LukeFRC Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 [quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1358616210' post='1942294'] I only play every other note though - I thought that was the accepted way for fast bass lines, or the listener's ear can't keep up... [/quote] how many notes are there supposed to be per bar?? [quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1358604441' post='1942056'] That reminds me of how indignant I feel when the england football manager says 'the whole country will be celebrating tonight if the team wins' and I think 'well, not me, I couldn't give a stuff either way, i don't even *like* football let alone care when someone scores: the world isn't made up of people who think just like you you arrogant little ****' [/quote] right, imagine you don't live in England at all, but in another part of Britain, and you turn on the BBC and all it is is "oooh the england football team," the funniest one was last winter when their was a heatwave and water shortage up north but the news was full of the traffic chaos as England stopped working after 22mm of snow.... [quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1358629906' post='1942644'] I guess this is the important thing - pop music is sometimes (often?) pretty simple... I didn't really have U2 down as 'pop' but it's closer to that than anything else I guess. Still like it though [/quote] punk/post punk band to begin with though. Like from that musical background how they play makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 U2 are a classic "mates from school" band i.e. one or two exceptional musicians plus a couple of average "place holders". Most such bands shed the place holders during their rise to stardom but U2 have held on to theirs and to be honest probably havn't suffered greatly because of it. The odds of 3/4 world class musicians going to the same school/college/uni at the same time is vanishingly small although it does happen (e.g. queen). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1358631552' post='1942663'] U2 are a classic "mates from school" band i.e. one or two exceptional musicians plus a couple of average "place holders". Most such bands shed the place holders during their rise to stardom but U2 have held on to theirs and to be honest probably havn't suffered greatly because of it. The odds of 3/4 world class musicians going to the same school/college/uni at the same time is vanishingly small although it does happen (e.g. queen). [/quote] I think you'll find that only Brian May and Roger Taylor were at college together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Even Dream Theater have a lot of relatively simple parts in their songs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I think Peter Hook could certainly give Adam Clayton a "masterclass". Or vice versa for that matter. The bass player is only [i]part[/i] of the band guys. I think we forget that sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 [quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1358632446' post='1942679'] Even Dream Theater have a lot of relatively simple parts in bits of their songs [/quote] Fixed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1358633084' post='1942698'] Fixed [/quote] They sometimes even have a bar or two of 4/4 in there as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 [quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1358633247' post='1942701'] They sometimes even have a bar or two of 4/4 in there as well! [/quote] Yes, I spotted that too! "Pull me under" isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1358634178' post='1942717'] Yes, I spotted that too! "Pull me under" isn't it? [/quote] Their 'radio hit' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthevan Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1358627260' post='1942578'] I always felt sorry for the regular bass player on that Alanis track, how would we like Flea coming and stealing our thunder?! The original version is on the album at the end and the other bass player ain't too shabby anyway [/quote] Wasn't her brother the bassist on the other version? The one with flea and dave on was supposedly a remix version. They went to the studio and just had the vocal track and just jammed between them til they got there iirc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 U2 were not musicians. None of them had even heard of blues or rock music when they got together. I'm not sure I understand how that could happen but according to Bono it did. They just played what they liked. Some of the early stuff only has a few chords and they don't really make musical sense in the way a musician would have written them. The Edge is all about effects. Listen to his lines clean and you'll hear it's very simple. They've never hidden it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthevan Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Go2DK9VtQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 As hobbayne says about New Years Day. With or without you is a perfect example of a pop rock song that is perfect for live gigging. THAT bass line just forces girls to sway. I wish our lot would do the damn song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 [quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1358672498' post='1942955'] As hobbayne says about New Years Day. With or without you is a perfect example of a pop rock song that is perfect for live gigging. THAT bass line just forces girls to sway. I wish our lot would do the damn song. [/quote] It's simple stuff but I love playing along to it, ditto all along the watchtower live version off rattle and hum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbo Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'd say that all along the watch tower is made 100x better with some decent soloing over the top, the U2 version doesnt really have anything about it and compared with Hendrix version it just sounds manotanous and repetitive! in some contexts simple just fits, other times its just bland.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 (edited) Sure , but its simple enough for those of us who are a little less practiced to achieve and still think. "That sounded pretty good" . I record my playalongs to see how I did Like I said, you gotta start somewhere, and if mAkes you listen to the drums to make sure you're in time Edited January 21, 2013 by Geek99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 U2 are brilliant songwriters, personal opinions aside on members of the band. I would actually describe Adam Clayton as unique in many ways, he certainly contributes the the unique sound of U2 by keeping an uncomplicated solid foundation laid down whilst he gets painted over with whatever the Edge is doing. It's a sound that's getting ripped off in the charts still. What else do you need a bass player to do if not to provide you with something solid in the low end? Adam Clayton has absolutely nailed in almost every respect, and earned a small fortune doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1358637056' post='1942762'] U2 were not musicians. None of them had even heard of blues or rock music when they got together. I'm not sure I understand how that could happen but according to Bono it did. They just played what they liked. [/quote] Stuart Copeland once tried to claim that reggae had no influence on his drumming style with The Police. I think sometimes artists say things that aren't particularly true in interviews for whatever reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsmith Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Yes, despite having appeared on TV at the height of The Police's success explaining how reggae drumming is structured differently to rock drumming and how he incorporated those elements into Police songs. "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]U2 were not musicians"[/size][/font][/color] I think Bono was talking nonsense (for a change!) when he said that. Larry Mullen had been playing drums in marching bands before U2, so he definitely had some musical experience and I don't think the others had been living at the bottom of a peat bog isolated from the real world before U2 existed. I'd agree AC's bass parts aren't always the most exciting, but what he does is absolutely perfect for U2. As a bass player in a rock band, choosing to play an appropriate part is just as valid a skill as any fancy technique in my book (and one that I wish I could employ a bit better myself sometimes). I gather he wasn't very confident about his playing for the first 3 or 4 albums, but he's done alright for himself really. Not my favourite band, but I wouldn't mind his job (or his money). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricky Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1358598268' post='1941901'] The bass part on New Years Day makes the song. A different bassline would not work as well IMHO [/quote] And.. upon hearing this back in 83 I decided I would play bass it was 30 years ago I regularly still enjoy playing along to their early stuff.. well, up to Zooropa really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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