chris_b

I've just noticed Phil Chess died a few days ago. With his brother, Leonard, he kick started rock music by employing Willie Dixon as a song writer and record producer and then signing the strongest roster of artists, including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry to the Chess record label. This was [i]ground zero[/i] for modern music. Sad news.

I like the sound and feel of the original synth bass part. . . . but I also like that Bruno Mars, with easy access to more talent and gear than we could ever dream of, treats the live performance differently and doesn't try to copy the record. Big lesson there. I see the point in asking the question, but Jamareo Artis and Pedro Zappa make the bass guitar sound strong enough that I wouldn't want to sound like the synth if I was playing this number on a gig.

Not for me. . . I'm a Volvo man.

Little Richard, Jerry Lee and Carl Perkins got the ball rolling but Chuck and Bo made their music the basis for most of what came after. Right from the beginning (1955) Chuck Berry wrote fantastic and almost perfect songs. Like most of the guys back then he was treated very badly by the music business and the white community generally. Last month I was in Atlanta and went to the Civil Rights Museum and various Martin Luther King museums. It is quite upsetting to see what those guys suffered back then, but most didn't let it fester into the stupid behaviour that we've seen from Chuck since the late 60's. Even today, like Mustang Sally, a Chuck Berry guitar intro is an instant floor filler.

Drums, bass, keys and sax's was one of the Graham Bond line ups in the 60's. When I started I always played in bands with brass players. I even went as far as to check out starting a drums, bass and brass band but in the very early 70's no one was interested. I needed a vocalist which has always been my problem. Then Back Door appeared and blew my ideas into the weeds.

So they've quoted the haggle price without you having the hassle of beating them down. Sorry NJ, looks like you've lost out, not them.

[quote name='vmaxblues' timestamp='1476703456' post='3156382'] And, what can I do about it? [/quote] We're old. . . sh*t happens. . . speaking from personal experience, of course! Get a longer strap and play with the head stock raised a little, at more of an angle.

The YT's of recent Chuck Berry gigs are terrible. Approach this album with care. Better still buy a compilation from his 50's - early 60's material.

Check this . . . [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1toLihZkDs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1toLihZkDs[/url]

I'm not sure 2 BF One10's would fill a room if you didn't have PA support, but I do know 2 Super Compacts will.

[quote name='Raymondo' timestamp='1476096853' post='3151151']. . . . after leaving my wife, I got a tax refund. . . . [/quote] I didn't know you could claim for that!

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1476099289' post='3151193'] That's absolutely brilliant Chris! but how do you remember the exact date? [/quote] I never wrote a diary, but I have a book that lists all my gigs for the first 10 years or so.

DB cabs sound great but are too heavy for me these days. IMO the TH500 is a better amp to use with DB cabs than the Streamliner.

Designing a set that starts with a bang, dips a little in the middle, then builds to a last number that will leave the audience wanting more, is something that needs thinking about and planning. On the last set you need to keep 2 strong numbers back for an encore. If you're on a curfew, always stop early enough so you can fit the encore in without running over.

[quote name='zbd1960' timestamp='1476045150' post='3150842'] Agree with the comment about jazz theory 'monsters' - I tend to think it is often excessive and I'm not always sure it's that helpful [/quote] You can be Dusty Hill or Adam Clayton if you want to, but "theory monsters" would include James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, Wilton Felder, Jaco, Tal Wilkenfeld, Nathan East etc etc. No matter what you're trying to do, knowing more stuff is always going to make your day easier and better, especially if you're playing a bass.

In the many years I've been gigging no one has ever said, "Why don't you sound like so and so". If they did I'd tell them that I play like me. . . . sounding like I sound. When I gig with a Reggae band I'll start with a tone for that band, same with the Rock, Blues and covers gigs, but I don't change my tone during the gig. Maybe I just don't listen to bands who do that, but I don't hear any other players on the circuit or on big gigs doing that either.

Gigging was all I intended to do when learning bass. Played at home or the Albert Hall, the bass is the greatest instrument. Whichever venue you choose is fine. IME nothing in the world feels as good as standing in front of 500 watts with the room rattling and your trousers flapping. And breaking news. . . . The 20th November is the 50th anniversary of my first gig.

I'm not the best person to ask for advice. . . . my basses get gigged or sold. They are not ornaments to me, they work. But if [i]you[/i] can't decide don't do anything until [i]you're[/i] comfortable with making [i]that[/i] decision.

So. . . . I've just spent 2 hours checking out Louis Cole in all his guises. I'm loving it even more.

[quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1475925310' post='3149793'] Should the dep express an opinion? [/quote] Not usually. [quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1475925310' post='3149793'] The whole two set thing doesn't make sense. Get the punters warmed up, disappear for 1/2 hour and start all over again. Why not stick with it for 2 hours? [/quote] Because they've got to sell beer.

Even rich people don't get any change from "aggressive forms of cancer".

No discussion. You hit them with the best you've got. Not your favourite number but the audience's favourite and you do that in quick succession with the first 3 or 4 numbers.

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1475883904' post='3149584']As to old quality vs new... Let's face it, Paul knows Wals. He started working there a few months before Ian Waller passed away in the late 80s and was working there until around 2000 so most of the basses around will have had him working on them anyway. [/quote] Pete Stephens wasn't very well towards the end but thank goodness he still cared enough about his company to ensure that its heritage and pedigree was maintained, and not sold off to the highest bidder (which was on the cards). Paul Herman was/is the best person to take WAL on and maintain the continuity and quality for such a world class brand.