Old Man Riva

1 hour ago, Reggaebass said:

Cymande are pretty funky, nice bass tone, never heard of them before 

This is a good read… https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/feb/14/getting-it-back-the-story-of-cymande-review-the-second-life-of-a-cruelly-ignored-uk-funk-band

As others have said, they’re well worth checking out, and, yes, you probably have unknowingly heard them before!

From 1985, I really love how he approaches this track…

For me, watching/listening to Neil Young play electric guitar is one of life’s greatest musical pleasures… 

4 hours ago, Misdee said:

I read an interview with Bryan Ferry where he was talking about the succession of bass players Roxy  had during their classic era. He singled out John Wetton as being an extraordinary player, as well as Alan Spenner, who he said would still be in Roxy had he not died. He also really liked John Gustafson.

 

Bryan also made a point of mentioning that Alan Spenner was a big fan of Marcus Miller's bass playing, and was pleased when Bryan hired him for Live Aid ect.

 

I seem to remember there was a track on Bryan Ferry's solo album  Olympia that had three bass players on. I think it was Flea, Mani and Marcus Miller. No skimping in the bass department for our Bryan !

The first time Marcus Miller (knowingly) came onto my musical radar was in 1985, when he appeared as a session player on Bryan Ferry’s Boys and Girls, and Cupid & Psyche 85 by Scritti Politti. His bass line on The Chosen One is fab (though Wikipedia credits it to Alan Spenner, which I’m pretty sure isn’t correct), and is well worth a listen for anyone who hasn’t heard it.

For full disclosure, I know it may be considered heresy, but I’m not really a fan of Marcus Miller (sorry!), but his playing on The Chosen One I could listen to all day…

11 minutes ago, silverfoxnik said:

Wonderful story @Old Man Riva! 

 

Don't you sometimes wish you could go back to those days when your mind hadn't been brainwashed by the tyranny of Spotify playlists and the FM Radio driven genre-ification (if there is such a word) of music?

 

Or so overloaded with years and years of hearing new bands and artists, that everthing sounds like something else...? 

 

...Back to that time when your mind could be blown away by a new startling, daring and creative band like Roxy were...?

 

I really miss that. 

 

 

My formative music years began in the early 70s, through Radio1 and Top of The Pops. I personally think the quality of the ‘pop’ music (i.e. 45s heard on the radio and seen on a Thursday night on the telly) were as high as in any era. Many years later artists like Bowie, Roxy, Mott the Hoople etc. are viewed as seminal and influential acts, but to me and my mates at the time, they were the just some of the pop stars of the day.
 

Other than Slade Alive and the first Roxy album, all I’d heard at that point were singles. So there’d be the aforementioned, along with the likes of Alice Cooper, T Rex, Sweet, The Faces regularly appearing on the telly on a Thursday evening. It was all we knew, so felt the norm. And then it would be discussed next day at school, in some detail!

This is not to denigrate or dismiss other eras (and most folk probably feel their generation was/is the best) but I feel blessed that I grew up when I did, for many reasons, but especially for my first steps into music.

That’s a long-winded way of saying “I agree”!

9 hours ago, silverfoxnik said:

Great to see this thread spring back to life.. 

 

I'm a lifelong Roxy fan; Virginia Plain was the first 7" single I bought back in 1972..

 

Watching them performing it on Top of the Pops was as mind blowing to me as an 12 year old kid as seeing Bowie performing Starman on the show that same year! 

 

Their influence can't be overstated enough IMHO ; they were a driving force in bringing the glamour back into rock & roll at that time, influenced countless other influential bands/artists like Bowie, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Japan, Duran Duran etc, etc.. And in Ferry and Eno, the had two stunningly original artists and songwriters... 

 

My personal preference will always be for their first, brilliantly original run of albums made with the original lineup, as opposed to the late 70s, early 80s sound they morphed into when Ferry brought in different group of technically better (maybe?), but less interesting musicians.. 

 

In terms of their bass players, Graham Simpson, John Gustafson and John Whetton resonate most with me in terms of their playing styles, bass lines and sound.

 

(... weird how their surnames all end in 'on'??) 

 

And JG was a really significant bass player in the development of the first Wal Pro Bass model back in the mid-70s. 

 

Awesome! 

Pretty much mirrors my thoughts! Seeing Roxy on Top of The Pops was amazing. 
 

My uncle and aunty went to see them in Coventry on their first tour at Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University). There was an old motel (The Chase) on the outskirts of Cov near where my uncle lived, that had a late bar, and was a stopping off place for bands at the time. By chance Roxy were staying there so my uncle got me their autographs (on an old brown envelope that had his gas bill in it - no idea why he was carrying that around with him!). I put it away somewhere safe at my mum’s, so safe I’ve not seen it for over fifty years! 
 

I can’t really put into words how their music changed my world as a kid. The first two albums were so influential. The Bogus Man used to genuinely scare me (so much so, when I was playing side two I’d skip to the second track!). An amazing piece of music.

A wonderful band, whose music I still love as much today as I did when I was a kid… 

Nice bass, very rock ‘n’ roll!

GLWTS 

1 hour ago, Mrbigstuff said:

What’s everyone’s thoughts on this one? I’m not sure about either finish or P/G. I thought factory black would have come with a white/ mint guard and only sunburst or white would have tort…

https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass-new-arrival/products/fender-p-63

 

too beaten up for my taste and the sticker residue/ mark would really annoy me.

Even though it doesn’t say it’s a Refin in the description, based on The Gallery’s previous/recent prices for similar pre-CBS refinished Precisions, I think it’s safe to say it is… 

3 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

That vocal ain't sampled 👍

No sir! It’s positively spiritually uplifting, is what it is!

(not to mention the fabulous JMJ on Guild Starfire)

… who says there’s no fun in music anymore?!

3 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

Will listen to it, thanks

 

Re sampling, it's the extraordinary way you simply can't tell unless you REALLY listen and REALLY know your music, more than once I've heard a Radio 6 DJ play an obscure tune from the 60s or 70s followed by 'And of course Beck sampled that in.......". Mostly CC of course 👍

I’ve lost count of the amount of original tracks I’ve ‘discovered’ due to them being sampled by someone else. The Ramsey Lewis track being a case in point. I’d not heard (of) it until someone told me it was where Beck took the bass line for Debra from.

As I say, I think sampling can be hugely creative… 

One of the things I really like about his music (especially earlier records) is the sampling/re-cycling of other tracks. He’s never hidden it, and I personally think sampling etc. can be hugely creative in the right hands.

I must admit, in most cases it was only some years later that I found out which tracks had been sampled etc. - Devil’s Haircut intro is taken from a track by Them (featuring Van Morrison), but at the time I just thought it was a killer guitar riff, that sounded like a 60s garage band! Again, it doesn’t diminish it in any way, in my humble opinion.

If you haven’t done so already, I implore you to have a listen to the Sea Change album. Best listened to alone, and through headphones, it’s his ‘heartbreak’ album, and can be uncomfortable to listen to at times, as it’s so obviously personal. Doesn’t matter how many times I hear it, Already Dead reduces me to a blubbering wreck every time…

Though most things do that these days!

I’m a big fan of Beck, and agree, his creative talent is off the chart at times. I once saw him doing an acoustic set at Cambridge Corn Exchange. I wasn’t really looking forward to it, in the way I would have been had it been a band gig, but it was a fabulous night. Just him and acoustic laid bare just how wonderful the songs were - gorgeous melodies, interesting lyrics, showcasing a genuine songwriting talent.

Debra is cool as, but the bass line is actually taken from My Love For You, by Ramsey Lewis. Doesn’t make it any less brilliant, but always good to know where certain parts originate from!

I bought a Serek bass from Marc. Such an easy transaction. Great comms, and the bass arrived the next day, safe and securely packed.

An absolute pleasure to deal with Marc… 

I got this at the weekend that I absolutely love to bits, and just wanted to share.

A huge thank you to @walshy for his patience and good nature over the past weeks, as I’ve bombarded him with various questions, requests for excruciatingly detailed dimensions and pics galore. “Walshy, if the neck was an 80s pop act, who would it be? Which discontinued item of confectionery is the bass most like?” Prefab Sprout, and a Texan Bar, since you ask!

I’ve been after a ‘68 to ‘73 period P Bass for a while now. I tried some lovely basses, but they weren’t quite for me, as I was after a specific neck profile. 
 

As soon as I picked this up I knew it was what I was after. Virginia Plain, Metal Guru, In a Broken Dream, All The Young Dudes, Ernie (the fastest milkman in the west), and this bass: 1972 was a good year…

17 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

And I have to add that @Old Man Rivais a genuine real life hero, a friend for life.

 

what a guy.

 

 

Aw, stop it, you old softie! And you’re not too bad yourself!

Really enjoyed the show overall (though I did have a “Hello Cleveland” moment when trying to find my way out of the guitar hall. In the end a security guard took pity and escorted me all of twenty yards to the clearly marked exit!).

It was especially lovely to spend some quality time with yourself and Walshy. It’s little wonder you and Walshy were so busy/popular - the way you were engaging with everyone that approached Vintage Bass Room, whatever the query, was fantastic. Encouraging people to dive and play whatever they wanted to, in their own sweet way, is not always something that is done these days. There was a young lad there with his dad. He was a bit shy/reluctant, but after a bit of encouragement picked up one of the Stingrays and brilliantly put it through its paces. Lovely to see. It’s the quiet ones you have to keep your eye on!

Same time next year, then… 

4 hours ago, Piers_Williamson said:

There has been some really interesting stuff coming up lately around three of the original Simple Minds line up getting together.  I have finally found out how Derek Forbes played some of the original Simple Minds Riffs watching this:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w79gmTDXJTM

 

Hopefully the link works.  If not, it was the book launch/masterclass of 'A Very Simple Mind' in Walthamstow (of all places)

I went to that, it was a great evening. Walthamstow Trades Hall host some really good events - check out their website. It’s like a lovely step back in time to a typical old WMC (for those of a certain age!) - very Phoenix Nights!

Anyway… Derek Forbes was on excellent form. He covered the early days of him playing guitar in a covers band in Lloret de Mar in the 70s, to his sacking from Simple Minds and career afterwards.

The interview was bookended by a terrific DJ set (can’t recall who it was), with a lovely smattering of early Roxy Music, The Associates, early Simple Minds, and Can, to name but a few.

If I’m being totally honest, I found the book to be a bit of a let down, but the event itself was wonderful… 

46 minutes ago, Rick's Fine '52 said:

I agree too. It’s a great thread. However it isn’t the minefield some may think if you know what you’re looking at. Lots of simple nonsense spoken, in full view of simple, well known facts. But I’m out of this post too, I now remember why I stopped coming to this site some years back. Shame. 

Personally speaking, I think that’s a real shame. I have found your contributions, experience and insight to be incredibly helpful and always interesting.

Be great if you were to reconsider at some point!! 

Excellent topic!

Two of my current favourite (fun) lines to play are:

Son of a Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield, with bass by Tommy Cogbill

(Fallin’ Like) Dominoes by Donald Byrd, with bass by Chuck Rainey

A nice mix of straightforward and tricky; there’s plenty to get your teeth into.
 

Easy to lose yourself for hours in both of those!

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

As it makes good click bait. His posts recently seem to have become more like this, rather than his clever analysis of songs. I’m disappointed in him.

It’s apparently now a requirement of the professional YouTubers to present their content in this way. I watched a Rhett Schull video recently, who explained how it all works, and that those dopey/angry/bewildered looks in the thumbnails, along with easy-to-digest, simplistic titles (“Is this the WORST pedal EVER for a Libran to use IN THE SHOWER?!?!!!!) are all there to ensure Mr/Mrs YouTube treats the videos kindly, and in a way that the money flows in more readily for the creator…

I’m not particularly a fan of his (and aware that I’ve fallen into the cunning trap set by Mr Schull!), but here goes…