Russ Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 The whole New Romantic movement, apart from the dodgy outfits, was pretty much the last gasp for real creativity and experimentation in pop music. Many of the bands involved are still influential over 20 years later, and for all the right reasons - they could sing, they could play, they could write catchy, quirky and intelligent songs and they looked good. I would have loved to have been in a band back then, especially as a bass player... I could have had a brand new Trace Elliot stack, a Wal and a mullet, and funked things up like crazy! It can't really be denied that Duran Duran were basically a boy band - but a boy band who wrote and performed their own music. Hasn't really happened since. The era where pop music came to be dominated by producers came along shortly afterwards, with the Stock, Aitken and Watermans of this world basically reducing pop music to a formula and milking it for all it's worth. Time for New Romantic to make a comeback, methinks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) [quote name='dub_junkie' post='313491' date='Oct 24 2008, 02:16 AM']. also saw Siouxsie at the ABC in Glasgow in march of this year.another great gig[/quote] She’s still got it hasn’t she? Moments of brilliance on the “MantaRay” album I thought. And gorgeous with it…….. I saw the Banshees play an impromptu gig as “Janet & the Icebergs” at Eric’s in Liverpool, John McGeogh on guitar. Not that I was so much into nu-romanticism, and now all we see is the sanitised TOTP2 version with kitschy videos of Culture Club, Marilyn, Spandau Ballet, Adam & the Ants, Bananarama et al, but there seemed to me at the time to be a definite North – South divide in the same way there was with Northern Soul; the Northern scene had a harder, more dance/club focussed, more emotionally charged edge to it compared to the more pop / style-orientated South. If you see the film “Letter to Brezhnev” which was filmed just around the end of that time (1984?) you’ll see what I mean, and it’s a great film anyway. Edited October 24, 2008 by Shaggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) Just bung some (loads) reverb on everything, process it through a load of studio gear and there you have it. Instant 80's vibe. Even better without real sounding drums. I love playing Rio and to echo a previous post. If i could play (and look) even 1/4 of what John T can do i would be very happy. My first "real" Bass was an Aria pro. Not the SB1000 but it looked like it. Oh, and a white jacket with sleeves rolled right up. Big fan of that era myself. Edited October 24, 2008 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin40 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='314112' date='Oct 24 2008, 08:12 PM']Just bung some (loads) reverb on everything, process it through a load of studio gear and there you have it. Instant 80's vibe. Even better without real sounding drums. I love playing Rio and to echo a previous post. If i could play (and look) even 1/4 of what John T can do i would be very happy. My first "real" Bass was an Aria pro. Not the SB1000 but it looked like it. Oh, and a white jacket with sleeves rolled right up. Big fan of that era myself.[/quote] Me too, love that era, personally music was never quite the same after 85. I blame stock aitkin and waterman for the decline. My fave band for the past 26 years is Duran and it was obviously John Taylor who got me playing bass in my teens. I can remember virtually mastering rio and thinking to mysel that I could play anything if I can play rio (how wrong was I!!). People talk about Rio alot on this forum but if you want to try and learn an interesting Duran bass line have a listen to "Shadows on your side" from the seven and the ragged tiger LP, there is a rumour that John Taylor can't remember how to play it now? I have an Aria Pro II SB1000 like the one JT had in the early 80's (same colour etc), love to know the history of it and if its worth anything? Other bands whose bass I love from that era include ABC, Culture Club, Japan, Paul Young and earlier than that anything by Bernard Edwards who I think had amazing rhythm. keep up the posts, brings back happy memories of when I was a teen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 80s bass is all about using a boss chorus pedal isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 [quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='314215' date='Oct 24 2008, 10:34 PM']80s bass is all about using a boss chorus pedal isn't it?[/quote] Only on Guitar, bass, drums keyboard and vocals. Otherwise no, it wasnt used much :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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