After 50 years Wyman finally gets some credit from Keith

oldrocker · #1 11-23-2011, 08:23 PM

I found this quote in a Keith Richards interview about the Some Girls - Stones reissue:

And the other thing I noticed about listening back to 'Some Girls' is how incredible Billy Wyman's bass playing is. Maybe it's because of the remixing and you hear it more but I was astounded by Bill's bass. I loved it. I miss the old sod.

I guess it took Keith 50 years to open his ears to the low frequency. Bill never got any respect in the band which may be part of the reason he is a totally underated [IMO] bass player in general.

Full article here:

Keith Richards Looks Back at 'Some Girls'

Xavier Zed · #2 11-24-2011, 04:34 AM

Nice piece. Thanks I remember that album like it was yesterday. And, so do love to play Beast of Burden.

JimK · #3 11-24-2011, 08:38 AM

I was thumbing through a '70s-era Guitar Player mag today...within the pages was an ad for Guitar Player...Bill Wyman was on the cover of this particular ad...with these words-

BILL WYMAN
For 16 Years
Bassist Of
The Rolling Stones

I'm sure at that time, 16 years with the same band seemed like an eternity.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-78-GUITAR...32665994718782

**Howlin' Hanson** · #4 11-24-2011, 06:57 PM

I hate playing Satisfaction, because I haven't taken the time to learn the bass part the way Bill played. His part turned a mundane, simple song into something that has both a groove and a bit of tension to it. Classic. And his slides on Paint It Back...not many had the chutzpah to put such huge swooping slides into a recording, but brother Bill certainly did. What he did with his small hands is amazing.

mellowinman · #5 11-25-2011, 07:09 AM

Where is this coming from that Bill Wyman never got any respect in the band?

Here's a quote from Bill Wyman:

"I always got great respect as a bass player." -Bill Wyman

Maybe he didn't get much respect as a songwriter. I haven't heard any Bill Wyman songs, so I can't say whether he deserves it or not.

Maybe he didn't get much respect as a human being. Even a dog like Mick doesn't sleep with 13 year olds. Or does he?

Stick_Player · #6 11-25-2011, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howlin' Hanson

I hate playing Satisfaction, because I haven't taken the time to learn the bass part the way Bill played. His part turned a mundane, simple song into something that has both a groove and a bit of tension to it. Classic. And his slides on Paint It Back...not many had the chutzpah to put such huge swooping slides into a recording, but brother Bill certainly did. What he did with his small hands is amazing.

Isn't he playing his defretted bass on this track?

Ubersheist · #7 11-25-2011, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stick_Player

Isn't he playing his defretted bass on this track?

Yes. I remember reading about the history of fretless basses somewhere about 10+ years ago, and then relistening to the track. It's certainly on a fretless, and the article specifically mentioned that the track was played with a defretted bass.

JimK · #8 11-26-2011, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellowinman

Maybe he didn't get much respect as a songwriter. I haven't heard any Bill Wyman songs, so I can't say whether he deserves it or not.

Keeping it about music ('cause I get your point.)...
Wyman's Monkey Grip (which I never owned) was considered to be a very decent solo album from the Stones' bass player.

Amazon.com: Monkey Grip: Bill Wyman: Music

D Bopp · #9 11-27-2011, 05:57 PM

I love Bill Wyman's playing. The cover article in Bass Player from a year or so ago was pretty good.
He just plays some God awful looking basses!

bassbully · #10 11-28-2011, 11:54 AM

Some Girls is one of my all time fav albums not a bad track on it and some of the coolest album art to boot.

**Ukiah Bass** · #11 11-28-2011, 01:51 PM

Yes, Bill got enough respect to be erased from one of the Stones' album jackets. Their music went downhill after he left the band.

Reminds me of the ultimate punishment by ancient Egyptians: deleting one's name from a tombstone. Poof!

Tampabass · #12 11-28-2011, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ukiah Bass

Yes, Bill got enough respect to be erased from one of the Stones' album jackets. Their music went downhill after he left the band.

Reminds me of the ultimate punishment by ancient Egyptians: deleting one's name from a tombstone. Poof!

The old Soviet Union was big on that, too - erasing people from history - removing out-of-favor politicians from old pictures, etc.

Tampabass · #13 11-28-2011, 01:59 PM

Bill who?

Roscoe East · #14 11-28-2011, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimK

Wyman's Monkey Grip (which I never owned) was considered to be a very decent solo album from the Stones' bass player.

Talk about "damning with faint praise" LOL!

I actually had the Monkey Grip album when it first came out. It was...interesting. Didn't completely suck. But it didn't really sound like Rock And/Or Roll to my then teenage ears; more like cabaret music, if you can imagine.

**Ukiah Bass** · #15 11-28-2011, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tampabass

Bill who?

Ya, that's what the band said until visions of $$$$$$ for a 50-year reunion tour flowed through their heads.

JimK · #16 11-29-2011, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roscoe East

Talk about "damning with faint praise" LOL!

OK...really, though, I did not mean it to come out like that.