Artists only- Talking Heads; what's on the bass?

bassteban · #1 12-05-2008, 08:55 PM

Flanger? Chorus? I love that sound.

bongomania · #2 12-05-2008, 08:57 PM

Post a link to the sound? I remember there was a particular Talking Heads bass sound somebody asked about here not too long ago, and it turned out that particular track had two bassists playing different bass tones simultaneously, which sounded sort of like a chorus or flanger, but wasn't.

bassteban · #3 12-05-2008, 08:59 PM

Like this(verse section): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7dsRWkE84s

Ryan Mohr · #4 12-05-2008, 09:35 PM

Sounds like chorus to me, maybe flats?

Akeris · #5 12-05-2008, 09:36 PM

Yessir, I do believe it's a chorus.

bassteban · #6 12-05-2008, 10:13 PM

Certainly could be. I'll tweak my two choruses(Pearl stompbox & Ibanez UE-305)& see how close I can get.

bongomania · #7 12-05-2008, 10:21 PM

I definitely hear a fretless through chorus, but I also think I hear a second bassist some of the time.

bassteban · #8 12-05-2008, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

I definitely hear a fretless through chorus, but I also think I hear a second bassist some of the time.

Interesting. I'm thinking there's documentation on the recording of this stuff- off to google-land...

Edit: Well, I tried to join a Tom-tom club fan site but I'm about 3-4 glasses of wine too late to pull that one off. I'll see what I can accomplish later(tomorrow)...

Mark Olson · #9 12-06-2008, 01:09 AM

I'm not sure which bass the bass player may be using that's fretless, but I do know Tina used to use a Fender Mustang Bass. I used to play a Mustang Reissue, I've since sold it, but that bass had the best action of any bass I've ever played, the fretwork was amazing I could get the action so low without fret buzz, it was just ridiculous.

JimmyM · #10 12-06-2008, 02:23 AM

I don't think Tina's ever played fretless. Anyway, to my ears, it sounds like chorus with delay.

BTW, there's only one bass on there. They did it live with just the 4 of them back then, and all those parts you hear on the album, they did live as well.

bongomania · #11 12-06-2008, 08:51 AM

I don't think Tina's ever played fretless either, and that one video I referenced earlier (I'll try to find a link) had Tina playing an old short-scale hollowbody with frets, while another guy was playing a modern active fretless. It was a live in concert vid, and not from the later years either. But I'm really not up on the TH chronology.

JimmyM · #12 12-06-2008, 12:43 PM

Busta Jones. Happened for one tour, Tina hated it, and they never did it again.

The Lurker · #13 12-06-2008, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

I definitely hear a fretless through chorus, but I also think I hear a second bassist some of the time.

+1

bongomania · #14 12-06-2008, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Busta Jones. Happened for one tour, Tina hated it, and they never did it again.

So if it wasn't Busta playing fretless on the track here, and if it wasn't Tina because she is pretty well known for playing old passive fretted shortscales, then who is playing the fretless here?

bassteban · #15 12-06-2008, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

So if it wasn't Busta playing fretless on the track here, and if it wasn't Tina because she is pretty well known for playing old passive fretted shortscales, then who is playing the fretless here?

Wasn't me.

Really though, I was hoping someone would either hear the track & say 'Oh, that's a _____er pedal; I have one that totally nails that sound' or remember being in the studio that day & seeing the actual setup. Stranger things have happened...

Edit: Just checked a couple of very early live youtube vids; the shots are not very clear(& I'm really asking about the studio version)but it only shows Tina- one w/a funky old hollowbody(Kay) & the other w/the Mustang. Both appear to be fretted.

JimmyM · #16 12-06-2008, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

So if it wasn't Busta playing fretless on the track here, and if it wasn't Tina because she is pretty well known for playing old passive fretted shortscales, then who is playing the fretless here?

I'd guess Jerry Harrison is doing a keyboard thing that makes it sound like fretless, or Tina's got so much chorus on the bass that its outer reaches sound like a fretless.

bassteban · #17 12-06-2008, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

I'd guess Jerry Harrison is doing a keyboard thing that makes it sound like fretless, or Tina's got so much chorus on the bass that its outer reaches sound like a fretless.

Yeah- frankly guys, I don't think it's a fretless, but I don't think it's *just* chorus; maybe chorus(or flanger or phaser)+very short-timed delay. I'm going to keep trying to get at the source. Just one of those nagging(for me)questions...

Edit: Admittedly I'm going on cheap computer speakers, but I'm not thinking keys either- not predominantly anyway.