I was born in very late '62. So, Bread was a major influence on my ears as a 10ish year old. I picked up up the bass at 57 almost 6 years ago. Now I listen and play along to Everything I Own, and I cannot get over how beautiful a song that is with such a great bass line. I mean when "the finest years I've ever known" kicks in.... that's some great bass. Just to Have You Back Again...........Dad
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Bread
- Thread starter LG TPAFL
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Oh, man, one of my guilty pleasures. They get hardly any love these days, but if I recall correctly they were quite popular for a couple years in the early 70s. The musicianship won't blind you, its just good relaxing honest music. David Gates is one of my favorite songwriters for that genre and time. He had a way with words... one of those guys. They had a handful of songs that are still favorites for me. Forget Damone's recommendation in Fast times at Ridgemont High to put on side 1 of Led Zeppelin IV.... if you want to impress the ladies, throw on some Bread 
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Not exactly if you were staring down the draft, Little Alex.
reminds me of a uk band called streetband who had a hit song called 'toast'.
i think it featured much loved TB bass player, Pino.
i think it featured much loved TB bass player, Pino.
Fascinating fact: David Gates and Leon Russell were in the same band in high school, in Tulsa, OK. Imagine that.
I find it interesting that he has so completely disappeared from public view, after having such a successful career and virtually inventing a sub-genre of rock music. I could listen to Bread all day. The music and production are impeccably crafted.
'Sweet Surrender' is an awesome song.
I find it interesting that he has so completely disappeared from public view, after having such a successful career and virtually inventing a sub-genre of rock music. I could listen to Bread all day. The music and production are impeccably crafted.
'Sweet Surrender' is an awesome song.
I loved Bread then and still do. Greatness all around, lyrics, melody, production, musicianship.
Everything I Own is so good, and once I heard who it was about, it really hits me hard. I'm tearing up now writing this.
Everything I Own is so good, and once I heard who it was about, it really hits me hard. I'm tearing up now writing this.
It's a cool and fairly busy bass line. It sounds like muted flats played with a pick through much of the song, but gets "mellow" sounding right at the end of the chorus.
I'm much more a "Mother Freedom" fan when it comes to Bread songs, but I liked most everything I've heard by them.
Here's a strange "Bread" story that can't be corroborated, but what I put below is what I know first hand, it just can't be verified. I'm not sure I believe it myself…
I knew a guy in my home town named Bruce King (long deceased). He was a few years older than me and was a musician / singer from a young age. He won talent shows in grade school, Jr. High & High school. I saw him play in talent shows I attended when I was in 7th & 8th grade and he was a Jr. & Sr.
I ended up trying to start a cover band with him in the late '80s that never got off the ground.
He did some recording and completed one album (band named "Rajah") in the late 70's that was never released, but 500 copies were pressed and packaged in full album covers with pictures, credits, song list and all just like a fully released album, but all copies had "for promotion only" stamped on the back. I have one of these albums.
Bruce swears he wrote the song "If" that was released by Bread on their "Mana" album in 1971. He says he mailed a recording of himself playing the song on piano & singing on 2.5" or 3" reel to reel single track tape to a record company in Memphis, TN sometime around '69 or '70, (Bruce would have been 17 or 18), but never received a reply.
The next time he heard anything about the song was on the radio, by Bread, in the spring of '71. Bruce had a lot of great songs he wrote, but he never had any success other than a local singer / songwriter / musician that was better at it than most of us.
I'm much more a "Mother Freedom" fan when it comes to Bread songs, but I liked most everything I've heard by them.
Here's a strange "Bread" story that can't be corroborated, but what I put below is what I know first hand, it just can't be verified. I'm not sure I believe it myself…
I knew a guy in my home town named Bruce King (long deceased). He was a few years older than me and was a musician / singer from a young age. He won talent shows in grade school, Jr. High & High school. I saw him play in talent shows I attended when I was in 7th & 8th grade and he was a Jr. & Sr.
I ended up trying to start a cover band with him in the late '80s that never got off the ground.
He did some recording and completed one album (band named "Rajah") in the late 70's that was never released, but 500 copies were pressed and packaged in full album covers with pictures, credits, song list and all just like a fully released album, but all copies had "for promotion only" stamped on the back. I have one of these albums.
Bruce swears he wrote the song "If" that was released by Bread on their "Mana" album in 1971. He says he mailed a recording of himself playing the song on piano & singing on 2.5" or 3" reel to reel single track tape to a record company in Memphis, TN sometime around '69 or '70, (Bruce would have been 17 or 18), but never received a reply.
The next time he heard anything about the song was on the radio, by Bread, in the spring of '71. Bruce had a lot of great songs he wrote, but he never had any success other than a local singer / songwriter / musician that was better at it than most of us.
Bread ruled the AM airways when I was in Junior high.
Girls loved their romantic songs. And they sold alot of Ovations!
Girls loved their romantic songs. And they sold alot of Ovations!
Baby Ima want you is one of my favorites.
It could have been Larry Knechtel on bass. He was also responsible for the famous gospel piano on S&G's Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Depending on the timing and the song, a few people in the band (including David) could have picked up the bass and made any particular track.
Like a lot of LA bands of that era, they started off just a smidge edgy, eventually getting so saccarine...
Depending on the timing and the song, a few people in the band (including David) could have picked up the bass and made any particular track.
Like a lot of LA bands of that era, they started off just a smidge edgy, eventually getting so saccarine...
I never liked their songs much but I will give them props for being very well performed and recorded.
No surprise, since Davis Gates had been banging around LA for a few years and did sessions both as a player and a producer…he produced the very first recordings of Captain Beefheart in 1966, three years before Bread started. How would the Captain have handled "Baby I'm A Want You"?
No surprise, since Davis Gates had been banging around LA for a few years and did sessions both as a player and a producer…he produced the very first recordings of Captain Beefheart in 1966, three years before Bread started. How would the Captain have handled "Baby I'm A Want You"?
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I've mentioned in a previous thread - David Gates is my great uncle, and a lot of the Bread string arrangements were done by my grandmother (his older sister).
Their reunion tour was one of my first live show experiences. They were a little corny for my generation but I've always loved and respected David as a person, and musician. He is incredibly humble for how successful he became in the industry.
Their reunion tour was one of my first live show experiences. They were a little corny for my generation but I've always loved and respected David as a person, and musician. He is incredibly humble for how successful he became in the industry.
My first rock concert, ever...1970, Bread in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Yikes, a long long time ago.
.
Yikes, a long long time ago.
.
David Gates also wrote 'Popsicles & Icicles' by the Murmaids—on various charts the last U.S.-produced #1 before the Beatles changed the game. The boy was a serious player.
I was going to mention our recent conversation! Please share your personal experiences about him with the TB hive!
BBB
I haven't seen him in a while, probably since my sister's wedding maybe a decade ago. His daughter was at my cousins wedding just a few months back. They are all lovely folks.
David ran a cattle ranch in Northern California for many years, and we would visit and go fishing on the property when I was growing up. He taught my sister how to drive manual stick shift and taught me how to properly BBQ. I never got much music instruction from him, but my grandmother played cello and piano and had some guidance for me.
His wife, JoRita - probably had the best sense of humor but was a tough country kind of gal. They were incredibly kind and generous to us growing up - but not fancy. They preferred spending time out on the land in an RV, moving cattle, riding horses and off road vehicles. Eating simple and fixing everything themselves, despite owning houses in San Diego and up in the Puget sound area.
Last time I spoke with David he had mentioned that he was the actual bassist on the Monster Mash - as he was conveniently in the studio at the time of the recording and they needed an extra player. It's not something he wanted to advertise much, and I don't recall who is credited on the track.
As far as writing "If" - I wouldn't take David as a song poacher, he has enough talent as it is. It's probably a hard thing to prove. My grandmother had the charts framed at her house in the Bay Area since she was credited for the string arrangements. I think they were pretty proud of that one.
The boy band N'Sync asked David to write their second album, and he turned them down.
He's mostly been involved with country music the past few decades. Not sure how musically active he is anymore, but he seemed in good health and happy to catch up when I saw him last.
