Wasn't he still a teenager when he joined Santana? Not a healthy environment, too much, too soon, eh?
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Doug Rauch
- Thread starter Bassist30
- Start date
Have no clue of his birth year but he already played with Buzzy Linhart's Music -band in the late sixties so I think he was about 20 something when he joined Santana in 1972.
Here's a brief clip of Santana playing "Stone Flower" in Japan 1973. You can see Doug thumbing away around 0:30.
Here's a brief clip of Santana playing "Stone Flower" in Japan 1973. You can see Doug thumbing away around 0:30.
guitarist Neal Schon was the one who was a teenager when he came into the band . He was only about 16 when he joined. How weird would that be. Going from playing in bands with your friends to playing at giant halls playing with Santana. If you listen to Schon you can hear Hendrix influences all through his playing.
Drummer Michael Shrieve wasn't much older than you either bassist15 when you see him at Woodstock. He was killin' and playing trad/grip at a time when most rock drummers were playing some pretty sad drum solos. Carlos has always surrounded himself with great players!
Well, Shrieve was born in July 6 1949 so he was 19 at Woodstock. Still the youngest performer there.
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He used the thumb for up-and-downstrokes. He did not slap with it. The sound he produced was still kinda percussive, especially during the last recordings he did (Lenny White and Cobham) but much warmer than with a "convential" thumb slap.
On that Santana Japan '73 film of which those youtube clips are taken he still plays some fingerstyle bass (near the neck pickup) but according to some he played using the double thumb exclusively when he gigged with Cobham in '75.
"A-1 Funk" from that same film has some close ups where you can see his thumb technique quite well, hopefully it's on youtube some day. Otherwise, the film has shamefully few Rauch footage. One amusing thing happens where he yawns openly during one quiet passage (Can't remember the song right now, maybe "Samba Pa Ti").
On that Santana Japan '73 film of which those youtube clips are taken he still plays some fingerstyle bass (near the neck pickup) but according to some he played using the double thumb exclusively when he gigged with Cobham in '75.
"A-1 Funk" from that same film has some close ups where you can see his thumb technique quite well, hopefully it's on youtube some day. Otherwise, the film has shamefully few Rauch footage. One amusing thing happens where he yawns openly during one quiet passage (Can't remember the song right now, maybe "Samba Pa Ti").
My friend managed to find out Doug's year of birth and passing.
9/14/1950 - 4/23/1979
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
(He is credited as Douglas Haywood Rauch on Bunky & Jake's "L.A.M.F." album (1969) which is probably his recording debut)
9/14/1950 - 4/23/1979
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
(He is credited as Douglas Haywood Rauch on Bunky & Jake's "L.A.M.F." album (1969) which is probably his recording debut)
Side one of Caravanserai is a bass tour-de-force.
Highly, highly recommended listening.
Highly, highly recommended listening.
I've always been so in awe of Mr. Rauch. He was a great player but anything but the bands he played in is basically unknown. I've tried to email Billy Cobham and George Duke to ask about Doug but have had no luck. There is alot of information waiting to be found. From the recordings I've heard of him he is just a solid player.
Doug Rauch also played on Lenny White's Venusian Summer check out the tracks Chicken Fried Steak and Away Go Troubles Down the Drain. I remember listening to those tracks for hours as a kid. It just became available on CD a few years ago. Doug Rauch was also one of those "***" moments when I first started playing.
YESSS!!!!! A great recording with an amazing bassist!!!!!! Doug is very underated, IMHO!
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!
YESSS!!!!! A great recording with an amazing bassist!!!!!! Doug is very underated, IMHO!
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!
Love that bass line. Funky. And what makes it so beautiful it was back in the day.
What an original bassist he was, his lines always impart a sense of wonder in me. I like his work on the "Welcome" sessions. Probably less fusion chops orientated than some of his other recordings. It's not hard 35-36 years later to hear where Jaco borrowed some of his ethereal and de-tuned sounds, string harmonics and such. A bunch of cats still living are guilty of not mentioning Doug when asked about their influences on the climb to stardom.
Handy thread, glad I read through this. I was familiar with Doug's name from some Cobham & White albums I had years ago, but I always got him confused with Doug Lubahn (from Dreams).
While they're there, I thought about posting some examples for the unfamiliar.
Santana: Waves Within
Santana: Waves Within
I have been in awe of Doug Rauch's playing about 23 years ago when I bought the albums Santana's Caravanserai and Santana & Buddy Miles Live. It was the track "All the love of the universe" (co-written by Mingo Lewis whom I liked on the TUBES live album)that made me think "wow, that bass guy is great. The Santana and Miles was a bit different for me. All in all even better, more rock edge, taught me something about loose jammin'. It was just this year that I returned listening to this guy (Lenny White's Venusian Summer and a concert by Bowie who had Rauch and Greg Errico in his backing band). Also found some other stuff with two other guys I really liked listening to, Clive Chaman (found an awesome live concert of Brian Auger's Oblivion Express) and Wilbur Bascomb(some concert stuff of Jeff Beck's Blow by Blow tour).
