roscoe beck - leonard cohen

[heavyfunkmachin]

I saw Leonard Cohen last weekend, he’s great… his voice is getting better, the way wine does… I didn’t really like the musical direction, very 80’s to my taste… the arrangements I mean… he could really use an “American recordings” approach. Anyway, guess who was the bassist/musical director?

Roscoe Beck.

I have to say that I didn’t enjoy the arrangements too much, and the bass sound dull and lifeless. And the bass drum was ALL OVER THE PLACE… I’m sure something happened with the sound, either they were victims of the sound guy or they couldn’t do anything better (they were playing in a half-covered bullfighting ring… terrible acoustics I suppose)… when Roscoe Beck did a bass solo I couldn’t hear a note. Bass murder. What a pity, all in all the concert was fun, Leonard’s voice was the greatest thing of all, and the keyboard’s guy and a Spanish guitar virtuoso he tours with were also great. Sound was awful, and the arrangements not my personal favourites
but, I guess nobody noticed.

[Ezbass]

Interesting, I haven't see Laughing Len myself, but a bass playing friend of mine who is a big fan went to see him at the O2 in the UK. He said that he thought the whole thing was marvellous, great arrangements performed by a spectacularly gifted band. Oh well what suits one doesn't suit another.

As for sound engineering it appears that you have been the victim of an engineer who has attended the "Kick Drum Is King" school of mixing. There seem to be way too many of these deaf idiots around these days. Don't get me wrong I like to hear the bass drum but I like it not to make me feel physically sick with its volume and intensity, or to completely obliterate the bass. Off with their heads!