George Michael's band

MEKer · #1 01-29-2012, 04:19 PM

Just saw 2008 the London Live concert dvd again. Terrific show and I really paid attention to the musicians backing him. They really are impressive and the bass sure has great presence.
Anyone else appreciating Michael's musicianship and that of his people? And I come from a solid metal/rocker background too!

Yeah, yeah, snide comments not needed about his personal life.

fmoore200 · #2 01-29-2012, 05:04 PM

Grew up loving his music. Haven't seen that performance, but I'll definitely be checking it out!

cableguy · #3 01-29-2012, 05:16 PM

I grew up thinking anything not rock or metal sucked. As I aged I realized that GM is a phenominal vocalist. His vocal range and such blow away most rock vocalist. I'm sure you would have to be pretty damn good just to hang musically. My wife has a lot of his stuff (go figure) so I get to listen to it pretty regularly. Not excactly my cup of tea but I can appreciate talent and GM and his band have it.

**davidjbass** · #4 01-29-2012, 05:18 PM

I just saw this on cable a month or so ago. I am a GM fan and thought the concert was awesome. The bass player was playing a Warwick Dolphin 5.

MEKer · #5 01-29-2012, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidjbass

I just saw this on cable a month or so ago. I am a GM fan and thought the concert was awesome. The bass player was playing a Warwick Dolphin 5.

I'm glad you caught that. I was wondering about it. Side note: there is really some sophistication in the instrumentation and arrangement of his songs---pretty awesome.

**MiJaKo** · #6 01-29-2012, 05:29 PM

Any heavy hitters in the lineup?

MEKer · #7 01-29-2012, 06:42 PM

I don't think there are any "famous" names (or at least I have never heard of any of his players being "featured" players---(please correct me if wrong), but they gotta be awesome session players cuz GM is very difficult to work with as he is a perfectionist and nobody gets away with a dang thing around him musically.

runmikeyrun · #8 01-30-2012, 10:14 PM

George Michael was my first REAL concert, 6th grade, if you don't count Barry Manilow at age 3 or Kenny G in 5th grade. I was transitioning from pop to metal at the time, and George Michael somehow got caught in the middle of that. I still like the Faith album, but haven't really ever listened to anything else by him.

DiabolusInMusic · #9 01-30-2012, 10:29 PM

Come on I love the bass line on Freedom '91... nothing bad can be said about him... if I was in a public washroom and some lady said I'll show you mine if you show me yours I'd do it, I'd feel terrible to judge him for it.

Sumtingwong · #10 02-03-2012, 08:10 PM

I remember hearing a live version of "I'm your man" on the radio back in the late 80's and being blown away by the bass solo at the end- One of the few times they let the song play out 'til its end.

joebar · #11 02-03-2012, 08:34 PM

george michael is a genius. the guy is so good it is ridiculous. he is so underrated as a singer, songwriter, performer etc. it is natural that he would want to surround himself with great players.

JPSBassist · #12 02-03-2012, 09:00 PM

David Finck is his current bassist. George just finished recording a bunch of stuff for a new album in London. David performed on these tracks with a Spector Euro5LX.

bass12 · #13 02-04-2012, 01:05 AM

I used to dismiss George Michael as just another haircut. Then I saw his performance for the Queen tribute and was completely taken aback by how well he sang. I now consider him one of my favourite vocalists and have come to appreciate a lot of his music. In fact, just the other day I was trying to convince some bandmates that "Careless Whisper" is a really good song. They wouldn't believe me.

phaze1todd · #14 02-04-2012, 01:23 AM

Remember seeing Freddy tribute concert. Out of all the vocal legends in attendance to perform (Plant, Daltrey), George Michael's rendition of "Somebody to Love" kicked everybody else's ass! Side note: If you have made millions and become legend with your vocal abilities, there is no excuse not to keep your voice in shape!

Close second was Extreme with the medley, but I admit I am biased being a big Pat Badger fan.

GeoffT · #15 02-04-2012, 01:47 AM

The bass line in Careless Whisper is one of my all time faves. To me, it is a great example of playing exactly what the song needed but still playing an interesting line that builds perfectly throughout the song. So, when I saw this thread, I did a little bit of research on who played the line and it looks like it was Deon Estus, who also played on Marvin Gaye's Midnight Love. Hmmm, a guy from Detroit who had James Jamerson as a teacher, it all makes sense now.

bass12 · #16 02-04-2012, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffT

The bass line in Careless Whisper is one of my all time faves. To me, it is a great example of playing exactly what the song needed but still playing an interesting line that builds perfectly throughout the song. So, when I saw this thread, I did a little bit of research on who played the line and it looks like it was Deon Estus, who also played on Marvin Gaye's Midnight Love. Hmmm, a guy from Detroit who had James Jamerson as a teacher, it all makes sense now.

Thanks for that - good to know. I'd wondered who the bassist was.