JJTee

How cool a program is this eh?! Especially for those just starting out. Almost impossible to imagine something like this being made today, sadly.

Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers covering the Bee Gees, pre-Chic, as the Big Apple Band.

What happened to the Lincoln biscuit?

And me. Followed by Whitesnake 87 and then New Jersey. Then GNR, Metallica, Slayer. Now it’s a bit of anything.

I hear this and have visions of the BBC Holiday program with Cliff Michelmore and his combover. (And the gratuitous boobs shot in the opening titles!) ….

Get yourself this; absolutely spot on transcriptions: https://playbasslines.sellfy.store/p/abba-for-bass/

Phil Jones Bighead (HA-1) Mobile Bass Amp. Absolutely brilliant. There’s a mk 2 which is a bit fancier but I couldn’t be happier with the cheaper version. Plug my iPhone in, headphones and bass. Couldn’t be happier. Fantastic sound quality. https://philjonesbass.net/cms/index.php/product-ha-1/

Distortion and flanger?

I let out a quiet, internal “whoop” when he got to the bit about the bass in the chorus being the star part (along with the vocal harmonies). It’d always caught my ear and it’s such a simple but effective line that gives loads of character to the tune - it could have been so much more mundane.

Gotta love Rick. He is absolutely spot on about the quality of the bass in the chorus:

Very good point. Early era fretless Pino was/is very distinctive…. er, well, apart from when it’s Dave Paton!

I would have also said Pino until I found out that it wasn’t him who played fretless on Elton John’s Nikita, but David Paton. Could’ve sworn it was Pino!

Duff McKagan Flea Bernard Edwards

Great footage - never seen these before. And not a Stingray in sight…

Is there any live footage from the late 70s of him actually playing a Stingray? Always seems to be something else. In fact, the 1996 Budokan gig is the only time I’ve seen Bernard physically playing a ‘Ray.

Apparently so. John’s tech cut the original strings off when it arrived, to John’s despair! He wanted those old strings ingrained with Bernard’s blood, sweat and tears!

Interestingly, he uses a P-bass on this live version of Le Freak from 1978. Think he might have used this to record Dance, Dance, Dance and Everybody Dance. And a Jazz a few years earlier:

Seems that the bass player was one Jance Garfat, sadly no longer with us (and neither are the drummer or keyboardist, or Ray).

All sounds bloody good! Ovation maracas?!

Yep, that looks right. Mk 1 or 2, no idea. Jumper could be C & A. Tough call. Great performance though; looks like they may have been in the green room for a few hours beforehand as they look pretty happy!

Ah yes, knew I’d seen it somewhere before. I reckon the jumper is M&S.

What’s that chap, grooving in the smart v-necked jumper, playing then? Bonus points for the person who can ID the maracas!

Friday night round the neighbour’s last week for pre-Xmas drinks with a few families, I get chatting to the guy three doors down who moved in with his family in the summer. Out of curiosity I asked what he did as a job: “I build bass guitars”, he replies. The penny dropped pretty quickly. I live in the village where Wal build their basses and my new neighbour is one of the guys who builds them. Could have chatted to him all night. I don’t think he’s used to meeting people who know one end of a bass from the other, let alone have actually heard of Wal. Sadly, no chance of mate’s rates or reopening the waiting list I don’t think.

Can anyone confirm if Page was on a downward spiral at the time?

$299 on Sweetwater. So £300?