Andy Rourke (The Smiths)

[Mon Rominee]

Fantastic player. Underrated, by his own doing. the silent type, you know.

Too many great basslines.

Which leads to my fave Smith's lyric:

"And the pain was enough to make a shy, bald Budhist reflect and plan a mass mur-der...."

 

[Blackbird]

they also linked to this pic-

Yup, that was the picture inside Hatful of Hollow. I looked at that and said "I wanna be that guy"

 

[dlloyd]

Yup, that was the picture inside Hatful of Hollow. I looked at that and said "I wanna be that guy"

And he's playing fingerstyle, no less.

 

[new_west]

how would you guys suggest creating very andy rourke-ish basslines? They are really addictive.. my favourites are heaven knows i'm miserable now, this charming man, barbarism begins at home, and nowhere fast.. but they are all so good..

interesting drug with moz was good too..

 

[cowsgomoo]

fantastic bass player... the perfect man for the job in the Smiths... in the British music press in the 80's the Smiths were always characterised (even by people who loved them) as jingly jangly indie softies, but there were so many different guitar styles going on that you can't really pin them down...

and Andy was so versatile... the embodiment of the thing we always talk about, the 'bass player who plays for the song'.. some of my faves:

the version of 'This Charming Man' on Hatful of Hollow... different to the single version, they play it in a fast 12/8 and the verse has a pattern that goes root-2nd-3rd, then 5th-2nd-3rd (with the 2nd & 3rd an octave above)... really melodic & inventive & slinky.. always catches my ear.. he also does some nice walking bass in the chorus

'This Night Has Opened My Eyes' - tasteful, tasty

there was a period towards the end where they produced several 12/8 semi-glam-rock stompers, Panic, Sheila Take A Bow, I Started Something I Couldn't Finish... all good stuff


I think Andy Rourke was lucky from a bass player's point of view because he and Johnny Marr & Mike Joyce would jam and record basic tracks and song structures before giving the songs in a fairly complete form to Morrissey for him to do his stuff... so instead of Andy having to tread a melodic path between the vocal phrases, and keep out of the way like most of us have to, he could do what he wanted and be a bit more free... so you get a lot more melodic freedom, and it shows... the freedom he had to weave through the chords was used brilliantly

 

[6-3-2]

I really like the bass on "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out".

 

[sethlow3]

He is THE bass giant of the 80s new wave IMHO. I love to play "heaven knows I'm miserable now". All of the little fills and double stops are great. The man is a groove monster.

 

[dancehallclasher]

Definitely one of my favorites. I don't think anyone's mentioned "Rusholme Ruffians" yet. That and "Barbarism" are my favorite lines, but even his simple ones like on "I Know It's Over" are very well done, with enough variation to keep it interesting but not overplay.

 

[Jay Terrien]

Someone E-bayed that Yamaha Bass from that cover a few years ago.

Who owns the most Smiths vinyl on TB?
Jay Terrien MIGHT.....

His lines compliment Steven's voice quite nicely.......

Unruly boys,

JT

I love Andy's playing. I think it was "Hatful of Hollow" and that picture of Andy inside that made sure I wanted to be a bass player.

I don't think Andy ever slapped*. I think he just played with a pick and had a very twangy sound. For a real funky tune, check out "Barbarism Begins at Home", from "Meat is Murder".

*Except on the instrumental "The Draize Train" from the single "Panic"

Favorite basslines, anyone?

Mine are:

"Barbarism Begins at Home"
"This Charming Man"
"Hand in Glove"
"Girl Afraid"
"Sweet and Tender Hooligan"
"These Things Take Time"
"What Difference Does it Make?"


and more...

Andy's a great place for any beginner to start developing a sensibility for bass in rock/pop.

 

[new_west]

Definitely one of my favorites. I don't think anyone's mentioned "Rusholme Ruffians" yet. That and "Barbarism" are my favorite lines, but even his simple ones like on "I Know It's Over" are very well done, with enough variation to keep it interesting but not overplay.

ahh, Rushlome Ruffians.. so awesome.. its fun playing it really fast.

nice analysis cowgomoo..

was rourkes tone strictly based on a yamaha bb1200 in studio and j-bass live?

 

[Blackbird]

was rourkes tone strictly based on a yamaha bb1200 in studio and j-bass live?

P-bass.

Neve seen him with a J.

 

[Alan Vorse]

I was a total egg-head in high school. My favorite band was Rush. The drummer and guitarist in my band wanted to do "Bigmouth Strikes Again." When I learned his bassline, I was totally impressed with how melodic his line was and how it outlined the chord progression.

If you made a list of great 80s alternative bass players, I think he and Mike Mills would be at the top.

 

[markorbit]

Superb bass playing, the right person in the right band. Those basslines are trickier to get right than how they sound... and they fit the songs perfectly.

I could probably list 20 tracks if I thought about it. Basslines were always moving around melodically.

The tone of the bass was also quite distinctive.

 

[savinggrace]

Yeah, this post is old but it should be constantly kept alive! Andy is a severly underrated player, and one that undeniably took The Smiths to that next level. For all the technical wankering from so many talented bassists that around and that people site as influences, I will take Andy over any of them anyday. The soulfullness and countermelodies mixed into the rest of the songwriting is 1/4 the reason why The Smiths were such an amazing band (the other 3/4- Johnny Marr's Guitar, Morrissey's Lyrics, and Morrissey's Vocals). A classic case example where one can learn and be as technically proficient as Jaco, but one cant learn such passion from a book or a teacher. Its inherently sprung forth from a very honest source.

 

[Cairobill]

In the mid nineties I did some sessions with my Britpop band on a white (I think) vintage jazz bass that was borrowed from Rourke. It was an amazing bass. So, yes, he recorded with a jazz. Which tracks...don't know...

C

 

[The Mighty 'V']

...Those basslines are trickier to get right than how they sound...

Oooh yes! I only realised this when trying to play along.

 

[dvh]

Time to bump this thread.

I've been listening to the Smiths again a lot lately. I totally agree Andy Rourke is a great and underappreciated bassist.

Too many favourite lines to list but I am just listening to one of my favourite Smiths' songs: Well, I Wonder (Meat is Murder album). Beautiful, beautiful song. Voice, guitar, bass, drums - it's amazing how rich it can all be.

Underappreciated band (on this side of the ocean) and underapreciated bassist.

Cheers

 

[Quinn]

Rourke is a sublimely melodic bassist who knows how to make a great song even better.

Everything he did with The Smiths is brilliant and a lesson in tasteful pop bass playing, but their first album is still my favorite. I'm currently learning it note for note.

 

[TheWolverine]

I'm having a blast learning Andy Rourke's bass lines. Where did he come up with these bass melodies against those wonderful arpeggios of Johnny Marr's wall of guitars, I wonder?

 

[SnakeAnthony]

I'm not an Andy Rourke/Smiths fan, but if you are, he is currently playing with Badly Drawn Boy.

So whats the drummer doing?

Andy's playing with a modern band (Badly Drawn Boy), Johnny is with a modern band (Modest Mouse, my personal favorite), Morrisey is pretending to be a Mexican American while making a joke out of himself on stage, so what's up with the drummer?