Author Topic: Buggles bass tone (Read 208 times)

neyman · « **on:** March 30, 2006, 06:49:38 PM »

I remember waaay back (when I was just starting out on bass) hearing the Buggles tune Video Killed the Radio Star. That bass tone sent chills through my spine.

Lately, I've been hearing it a lot on XM satellite radio, and I was wondering if anybody knows how Trevor Horn developed that sound? I know from the video that he played an Alembic Series II (maybe a Series I?).

lidon2001 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 30, 2006, 07:29:59 PM »

Hi Dan,

I believe the bass he was using in the video was an Aria SB1000. I had one, a poor man's Alembic, but a great bass.

T

adriaan · « **Reply #2 on:** March 30, 2006, 11:56:11 PM »

T, as usual, the bass in the video is not necessarily the bass you can hear in the soundtrack. Not even sure Trevor Horn plays bass at all.

jacko · « **Reply #3 on:** March 31, 2006, 01:26:55 AM »

Trevor did play bass. He also had an alembic at one time although the SB1000 was the weapon of choice for alot of players in the early 80s. I'll check the video out tonight to see what he's playing

0vid · « **Reply #4 on:** March 31, 2006, 02:04:36 AM »

T Horn also played a Wal bass, and Macartney got into them after seeing Trevor Horn play one. This is all recorded in some interviews somewhere in the rags.

BTW, T Horn also played bass for Biddu and his lurve orchestra before buggles, Biddu being the man behind Carl Douglas Kung Fu Fighting, and Tina Charles I Love to love. Tina Charles and T Horn lived in a flat together in Streatham. So there you go, .....

(Message edited by 0vid on March 31, 2006)

adriaan · « **Reply #5 on:** March 31, 2006, 06:41:03 AM »

Ah - pop trivia ... Trevor went on to produce Frankie Goes To Hollywood and other 80s and 90s niceties.

There's a Dutch television series, half-hour documentaries on one hit wonders, aptly named Single Luck. I remember they did one on Kung Fu Fighting - interviews with the artists, musicians and producers. There's an internet site where you can watch lots of programs from the national broadcasting organizations, but it doesn't seem to have any episodes of Single Luck - too bad, this was really good, both bloody serious and highly entertaining.

lidon2001 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 31, 2006, 07:07:50 AM »

Clearly an Aria SB1000. I haven't a clue as to what he actually used in the studio. All I know was that this bass tone haunted me and I had to go get an Aria because of it. My bass was very heavy, and I found the filter pretty much useless except for one position. But the couple times I used it in the studio it produced a great, clean, full tone that I remember to this day without the benefit of a copy of the recording.

(Message edited by lidon2001 on March 31, 2006)

jacko · « **Reply #7 on:** March 31, 2006, 07:14:11 AM »

Well done Tom. Saves me watching the video now;-)
Anyone here see Yes when Horn and Downes joined? I saw them in Newcastle and was appalled at the halfwits in the audience that were Booing and heckling. I thought Trevor did a fine job of singing Jon andersons lines and the material off the drama album wasn't that bad at all. (in fact I might just listen to it when I get home.)

The Friend I bought my precision from replaced it with a fretless SB1000. I always loved playing it - fantastic tone and a lovely feel.

Graeme

811952 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 31, 2006, 08:28:04 AM »

Trevor Horn played bass on Run Through The Light on the Drama album. Very nice fretless work, great tone, etcetera. Squire played piano. I heard rumors that Trevor played that song in concert with YES on that tour as well, though he didn't when I saw them in Champaign, Illinois, and I've never seen any photos of it.. Trevor also produced 90125 for YES and some (all?) of Seal's stuff. And some for 10cc I believe.. Sharp guy.

John

neyman · « **Reply #9 on:** March 31, 2006, 07:36:50 PM »

Aahh...

Well, it has been nearly 20 years since I'd seen that video (has it REALLY been that long?).

Still, it's an awesome bass tone.

lidon2001 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 31, 2006, 07:53:58 PM »

But as Adriaan alludes to, you never know what you're hearing. He could use one bass for the first part then another for the hook. Who knows? As mentioned on this site somewhere, we'd all be surprised to find out how often we are actually hearing an Alembic when various performers? contractual obligations show them playing other instruments in videos and live. Of course, guys like me shoot logic to the wind and just go out and purchase what we see and perceive to be true. It turned out to be a great bass none the less.

adriaan · « **Reply #11 on:** April 01, 2006, 07:36:42 AM »

I remember listening to (not Beverly Hills 90210 but) 90125 on a set of 7 ft tall electrostats - Infinity? - in an 8x25 ft room, with the speakers firing off the LONG wall. You could 'see' the opening guitar riffs jumping top to bottom, left to right. Great fun. Strange situation, but nonetheless great fun.

dfung60 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 01, 2006, 06:47:41 PM »

Trevor Horn is a great bassist, as well as producer! Many of the bands that he produced under the ZTT (Zang Tum Tum) label had extraordinary bass tones - Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Seal, to a lesser extent Art of Noise.

The bass on Video Killed The Radio Star sounds like a fairly heavily processed P- or J-bass to me, rather than a neck-through or exotic. I'm pretty sure that I've seen pictures of him with a very beat up Rickenbacker as well.

rockbassist · « **Reply #13 on:** April 13, 2006, 08:54:48 PM »

neyman, about that same time that the buggles came out (by the way that was the first video ever played on MTV) the Romantics also had Talking In Your Sleep on MTV. The bass player for the Romantics used a Rickenbacker with an Ampeg SVT head and 8X10 cab. To this day, I think it is one of the best tones I have ever heard. Fat, punchy and rattle your ass without losing definition. But I also have to add that the best tone I have ever heard is Marcus Miller. I guess Video Didn't kill the radio star after all. It's a great song though. I wish I wrote it. It was the perfect song for that era! I remember it well. I was in my early 20's and gigging 5 nights per week. Now I am married (18 years) and have a 17 year old son. Thanks for the memories.