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Duran Durans’ John Taylor-wow.

ugh...honoring royals...

the more important person on that stage is probably Nile Rogers as he and Bernard Edwards helped develop that Duran Duran sound producing a few of their greatest hits. Having learned bass via DD songs made me realize how much Chic had a massive influence on JT.

In my opinion, DD strived to be the white Chic.

DD has gone in and out of style over the decades but have consistently been a presence throughout. JT is a masterful bass player but unsure if he realized influenced anyone beyond his generation. I remember DD being generally disliked because of their sugary lyrics and teeny bob appeal in the 80s and critics calling it video game music. But that didn't stop us from wearing duranie shoes, cutting our hair into 80s mullets and stealing mom's lipstick. They went through some crushing times in the late 80s but they split producing the masterful Arcadia album and the awesome Power Station.

Now they seem to play to their mostly over 55 yrs old crowds with the youth singing along to grandma's vintage vinyl. And nothing is really wrong with that but its just odd.

I've always loved JT's post disco sounds and learned about ghost notes and pops from their masterful night version cuts. I can be heard screaming on a bootleg from 2003 when the five original members reunited and played a small venue in Manhattan. The five had split by the time I was able to go to concerts in my late teens so I never got to see them live during that generational phenomenal in the 80s. The '03 concert was incredible. They played in my neck of the woods in recent times but skipped them because I refused to see my childhood heroes get old but it was mostly me not wanting to be with a bunch old farts and young kids who weren't alive when they were the cat's meow.
 
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I kinda thought he didn't play the solo on Power Station's "Get it On, Bang a Gong" and Bernard did it. This was why:


Now maybe John re-recorded it, but that solo Bernard does sounds spot on to the studio recording. I could be wrong though.

Either way, JT friggin rules.

Yes I've never heard of the Rio rumor but there was ample evidence Edwards taught him how to play the solo in Gong.
 
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JT is part of a band that carries on with a recognizable sound and songwriting style that refused to degenerate into an '80's act' endlessly peddling their greatest hits and is still very creative in their end of the business today: Ask Nile Rodgers.

JPJ is simply a musician's musician of the first order. Gifted multi-instrumentalist and session / performing player, arranger, writer, producer. Chops like that will always be more than relevant and command respect in the highest levels of the business, deservedly so. If you think of all the ways a carry-forward Zeppelin might have been post-Bonham's passing, I can see Page with another singer, Plant with another guitarist, etc., after they settled on a drummer, but I see no way any sort of Zeppelin could exist without JPJ: Without him, it's just another English heavy band.

I think they both have earned huge respect for the things they do, but there are simply not many JPJ's in this world.
 
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One of my old neighbors was a singer and I'd often go over to his place to jam with him and shoot the breeze. He claimed John Taylor had briefly played in his band. I thought he was messing with me because I'm a bass player. He then sent me a YouTube video of one of their shows. The whole concert used to be on YouTube but now I can only find this short clip.

 
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in so many ways, John IS Duran Duran...they have been slaying it almost constantly for four times longer than the Beatles. (and the only weak patch where the one and and half albums he didn't p
He's a good player, but he's certainly not the heart of Duran Duran. There is more to music than bass guitar.

He is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT the beating heart of Duran Duran...there is more to a "person" than the heart...but just try seeing what happens to said person when you take it out (and listen to Pop Trash for an example of what happens when you take him out of DD)
 
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One of my old neighbors was a singer and I'd often go over to his place to jam with him and shoot the breeze. He claimed John Taylor had briefly played in his band. I thought he was messing with me because I'm a bass player. He then sent me a YouTube video of one of their shows. The whole concert used to be on YouTube but now I can only find this short clip.


Great find! Will check it out when I have good sound.
 

This clip also has be really wanting to try a Dingwall. His tone is outstanding.


It makes me want to try Bernard Edwards StingRay.

Have to admit, I'd previously never noticed that Bernard had added a second string tree, but additionally I'm now a little confused :

Perhaps Bernard had several StingRays, because I've seen photos from the same period, where he has a black pick guard, and where he has a white pick guard - and in more photos / video, it's the one with the black pick guard that has two string trees, and the one with the white guard only has the single string tree.

Or maybe he frequently swapped pick guards on just the one StingRay, and it was only towards the end that he added the second string tree.

The night he died, he was playing the StingRay with a black pick guard, yet John has the one with the white guard.

Did Bernard keep both pick guards in the case?

Has too much time spent on Talk Bass turned me into a crashing bore?
 
Back in the days he was rocking his Aria ProII. Best sound ever IMHO.
The exact reason I own 5 vintage Aria's….that tone is to die for. JT was why I picked up bass when I was a teenager in 1984 so that midrangey, punchy tone from those Aria SB models became ingrained in my head early on as "the" perfect bass sound. Cutting AND super supportive.