Cosmo Valdemar Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1452338738' post='2948981'] I never thought it was him at that time but hearing the line in isolation which is played with a plectrum, I think he'd have been able to that. Fingers, ..no..!! [/quote] Sounds like fingers to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefrash Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Not convinced that's the real deal. It's well played generally, but goes out of time in places. Great bass line though. As others have said though, I love hearing isolated bass tracks (originals) as it really shows that things really do get tidied up in the mix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 [quote name='Old Man Riva' timestamp='1452338440' post='2948977'] The John Taylor/Bernard Edwards thing often comes up due to the recording of the Power Station album and the documentary of the making of the album showing John being coached (produced) by Bernard Edwards - "Ha, JT can't play, it was Bernard wot dun it.. etc." which is nonsense. [/quote] The mind boggles to wonder which bass guitarists wouldn't benefit from some coaching by Bernie Edwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Not being massively up on Bernard's bass style but did he play anything with that kind of sound to it? The Chic songs I know all had a very different tone to them, I thought Bernard played this kind of line with thumb playing the low strings and finger picking the higher strings hence why there is only one you tube cover of Everybody Dance where the guy gets close to that Bernard tone and that is by playing that way. My friend is a huge Bernard Edwards fan and has spent years trying to emulate his style, I have to admit when he played me the cover alongside the original is was the only one that came close I think it was JT playing the line it just fits with all the other Duran Duran song IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Riva Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 [quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1452367925' post='2949367'] The mind boggles to wonder which bass guitarists wouldn't benefit from some coaching by Bernie Edwards. [/quote] Indeed. John Taylor was a huge Bernard Edwards fan. I think all the "John Taylor doesn't actually play the bass lines" stuff began when, as producer, Bernard Edwards added a couple of bits of bass to Get It On when putting together the Power Station album. I'm always impressed with any musician who puts the song first.. and why not utilise the talents of one of the best funk bass players ever to add to the song in the way that Bernard Edwards did. On a similar theme I always liked Curt Smith's playing in Tears For Fears but he stood aside to allow Pino to do his thing on Badman's Song for the sake of the track. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 [quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1452366242' post='2949343'] Sounds like fingers to me. [/quote] I don't think he'd have been able to play that line with fingers at the time. It is an easier pick line and also the sound. I'd be very surprised if the core part was fingers at the recording. It is pretty scrappy in places as it is, but it isn't an easy line either. He may play it fingers now to a track tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) Crikey what a great bass part!! My thought on JT was that he played with fingers with the occasional pops. As epitomised on Girls on Film. Not sure whether this is pick or fingers. Very gnarly sound. I like his playing - had certain elements which gave him a unique style. On an Aria? Edited January 10, 2016 by drTStingray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzneck Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) A very good mate of mine was Duran Durans stage manager for yonks and one of the things he told me was how good they were / are as players. He also told me that one of their games was to understate their abilities deliberately to wind up the session guys. Don't know the truth of that and I can't check because he's gone now. RIP John. Edited January 10, 2016 by Jazzneck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 IIRC JT took delivery of Bernard's Stingray after his death didn't he? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 [quote name='Old Man Riva' timestamp='1452380018' post='2949519] On a similar theme I always liked Curt Smith's playing in Tears For Fears but he stood aside to allow Pino to do his thing on Badman's Song for the sake of the track. [/quote]That album's credits reads like a rock family tree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Another guy from that era who was good was Les Nemes from Haircut 100. I heard Favourite Shirts recently and was impressed by the funky tight playing on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 [quote name='Old Man Riva' timestamp='1452380018' post='2949519'] On a similar theme I always liked Curt Smith's playing in Tears For Fears but he stood aside to allow Pino to do his thing on Badman's Song for the sake of the track. [/quote] I really likes Curt Smith's playing on the first Tears For Fears album. Never liked anything they did after that, they changed completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 [quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1452427264' post='2949776'] Crikey what a great bass part!! My thought on JT was that he played with fingers with the occasional pops. As epitomised on Girls on Film. Not sure whether this is pick or fingers. Very gnarly sound. I like his playing - had certain elements which gave him a unique style. On an Aria? [/quote] He's a good player, and was a good player from the first track on the first album. He's used lots of different basses over the years (Ricks, Wals, Kubickis, Peaveys) but was favouring Aria SB models at the time, which are very toppy, aggressive sounding basses. Play that line fingerstyle on an SB & that's what it sounds like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Another thing that was prevalent if recording at that time was that engrs liked the cleanest track and this meant they wanted pick parts if they could get them. John Taylor never had a classic slap style then either so the pulls could have been off a pick part. Whether DD had the 'clout' at that time or experience to go against a call/suggestion to play it with a pick might have been a factor. I guess we will never know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 JT said in an interview that he was glad he had 6 months of practice of Rio before he had too do it in the studio. Can't for the life of remember what interview or documentary he said that on, but he definitely said it. And when he has played it unaccompanied on various things I've seen he always sounds like the clip in question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsmith Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) I learned this line to try and impress the girls I was at school with (turned out they liked John Taylor for other reasons). I almost always played with fingers and this line was no exception - and it was possible. This performance is from around the same time and JT appears to be using fingers here: http://youtu.be/T4dKTblXrF4 I'm pretty sure it's JT, even if it gets scrappy towards the end. Most of these isolated bass parts reveal scrappy or out of time playing - even the ones from the likes of Geddy Lee. That's part of where the energy in performance comes from in my opinion (as opposed to the trend amongst some to quantise everything until it loses all sense of feeling). When deciding to go with a take, you'd listen in context with the other instruments (drums especially) rather than how the bassline sat on its own. The fact that so many untidy performances both in sound and execution have ended up on very successful recordings demonstrates that the part doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to fit in a pleasing way. Edited January 10, 2016 by jonsmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1452436716' post='2949892'] Another thing that was prevalent if recording at that time was that engrs liked the cleanest track and this meant they wanted pick parts if they could get them. John Taylor never had a classic slap style then either so the pulls could have been off a pick part. Whether DD had the 'clout' at that time or experience to go against a call/suggestion to play it with a pick might have been a factor. I guess we will never know... [/quote] Just had another listen - there is at least one drop in, maybe more. But, 'drop ins' we're always around, long before copy and paste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 That track from that time has a sequence behind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsmith Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 There's loads of sequenced stuff on the keyboard parts. Do you think the bass is not live either? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Why would it not be live? It's not a difficult bass part to play fingerstyle by any stretch of the imagination. Most of the "sequenced" parts are the arpeggiators on a Jupiter 8 which were very much part of the Duran Duran sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Riva Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Always liked this from the Rio album.. http://youtu.be/25m4P72FK6E I think the bass line was actually played by Mark King using a plectrum belonging to Derek Forbes, along to a sequenced track put together by Rick Wakeman from Keith Emerson's sweat.. John Taylor was too busy applying blusher and chasing women to actually take part in proceedings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswareham Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 RhysP: most of the arpeggiated parts were Jupiter 4 rather than 8. A very different synth from the later 6 and 8, quite limited voice architecture in comparison but the 4 is still a great synth. I own one, and if I could only keep one instrument then it'd be the JP4 rather than any of my basses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Old Man Riva' timestamp='1452441099' post='2949945'] I think the bass line was actually played by Mark King using a plectrum belonging to Derek Forbes, along to a sequenced track put together by Rick Wakeman from Keith Emerson's sweat.. [/quote] Rubbish, it was Carol Kaye. Rio, Girls on Film, Bad Boys...those synth stabs on A view to a kill ? Carol Kaye. Edited January 10, 2016 by ahpook 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 [quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1452442035' post='2949952'] RhysP: most of the arpeggiated parts were Jupiter 4 rather than 8. A very different synth from the later 6 and 8, quite limited voice architecture in comparison but the 4 is still a great synth. I own one, and if I could only keep one instrument then it'd be the JP4 rather than any of my basses! [/quote] I didn't know it was a 4. I'm well aware of the differences between them though, I've owned a 6 & an 8 in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) this is me rolling my eyes in mild disbelief that anybody could possibly think that BE would be so .... (frankly) sloppy quick edit before the lynch mob arrives - i [i][b]dont[/b][/i] dislike it - great to play and great to listen to Edited January 10, 2016 by steve-bbb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.