lowdown Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 (edited) (Yep, I have got nothing better to do, so it is Bass nerd time.... ) There is an advert getting a lot of air time at the moment (DFS) The music is called 'A Swinging Safari' by Bert Kaempfert and it has a catchy Bass line. That Bass style is very much part of the Bert Kaempfert sound, so I thought I would try and find out who the Bassist was (from back in 1962). As it happens it wasn't to hard, it was a guy called 'Ladi Geisler' and it seems, he was a busy boy. A marvelous player with a distinctive sound and style. [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladi_Geisler"]https://en.wikipedia...ki/Ladi_Geisler[/url] Bio here. [url="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ladi-geisler-mn0000101237/biography"]http://www.allmusic....01237/biography[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWpaFgmqkUM&index=2&list=PL420wGGDtGib72-mPIhVLVAk3OD9VosnM[/media] Here at 2:30 on a live concert, there are two Basses, one finger style and the other, the distinctive Knack-Bass sound (Ladi?) [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHI5mZUt6ow&list=PL420wGGDtGib72-mPIhVLVAk3OD9VosnM&index=5[/media] Then there was this version from Billy Vaughn (it was a bigger hit at the time). The Bass doesn't have the same attack. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te-HFHNj-tk Edited September 8, 2017 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 I love this stuff! ...even though my blue haired auntie loved it! One year after the "A Swingin' Safari" album, they released "Living it up!" and I think they'd upped their game considerably by then. Here's an example in the song "Living it up" (indeed without the exclamation mark). On my iPod, the Knack Bass is very loud and clear in the mix, but it's more subdued in this vid, which almost every elderly Dutch and Belgian listener and some British listeners will recognise as the Kapitein Zeppos theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IvlRc6nM1A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Hey! I now actually watched that vid, and it's all stills from Kapitein Zeppos - complete with the glorious Amphicar! Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 [quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1504902481' post='3368260'] I love this stuff! ...even though my blue haired auntie loved it! One year after the "A Swingin' Safari" album, they released "Living it up!" and I think they'd upped their game considerably by then. Here's an example in the song "Living it up" (indeed without the exclamation mark). On my iPod, the Knack Bass is very loud and clear in the mix, but it's more subdued in this vid, which almost every elderly Dutch and Belgian listener and some British listeners will recognise as the Kapitein Zeppos theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IvlRc6nM1A [/quote] Ah...Two Basses again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 One of my favourite tracks from the album "Music to watch girls by" http://www.allmusic.com/album/music-to-watch-girls-by-vol-1-mw0002107504 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Usually a Fender Bass with flatwpunds and a foam mute. In some cases they're double tracked too (upright Bass and electric simultaneously). One of the best bass tones I've ever heard is Herbie Flowers on Serge Gainsbourge's Melody Nelson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 In the videos I posted above, the two Basses are both electric and not the usual electric/Upright that was popular at the time.(Tick tack?) Also in the bio for Ladi Geisler, there is a mention if him using a Gibson Bass and foam before moving over to a Jazz Bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Ford Taunus in the vid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Suggests on his Wikipedia page (100% reliable of course) that his tone was created by plucking then palm-muting. I find that hard to believe given the attack. I reckon it's a stick of foam under the bridge like Herbie Flowers and the UK session guys. It's a great sound though. Same sort of thing runs through the 60s funky Italian soundtracks. Also a lot of early Lalo Schifrin / west coast jazz has the same tone. Carol Kaye who played on a pot of this stuff definitely had a foam mute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 Slightly OT, a few years ago I went to see The Mavericks in concert. They were at the height of their popularity and were amazing, with a six piece band plus a four piece brass section too. They came back on for a few encores as the crowd wouldn't let them leave. For the last one they did a cover of 'Swinging Safari' which absolutely tore the place down. Fantastic tune with a great bass part. Love the sound on the original, so evocative of the era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 (edited) [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1504910219' post='3368326'] Ford Taunus in the vid? [/quote] Yup! In this case probably the 20M RS coupé. Did some of them make it to the UK? Edited September 9, 2017 by BassTractor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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