Old Man Riva

Reni was (probably still is) a staggeringly good drummer. Pete Townsend tried to nab him for some of his solo stuff, and likened his natural carefree playing to that of Keith Moon. His and Mani’s styles complimented each other so well. Some of the rehearsal footage in Shane Meadows’ documentary/film is wonderful, with the dynamic duo just laying it down with not a care in the world. They made it look all so easy. And fun. Never forgetting fun…

I think the John Gustafson and Alan Spenner eras get a fair bit of love and respect their way - and rightly so! For me, the first two Roxy albums can get overlooked, which is a real shame. They also hold a special place as they were pretty important records when I was first really getting into music - so not necessarily better, just my favourites, and I think underrated, from a bass playing perspective. But as I say, the whole Roxy catalogue is full of great bass moments, across all eras…

Cucumber Slumber is seldom mentioned when Weather Report (and highly regarded bass lines) are discussed. That big fat funky line is life-affirmingly good!

I’ve always found Roxy Music albums to be a treasure trove of low end delights, but the first two records are probably my favourites. Graham Simpson on the debut record, and John Porter on the For Your Pleasure follow up, are wonderful players, and add so much to the albums…

‘Live! In The Air Age’ is a great shout. Charlie Tumahai is fabulous on that record. The bass is also quite prominent in the mix, so tracks like Shine (which was included as part of the additional EP) really showcase his talent. Funky double stops ahoy! John McKenzie, in his time with Steve Hillage, puts me in mind of Charlie Tumahai.

Mani on bass…

Chanan Hanspal’s YouTube channel has some excellent XTC content. Well worth checking out…

A similar tale here. The ‘73/‘74 Jazz I’ve had since the early/mid 80s has had five different sets of p/ups in it - the originals, 70s cream coloured DiMarzio, first generation EMGs, a sourced set of ‘74 p/ups, and currently a set of Seymour Duncan Antiquity. The original owner was responsible for the first two sets, and I’ve piddled around with the rest! I took off the tug bar and covers (as most people did at the time) and left them in a wardrobe at my mum’s decades ago. She then had a clear out and they ended up at the main Coventry tip! The original case is long gone too. It’s been played to within an inch of its life, and I still love the thing as much today as the first day I had it…

Ali Baba by John Holt would be worth considering…

Fabulous, isn’t it! That blows my tiny mind! I saw him when Snarky Puppy played the Albert Hall - he was part of the support act with (if I remember correctly) Becca Stevens. I just couldn’t get my head around how he was doing it!

The low note at 1.45…

I’ve genuinely got no idea what’s going on, but I love it…

Same here. The thought of Trace Elliot gives me nightmares. In the mid 80s I was in a band who got a publishing and development deal (I don’t think the latter exists nowadays, but it was essentially a pre-record deal where a label would fund gear and studio time, and have first dibs on you if you developed into what they were after). Trace Elliot were quite the thing at the time, so the first thing I did was ditch my perfectly fine Marshall 50w amp and 4x12 speaker for a snazzy, all singing, all dancing Trace Elliot rig. 250w amp, with UV light, a fan you could switch on (and off!), various bells, whistles, and a graphic equaliser that gave you the biggest smile you could ask for. I got to the first rehearsal and carted in my new rig. The band and sound guy crowded around, then slowly shuffled away in silence, leaving just the drummer, who, after about half-hour of witnessing me frantically move sliders up and down, and twiddle various knobs, said bluntly, “that sounds sh*t, can you get your old stuff back?!”. It did, and I couldn’t…

Isn’t it just! Genuinely one of my favourite bass parts to listen to (and play along to). Some lovely bits down the low end, some lovely bits up the high end. Melodic motifs, a few double stops and everything he does is sympathetic/adds to the track. But the killer thing for me, amongst the terrific playing/part, is the space he leaves. It really makes it. The tone/sound has often baffled me. I always assume it’s played finger style, but at times, when I listen to it, it sounds like it could be a pick. I’ve spent way too much time over the years pondering this!

As well as the thundering bass line, the demo versions (or at least the stuff they did before getting signed) also feature exactly what you’re referencing. The droning open D, whilst playing a melody on the G - akin to Hooky, Gallup - is all in there…

Mark O’Toole wrote the bass line for Two Tribes. There are demo versions online that show the song in its early stages (pre ZTT) with the bass line pretty much formed. I think there was also a BBC (John Peel?) session at one point too (again, pre ZTT). I always really rated him, even more so after I saw them live at Brum NEC in, around ‘86/‘87, touring the Liverpool album. It certainly belied the myth that they couldn’t play…

I’ve known John W for nearly 40 years, and he’s always been superb at his craft. It’s great to see him getting a deserved mention. A proper hidden gem, and a lovely guy with it!

Went to see Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew last month doing the Remain in Light album, and they also did a really good version of this, which I’d completely forgotten from back in the day…

Well now it’s pretty much a revolution we’re in!

Excellent! We’re no longer a club, we’re now a movement!

Well, if there’s at least two of us, I think we can officially call that a club!

On the subject of Bill Laswell, he’s responsible for an album that I really like, that seems to float under the radar a bit; Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969-1974. It’s an album of his “reconstruction and mix translation” (yes, really!) of some of the tracks off On The Corner, In a Silent Way etc. The electric/funky period of MD’s early 70s work. I remember it getting a bit of a slating when it came out from certain quarters - “you can’t remix Miles Davis!”. I think it’s a terrific piece of work, where Bill Laswell’s quality control on which tracks (or even parts of tracks) would work best, and also looking to genuinely add something extra, rather than simply piddling around with EQs, to try and make it sound more ‘modern’. It also holds a special place in my heart, as it was one of the only two albums I ever bought on MiniDisc, in that short-lived period where that particular format was going to become the absolute future, in terms of how we listened to music. Yeah, right!