Rod Ellicott

[morebass!]

Cold Blood. Cool groove and funky solo, especially for a guy playing a gibson with a pick. Oh yeah, everything sounds better with Lydia Pense singing with it too.

You Got Me Hummin & I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - YouTube

solo starts at 1:25

[Jazzdogg]

Thanks for posting this I've been a fan of Rod Ellicott (and Cold Blood) since the late sixties. He and Bobby Vega are probably my two favorite pick-style players, and they've both played with Cold Blood.

Any idea what Ellicott is doing these days?

[morebass!]

I heard that he's still alive but not doing too well. He liked to party a lot back in the day. My son's drum teacher played with Cold Blood last weekend and said Lydia is the only original member now, but she's still great!

I don't really understand why Janis and TOP made it so big and Cold Blood didn't. They were really the best of both worlds.

[jerry]

I always loved Cold Blood! On the east coast we had Genya Ravan and Ten Wheel Drive that also always had a smokin' horn section. I don't know why chicks fronting horn bands didn't do better, even Janis gave up the horns before she died.

[corinpills]

Genya does a couple of shows on Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius and just put out a new album.

[NevadaNed]

I've never known Rod to play a Gibson. On their first album he's pictured with a Hofner. When we opened for Cold Blood at a show back in '71 Rod was playing a Dan Armstrong clear acrylic bass, and as far as I know that's what he played thru the rest of his tenure with Cold Blood. Never saw a pic of him, or saw him play a Gibson.

I'm interested in what he's up to as well. He was a BIG influence on my playing.

[bluesblaster]

check out the film, closing of the fillmore (bill Graham) or whatever its called, rod is playing an EB 3 gibson bass, however I read an interveiw where he said he did use the hofner for recording.

[PiperMcfarland]

In his career with Cold Blood, Ellicott originally played a Hofner bass through a Fender amp (I vaguely recall it was a Showman), followed by a Gibson EB-3, a Dan Armstrong bass (First Taste of Sin era), and lastly, a Fender Precision Bass - all played through an Acoustic 360 with two heads. He used a thumb pick until the Armstrong bass when he switched to a 'standard' pick. When he moved to the Precision Bass he plucked the strings in the typical way - with thumb anchored on the top edge of the top pick-up, and striking the strings with his index and middle fingers. During the 'First Taste of Sin' & 'Thriller' eras I had the opportunity to attend several of their rehearsals at their studio on Teagarden Street in San Leandro, California (a guest of Skip Mesquite), and enjoyed my discussions with Ellicott. The case of his Dan Armstrong was so short, it actually fit across the backseat of his Volkswagen beetle! I must add that, in my personal view, his best tone was achieved with the Dan Armstrong and Acoustic 360; this and Sandy McKee's incredible drumming made for lots of funky punch and attack!

[bluesblaster]

That "Thriller" Lp is a classic, such tasty grooves , super tight horns and Lydia singin her ass off.

[BigBeatNut]

Subscribed !

I only fully discovered this band a few months ago, prior to that I just knew one track (Kissing My Love) but not who it was by. (I was passed a rehearsal CD with no track listing and the song never got picked).

Lydia is an awesome singer, and Rod a great bass player

What brought me here was listening to 'I just want to make love to you' and wanting to know what that distinctive bass sound was. From Piper's detailed post, and considering this was the first album, I think this must have been the hofner, with a pick, (and presumably with flats or tapewounds).

Sound about right ?

I feel a bout of short-scale GAS coming on again

Originally Posted by morebass!

I don't really understand why Janis and TOP made it so big and Cold Blood didn't. They were really the best of both worlds.

Totally ... I know which of the 3 I want to listen to most

Andy

[Exquisitesounds]

Rod Ellicott was one of the baddest bassists to come out of the West Coast power horn bands. His sound was more acoustic than electric and very virtuostic. Cold Blood was definitely the best of the power horn bands.

[jerry]

I just watched the Fillmore closing DVD again the other night, he sure was funky with that EB3 and a pick.

[deelgee]

awesome style on you got me hummin
doesn't it get you movin?

[Ewo]

Ooh! Me loves me sum Cold Blood tunes.

Down to the Bone. Valdez in the Country.

[phillybass101]

For the first real band I was in I had to learn Shop Talk. Cold Blood was the shiznit.