Cass Lewis

[Kiwi]

I heard that Cass was considering a career in photography for a while. Obviously if Skunk Anansie are back then all power to them. Awesome, awesome rock band.

[obi 2 kenobi]

He was also a Warwick user. When I saw him w/TTD In 87 at Glasgow Barrowland, he played a pink Warwick most of the nite - great gig btw.

Later did he not switch to Musicman Cutlass ?

[bluesparky]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='488886' date='May 15 2009, 01:57 PM']Aren't they back together now? I think it's recent news.[/quote]
Yup, they've reformed.
They did a couple of warm up secret gigs at the Kings cross venue (water rats?) and there is a tour later in the year.
A colleague of mine is their LD and i'm doing my best to get on the tour!

[AM1]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='489065' date='May 15 2009, 04:52 PM']Who or what was TTD? Hang on, brain wave - Terence Trent Darby?

Sadly I don't hold much hope for their writing skills having improved - though you never know, it took the Chilis three or four albums to get the hang of it!

Alex[/quote]

RHCP's early stuff was superb - summat's wrong with yer ears!

[lemmywinks]

You ever heard their first album? Utter tosh!

Mothers Milk, BSSM and for me One Hot Minute are their best. One Hot Minute gets the vote purely for Aeroplane, Coffee Shop and Shallow be Thy Name, very underrated album

Back OT, i'd like to thank the OP for reminding me what an ace band these guys are, dug their CDs out and gave em a good listen tonight. Used to cover Twisted many moons ago

[bluesparky]

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='489406' date='May 15 2009, 11:32 PM']You ever heard their first album? Utter tosh!

Mothers Milk, BSSM and for me One Hot Minute are their best. One Hot Minute gets the vote purely for Aeroplane, Coffee Shop and Shallow be Thy Name, very underrated album

Back OT, i'd like to thank the OP for reminding me what an ace band these guys are, dug their CDs out and gave em a good listen tonight. Used to cover Twisted many moons ago[/quote]
Controversial!
Some of their first album does take a bit of effort to listen to, but Get Up And Jump and Grand Pappy Du Plenty are great songs.
BSSM is my all time favourite album, i'll never tire of listening to it.
Although saying that RHCP are my favourite band with flea being the biggest influence on my playing - am i revealing myself to be obsessive if i say i've transcribed all of their released and unreleased tracks?
However, some of the recent cheesy ballads and pop songs are almost harder for me to enjoy than their really early stuff.

Nothing will ever top the funkyness of mellowship slinky, funky monks sir psycho sexy and the coolness of knock me down and subway to venus (the intro bass fill is awesome).

Back to Cass lewis - the basslines to I can dream and all in the name of pity are cracking fun to play. Love it!

[AM1]

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='489406' date='May 15 2009, 11:32 PM']You ever heard their first album? Utter tosh!

Mothers Milk, BSSM and for me One Hot Minute are their best. One Hot Minute gets the vote purely for Aeroplane, Coffee Shop and Shallow be Thy [b]G[/b]ame, very underrated album

Back OT, i'd like to thank the OP for reminding me what an ace band these guys are, dug their CDs out and gave em a good listen tonight. Used to cover Twisted many moons ago[/quote]

I've got everything they've released and a few more besides!

First album is an acquired taste, but some of the best albums are "growers!"

You clearly haven't heard The Uplift Mofo Party Plan!

[AM1]

[quote name='bluesparky' post='489416' date='May 15 2009, 11:49 PM']Controversial!
Some of their first album does take a bit of effort to listen to, but Get Up And Jump and Grand Pappy Du Plenty are great songs.
BSSM is my all time favourite album, i'll never tire of listening to it.
Although saying that RHCP are my favourite band with flea being the biggest influence on my playing - am i revealing myself to be obsessive if i say i've transcribed all of their released and unreleased tracks?[/quote]

I like you!

[quote name='bluesparky' post='489416' date='May 15 2009, 11:49 PM']However, some of the recent cheesy ballads and pop songs are almost harder for me to enjoy than their really early stuff.[/quote]

Agreed, they've lost the plot.

[quote name='bluesparky' post='489416' date='May 15 2009, 11:49 PM']Nothing will ever top the funkyness of mellowship slinky, funky monks sir psycho sexy and the coolness of knock me down and subway to venus (the intro bass fill is awesome).[/quote]

Funky monks is amazing, my fave song on BSSM...knock me down is an old fave!

I saw SA in King Tuts in Glasgow, there were about 10 people there! The recordings don't do their live performance much justice!

[Kiwi]

[quote name='obi 2 kenobi' post='489314' date='May 15 2009, 08:53 PM']He was also a Warwick user. When I saw him w/TTD In 87 at Glasgow Barrowland, he played a pink Warwick most of the nite - great gig btw.

Later did he not switch to Musicman Cutlass ?[/quote]
He did and he has been an avid MM Cutlass collector. He was checking out my first Cutlass on consignment at the Bass Centre for a while apparently.

[pete.young]

It's great news that they're getting back together. I missed them completely the first time around and only discovered them when my band decided to cover Twisted and Hedonism - that made me realise what a good player he is. I'll definitely go and see them when they tour.

Much respect to Tayste for digging out that interview. Really good stuff, another reason to be glad I bought a G5!

[Badass]

Anyone know if Cass was the bass player on TTD's Vibrator track? I seem to remember this track being transcribed in bass guitar magazine many moons ago. Would love a scan of it. Lost all the older copies of BGM some years ago.

Hope I've not started a RHCP war here guys.

Flea's always been good...He stated in in an interview that he often over played on older tracks and now tries to play less to leave room for a fill. Never picked up on them as a band until BSSM album. Almost everything I hear by them I like.

And I have $$$ waiting for a ticket to any Skunk gig

Edited May 16, 2009 by Badass

[Merton]

[quote name='Wil' post='488893' date='May 15 2009, 02:01 PM']Officially my favourite bass player.[/quote]
+1

His tone on all three albums gives me tingles, especially the V-Type on Paranoid and Sunburnt

[alexclaber]

[quote name='51m0n' post='489085' date='May 15 2009, 05:07 PM']OOOFFFF - Er no mate, gotta disagree with you there, from Freaky Stylee to Blood Sugar are all top IMO. Then it all started going terribly wrong, they never got back to the greatness of Blood Sugar, not even close in fact [/quote]

I'm not talking about whether you like the vibe of the albums, I'm talking about the quality of the songwriting. Could you perform any of the material from the Chili's first three albums in a coffee shop with just a voice and acoustic guitar? Mother's Milk has some gems on it, BSSM is astounding. Thereafter it's more mixed but the songwriting remains mostly strong. When a band's first significant hit was a cover there's good sign that the writing was subpar. (And yes, I've listened to every one of their albums countless times). Even if you don't like their single choices from the last album, some of the other tracks are outstanding, reaching an emotional depth that little they've done previously comes close to. I think when they wrote Knock Me Down they'd really found their missing ingredient.

I know it isn't popular to admit that there is a correlation between commercial success and songwriting quality but sadly it is broadly true. Look what Californication did for them!

Back to Skunk Anansie I love Cass's playing but their songs don't really move me.

Alex

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='AM1' post='489418' date='May 16 2009, 12:01 AM']I've got everything they've released and a few more besides!

First album is an acquired taste, but some of the best albums are "growers!"

You clearly haven't heard The Uplift Mofo Party Plan![/quote]



Got all their albums, have RHCP and Uplift Mofo Party Plan on tape somewhere in the attic. I think Skinny Sweaty Man and Behind the Sun are the only ones i liked on TUMPP

[truegeminis]

[quote name='Badass' post='489556' date='May 16 2009, 09:09 AM']Anyone know if Cass was the bass player on TTD's Vibrator track?[/quote]


Kevin Wyatt was the bass player on Vibrator. Cass had already left TTD by then.

[Badass]

[quote name='truegeminis' post='490019' date='May 16 2009, 06:28 PM']Kevin Wyatt was the bass player on Vibrator. Cass had already left TTD by then.[/quote]

Ah right, thanks for the info....There's some great playing on that track.

[Russ]

I met Cass about 6 years back, lovely bloke, and very glad to see Skunk Anansie reforming.

I remember reading an interview with him a while back - the subject moved onto his time with TTD. Sounds like he had to put up with a lot of crap - apparently TTD ran his band much the same way James Brown used to, eg, giving the players a £50 fine for playing a wrong note. Apparently he was (and probably still is, in his new incarnation) a total control freak.

[Rich]

I met Cass in the Best Music Shop In Wapping (RIP) back in, blimey, '85 or something? I think he'd just got together with TTD and it was well before the first album. He (Cass) was trying out a Trace rig, he had an outrageous bright pink 'Chandlerised' fretless Fender Jazz (even the f/board was pink!) with gold hardware and big brass slap-plates in the end of the neck. The sound was monstrous and my god he could play it. He was genuinely interested in my opinion of the Trace's sound. Really nice guy, no ego trips or anything, just a down to earth fella. Will be nice to see SA back in action.

[ednaplate]

This is great news. I first saw SA back in 1997 while on holiday in Arizona where they were supporting Henry Rollins. There must have been no more than 25-30 watching their set. Anyway when they finished me, my girlfriend and our American friends introduced ourselves to the drummer. The ice breaker was that my gf's brother had interviewed Mark Richardson for the Lancashire Evening Telegraph two weeks previously and they got on really well. He invited us for drinks with the rest of the band and stayed with them for the rest of the evening. Skin was lovely, totally the opposite of her manic stage persona and came back from the bar with beers plus free CDs for us.

Missed all of the Rollins set.

Can't wait for the tour.

[mike257]

This is awesome news! I never saw them first time out, but I'm a big lover of Cass and Mark as a rythm section, the pair of them are wicked. So he's using a V-Type on Paranoid and Sunburnt? I suddenly understand why you lot make such a fuss over them!!

[Kiwi]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='489624' date='May 16 2009, 10:49 AM']Back to Skunk Anansie I love Cass's playing but their songs don't really move me.[/quote]



The chorus sends the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Even in 32 degree heat.

[foal30]

that Vibrator bass line is a good one.

er, sort of A minor (Dorian) to cover the whole cut really.

the notes from that will cover the whole piece anyway it's all the feel.
I do like the chromatic pick-up to the octave.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='mike257' post='494897' date='May 22 2009, 09:24 AM']This is awesome news! I never saw them first time out, but I'm a big lover of Cass and Mark as a rythm section, the pair of them are wicked. So he's using a V-Type on Paranoid and Sunburnt? I suddenly understand why you lot make such a fuss over them!![/quote]
I don't know if you're specifically talking about [i]Paranoid & Sunburnt[/i] but it's worth mentioning that Robbie France played drums on that - outstanding player. I briefly met Cass Lewis after seeing Skunk Anansie at Tut's in Glasgow, just after [i]Selling Jesus[/i] was released. Very cordial & unassuming guy, from what little I remember!

Just got tickets for the Glasgow gig in November but I don't expect to meet any of the band wandering aimlessly around post-gig this time!

Jon.

[Badass]

Any know know which Acoustic bass this is? Cass played in the live lounge a few years back with it, 5 string.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogdoEi64VzA"]Weak[/url]

OR

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Wf6oeLNu8"]Charity[/url]

Edited July 4, 2009 by Badass

[danlea]

I often see Cass at our rehearsal studios in Hackney, sometimes with his dog, but I've never been sure exactly what he's generally been up to. I wasn't able to get tickets for the London dates (Water Rats or Brixton) which was annoying, but I have listened to them rehearsing a couple of times whilst moving gear - there was some old skool s**t emanating from that room! Still holding out for an extra London date.