upside downer

What's He Building? - Tom Waits

"I know my place."

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1450699379' post='2934914'] The Pistols music didn't have any less substance than Elvis, Cochran or any other hit artist with a three minute three chord pop song. Where the Pistols did stand out was Lydon's lyricism. His work with The Pistols and subsequently with PIL is IMHO untouchable. The guy is inventive and original and has worked with some great musicians. Steve Jones became a highly respected session player and is reported to be one of the best rhythm guitarists around. [media]http://youtu.be/QZT0Pw-2Rrk[/media] [/quote] Spot on. Some people get too hung up on the whole 'meaning of punk' nonsense. There was some real great pop music done by some of those guys. And a lot of sh*t too. Just like any other era/genre.

[quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1450643426' post='2934581'] The Sex Pistols were the One Direction of their day. By which I mean that they were a manufactured (boy) band who meant everything to their target audience and very, very little to anyone else. That isn't an insult, if you think about. [/quote] [quote name='upside downer' timestamp='1450644136' post='2934590'] You could say that about absolutely anyone. [/quote] [quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1450646428' post='2934609'] Um, you took the noun out of my sentence. That rather kills the context. The point I was making is that they were a triumph of marketing over musicality, which still isn't an insult unless you really want it to be. [/quote] I think every band or act in the history of pop music has had various levels of manufacturing going on. 'Wear this', 'Sing that', 'Pout into this camera', 'Punch that journalist'. The punk bands were not immune to this manipulation either.

[quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1450643426' post='2934581'] band who meant everything to their target audience and very, very little to anyone else. [/quote] You could say that about absolutely anyone.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1450639069' post='2934528'] underrated innovator? personally i always thought of him as a bit of a gobby chancer [/quote] The underrated innovator line in this topic was tongue in cheek, probably should've made that clearer. Still, the usual half-truths of Sex Pistols' folklore remain intact in some of the comments. Someone else playing bass backstage? Nah, if Sid was particularly bad on any given night they'd just turn his amp off. Quite innovative, really! Fella could play in a Dee Dee Ramone root note style. Viv Albertine of The Slits stated he learnt the whole of the Ramones' first album in one night whilst off his head on speed. There are bootlegs of him playing adequately enough to get by and some of him being total crap, most of those are down to him being strung out on heroin. Rotten did gob on stage a lot, something he puts down to his childhood meningitis illness and the constant need to hack something up. Up to you if you wanna believe that. He still spits onstage today when he performs with PiL. Siouxsie Sioux said she'd never seen a frontman blow his nose into a handkerchief on stage until she saw John. The vomiting myth is something the band were supposed to have done at a Dutch airport once but that was a phony story put about by probably McLaren. He briefly managed the New York Dolls some years before and guitarist Johnny Thunders did actually ralph at an airport once so it's likely that story was borrowed to keep the outrage/bullshit up.

Mate got a 6-string for Christmas. He got bored of it mainly because he broke two strings immediately and had no Bert Weedon Play In a Day type book to show him chords etc. I sat downstairs one night while he was entertaining his girlfriend upstairs and plonked away on the E and A strings along to Never Mind the Bollocks. Realising that I was playing something vaguely resembling what was on the record thought I'd better try a proper bass out. Went to the shop a few days later. Sat down with this long-necked heavy monster. That was the bass, not the shop assistant. Don't remember the brand, only remember it being red. Plucked the E string. THRUUUUUUMMMMMMMM............. Oh man, I'm having some of that!

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1450213352' post='2930683'] The Bee Gees best years were probably on the wane by 1981 [/quote] So were Peter Sutcliffe's

Sod it, gotta have an alternative to the ongoing JamersonJacoMaccagate

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1449480327' post='2923762'] My point is that his bass work isn't current now and neither are his songs. Respect him for his valid output..but I reckon that stopped in 1969.. Nothing wrong with that and he has a body of work that will last for many many more years but things move on. Would you go and see him now..? or put on his Beatles records.. or neither? [/quote] I don't think you can dismiss something just because of its age. I'm sure there will be youngsters listening to his basslines and the Beatles' music for inspiration aongside more contemporary performers. He's been doing this for over 50 years so there's bound to be ups and downs. Reminds me of that old saying, 'form is temporary, class is permanent.'

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1449436466' post='2923562'] This is fun... I thought the Beatles wote some great songs but this is 2015... His bass never did anything for me. [/quote] This is 2015. What's your point? Does good music have a sell-by date? Kanye West makes music in 2015. Is his music necessarily better because it's newer?

Ease, last track from Public Image Limited's 1986 album called,er, 'Album'

Good Times Bad Times from the first Led Zeppelin album. A statement of intent.

Nevermind by Nirvana opens with Smells Like Teen Spirit, that's a pretty good way to kick off

Build My World Around You by Slim Smith and the Uniques. Me and the wife skanked out of the registry office at our own wedding to this smooth groove

Good stuff, Sausage Sandwich Game then Wobble

I have a mouthful of ale, check tuning and wonder why the hell we're playing Alright Now for the millionth time. Coming up next, Highway to Hell. Oh, deep joy.

Great stuff, well explained and easy to follow. Getting into it despite using a pick

I've always played a flipped righty. Began on bass 25 odd years ago by playing along to Sex Pistols, Ramones and other punk stuff so it was mainly root notes and I found it easier as it was all on the E and A strings. Played in bands on and off since early 90's. Moved on from the dum-dum-dum-dum days but self taught so my technique would have many of you wincing!