Author Topic: "typical" Alembic sound on recordings (Read 917 times)

edwin · « **Reply #15 on:** January 31, 2013, 06:35:07 PM »

Or for a different tone, check out Gil Scott-Heron's It's Your World with Danny Bowen on a Series I. The bassist who followed him, Robert Gordon, also used a Series I on Reflections and Moving Target, which is some great Alembic tone. I guess you could call it R&B of a kind.

s_wood · « **Reply #16 on:** February 01, 2013, 06:33:16 AM »

As the above examples show, there is certainly more than one kind of classic Alembic tone The incredible versatility of Alembic electronics is one of the things we all love about them. John McVie and John Entwistle both played Alembics and their tone is about as different as can be,

That said...how about Tom Fowler's Alembic tone with Frank Zappa on One Size Fits All, or Allen Woody on Shades of Two Worlds, the first album he recorded with the Allman Brothers.

wideload · « **Reply #17 on:** February 01, 2013, 03:56:19 PM »

I really like Jimmy Johnson on James Taylor's Live at the Beacon Theatre DVD. But then, that's more my type of music.

afrobeat_fool · « **Reply #18 on:** February 01, 2013, 06:46:14 PM »

You asked for an essence recording, so I will give you what I can. I have had an essence in my collection for many years. This walnut one was my first. I am actually sad I got rid of it. Light , warm, versatile, well balanced. Anyway here you go.

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoFdZa1bC_U

Nick

lbpesq · « **Reply #19 on:** February 02, 2013, 11:26:28 AM »

Hey Nick, is that you under all that hair? Sounds great!

Bill, tgo

afrobeat_fool · « **Reply #20 on:** February 02, 2013, 02:19:02 PM »

Thanks,Bill. Yeah, that was back in the day, huh.

pace · « **Reply #21 on:** February 02, 2013, 03:41:17 PM »

Hi Suat, and welcome to the club!!!!!

Mike Gordon from Phish ordered an Essence 5 back around '95...... Although to my best recollection I never saw him play it, there might be some documentation amongst Phisheads as to any shows or recordings Mike grabbed it......

lidon2001 · « **Reply #22 on:** February 03, 2013, 06:49:32 AM »

Well, if Nick is going to use his 500th post for this thread, I will too.

For classic, as opposed to contemporary, 8 string Alembics you have Greg Lake on various ELP tracks, along with Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick on 'Gonna Raise Hell'. Tom's bass can been seen in the video of the Cheap Trick song 'Voices'.

(Message edited by lidon2001 on February 03, 2013)

ed_too · « **Reply #23 on:** April 01, 2013, 09:13:51 AM »

Dead.net is streaming 16 shows from various times. I found several shows from the 1970?s during which Phil Lesh was playing various of his Alembics. ?Morning Dew? from the Denver, November 1973, for example, displays some rather unique tone.
http://www.dead.net/march-road-trips-madness/
Ed

bigredbass · « **Reply #24 on:** April 01, 2013, 10:50:12 PM »

Don't know if it's 'typical' for us mere mortals, but John Entwistle's live work with The Who when he was playing Alembics is just a savage tone; I often think of the live 'Won't Get Fooled Again' from the 'Kids Are Alright' movie, it sounds like like, hell it's hard to say, but almost like a clavinet on steroids, but that was his tone. Geez, that would have cut through anything.

For me, it's hard to pick out one axe from another on recordings. At least on the latter-day James Taylor stuff, you can hear Jimmy Johnson on his Series axes, probably the most accessible of any Alembic recordings. Not to mention his work is an utter primer for taste, pocket, and tone. JJ's work on more frenetic music (his outings with Holdsworth, for instance) are jaw-dropping, but it's just over my head. The JT stuff I can actually understand, and it's wonderful to hear him at work, and speaks to an amazing versatility that's he's just at home with either.

J o e y

terryc · « **Reply #25 on:** April 02, 2013, 01:08:17 PM »

'Breadfan' - originally recorded by a Welsh band called Budgie in 1971
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54H3EUAzpVg

Takes me back to my youth!

esa · « **Reply #26 on:** May 28, 2013, 10:08:59 AM »

I have always thought that Entwistle's tone on The Who's Face Dances album was a great example of The Alembic Tone.

Check it out...

musashi · « **Reply #27 on:** May 29, 2013, 01:41:42 AM »

Check out the Alembic sounds on the Songs For The Live Set page:

http://www.markmanley.com/songs-for-the-live-set.html

Baby Fights To Survive features a 1986 Series I/II, medium scale with a Rosewood top.

Pink and Blue features a 1975 LSB with a zebra wood top.

Drug features a Wilkins fretless on the opening, and the 1975 zebra wood LSB as the fretted bass on the track.

Homicide (Live) features a 1980 Rick Turner bass (2-pickup).

musashi · « **Reply #28 on:** May 29, 2013, 02:01:14 AM »

Here's another one featuring the 1975 zebra LSB (the fretted track-- the fretless track is played on a 1986 Wal Doubleneck):

http://www.markmanley.com/cut-to-the-chase.html

blazer · « **Reply #29 on:** May 29, 2013, 04:17:57 PM »

He's better known for being a Fender guy but Norman Watt-Roy of Ian Dury and the Blockheads played Alembics in their later career.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB00GTgyxMk
The man is a monster, hear him go...

Author Topic: "typical" Alembic sound on recordings (Read 917 times)

afrobeat_fool

afrobeat_fool