Bread

[mapleglo]

I always liked that song Guitar Man.

 

[VicDiesel]

It's a cool and fairly busy bass line. It sounds like muted flats played with a pick

But fretless, right? There's a couple of slides that are definitely not quantized in pitch.

 

[joeLowB]

I always liked that song Guitar Man.

Sad song, that one!

 

[MegaSwing]

I always liked that song Guitar Man.

There's some outstanding guitar work in that one. Bread never felt formulaic, but their smooth, country-tinged quiet songs came to define them. Gates was a distinctive voice—in an era replete with them. However you perceive the subject matter, the artistry was there, and you always knew it when you heard it.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

But fretless, right? There's a couple of slides that are definitely not quantized in pitch.

Sounds like it, which would also give the impression of muted strings, if the player is good at using the fingerprint pad of their fingers instead of their fingertips, to play. The wider fleshy part of the finger sort of mutes the note when a string pressed against the fingerboard vs. a fret.

 

[DB66]

Looks like the early Bread 1969 record was done using a Hofner w/pick. You can really hear that fat short scale bass. I found some photos of them live and in studio using the Hofner below.


YT live television taping - some great guitar work by Dean Parks, Steely Dan session player. Lots of really closeup guitar work and love the cigarette burn on the bass.

 

[80jazz]

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 was trying to find the bread store, but I can't find it anywhere...

(I don't think Pino was in the band, but Paul Young was the vocalist.)

 

[Rip Van Dan]

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

One of the reasons that their music sounds so good is that the members were all session musicians who played on a lot of other artists recordings. They often played together on the sessions, all got along well, and decided to record some original music themselves. When I was touring with a nightclub group in the early 70's ('71-'74) I'd sing their song "Make It With You".

 

[Low-End Steve]

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.

Very cool. I worked in a research lab with David's son, Rick, when we were undergrads (40+ years ago). At the end of that year, I went off to grad school and Rick went to med school.

 

[sdjfoh]

Very cool. I worked in a research lab with David's son, Rick, when we were undergrads (40+ years ago). At the end of that year, I went off to grad school and Rick went to med school.

Right on! I think a lot of his kids went into medicine and science related work. Pretty smart folks. We have a bunch of engineers on our side of the family but after my grandma there's only me in the music department.

 

[Nebadon2000]

I really liked Bread way back BUT I was afraid to tell anyone

 

[Bob_Ross]

When Bread was all over AM radio in the 1970s I was in elementary school and junior high school, and I hated them...too smarmy, treacly, and saccharin for my wee pre-teen tastes. Whenever their songs came on the radio I couldn't flip the station fast enough.

But my freshman year at the Berklee College of Music my roommate owned Bread's Greatest Hits LP, and I realized their music was exquisitely put together: Stellar production and arranging, the archetype of pop music craftsmanship...which, since ostensibly that's what I was at Berklee to study, suddenly seemed like a Really Good Thing.

If they come on the radio nowadays I do not change the station.

 

[el jeffe bass]

I named my daughter Aubrey because I loved the song.

 

[SoonerBill]

I always liked Bread. Saw them a few times. The pre fame era for David Gates was before my time but from what I hear he often performed locally here in Tulsa and OKC.

 

[mtdkingstonheir]

Big fan of Bread. Great vocals and playing. When I hear several of their songs it makes me think of old girlfriends.