Pete Academy

About ten years ago I went to see the Average White Band at a local venue. Bassist Alan Gorrie (one of two surviving members) spent virtually the entire evening eyeing up my missus from the stage. After the gig the band came out to meet people. Gorrie completely ignored me when I went to shake his hand and started chatting up the missus. One of my heroes...just a sad old git.

[quote name='Doddy' post='601664' date='Sep 17 2009, 08:22 PM']I once took a piss next to Victor Wooten[/quote] Did he shake it or double thumb it?

[quote name='Doddy' post='601664' date='Sep 17 2009, 08:22 PM']I once took a piss next to Victor Wooten[/quote]

I met Marcus after a gig in Manchester and I rehearsed my speech. It just came out as gibberish. Our keyboard player said: 'You played on one of one of my favourite albums of all time. Say hello to Donald Fagen.' <D'Oh>

Has anyone ever met their bass hero and been literally tongue-tied? Or done something stupid? I was at a music industry trade show in the 80s, in a small demo room, listening to an EV PA demo. I stepped backwards and trod on an extremely tall person's foot. John Entwistle.

[quote name='witterth' post='601501' date='Sep 17 2009, 05:46 PM']"Sex on Fire" eh?.... well now.. take 3 of these a day with food, apply some cansten cream, avoid alcohol during the course of the tablets, and see me again if it hasn't cleared up in three weeks...NEXT!..... (the Doctor is, IN. )[/quote] Shouldn't that song be 'Todger On Fire'? Not that I know, of course <ahem>...

[quote name='WinterMute' post='601028' date='Sep 17 2009, 08:25 AM']A friend of mine at Uni in the 80's was a big Dan fan, I was a total Rush head at the time and there were often audio duels in the corridor between Signals/Permanent Waves and whatever overcomplicated bilgewater Fagan had produced at the time (spot the irony). Oddly I bought the double Greatest Hits compilation (Kids something?) at a boot sale and I'm happy to say much of it made perfect sense this time. Ewen, you weren't the deaf uncultured Welsh bugger I thought you were mate, sorry about that. Now playing Everything Must Go.[/quote] I would like to see Larry Carlton back on the next album (if there is one). I love the story of when they won the Grammys for Two Against Nature and Cousin Depree, and some w@nkspot from The Sun was incensed that this 'unknown' act had beaten Eminem.

Shall I get me coat?

Following on from my previous analogy: You meet the partner of your dreams and stay with them from teens to old age. You are happy as Larry and never look at anyone else. Others settle with their partner but look at others. However, they don't have the guts to stray. Then there are those that can't help but look and can't remain faithful. They want to sh@g as many other people as possible. Some of these will only go for really attractive people, while some will go for anything that moves. The sexual techniques they employ are the same, but they might find that some of the partners are more adventurous, and therefore more enjoyable. After playing the field, most of these people usually end up back with their partners. And so to basses: you meet the love of your life and stay faithful: it feels comfortable and you feel no need to use anything else. You love your favourite bass but you feel the urge to look at others. I wonder how that would play and sound? You forget about your regular bass, play the field, and you try anything you can get your hands on, cheap or expensive, just to see if the experience is different. It usually is initially, but you soon tire of it and long for your favourite bass again. You end up going back to your long term one. We've all done it.

Four or five string?

Practise until you are good enough for a decent band.

A slap?

[quote name='WinterMute' post='600092' date='Sep 16 2009, 12:44 PM']Sort of slop then?[/quote]

Saturday, September 26, 2009 Time: 8:00pm - 11:00pm Location: Pacific Road Arts Street: Pacific Road, Birkenhead

It's a difficult one. If you watch the making of Aja, he definitely looks like he's just slapping and pulling the octaves. However, as mentioned earlier, if he used flatwounds and was trying to disguise the fact that he was slapping, combined with how the recording sat in the mix, the result is what you hear. If in doubt, slap it! Rainey has a unique style. I've always found the 'slap' line he plays at the end of the verse in 'Kid Charlemagne' impossible to achieve properly. It almost sounds like a fretless. IMO the Charlemagne bass part is amongst the best ever conceived.

Nearly Dan are playing at Pacific Road Arts, Birkenhead on Saturday 26 September.

Using the car analogy, I've only ever owned cheap ones, as I see a journey as getting from A to B. If I made a long journey most days, I would be used to driving my Escort, and it would get me there OK. However, if I suddenly bought a Lexus, I would drive exactly the same but the journey would be smoother and therefore more enjoyable. That is, I would appreciate the luxury of the Lexus over the Escort. I could play my band's current set with a Squier 5, but if I move up to a Roscoe, I would still use the same techniques I've learned over the years, but I would appreciate the luxury of a better-sounding and more versatile bass. I think it depends what you're used to. Since I was a kid I've progressed through every step in terms of price and quality. Same with a relationship: you can meet the person of your dreams and be happy without anyone else, or you can forever search for the partner of your dreams. As Swiss Tony would say, 'Playing a bass is like making love to a beautiful woman...'

[quote name='sebpayne' post='592431' date='Sep 7 2009, 08:29 PM']No need to apologise Pete, I'd take IGY any day over Do It Again. Hopefully I'll be catch up with you soon so might have my chance there. That's rather a cool version, I'm pretty sure that's how the 'Dan played it when I saw them live back in June. I think your slap bass fills made a more noticeable difference in driving the song forward but maybe Freddie Washington is banned from using these techniques by Donald and Walter, or maybe his P-Bass with flats isn't the ideal slapping machine (hides )[/quote] I've posted your review on the Nearly Dan website forum. Thanks again.

[quote name='Mike' post='597426' date='Sep 13 2009, 03:38 PM']Agreed, have you heard the bass, drums and vox mix of "Snowbound" from Kamikiriad with WB on bass? Superb![/quote] Becker's reggae-based solo albums are well worth a listen. He's a great bass player, and seems to favour a muted thumb sound. I love his playing on Dan's Jack Of Speed from Two Against Nature.

Fagen's Nightfly album seems to be many BC's favourite. I've always wondered why he used so many bass players - Marcus, Laboriel, Rainey, A. Jackson, Will Lee, etc - when any one of those guys could have nailed each track by themselves. Is it because he could? Any theories?

Absolutely!!!

An old quote: He missed the first beat and spent the rest of the song catching it up.

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='595975' date='Sep 11 2009, 07:23 PM']The drummers I abhor most are those who: * Busy up their hi-hats in a kind of tickety-tickety 60's Merseybeat way, then lob the same pattern to that funny cymbal with the rivets for 'Variation' * Throw a fill in [i]every[/i] 4 bars of a 12-bar blues, with a full bar of fill in the 12th. Can they not just play the groove [i]through[/i] the changes? * Throw frantic rolls round their toms and come out half a tick ahead * Play like crazed Octopii on speed, but sit there like a gawping garden gnome when you ask them for a count-in[/quote] Great response!!!

[quote name='jonny-lad' post='595838' date='Sep 11 2009, 04:55 PM']Really really annoying! It's not so bad with drummers who know when to let loose and can do their bit...it's the ones that have no discipline to play a solid beat when that's what is required. It's the same with any instrument though - if a musician can't find the discipline to play a simple, solid, appropriate part instead of messing about with their favourite chops and fills, then IMO, they're not a good musician...or even adequate, regardless of their technical ability! Never sacked anyone for it, but I've avoided bands, refused to join bands, and I try to avoid going to see bands where I know the drummer is like that.[/quote] I like this reply. It's all about discipline for drums and bass. A few years ago I went to see a Bryan Adams tribute band. When the band went on, the drummer was bare-chested with a towel around his neck and a bandana on his head. I thought: 'We're in trouble here.' Bryan Adams is all about the songs. Two numbers in and I wanted to kill that drummer. He showed off so much it killed every track. Turned out the band knew he was spoiling it but didn't have the guts to tell him. Hanging offence!