Old Man Riva

I'm a relative latecomer to the joys of Mr Vega, only really made aware of him over the past couple of years. Absolutely love what he does and could watch/listen to him all day. He also does some of his good stuff on the MXR pedal videos. One of my favourite players..

I think 'the lads' from FGTH get a bad press in terms of their musical ability. I heard one of their original demos back in the day and they could play perfectly well. Also saw them live at the NEC on the 'Liverpool' tour and they were excellent. Peter John Vettese (a keyboard player of some note) was on the tour and he rated them as musicians. If you scour YouTube the various 'early Frankie' and 'Blockhead Frankie' demos are there to be heard/compared. It was very much of its time but I reckon Trevor Horn/ZTT/Paul Morley did an incredible job with FGTH; from the music to the marketing to the mystique. One of the more interesting bands of the 80s for me..

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1445624354' post='2892976']Snake Charmer, anyone?[/quote] With Jah Wobble and The Edge? I'd put the Snake Charmer EP down as a lost classic. Lent it to someone just after it came out in the 80s and never got it back - don't think it was ever released on CD so now I'm stuffed. Featured The Edge doing something different/interesting on guitar, away from what he was doing with U2 at the time. If Bowie rhythm sections are being mentioned (and rightly so) it'd be criminal not to include the Spiders' Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey. So much to choose from but, for me, the Aladdin Sane album is the one. Funk, soul, rock 'n' roll... Here's a taster.. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf0fmqWS-kI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf0fmqWS-kI[/url]

[quote name='kevvo66' timestamp='1443915114' post='2878731'] Going back to when we all started playing bet you 90% of us lusted after fender basses ,right I'm off to lust over a white p bass! [/quote] That's me. When I was about fifteen I used to get the train from Cov to Brum on a Saturday morning primarily to stare at a Fender P-bass that hung from the wall in Woodroffe's music store! Black with a rosewood neck. Took me years to finally own a Fender (started off with an Avon Jazz bass copy) and once I owned a proper Fender I never really wanted anything else..

I'm sure I once read that Bob Babbitt's line on Inner City Blues was a composite of a few takes and there are times when two basses are in the mix - I've listened to it countless times and still can't make my mind up. Either way it's a wonderful line and beautifully played. I always liked this tone..sounds like an old Thunderbird, or could be a Rick? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5ylqx1zAgg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5ylqx1zAgg[/url]

Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy (nice Hendrix/Third Stone From the Sun motif to boot) Jasper Carrott - Funky Moped (most bought it for the Magic Roundabout b-side) Great shout above for Benny Hill and Ernie.. and rare to see a video/film on Top of the Pops at the time. And a great shout also for Lieutenant Pigeon (being a Cov Kid one of the abiding memories of the time was seeing them on Top of the Pops and one of the band wearing a City away top - green and black stripes - in an era when grown men never wore football tops, other than to play football. Brian Johnson/Geordie did similar with a Newcastle top on TOTP a year later).

Black Sabbath - Sabotage. Not a fan of Sabbath/heavy metal at all but the album just blows me away every time. It never seems to get a mention when their work is discussed, which is a shame as it's such a diverse and 'risky' album..

[quote name='Slipperydick' timestamp='1441636690' post='2860451']I spotted McCartneys frog record in Ozzys kitchen last time I was there, and he used to live near the inner circle 8 route. Probably just goes to prove what goes around comes around, or something [/quote] Ozzy's a massive Beatles fan. Remember reading as a kid that he was obsessed with them and, being young and naive, couldn't get my head around the Prince of Darkness bopping along to Love Me Do (around the same time I also had it in my head that Angus Young probably actually did wear a school uniform as his everyday garb). Always thought the bass line on Tonight (off one of his first solo albums) was very Macca-esque (courtesy of the underrated Bob Daisley).

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1441463872' post='2859075'] Uh oh , I feel a 'my Slade curse' coming on On the other hand my Ambrosia curse is obvious for all to see [/quote] Well Nod is only one letter away from God, after all! I might start up a Church of Slade. The 'Him Buk' would be fun..

[quote name='rushbo' timestamp='1441460600' post='2859053'] Can we all agree that Slade are goddamn brilliant. Please? [/quote] Yep. Hearing Slade Alive genuinely changed my life. Got me into music in a massive way. First musical heroes. Know Who Are, Know Where You're Going To..

At the time (as a kid) I thought Monty Python was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Now it barely raises a chuckle. Monty Python, Derek & Clive, The Goodies, Kenny Everett, Morecambe & Wise, The Two Ronnies, Jasper Carrott and Billy Connoly were all people I got into as a lad in the 70s. Monty Python the ones I look back on with least affection. If we're looking at the effect The Beatles had on popular music then I'm afraid we have to blame them, and only them, for the monstrosity that was/is Black Pudding Bertha. Mr Blue wasn't there so won't have got it, and he can think himself lucky. If The Beatles were comedy in the 70s they'd have been Michael Bentine's Potty Time..

A[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1441399673' post='2858714'] 1973, my last year at junior school. My parents bought me what I think may have been one of the first replica football kits. Man Utd full strip, including George Best boots with rotating studs on the soles and laces up the side, not the top. So what did I do? Bought the first edition of a new series of Marvel comics - with a free gift of a Spiderman iron-on transfer - yes - yes - I did! Went from trendy bugger of the team to sad git in one week. Now - George Best wasn't from Liverpool - but he was Irish - and that's close enough; if it wasn't for The Beatles, there'd have been no George Best! [/quote] Ah, yes, Georgie Best's Stylo Matchmakers (not forgetting Alan Ball's white Hummels). Flamboyant footwear for the up and coming nippy winger. Talking of nippy wingers, Steve Heighway was one. David Fairclough was a supersub. Keegan and Toshack were a potent strike force. Emlyn Hughes was a crazy horse. Hughes, you say? Nerys Hughes was in the Liver Birds. The Scaffold sang the theme tune. Hang on, wasn't a certain Mike McCartney in The Scaffold? And isn't Mike McCartney the brother of... Paul McCartney?!? Blimey, is there nothing that They weren't responsible for?

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1441398604' post='2858706'] What, Echo and the Bunnymen? [/quote] I was thinking more Flock of Seagulls, but as you never know where or when Ian McCulloch may pop up next - and as I wouldn't want to be on the end of one of his legendary tantrums - Echo & the Bunnymen it is..

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1441396929' post='2858685'] Growing up in the 70s child here. Power cuts Harold Wilson & Ted Heath both being impersonated to hell on comedy TV shows. Power cuts Top Of The Pops in black & white - or at least it was on our TV. Power cuts Slade going straight to Number One three times in one year. Osmonds and David Cassidy fans out-screaming Beatles fans at various airports. Northern Ireland's "troubles" Raleigh Chopper bikes, Airfix models, Action Man [/quote] Two-tone tonic trousers Patch pockets Star jumpers Budgie jackets The Sweeney Cup final It's a Knockout Blokes with permed hair Red Robbo Black football boots Texan chocolate bars Bowie Kung fu The Fonz Eric and Ernie Nationwide Digital watches None of the above would've been possible had it not been for four lads from Liverpool!!

What a shame. I saw him playing with Jerry Dammers Spatial AKA Orchestra last year and he looked really frail and not at his best at all. Memories of happier times.. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vTzit75q0s"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vTzit75q0s[/url]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1441193502' post='2856782']The Beatles Curse thread is interesting also in that the band resutled in a generation or three of guitar based bands knocking out A Hard Days Night..[/quote] Probably not the best example you could have chosen, given that most bands would struggle to make the first chord sound like the record! http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/hard-days-night-chord

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1441032496' post='2855489'] Rich Kids - Ghosts of Princes in Towers. [/quote] Great shout. Overlooked at the time, I think mainly due to Matlock's (perceived depleted) status after being ousted from the Pistols and also the feeling (in the press) that it was somehow 'punk lite'. It's a top album.

Some Sunday funk... This was one of Sly Stone's 'Sly's Stone Flower' projects from '69/'70 I'm Just Like You by 6ix (unsurprisingly it has a fabulous bass line - a Jazz played with a pick??) [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrAc04Nh6M4"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrAc04Nh6M4[/url] There's a really good article about the Stone Flower project here.. [url="https://medium.com/cuepoint/sly-stone-the-original-rhythm-king-da29241897b5"]https://medium.com/cuepoint/sly-stone-the-original-rhythm-king-da29241897b5[/url]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1440708961' post='2853261'] In re: Bolan, Bowie, Slade and the Sweet being influenced by the Beatles: * Mr Bowie covered 'Across the Universe'.[/quote] Mr Bowie MURDERED Across the Universe, and I say that as someone who loves Bowie and has been known to listen to Tin Machine through choice..

Mississippi Johnny & the Swamp Crawl Deluxe You can be Johnny and the rest of the gang can be the SCDs. Edited to say: Just heard MJ & the SCDs have split... now known as JJ Martell & the Dirty Gumbo Band (not to be confused with JJ Hunsecker & the Sidney Falco Express)..

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1440260915' post='2849443'] Ooh me please!! [/quote] Dropped you a line..

Bought this on the above recommendation and have since read it - it's a decent read, with an excellent interview with Lee Sklar as the stand out piece for me (he comes across as really open and honest and sounds like a really top bloke..). I'm trying not to hoard things these days so am happy to post it out to anyone interested so they could then read it and maybe it forward to it on to someone else etc etc..

I think Inner City Blues has two Bob Babbitt bass lines working together. Though I change my mind most times I hear it..

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1439400192' post='2842521'] The gentleman bass player eschews scrunchies in favour of a smart [i]foulard[/i] or - in extremis - a Tootal cravat in a fetching paisley pattern. [/quote] Tootal scarves are the best. I have a deep red one with blue paisley pattern, and a vibrant yellow one, again with blue paisley. Not silk, mind. Both vintage and made in England of a rayon mix. That said, they should be treated as silk when cleaning. Such a lot of things to consider for such a simple item. Dandy-tastic..

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1439158598' post='2840507'] Listen to "Back to Nature" from "Secondhand Daylight" - totally prog, even the bass part sounds like Chris Squire. [/quote] For the keyboard parts alone, yep, it's definitely prog! Also noted on the Wikipedia page that the album wound Garry Bushell up at the time so that's another plus point..