Bill Wyman's Finest Moment

Thunderthumbs73 · #1 06-03-2008, 10:04 PM

I'm sure there are many. I think his finest moment is "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" off the Steel Wheels album. That whole album really is fantastic. He seems in command and really drives the music and the band with that song. The mix is great, the bass tone is great, and the band is tight. I love the fact that sometimes he stays on the A when Keith and Ron go to F Major, and then the times he goes with with them to F. I like that tension and independence he brings to the song.

You?

20db pad · #2 06-03-2008, 10:15 PM

I really liked "Miss You", "Start Me Up", and "Hang Fire". Wyman was an underrated player.

jerry · #3 06-03-2008, 11:36 PM

I always dug his work on the Howlin' Wolf London Sessions, seemed like a real labor of love for him.

Sneckumhaw · #4 06-04-2008, 12:06 AM

The one Rolling Stone I have no reservations about!

I love his line on Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?

rodl2005 · #5 06-04-2008, 12:11 AM

I was 'brought up' on his lines more than ANY when I was a young 'un!!! Love his lines on Satisfaction, J.J. Flash, & lots of their old RnB covers too! Real minimulist but So tasteful!

Hoover · #6 06-04-2008, 08:37 AM

I've never quite been able to convince myself that it's Bill playing this part -- both Keith & Mick Taylor are also credited with bass on the album's liner notes, and one of my personal Rules Of Thumb about Rolling Stones basslines is "if you notice the bass part, it's probably not Bill!" -- but if it is Bill, the part to "Fingerprint File" off of It's Only Rock'N'Roll is freakin' stellar.

rbeck47 · #7 06-04-2008, 08:51 AM

If you listen to Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings cds, I think you'll appreciate him even more. His playing is so solid and just right for the tune. If all the good Stones' bass lines were by Keith and Ron, why don't they have good ones since Wyman left the band? Just my opinion of course.

Hoover · #8 06-04-2008, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbeck47

If all the good Stones' bass lines were by Keith and Ron, why don't they have good ones since Wyman left the band?

I didn't say all the "good" lines, I said all the noticeable lines. That's the beauty of Bill's parts: they're subtle, insidious, and so deeply ingrained into the fabric of the arrangement that they don't call attention to themselves.

pbass2 · #9 06-04-2008, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbeck47

If you listen to Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings cds, I think you'll appreciate him even more. His playing is so solid and just right for the tune. If all the good Stones' bass lines were by Keith and Ron, why don't they have good ones since Wyman left the band? Just my opinion of course.

Big Bill fan here, so it's no surprise I guess---I don't really care so much for the playing by Keith, Mick Taylor, and Ron. They work OK, but often are too busy and kind of . . ."pedestrian" sounding to me(if you can be busy and pedestrian at the same time

. The playing is a little cliche' if you will. Of the three I guess Ron would be my pick as my preference. I hate to sound like a guitar-player-hater, but they really do have that "bass played by the guitarist" vibe to me most of the time.
Now Wyman---he played BASS

tapehead · #10 06-04-2008, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbass2

Big Bill fan here, so it's no surprise I guess---I don't really care so much for the playing by Keith, Mick Taylor, and Ron. They work OK, but often are too busy and kind of . . ."pedestrian" sounding to me(if you can be busy and pedestrian at the same time

. The playing is a little cliche' if you will. Of the three I guess Ron would be my pick as my preference. I hate to sound like a guitar-player-hater, but they really do have that "bass played by the guitarist" vibe to me most of the time.
Now Wyman---he played BASS

I agree with that last statement...Some people think if you play guitar you can play bass (which some _can_)...But I know some who upon hearing them play bass you'd never dream they can play guitar, thats how bad the bass playing is..

I like Bill's bassline in "She's So Cold."

GlennW · #11 06-04-2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerry

I always dug his work on the Howlin' Wolf London Sessions, seemed like a real labor of love for him.

Wasn't that when Wolf grabbed Clapton's hand because he was playing too fast? I'd love to see than on video.

Thunderthumbs73 · #12 06-04-2008, 12:09 PM

Also, Mick plays bass on the Bigger Bang album if I do recall correctly. Nothing earth-shattering, but always pleased to see people try bass!

KJung · #13 06-04-2008, 12:13 PM

Bill's finest moment... when he retired and stopped playing

Daryl Jones plays BASS... not sure what it was the Wyman did... now can you be that mediocre for that long!?!

Sorry guys... just sayin'!

supermonkey · #14 06-04-2008, 12:17 PM

His fretless work through much of the 60's Stones output is unrecognized. A lot of their big hits were Bill on a fretless.

For instance, "Paint It Black" -- which also happens to be one of my favorite Wyman moments. The part doesn't do all that much, but it's perfect. And then those crazy glisses at the end! You go, Bill!

Thunderthumbs73 · #15 06-04-2008, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

Bill's finest moment... when he retired and stopped playing

Daryl Jones plays BASS... not sure what it was the Wyman did... now can you be that mediocre for that long!?!

Sorry guys... just sayin'!

Funny, I feel that way about Carlos Santana's PRS/Solid-State-y guitar tone: When was his best tone? When he stopped playing!!!! Yuck-yuck!

supermonkey · #16 06-04-2008, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunderthumbs73

Funny, I feel that way about Carlos Santana's PRS/Solid-State-y guitar tone: When was his best tone? When he stopped playing!!!! Yuck-yuck!

Heh... +1

scottbass · #17 06-04-2008, 12:55 PM

I have always played those good old Stones bass lines - JJ Flash, Satisfaction, etc., but I never noticed how GOOD Bill was until I saw and heard all the live footage in Gimme Shelter. The Stones playing live back in the late 60's, and so much of it was held together by the incredible synch of Bill and Charlie. The guitarists just kinda laid their parts on top whenever and wherever they felt like it (especially Keith), but the drum/bass groove was so tight, right there, and driving driving driving.

A perfect example of how to play live gigs, IMHO.

pbass2 · #18 06-04-2008, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

Bill's finest moment... when he retired and stopped playing

Daryl Jones plays BASS... not sure what it was the Wyman did... now can you be that mediocre for that long!?!

Sorry guys... just sayin'!

Well, it's all personal preference of course, but while Daryl is indeed a great all-around player, to me, it just sounds like a great session cat playing with Stones. Wyman had a natural vibe, swing, and command of the groove that was his own thing. And I defy most bass chopsmeisters to play like he did. I dunno how much he was thinking about it (prolly more than you would think), but all the talk about playing behind the beat, ahead of beat, etc. etc.---Wyman was a master at using all of that for an effective groove.

JmJ · #19 06-04-2008, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerry

I always dug his work on the Howlin' Wolf London Sessions, seemed like a real labor of love for him.

+1 He does a dead on imitation of Duck Dunn on a couple of tracks. From what I've heard so far these are my favorite Wyman recordings.

KJung · #20 06-04-2008, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunderthumbs73

Funny, I feel that way about Carlos Santana's PRS/Solid-State-y guitar tone: When was his best tone? When he stopped playing!!!! Yuck-yuck!

+1... not a good thing IMO.. tone and note choice and everything... terrible IMO.