Did Carol Kaye record this song?

That does smell fishy doesn't it? I would probably say she didn't play on it. No offense to Carol Kaye but come on! Please!!! She kills all her cred by saying these things. I have heard her take credit for stuff James Jamerson did and also Joe Osbourne. That just not cool

 

Wasn't she actually Jamerson in drag???

I don't believe anything she says about her credits. I've seen video and read interviews with people who were involved with the recording of numerous sessions she claims. And they say she wasn't within a mile of the studio where the actual recordings were made. That is just the lowest.

 

That is 100% Tommy Cogbill... It was recorded at Chips Moman's and Don Crews' American Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, one of Tommy's mainstay gigs. This is the first time I've ever heard it attributed to Carol Kaye, who despite the controversy, did play on many great west coast hits...

-robert

 

I heard here at TB that she did record many of the tunes in question, but there was a question as to whether her recording was used. I could be mis-remembering.

 

I read somewhere that Mr Osbourne (Joe, not Ozzy) played on S+G's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Is that true? Cos whoever did the bass on "Only Living Boy In New York" gets respect from me; I love that line!

Son of a Preacher Man... good song.

 

I am shocked You mean we can't always believe bass players when they tell us what they've played??
I suppose some confusion about which recording was used is understandable, but do we have to question their integrity??? I'm amazed.

 

The Carol Kaye debate is going on for years now - I only hope it's gonna stay the only one of that kind...

 

I think if it comes up enough, then yes we may very well question that persons integrity, Kaye or anyone else making wild claims. On the other hand, she does have a VERY abrasive (online at least) personality so I can see how people would be willing to take a rumor and run with it. The confusion does seem to be part of an over all theme though....

 

It was the Sixties. Maybe she had too much of the wacky tobaccy back then and doesnt remember correctly.
Im only familiar with Kaye's playing on the Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds', and some Spector stuff, she is a great player.
Jim

 

If you were an accomplished studio muscian, why would you lie about songs credits? But she has the rep that she does. Is she telling the truth?

 

Carol Kaye did keep a very detailed log of her studio dates. Most of what I have heard and/or read regarding the controversy over who played what seemed to be centered on the Motown hits and James Jamerson. Many Motown demos were recorded in L.A. while the masters may or may not have been recorded in Detroit. Studios were more interested in how many records were sold rather than who played on them, so discographies are sketchy at best. She certainly recorded many demos for Motown which were probably re-recorded by their Detroit stable of musicians, just as it is highly probable that some of her takes were used.

My point is that none of the controversy can take away from the fact that Carol Kaye is one of the greats. The hits that are 100% verifiably hers bears this out. This is kind of like saying that OJ wasn't a great football player, or that Pete Rose wasn't Mr. Hustle... The later-day controversies don't negate the previous acheivements.

As for 'Son of a Preacher Man'... I have never heard this anywhere but right here on TalkBass. For what it's worth, this song is completely, verifiably, 100% certainly Tommy Cogbill.

-robert

 

This was discussed awhile back on TBL, among other places.


PS. OJ, Pete Rose and Carol Kaye?

 

As far as the Carol Kaye debate, I have no dog in that race, but I've always wondered who played that lovely bass line in Son of a Preacher Man, I found this: http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?storyCode=13259

and I'm convinced, Tommy Cogbill is the man.

 

I will say that I think she is a great player. Her playing on Pet Sounds, Planet of the Apes Soundtrack and Hicky Burr are some of the best in the history of the instrument.

When you take into consideration the Jamerson controversy, the Cogbill claim and I think she claims some of Jerry Scheff's work with the Doors, you have to start to wonder.

 

Carol Kaye makes a lot of claims. I think she did covers of songs for other artists and she just hear's titles and thinks she did them.

All I can say is listen to the track. Carol played with a pick so a lot of attack to her notes. She also played on top the beat compared to laid back style of others. Then Carol IMO tended to play in one and two bar lines/motifs and repeat them. She didn't really play longer motifs like others. Good Vibrations might be the exception to that.

She was a good bass player and hit the scene when there was tons of studio work. Being she was a sight reading monster she got a lot work with arrangers for Pop artists doing covers or Top Ten hits.

So I say listen to the recordings she claims to of done and see if it sounds like her.

 

yeah, she keeps an ostensibly detailed session log, but the overwhelming mount of evidence, including pay stubs, bookkeeping stuff, corporate records, and the memories of the Funk Brothers and everyone at the Motown works in Detroit (and not a few of the LA guys) are absolutely against her, at least as far as the Jamerson claims go.

 

Both Ray Pohlman and Gary Berghofer played on Pet Sounds,
and I am pretty sure Gary plays DB on that track under Carol.


I found a pic of Carol doing some recording.