saw RHCP last night

jomahu · #1 10-03-2006, 09:41 AM

man, they put on a great show! flea is quite the agressive player!

i know flea has his haters here, but...y'know, i saw a lot of young kids there. and call me strange, but it makes me feel good to know that young musicians are checking him out instead of....say....the all-american rejects.

we all start somewhere.

and speaking of starting somewhere, i'll be seeing iron maiden this friday! ohh, steve harris...

Tony G · #2 10-03-2006, 09:43 AM

I used to be a big RCHP and Flea fan when I was younger. I've just out grown it. These days I'd rather listen to more techincally proficient bassists in modern jazz/fusion bands. Does that mean I think Flea "sucks"? No. Good to hear you enjoyed the show.

peteroberts · #3 10-03-2006, 12:20 PM

I'm a Flea fan, and although he appears to be quite hard to work with, to put it one way, he is a great player and a great place to start for beginning bassists. Blood Sugar is the best record of the '90's in my opinion, and that's when Flea started to settle down and really GROOVE! Every beginning bassist should get that recording and learn all the lines.

dirtgroove · #4 10-03-2006, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peteroberts

Every beginning bassist should get that recording and learn all the lines.

Please don't. I did this at the age of 15 or 16 and it took me a good 5 years to undo the damage. I can see why you suggest pete- I thought it was a good idea at the time. Listen to them, learn a few if you really want to and then move onto something else bassist before you become a clone. That record inspired an army of similar sounding bassplayers.

Basboeg · #5 10-03-2006, 02:25 PM

Flea is a very good bassplayer, it's just unfortunate that the guys in the band seems to go in the mainstream direction, and as you all know: the bass lines are very simple in that world.

stitchbass · #6 10-03-2006, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtgroove

Please don't. I did this at the age of 15 or 16 and it took me a good 5 years to undo the damage. I can see why you suggest pete- I thought it was a good idea at the time. Listen to them, learn a few if you really want to and then move onto something else bassist before you become a clone. That record inspired an army of similar sounding bassplayers.

I did this at the age of 14,15,16 to the point where all my friends were sick to death of hearing the **** and it is personally the best starting block I could have imagined. Granted I learnt it all by ear and by no means perfectly but it enabled me to then move on to tons of other stuff with confidence and now my reading and improvising is improving lots and at 19 nearly 20 I feel that I have made a good start in my bass career and couldnt have done this without the initial spark of inspiration that was flea that made me want to become a bass player first and foremost rather than a guitar player or a lawyer haha!

I agree that there are many flea clones out there but to begin with you can do no harm but learn to groove many of those fun lines. I would probably be a technically better player if I had started with the reading and the 'correct' technique whatever this may be, but I definately wouldnt be the player I am today (which I wouldnt change for anything) without first exploring the peppers.

spectorbass83 · #7 10-03-2006, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basboeg

Flea is a very good bassplayer, it's just unfortunate that the guys in the band seems to go in the mainstream direction, and as you all know: the bass lines are very simple in that world.

Yes they are more simple..but just because it's more simple, does that mean it's not good??

Basboeg · #8 10-03-2006, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spectorbass83

Yes they are more simple..but just because it's more simple, does that mean it's not good??

Well of course they can be good, but what I was trying to tell was that most of them aren't that interesting.

Kickin'Fruit · #9 10-03-2006, 05:52 PM

I see them on the 21st! Really looking forward to it.

Can anyone elaborate on exactly what Flea does wrong that convinces so many people to say that beginners should shy away from him?

MikeyFingers · #10 10-03-2006, 05:54 PM

The fact that Flea can do the things he does on stage without it effecting his playing is nothing short of amazing. That alone gets my respect, not to mention the fact that, regardless of everyone's opinion, he is a great bassist.
Anyway, I'm kicking myself (as usual) over this one. I missed them AGAIN this year. I think the only shot I have to see them now is if I drive to New Jersey, but I don't know if I'm gonna bother.

Kickin'Fruit · #11 10-03-2006, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeyFingers

The fact that Flea can do the things he does on stage without it effecting his playing is nothing short of amazing. That alone gets my respect, not to mention the fact that, regardless of everyone's opinion, he is a great bassist.
Anyway, I'm kicking myself (as usual) over this one. I missed them AGAIN this year. I think the only shot I have to see them now is if I drive to New Jersey, but I don't know if I'm gonna bother.

I have floor seats, and I might have an extra one to the albany show

Rids · #12 10-03-2006, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtgroove

Please don't. I did this at the age of 15 or 16 and it took me a good 5 years to undo the damage. I can see why you suggest pete- I thought it was a good idea at the time. Listen to them, learn a few if you really want to and then move onto something else bassist before you become a clone. That record inspired an army of similar sounding bassplayers.

This is the most hilarious thing I've come across on TalkBass. Not everyone is as close minded in their playing as you obviously were.

Grueber · #13 10-03-2006, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rids

This is the most hilarious thing I've come across on TalkBass. Not everyone is as close minded in their playing as you obviously were.

+1

MMcC · #14 10-03-2006, 09:43 PM

I'm gonna see them Oct 28 at Voodoo. I can't wait. I am a big Flea fan. When I was a senior in high school, and my punk band broke up, Blood Sugar was the album that kept me playing. Otherwise, I might have put the bass down. Who knows? I'm grateful for that album, but I am a bit of a clone. I can't pick up a bass without playing some Peppers. Only recently have I discovered other great bassists that are getting me to play in other ways.

BrandonBass · #15 10-04-2006, 12:34 AM

i dont care what other ppl saying bullcrap like 'rhcp gone mainstream and they sux'

rhcp is one of the few bands in the mainstream that still rule, flea has matured as a musician and play whatever lines that suites the song and not have a need to show off his ability. And i find that practising rhcp songs has helped me quite a deal in my technique, but i dont see how it would make everyone sound like a 'flea clone'.

heck, i wouldnt mind sounding like a flea clone, that wud be awesome. but it prolly wont happen, and maybe your just not creative enough

tbh i find their earliest recordings stand pale in comparison to their new ones. flea was slapping too much, anthony was singing pretty bad and frusciante is just a better guitarist than slovak imo.

dirtgroove · #16 10-04-2006, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rids

This is the most hilarious thing I've come across on TalkBass. Not everyone is as close minded in their playing as you obviously were.

What can I say, I grew up in the hills (in a time before the internet and before MTV), with a few old cassettes to learn from. I was an unwordly and easily influenced teenager- shoot me!!!

If you think you can learn more musically from him than say Jamerson Mcartney or JPJ, go ahead- see how you do.. The man is a good bass player, but BSSM is not some bass playing bible.

Rids · #17 10-04-2006, 03:54 AM

I came across a bit more harshly than i meant to. I'm just sick of hearing people, usually some of the older crew on here, writing off Flea. It's become fashionable almost. And then we have a thread about Sheryl Crow and they all froth. Whatever.

dirtgroove · #18 10-04-2006, 04:25 AM

cool- no worries.

jomahu · #19 10-04-2006, 04:29 AM

p.s. the mars volta opened up. we all know juan is awesome, but...to be honest, i really couldn't hear anything over screeching guitars and vocals. but that is to be expected at a TMV show, i guess (i've seen them 3 times). a pity, tho' - i was really looking forward to REALLY hearing him.

and lots of people didn't like them.

i guess it's an acquired taste...

edit: for all you drummers, jon theodore is not playing with them anymore.

Warwickluvr · #20 10-04-2006, 10:41 AM

I saw them a few weeks ago. The Mars Volta bass player played a Fender with two Darkstars and the tone was definetly present. As for Flea, I like his style. It's flashy and cool but I think as far as BSSM being a Bible, I think a beginning bass player would benefit more from Tower of Power basslines or some of the late 60's/70's Motown stuff. It's not as flashy, but much more grooooooovy, which personally impresses me more.