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Dee Murray

#41
Funk 'N' Stein said:
Underated by whom?....i mean guys who know what great bass playing is...all know how good this guy was. His playing helped put Elton John where he is today.

I dont think he's underated at all...simply put, he's one of the greatest rock bassists of all time....PERIOD

And...in my opinion...Dee's recorded bass tone was consistently the best. I've never heard a recording on which his bass didnt sound fantastic...even when he discovered the steinberger and was slapping it all over "Too Low For Zero"...he sounded great.


His playing on "Grey Seal" just kills me. He was the perfect bass player for Elton John. With All due respect to Billy Joel and Doug Stegmeyer (who immediately spring to mind as the obvious contemporaries of EJ and DM)...I dont think they were in the same league. IMO
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I think he's somewhat underrated by non-bass playing musicians. It seems many guitarists, drummers, etc. don't fully appreciate just how great he really was. Bass players though? Anyone who takes the bass seriously would recognize him as one of the greatest of all time. The interplay between bass, piano, and drums is beyond description. His playing is an inspiration for all music lovers.

BTW I think his tone on Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is about the best I've ever heard.
 
#42
Funk 'N' Stein said:
mate...that is fantastic!!!

I cant tell you how many hours i listened to "too low for zero" when i was a young bloke!!!
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I agree, it IS fantastic! I assure you the bass is in good hands. it sits in a nice shrine in my music room and I have used it on a few recordings and play it in church on occassion(it doesn't fit my regular gig but works great with the church band). Dee was my main reason for learning bass in 1976, I bought all those EJ albums("Don't Shoot Me..." was the first LP I ever bought) and I was shocked when Dee and Nigel were canned, I cut the article out and stuck it on my bedroom wall. When I was told Dee's Steinberger was available I thought there was no way I could get it but it was my wife who made it possible.
An author friend is in the process of getting info together for a Dee bio book, she would love to hear any thoughts you may have concering Dee's playing, his influence, etc.
Email me and I'll send you her email:

[email protected]
 
#43
Rocket Man. First time I heard that tune I was driving my fire engine red 54 Cadillac down the coast of San Mateo on a very clear starlit night.....whoa boys and girls, that old hi-fi tube radio with the rear speakers really highlighted Dee's bass part......great song, musicians, and performance.
 
#44
He's a fine musician. I am currently enjoying "Nikita" and I wonder if he played/sang on that one. "Mama Can't Buy You Love" is another great part, and I wonder if he played/sang on that one. I understand that one was recorded in '77, so probably Dee Murrray too.
 
#49
Yeah, I've heard that "Magic" song on those late night TV "Ronco Records presents the Super Seventies Collection..." commercials. I always thought that 10 second snippet sounded cool. Yeah, I'll download it. Thanks!
 
#50
Another Dee Murray fan dropping by. Pretty much learned to play bass by listening to Dee. Fantastic chemistry between him and the awesome Nigel Olsson as well. I was listening to a little known song by Elton John called Breaking Down Barriers which features Dee and Nigel - fantastic groove bass playing. I think if there's one word which sums his playing up it's "tasty"
 
#51
Spencer Davis played for one of my high school's dances in 1969. As the school's newspaper photographer, I got to meet him and his band in our lockerroom before the dance. The reporter didn't show up, so I had to interview the band as well. They were very nice to me and stagged mock punches etc.. for my pictures. I have since found out that Niles Olsson and Dee Murrary were both in that band!!
 
#52
EddieT said:
Another Dee Murray fan dropping by. Pretty much learned to play bass by listening to Dee. Fantastic chemistry between him and the awesome Nigel Olsson as well. I was listening to a little known song by Elton John called Breaking Down Barriers which features Dee and Nigel - fantastic groove bass playing. I think if there's one word which sums his playing up it's "tasty"
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Agreed...Sometimes he would really get to flying around that fretboard when the tempo picked up. To be that note-y and still be that tast-y, well, he was obviously in touch with his instrument in a unique way.
 
#55
Guitarist infiltrator here (sorry)
I was watching all these great old and new elton songs on you tube
and it just made me shake with sadness how much of a loss Dee Murray
is. As beautiful of a job they did bringing those songs back, I couldn't
for a second feel sad that Dee wasn't there, and how beautiful it would
be had he been present with so many songs that I grew up with (1970)

For my choice to appreciate Dee, I pick "We all fall in love sometimes"
and of course "Candle in the wind"

Glad to see the love for such an amazing musician and from all accounts
a incredibly sweet guy. Not to forget also, vocals of Dee, Davey and Nigel
were the best backing on any band ever, maybe except The Beatles, but
it's close.

Now off to find some Chris Squire threads...
 
#58
JimmyM said:
for the life of me, i will never understand why elton canned dee and got kenny passarelli instead. i think it's no coincidence that elton started to suck after that original band broke up.
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Agreed 100%. In fact he fired Dee twice! I like to think that if Dee had lived that he would be back with EJ, considering Nigel has been back for a while. They were an awesome rythym section.

Did I mention I own one of Dee's basses? ;)
 
#59
only about a million times ;) but that's cool...he was a big influence on you so why not?

fired dee twice, eh? sounds like elton has a case of "nobody look at anyone but me-itis."
 
#60
JimmyM said:
only about a million times ;) but that's cool...he was a big influence on you so why not?

fired dee twice, eh? sounds like elton has a case of "nobody look at anyone but me-itis."
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Yep, EJ got the original EJ Band(Dee,Nigel,Davey) back together in the early 80s for a few albums. And just like how his career took a dive when he fired Dee/Nigel in the 70s, it took off again when he hired them back in the 80s. Coincidence?
And then fired Dee/Nigel again.
Nigel has been back for a few years now.
 

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