|  | 
06-18-2006, 10:18 AM
|  | Incense and Peppermints
Endorsing Artist: Lakland / Schroeder /Bag End | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: W' Sconsin | |  You Can Call Me Al solo break
Sign in to disble this ad
OK folks, here's one that's been puzzling me for decades now.
"You Can Call Me Al" on Paul Simon's Graceland and the the infamous bass break before the out section. Unplayable, right? Anybody ever nail that one?
I've always heard it as a bit of studio trickery. The first half is straight and the second half is the first part backwards. The only doubt I have is because on a Saturday Night Live appearance from the 80's I seem to remember that bass player doing it live just as on the record. Is this all a big inside joke? |
06-18-2006, 11:32 AM
|  | put a bird on it | | Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Minnesota | | maybe they were just "pulling an Ashlee Simpson" by just lip-sync'ing and music sync'ing
or maybe he played something similar to that second part, or maybe he even had a backwards delay running...
i'm going with the first one though...maybe he just sync'ed the bass solo, and the rest of it was live
it all reminds me of this deep purple clip...my favorite part is at the end...you'll know which part  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uCczL2XzYI
Last edited by superbassman2000 : 06-18-2006 at 11:37 AM.
|
06-18-2006, 11:52 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: St. Louis // St. Charles, MO | | | AHAHAHA!
Man, I love Deep Purple and that just proves that Richie Blackmore is truly magic - who else could possible play guitar like that?
When I was 16 (22 years ago... ugh...) and in my first band we used to do 'Highway Star' and that song alwasy brought down the house, er... garage...
Ian Gillan - If that voice is not the quintessential rock 'n' roll voice, I don't know what is.
As for the SNL performance - I did not see it but SNL performances are 'supposed' to be live. Now we know that this has not always been true, but if their performance was truly live, and being that it was Paul Simon who has alwasy surrounded himself with more-then-capable musicians, I see no reason why it was not done 'for real'. With reverse-gate delays or some other psychedelic effect, the second half of that funky riff could have easily been effected to sound similar to what they did in the studio.
--tz
__________________
On Groove Duty
Last edited by tZer : 06-18-2006 at 12:05 PM.
|
06-18-2006, 07:53 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: philippines | | i haven't heard the studio version..but i have the Graceland dvd, i'm gonna listen again to that solo. if there's a backward part, Bakithi nailed it live!
Bakithi Kumalo was great! i love his groove!!! 
who was the studio bassist for the Graceland? |
06-18-2006, 08:41 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Ireland | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by cofibreykisland i haven't heard the studio version..but i have the Graceland dvd, i'm gonna listen again to that solo. if there's a backward part, Bakithi nailed it live!
Bakithi Kumalo was great! i love his groove!!!
who was the studio bassist for the Graceland? | Bakithi was the original studio bassist on Graceland however Armand Sabal Leco (sp) was the bassist Paul Simon used for most dates after that (and Armand whos a fantastic bassist plays his own version of the solo on any recordings I've heard...I know there's a live version of Bakithi floating round there but I havent heard it so I cant really comment on his live interpretation of it).
And yes the original bassline is a studio creation, Bakithi played the descending riff which was then copied, reversed and pasted back onto it.
Wish I'd known this at the time cos I spent bloody ages learning it 
Generally on live gigs I play an "approximation" of the studio line and that seems to please the punters.
__________________
"A great bass player MAKES a great vocal happen while a mediocre one limits the singer. The bass player is like a pilot keeping the ship away from the rocks. It doesn't draw attention to its self but it's a great big pain when there's nothing wrong with a bass but nothing right about it either".
Bob Ohlsson, former Motown 'super' engineer.....the man responsible for THAT sound.
|
06-18-2006, 09:15 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: philippines | | i searched Armand Sabal Leco...only this thread came up.
any link to info or performances? tnx Quote: |
Bakithi was the original studio bassist on Graceland however Armand Sabal Leco (sp) was the bassist Paul Simon used for most dates after that (and Armand whos a fantastic bassist plays his own version of the solo on any recordings I've heard...I know there's a live version of Bakithi floating round there but I havent heard it so I cant really comment on his live interpretation of it).
| |
06-18-2006, 09:41 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Ireland | | |
__________________
"A great bass player MAKES a great vocal happen while a mediocre one limits the singer. The bass player is like a pilot keeping the ship away from the rocks. It doesn't draw attention to its self but it's a great big pain when there's nothing wrong with a bass but nothing right about it either".
Bob Ohlsson, former Motown 'super' engineer.....the man responsible for THAT sound.
|
06-18-2006, 09:43 PM
| | put a bird on it | | Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Minnesota | | | didn't ASL also have a gig with stanley clarke? |
06-19-2006, 09:20 PM
| | Incense and Peppermints
Endorsing Artist: Lakland / Schroeder /Bag End | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: W' Sconsin | | | Ok good, so I'm not loco. Good theories, bass detectives! If anybody comes across that SNL footage please post your findings! |
06-20-2006, 02:57 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brixton, South London | | Right - I've known this for years because basically Paul Simon explained what they did on the 'Calssic Albums' program that analysed how Graceland was put together.
This is the why, how and what they did - it was Bakithi's birthday the day they were laying down the bass parts for the song in question so Paul Simon thought they should do something special on the bass solo - so when it came to the bass break they came up with the idea of reversing it - simple as that. Of course it sounds fantastic but I still don;t know why people get so worked up over whether it was reversed or not - or how you can replicate it - the easiest way to that is just play first lick backwards notation-wise - the thing that you won't be able to do is get the reverse attack on the notes - unless you get a very fast sample pedal (like John Scofield uses) - anyway just my thoughts on the subject. I assure you it's a very simple lick if you can slap a little.
M
PS - here's the video - Paul Simon really nails the bass solo  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0uYp...h=paul%20simon
Last edited by Mike Flynn : 06-20-2006 at 03:03 AM.
|
06-20-2006, 09:49 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2004 Location: Boston, MA | | | Just play it in reverse, that's as close as you'll get... don't worry about the reverse-tape effect. haha
Bakithi does it live straight.. it sounds great. |
06-20-2006, 10:12 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somerville, MA | | My research into this said that it was Ray Phiri who was playing bass for Paul at the Live in Central Park gig, '91.
That little solo was one of the major drivers for me picking up the bass. |
06-21-2006, 04:16 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Scotland | | I found the bass parts and time signature changes in Frank Zappa's "Keep It Greasy " far more tasking  Arthur Barrow comes to mind. |
06-22-2006, 07:39 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Ireland | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by klocwerk My research into this said that it was Ray Phiri who was playing bass for Paul at the Live in Central Park gig, '91.
That little solo was one of the major drivers for me picking up the bass. | Wow thats very odd, on my version ASL is credited as bass and Ray Phiri is credited as guitar????? also ASL was the bassist with Paul Simon on the subsequent "unplugged" session as well.
Yep, Ray Phiri is the guitarist http://www.music.org.za/artist.asp?id=138 http://people.africadatabase.org/en/person/11298.html http://www.ckk.chalmers.se/guitar/graceland.html
cheers
Murf
__________________
"A great bass player MAKES a great vocal happen while a mediocre one limits the singer. The bass player is like a pilot keeping the ship away from the rocks. It doesn't draw attention to its self but it's a great big pain when there's nothing wrong with a bass but nothing right about it either".
Bob Ohlsson, former Motown 'super' engineer.....the man responsible for THAT sound.
|
06-23-2006, 12:12 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: philippines | | | Ray Phiri is the guitarist and band leader of Stimelo | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | |
