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Danny Klein - J. Geils Band

Danny Klein also has played Steinberger basses for a time.

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Danny Klein also has played Steinberger basses for a time.
He's playing a Steinberger in the video.

Danny Klein was one of the very first "artist endorsers" of the Steinberger L-2 bass, along with Sting, Tony Levin, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, John Entwistle, and Andy West. Don't think I ever saw Entwistle actually play his...but Klein was always sporting his for a number of years back then.
 
Here's the isolated bass track. Pretty interesting choices, especially the pops. I wonder what bass he used to track this. He's playing a Steinberger in the video.

- Steve

Some evidence in October and November 1981 shows him with a red G&L L-1000.

I am not saying that was on Freeze-Frame though. The solo in River Blindness sounds a lot like a Steinberger, but my ears could be fooling me.
 
Was mostly only ever familiar with Centrefold back in the day. But I’m watching the gig at Rockpalast in 1979 and some other great tunes pumping out. Not sure of the bass Danny Klein is playing, but he sure is having a good time and sounds great.
Music Man, perhaps. He’s played so many different brands.
 
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Music Man, perhaps. He’s played so many different brands.
Yeh I notice he likes to switch.
The real takeaway for me watching that 79 gig, is that bass playing is fun. See so many bass acts that look like they’re bored $hi/less.
Klein really combines fun with groove.
P Bass with a Jazz neck
See this pic. 3 control knobs though. Think I see a split coil pickup .The bridge looks bigger than a p or j bass bridge to me. Badass II ?

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Some good info about Danny Klein


 
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See so many bass acts that look like they’re bored $hi/less.
Klein really combines fun with groove.
Even in the earliest days of 1968, before Seth Justman joined, he was movin’ and groovin’, albeit in a supportive role, because they had a classic frontman in the making…


But they were always a showband, and were delivering the goods in that ‘79 clip even harder, as they got a career reprieve. When they initially hit the big time circa 1970, they almost usurped the Stones as the drive-it-home high energy blues-rock band in a live setting, and finally had a radio hit single with “Give It To Me” in ‘73/‘74, which even had a reggae flavor. Things were going well, but then the bottom dropped out, and Atlantic dropped the band. They had just gotten on a new label at the time of that appearance, and had to build it all up again, soon taking on a more pop approach.
 
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Even in the earliest days of 1968, before Seth Justman joined, he was movin’ and groovin’, albeit in a supportive role, because they had a classic frontman in the making…


They were always a showband, and were delivering the goods in that ‘79 clip even harder, as they got a career reprieve. When they initially hit the big time circa 1970, they almost usurped the Stones as the drive-it-home high energy blues-rock band in a live setting, and finally had a radio hit single with “Give It To Me” in ‘74, which even had a reggae flavor. Things were going well, but then the bottom dropped out, and Atlantic dropped the band. They had just gotten on a new label at the time of that appearance, and had to build it all up again, soon taking on a more pop approach.

Yeh I see they went more pop and not so bluesy. Like Fleetwood Mac to name but one band that took that path I guess. I can recall Australia’s Molly Meldrum introducing a clip of Centrefold in 1982 on the iconic Countdown show and touting the band as the next Rolling Stones.
 
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Australia’s Molly Meldrum introducing a clip of Centrefold in 1982 on the iconic Countdown show and touting the band as the next Rolling Stones.
That’s kinda funny, as they already had their moment of opportunity to bypass the Stones years before. That first live album, Full House, really established them as a force to be reckoned with, and got constant FM radio airtime. They did it hard and fast, and I’m disappointed that there wasn’t an expanded version reissue.

At the same time, although there was that peak moment with Exile(which admittedly confused a lot of people then), Mick and the boys stumbled hard for a few years, but the Geils band didn’t seem to be able to capitalize on that, and had their own problems anyway.
 
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I started seeing J Geils in 1971 when they started being the perennial opening band on so many bills in NYC, there were no slackers in that band, they came to play. Their first two albums still sound great today! Klein and Stephan Bladd were a killer R&B rhythm section, no over playing, just pocket.
They are another band that should be in the R&R Hall of Fame, still.one of the best live bands ever! I read Peter Wolf's book, sadly he barely mentions the band so I guess that wound never healed.
 
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