Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: white_cloud on January 25, 2008, 10:19:29 AM
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Hi my fellow Alembicans!
I was thinking today of bass anthems! You know, the kind of song known for its powerful bass performance - something regarded by bassists as essential listening!
I would love to hear what you all consider to be the best bass anthem of all time!
Obviously there can be no right or wrong answer, opinions are what its all about at the end of the day! Could be interesting to hear what you all have in mind!!
To start the ball rolling heres some of my picks;
Jazz - teen town Jaco
Rock - yyz By Geddy Lee, wont get fooled again By John Entwhistle
Fusion - school days By Stan, Joe Frazier By Jeff Berlin
John.
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Heart of the Sunrise - Chris Squire
Turn The Page - Geddy Lee
Gispacio (sp?) - Pete Trewavas (Marillion)
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I don't know if I'd call them Anthems but I always like the bass lines in
Roundabout (Yes)
Temples os Syrinx (Rush)
Climbing Up The Ladder (Isley Brothers)
Any tune on Stevie Wonders Songs In The Key of Life album
And the solo in Slow Ride (Foghat)is pretty catchy, not real flashy but you just know what it is when you hear it.
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Can it be anything other than Big Bottom by Spinal Tap!
Keith
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Keith, you beat me to it! lol
My band has been kicking around the idea of doing Big Bottom with 3 mandolins.
Bill, tgo
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Hi Guys.
The *one tune* that inspired me to start playing again after my 17 year hiatus, is Victor Wooten's 'Amazing Grace'. His double thumbing and tapping is cool, but just not 'me' per say, but his harmonics and chordals is what really 'did it for me'. The man sure does know how to say/express something/himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEyEu-hS0fA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEyEu-hS0fA)
Best Regards,
Kimberly
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Agreed Kimberly, that's a great Solo. Victor is coming to Dallas I beleive Feb 7. I'm hoping to make the show.
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The Other One
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Bill, Would that be renamed Little Bottom or Tiny Bottom.
Mandolin players spend half their time tuning. And the other half playing out of tune. (unknown author. But it's funny.)
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A couple of weeks ago, What is Hip by Tower of Power came up on my iPod in shuffle mode. Blew me away, still totally relevant. I like that bass line.
There has always been something about the bass line in Stranglehold that makes my lower gums itch.
Gang of Four's Anthrax. oooooooooooohhhhhh.
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I've always thought that What is Hip is the gold standard of a great bass player.
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Apostrophe - Jack Bruce/Frank Zappa!
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Anesthesia: Pulling Teeth by Cliff Burton of old Metallica. Rickenbacker + Crybaby Wah + Big Muff = pure, unbridled joy. And all in one take on the first take.
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Apostrophe -- ooh! Good to see someone else knows it.
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The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe
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I like pretty much all of the ones previously posted- another one that always puts a smile on my face is Chuckii Booker- Soultriilogy
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I always liked The Real Me - JAE/Who for a real stand-out bass line.
Rich
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Dreams, ABB..........8)
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I was just listening to Black sabbath for the first time in ages - How about N.I.B
Geezer Butler messing with a wah wah back in the day....cool!
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Hi John,
A bit off topic but talk about bringing back the memories.
I played Black Sabbath 'Paranoid' 'Iron Man' and 'NIB' in my first band and yep, I used a crybaby on the intro.
With hindsight I just now realized solo bass really does go back to 'my beginnings' and 'roots', so I guess 'deep down inside' the 'seed' was there the whole time. Better late than never, late bloomer, yada yada... ;)
Best Regards,
Kimberly
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Evil - Tim Bogart(Cactus)
Haitian Fight Song - Charles Mingus
Bass Flava Comin at Ya - Jamaaladeen Tacuma
Iron Dog - Jonas Hellborg
Apostrophe and The Real Me are always in my mind too.
Toshiaki
(Message edited by to 81 0190 on January 27, 2008)
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the 1812 overture
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I'll Take You There. - The Staple Singers
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Mr. Bassman (http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:T0lxgphUR8EJ:videos.matchdoctor.com/11775/Mr_Bassman_-_Johnny_Cymbal-_Live.html+%22Mr.+bassman%22+johnny+cymbal&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us), the one-hit wonder hit by Johnny Cymbal in the 60's!
Bill, tgo
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Seinfeld?
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Sanford & Son!
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Seinfeld can not and should not be considered. It was written on and performed on the arch enemy of all stringed intruments. The Keyboard.
Sanford and Son, is a different story all together.
And what about Barny Miller.
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How about Nightcourt!
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I go with Barney Miller.
Rick
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The Jam (graham central station)http://youtube.com/watch?v=67CjzOsAGpI (http://youtube.com/watch?v=67CjzOsAGpI)`the thumpinst bassline of all time!
(Message edited by keavin on January 29, 2008)
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Hit Me by Ian Dury and the Blockheads.
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I'd say an Anthem has to be recognisable to the majority of listeners and ther are entries further up I've never even heard of!
My suggestion would be the second half of Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain'. In the UK it's spent virtually it's entire life being played as the theme tune to the BBC's formula one coverage.
I'm also surprised no-one's suggested 'Money' - pink floyd yet!.
Graeme
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did you say money? http://youtube.com/watch?v=ny_j-bAhq68 (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ny_j-bAhq68)
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I'll watch that tonight Keavin - I can't access youtube from work ;-(
Graeme
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Dod somebody say Bass Anthem? http://youtube.com/watch?v=yQtECIfX9yY (http://youtube.com/watch?v=yQtECIfX9yY)
or
Olie
Keavin, Love of Money is a cool bass line
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The Jam Graham Central Station
Thank You Fa Let'n Me Be Myself Sly & the Family Stone
Stretchin Out Bootsy's Rubber Band
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Come Together
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Stretchin out wit bootsy!http://www.gbguitars.co.uk/ (http://www.gbguitars.co.uk/)
(http://alembic.com/club/messages/449/48115.jpg)
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Many great songs may not be highly recognizable. I grew up listing to highly talented Funk & Jazz musicians expand the boundaries of the bassist as a band member, and redefine the role of the bass as an instrument. Many who listen to Rock & Roll / Pop music are clueless as to a great legacy of electric bass work. Here is a small sample
For funk, listen to the bass lines of Slave ?Slide?, Cameo ?Keep It Hot, Pleasure ?Glide?, Lakeside ?All The Way Live?***, Isley Brothers ?Climbing Up The Ladder?***, Parliament ?Tear The Roof Off the Sucker?, et al
For Jazz, listen to Lonnie Liston Smith ?Expand Your Mind?, Grover Washington Jr, ?A Secret Place?***, Bob James ?Sidewinder?, et al
*** These tunes were recorded using Alembic basses.
But back to the original question; I have never seen a bass player listen to ?The Jam? and be able to sit still. It will cause the coolest among us to play ?air-bass? Larry Graham (Graham Central Station) also was the first to pop the bass. He inspired Stanley Clark and many others.
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Slide.....http://youtube.com/watch?v=y1tKTjRgJuE&feature=related (http://youtube.com/watch?v=y1tKTjRgJuE&feature=related)
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The Jam http://youtube.com/watch?v=67CjzOsAGpI (http://youtube.com/watch?v=67CjzOsAGpI)
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Armand & Stanley http://youtube.com/watch?v=IbzUM6y6jNY (http://youtube.com/watch?v=IbzUM6y6jNY)
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Olie!
Just watched Jeff Berlin-------------------GEEZ!!!!!!!!!!!
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I met Jeff years ago at a Bass Clinic he was having at a local music store. He has some different ideas when it comes to music but he is a great player.
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Another vote each for Ian Dury's Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick and JAE's overpowering part on The Real Me.
Hit Me is simply the bubbliest, funkiest part ever, even beating out What is Hip and I can finally play it consistently after nearly thirty years of trying. Guess regular band practice for a year and a half helps. As for The Real Me it's my favorite Who song because of the incredible way the Ox grabs on and batters the rest of the song into submission to the bass line.
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Norman Watt-Roy used two Alembic series basses not only on the Ian dury recordings mentioned but extensively live as well! Very cool guy. He bought them both from a broke Brazilian bassist for a ridiculously small sum of money!
Is this common knowledge here at the club?
John.
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I knew he played at least one Alembic as he holds it in an old string endorsment ad but I've never been able to find much out on the internet about it. about the only thing I found was this quote ..
had an Alembic for a while, lovely instrument but so delicate. And 'active' and 'passive', I couldn't deal with all that, I didn't see the point of it you know? from an interview posted here (http://philbrodieband.com/muso_norman_watt-roy.htm).
Graeme
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Yeah, strange quote!
I had an interview in a guitarist magazine with him around 25 years ago and he stated his love of his two Alembics!!
He went on to describe how he had managed to secure them extremely cheap when in Brazil from a dude that was desperate for cash!
He certainly didnt have anything other than praise for his Alembics at that time!! I guess people change
John.
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Saw Norman at Darlington Art College last year with Wilko Johnson, small audience, got right up close, did a really nice funky solo...was lost on some of the crowd as they were all 'bluesers'
Very energetic player and right in the pocket
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I almost forgot Jungle Boogie Kool and the Gang
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How about Dave Edmunds slippin away?
Cool use of six string bass-baritone guitar I think they called it back then. May not compare with the heavy guns and thunder out there now, but I thought it was a great effect for the time it came out. NLP
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Forgive me if somone posted this and I didnt see it but I cant believe that no one has mentioned two of my favorite bass anthems, Stanley Clarke's School Days and Jaco Pastorius' Teen Town. Great moments in bass history right there!
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Duh, both were mentioned by the original poster, there you have it.
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Minimalism rules! Here's two UK contestants:
Nick Lowe, I love the sound of breaking glass - don't know if it's Nick himself on bass (the Dave Edmunds track might well be him on bass too). Syncopation all over the place, sticking to the root most of time, then a playful break at the end of the chorus - and a very catchy tune to boot.
Medium Medium (Alan Turton on bass), Hungry So Angry - one three-note slap pattern played in two octaves. How much do you really need ...
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On the Watt-Roy link posted by Graeme, it states that Norman played bass on all of Lowe's Jesus of Cool album, from which Glass comes. What was really surprising is that he played bass on a substantial chunk of the Clash's Sandinista.
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Good to know that was Norman on Glass!
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I have another two:
Forget me nots
Soul man
They both have a real bass hook.
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Stanley Clarke; Lopsy Lu
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The Real Me was a seminal listening experience, as hearing that at a young age was both totally amazing and mystifying -- no idea what he was doing, but the sheer power coming through was just incredible. However, could you really call it a bass line? More like searing blues-scale riffage, kind of following its own logic through the course of the entire song.
(Message edited by hb3 on February 03, 2008)
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I'm always a bit baffled by Teen Town. Yes, it was a great technical feat at the time,but as far as a great piece of music or a great bassline.....for me Come On Come Over, Okonkole Y Trompa, and several others are much better basslines, but I guess that's just my preference. Obviously I recognise its impact though.
I love the Real Me, which is exactly how I like to play bass (!) but I kind of agree with the is it a bassline? comment. I love loads of John's lines though; Won't Get Fooled Again might be a better example. Great examples for me would be almost anything by Chic/Sister Sledge (i.e. Bernard), Tears of a Clown, certainly Hit Me ( a personal favourite, Lopsy Lu is another), the Chinese Way, School Days, almost anything by Jah Wobble, pretty much anything by Family Man or Stuart Zender, and absolutely anything by Chris Squire. Oh and the Bassline to Fascinatin'Rhythm by Bassomatic...although it's probably a keyboard. Peaches by the Stranglers...er, I think Im getting away from the original thread....oh, Penny Lane & Come Together!
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....Groove is in the Heart.....somebody stop me quick....
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The Clearout by Jack Bruce
It was the reason I bought EB3s
I still just LOVE that power on the top end
Great fretless sound from Pino Palladino on---wherever I lay my hat by Paul Young
Sorry ---I've not been too well lately
G
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As for Norman Watt-Roy
I believe that he sold his 2 Series 1 basses some 9 years ago to the Bass Centre in London.
From all accounts (not me saying this!!)
Mine is/is identical to his
The bass centre were reluctant to tell me the previous owner, but quite a few people have said---That's Norman's old bass!
Wishful thinking maybe
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Another Anthem
J.E.-------the real me from Quadrafenia
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Having read this thread to this point, it occurs to me that I have no idea what the word anthem means in this context.
A quick Google and Wiki suggests two primary meanings of the word.
An anthem is a piece of music sung by a choir as part of a religious service. My brief search suggests that this usage appears to be within certain Christian traditions and refers to the place in the service in which the music appears. Thus the same song as sung by the congregation (all those attending the service) would not be an anthem (in this definitional context) but a hymn.
The second definition is that an anthem is a symbolic song of devotion or loyalty such as a country's national anthem.
The adjective anthemic is a song that has qualities suitable for an anthem.
Here (http://folk.ntnu.no/makarov/temporary_url_20070929kldcg/anthem-russia-2000-offic_2001-gimn_rf_t3.mp3) is the national anthem of Russia. This is an amazingly beautiful piece of music (turn your stereo up to very loud). I have no idea what the words are, but the music itself is emotionally inspiring and uplifting. Truly anthemic.
So, what does all this mean here? Well I wasn't yet sure, so I ran a search for anthemic rock songs. The first hit I got was for this list (http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_songs-anthem.html) of the 100 Greatest Rock Anthems.
Looking at the list, you can see how some of these selections might be anthemic, or you can see various interpretations of the word anthemic. For instance, number five on this list is Queen's We Are The Champions, and I can certainly see how that song can be seen by some as anthemic (although personally, it's not an anthem for me); it seems to have anthemic qualities.
I have no idea what usefulness this post has in this thread, and I need to get another cup of coffee, and the clouds outside the window are really amazing this morning; so, without having yet made a point, I'll end this post here.
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Dave,
One thing I can say for sure:
A proper bass anthem isn't anemic.
Bradley
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I like what John says in his original post: the kind of song known for its powerful bass performance - something regarded by bassists as essential listening! So it doesn't have to necessarily be a good bass line like one might expect in a classic R&B song - more of a classic performance that was inspirational or groundbreaking or whatever.
I'd like to nominate the live version of Teen Town from 8:30 - it has the song as it exists in the studio version, and then Jaco starts playing one of his Rocco Prestia-style bass lines, later adding distortion, all underneath a great Wayne Shorter solo, leading up to an incredible climax. And speaking of Rocco Prestia, +1 on What is Hip!
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Great feedback guys!
Dave , you have an amazing capacity for expansive thoughts - truly a gift!
Harry, I would have to say, for me, that jaco was an absolute monster live. He had a raw energy rarely seen in any musician let alone bassist!
I guess thats what made him have the unpredictable edge that ultimately imploded.
Its also what gave him the ability to compose and rip through teen town with a fluidity that many cannot match - man, I've been playing it for 20 years and still cant totally nail its timing with perfect fluidity!
A true bass anthem!
John.
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I guess my interp of this thread is simple. What bass driven song or ear-catching riff that would attract people to copy, attempt to play, or simply sit and go wow, where did that come from. It could be melodic, powerful, technically impossible for mere humans or just a new twist or sound, what-ever the case, it pulls you in for another look. Dave that list was like a flash back. So many memorable bass riffs. I still remember the first time doing the interlude bass riff to all right now. Damn...that was a while back..whoa!!NLP
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Jack Casady's lines on Somebody To Love and Crown Of Creation
Mike
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I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that although i love the grateful dead and quite like the airplane's music, I don't find either casady or Lesh's basslines particularly memorable and certainly not anthemic.
Graeme
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I dunno...Morning Dew and The Other One are sort of anthemic ( is that a word?) taking note of the early 70's versions when Lesh was on fire with those tunes
I always liked Low Rider by WAR
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kind of repeating Dave but...
anthem
? noun 1 an uplifting song associated with a group or cause, especially a patriotic one adopted by a country as an expression of national identity. 2 a musical setting of a religious text to be sung by a choir during a church service.
? DERIVATIVES anthemic adjective.
? ORIGIN Old English, from Latin antiphona ?antiphon?.
graeme
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yeah man!
a musical setting of a religious text to be sung by a choir during a church service.
maybe replace the word religious with spiritual and I've
been to many dead shows that felt just like that!
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So what. (As a bass anthem, that is.)
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Good Choice Adriaan. My all time favourite performer (Miles that is).
Graeme
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Not Paul Chambers?
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Nope. I love Miles' entire catalogue regardless of his bass player. I will freely admit though that he has employed some of the best;-)
Ron Carter would figure very highly in my list of most listened to Miles albums.
Graeme
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Can anyone show me any pics of N W R's 2 Alembics
I'm nearly convinced that one of them is sitting on my sofa NOW.
No kidding
G
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Graeme, you need to go back and listen to Somebody to Love again. I didn't mention in in my original post in this thread, but it is a true bass anthem. Jack's muscular, roiling, moto perpetuo bass line and those thundering double stops in the choruses definitely make the song a bass anthem. Too bad it was mixed so low compared to Grace's voice.
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Water Song anyone?
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by Hot Tuna, a very cool choice!
Somebody to Love sounded best to me as a musical newby in the late 60s in a diner in Dubuqe with a surprisingly powerful Seeburg jukebox system.
I also have had major goosebumps over the years from Heart Of The Sunrise by Yes
Mike
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The Pretender's is it Middle of the road-ohio? You know, the one with the kitty meow and driving bass line.
Hey georgie boy, I,ve been surfin' like crazy, only photos I see are of the custom's and 60's jazz bass. Too bad, it's gonna take a sherlock holmes to find nwr's alembic trails. NLP
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If I can still find the mag in my loft I'll try to scan the strings ad he appears in. It's pretty small though.
Graeme
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ok, I'll contribute two:
Boogie Oogie Oogie -- A Taste of Honey
Silly Love Songs -- Wings
Flame on! ;)
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The ohohohohoh bit reminded me of Back on the Chain Gang (http://www.pretenders.org/lyback.htm target=_blank) but that has no middle of the road. But then again they also did Middle of the Road (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_of_the_Road_%28song%29 target=_blank)
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One of the best alembic bass solos of all time!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZLLv4s4WvI&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZLLv4s4WvI&feature=related)