Barking Spiders

Daft or unreasonable it maybe but if I'm unfamiliar with a band's music, the name will often be a deal breaker, a bit like a person's looks. In the long run it's not important but to grab the attention I think it is. If I see a CD by or gig ad for a band that's called 'The ...' (whatever , although come to think of it 'The ....' is quite good!). On the flipside, an interesting or unusual name will lead me to check out the music. Now, just before anyone mentions 'The B' word, I' ll say of course there are always a few exceptions to the rule. From my own CD collection i think there are only around half a dozen bands with 'The'.

As a mahoosive fan of funk, I'm interested to hear what other mega-fans would list as their top 10. I know it could be fluid but there's sure to be some evergreens that you've always loved. To get the ball rolling, in no particular order, at the mo' mine would probably be.. I get high on you - Sly Stone East River - Brecker Brothers For the love of money - O'Jays City, country, city (album version) - War Bus Stop -Fatback Band Hollywood swinging - Kool and the Gang Who says a funk band can't play rock - Funkadelic Pick up the pieces - Average White Band Shaft - Isaac Hayes Serpentine Fire - Earth Wind and Fire

I like muchly though in 2014 Squarepusher released this, all played by robots

+ 1 for #2. For me the age thing is not so much a demographic issue as having same music reference points. I wouldn't be interested in playing funk with younger geezers who think Uptown Funk is where it's at but who've never heard of Parliament or Sly Stone

Many peeps will think me fussy but bands are like women. I'd rather be without than with wrong 'uns. The first filter is demographic; they need to be relatively local to me and similar age group Next, is there any existing band or other peeps who play or want to play my kinda stuff but only on a fun basis. This is my sticking point as I'm only interested in playing dance based stuff, - mostly covers - mashing up 70s funk, 90s House, 80s hip hop , bits of drum n bass etc Then it's the big one. Are they good, fun , easy going people. Any sign of egos and that's it. Finally, if I did strike lucky then we'd decide on what gigs to do. I'm more inclined to sticking to once or twice a month and not travelling too far to gigs, an hour's drive or so.

I've sold off a fair few instruments in my time and don't regret getting rid of any of the 5 basses. However, i wish I hadn't sold my white, US made Tele on EBay though i got a good auction price for it. Also regret selling a really good pair of Toca congas. Times were hard then and I needed the cash to pay of debts.

Is there a function for deleting one's own posts here. I cant seem to find one?

In addition to the 100 funk/disco songs I mentioned, I can also play the basslines to around 200 AC/DC and Status Quo songs each ...and I've only ever actually heard their bigger hits.

In guess we're all talking about basslines here in which case we all probably can play upwards of a 1,000

I put about a 100 though I've forgotten a lot as well as I don't like /play them anymore. Bass-wise my preference is for playing funk & disco and 80s pop/synth & post punk so I made I made a point of nailing many of the 'classics' that any funk-tion band would probably play. I

For me living under rock would've been the preferable option. My missus likes Muse as does my eldest sprogette. I think I might have to trade both of them in. I think it's safe to say probably 99.999% of under 30s won't know who Rush or Yes are. A fraction more may've heard of LZ cos their dads have an old copy of Houses of The Holy lying about but I doubt most could name a single track. I'd also never heard of Kings X until now. I Wiki'd them but I'll be going no further.

I get the impression that in the UK for the majority of adults going to any event it's less about the actual entertainment being put on and more about getting s***faced. Does'nt matter whether it's Glastonbury, Cheltenham Gold Cup week, Wimbledon Fortnight or local festivals, two weeks in Ibiza or nights down the boozer , the sport or music is just a sideshow.

or rather 'itth a mythstery'

Indeed, while I actually dislike CS's guitar tone, what made those early albums listenable for me were the polyrhythms laid down by the drummer and percussionists. The emphasis on rhythm in latin music is what makes much of it great IMO. I long stopped listening to mainstream US, UK and European rock, pop, hip hop and dance/electronica as it's mostly plodding, formulaic, derivative and lacking creativity and instrumental skill. Go outside this very limited musical world and there's loads of interesting stuff going on, not that most Brits, Americans and Europeans bother to hence why music radio is the way it is.

Just to make it clearer what I'm really getting at is that in mainstream / chart music - mainly in the US and Europe - the only time most people will see tamborines or marracas being used is by 'fifth'wheel' types or backing singers who give the impression they're doing something while on stage. This probably gives many non-musicians the impression instruments like these are easy to play. Maybe there's opportunity for someone to bring them into the mainstream and show how they really should be played.

Fraid you are wrong there . Read my recent post. I was specifically talking about untuned instruments like maraccas and tambourines. The term percussion is a bit too general IMO as it ranges from tuned instruments demanding considerable skill to play well e.g. hammered dulcimer, marimba, timbales etc to claves and triangles. Anyway, as my main instrument is drums (not just kit but also a range of hand and stick drums) you'll never find me dissing drummers and percussionists!

Actually while the tone of the post is meant to be light-hearted the question is 'serious' . I'm sure there are proper techniques for playing maraccas and the tamborine etc, which you'd hear in latin genres. Unfortunately i think untuned percussion instruments like these have been demeaned in Western pop music where they are handed willy nilly to people like Bez from Happy Mondays who don't play any tuned instrument or sing. In some Motown tunes you can hear tambourine playing where the rhythm is not straightforward at all

If you play triangle, chimes, rainstick and claves can you consider yourself a multi-instrumentalist? Has anyone ever wowed you with a tambourine solo? Have you ever put in several hours practice a day on the guiro?

and from the more glam part of the 80s music scene

Aye, can't argue with you there. Ah, White Lightning yes indeed the tipple of dukes and duchesses too!

These have been a big fave of mine since I hear them on Peel. Anyone else for them? Always cracking drumming and plenty of nice bass work

Dr Robert Moog, Daphne Oram, Delia Derbyshire, Ralf Hutter and the crew at Roland. Why? Cos at age 6 or so I got turned onto bleeps and whirrs etc from listening to the Dr Who theme , Magic Fly by Space and Autobahn. And I've been annoying the crr@p out of wives, mates etc ever since with my own sounds and extensive collection of electronica

It sure was and pop stars looked like pop stars oughta, OTT and bizarre looking, not looking like they should be folding skinny jeans at GAP like they have been since BoyZone /Westlife

But is he even in the top 100 maracca players in pop. He can't hold a candle to Davey Jones of the Monkees.

You could always do prison gigs in a Johnny Cash-Fulsom prison stylee where you'd have an attentive captive audience.