Free Bird........ughhh

[ryco]

Unfortunately, I only got to play FreeBird in one band early '80s with two excellent geetarists!
It's a lot of fun to play!

Any Leon Wilkeson bass part is GREAT FUN to play!
He's trickier than one would think and his groove is bad @$$!!!
Even Sweet Home AL -- which I've had to play a zillion times in many bands. Still fun!
Also I Know A Little and You Got That Right = rompin'!!

 

[FunkHead]

I find the "lots of people like it, so it must be great" to be a sad argument.
Lots of people like Justin beiber too, doesn't make it good.

Beebs is actually a very talented singer. Another example of someone selling out 80,000 seat arenas.
You'll notice that the musicians that play to very large audiences aren't on Talkbass bashing other artists.
That's pretty much a sour grapes thing in my book.

 

[BadSanta1281]

You'll notice that the musicians that play to very large audiences aren't on Talkbass bashing other artists.

This x 1000

 

[Gluvhand]

Beebs is actually a very talented singer. Another example of someone selling out 80,000 seat arenas.
You'll notice that the musicians that play to very large audiences aren't on Talkbass bashing other artists.
That's pretty much a sour grapes thing in my book.

Where are your 80,000 fans that make your opinion more valid than anyone else's?

 

[FunkHead]

Where are your 80,000 fans that make your opinion more valid than anyone else's?

My opinion is not better than anyone else's. My opinion is it's in poor taste to bash other artists on a public forum. Feel free to disagree.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Well over the past 30 years or so I can state with honest joy that I have never had to play Free Bird on a gig. I considered this to be a badge of honor, kind of like never seeing a single episode of "The Voice" or "Friends". (I also hold this badge

That is until now......I have to play it next week, so I sat down to learn it. I guess I never payed attention to how interesting and cool the bass line is. I am actually really excited to play this: )! Take a listen to the iso track.

Freebird's a great song, and the band's virtuosity really shines through. There's a reason it got so heavily played. I have been listening to it since hearing them live in 1973. Don't plan on stopping until I'm dead - if then. I wish I were good enough to play that bass part! Leon and Ed were both monster players (OK, the whole band, but I'm talking bass).

 

[Beejay772]

No stairway in the store and no freebird on stage.

 

[dasherf17]

Could be worse, could have been "Play a polka!"

The BBP, no doubt...?

 

[rtslinger]

I learned the live version, great fun when the bass and drums are locked.

 

[Verb the Noun]

Late 80s & early 90s I was in original metal bands. "FREEBIRD!!!!" was the local go to heckle, and we probably heard it once or twice a gig.

Being a smart arse, I learned the slide part on bass. Anytime I heard that lovely call out between songs, id grab a bottle, glass, lighter, or anything close and start slidin away. FWIW, no matter how much you practice it, an improvised slide on roundwounds sounds like ass. I got "NEVERMIND!!!!!!" as a response often enough to make it very worth the joke in my opinion.

 

[NZBassman]

if someone in the audience yells 'Freebird' - just ask them if they want a song from the band 'Free' or a song from 'The Byrds'....

 

[5StringBlues]

A guitarist friend always yells back , "Beiber? No, we don't play any of his songs!".

 

[BassDad1964]

Never learned it and probably never will have to but if I'm in a band that tries to do it justice I will follow suit. As for Skynyrd, lots of their bass stuff is just wonderful! I had the same cavalier attitude about Sweet Home Alabama until I played it with guys who actually learned it! When I played it with them it was fun. Most other times, not so much. But I try to be gracious...

The "dodged that bullet" song for me is "Celebration", despite the fact that I played in wedding horn bands for years!

Every time I hear a band do Sweet home Alabama they are doing "their version" of it and make it sound like the train wreck it becomes. The song has a groove to it that the guitars and the bass establish. Play it right and its a fun tune to play and people in the audience who aren't drunk actually like it.

 

[Gregc57]

Truth be told, there's only so many times I want to hear a guitar string bent to the same note/minute.
YMMV.