80s as he can have a large band to support him. Its quite another for Lemmy to. I doubt I would ever have had the stamina to play a Motörhead set.

@Leonard, I chose it because, although it was well-received at the time, it seems to have been forgotten.

Lots of albums I have never heard of to listen to. Thanks for enlightening me. Also one album I probably won't listen to but thanks anyway

I agree with most nominations. Obviously I would always play anything as we are there for the clients but there is a mental distinction between pleasure and duty!

This is inspired by the Mustang Sally thread. I would choose: All Right Now Sweet Home Alabama Mustang Sally

A good solo is like a good speech; short and to the point. No longer than 2 minutes. A good example is the bass solo from Tommy the Cat on the Suck on This album.

Some top choices there and some I haven't heard of. That's my driving list sorted for the next few days.

My submission: Carter USMs 101 Damnations. IMO a superb first album with cleverly constructed songs which rarely follow the standard verse/chorus structure, the use of samples from TV and film which was very rare at the time. The songs and the clever and linguistically artful lyrics tackle serious topics such as suicide, alcoholism, social and domestic violence, homelessness and various levels of broken homes / lives in an unflinching way with catchy tunes. From "Every Time a Church Bell Rings" which puts a chilling take on the hymn "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" via the heartbreaking "Good Grief, Charlie Brown" to the bleak GI Blues the album is one of the very few which I believe has no weak tracks on it. What album do you treasure as a hidden gem?

@Fleabag. I'd forgotten that one. I remember having to learn it for a dep gig and believing the singer when he said not to worry about it because "that one isn't too hard!"

I had a few years off and while the 'muscle memory' was there and my technique was quite sharp, my stamina had deteriorated a lot so I had an aching back, sore fingers, etc. for the first couple of rehearsals.

Yes, the dep should be paid. When I have been in bands that do freebies, the freebies were seen as an investment that might lead to paid work. The dep doesn't have this expectation of future work and should therefore be paid. You may choose to be paid slightly less as a nod to the fact that other band members are paying you directly, however.

Try Polar Audio (polaraudio.co.uk) They are the principal Ampeg distributor in the UK. Ordering stuff from them is a bit of a raff but they are really helpful and can get anything.

@ Shedua. Well done on the bowing. I wouldn't dare let my two near one because it would immediately be used as a light saber. @ Stu. Letting other people's children near your bass gets extra points! A very cool picture, too.

@ Andy. Those are a fantastic set of pictures and one clever girl! How old is she? 6-ish?

[quote]He refused to teach anyone left handed and made them get a "proper" guitar.[/quote] I heard it said that Noel Gallagher's guitar teacher did the same

I bought a Roscoe bass from Mikkel. I was a bit apprehensive about sending >£1,000 to someone in Denmark, but he was excellent. He sent the bass very promptly, gave me the tracking reference number immediately and the bass was excellently packed and arrived in perfect condition.