From Garry Beers / INXS / AshenMoon.. Re Chris Squire..

[BrentSimons]

That is too funny!
Yes I've seen the Grift a bunch of times! Very tight band. Their bassist is a great player!
Happy Holidays!
Brent

 

[Jv-d]

I talked to the drummer, Jeff, who also plays bass, complimenting his light touch on the kit... he has ridiculously small kick drum... He was great to talk to...
Peter is the bassist, we talked like we had known each other for years... Very cool...
I said to my wife, that's a band I would be in!
Didn't get to really talk to the guitar player much, some girls were begging his attention!
Good song writers too... Who could write a song about Rt22a... or the personal want ads in 7 Days, and have them be really good songs!!
Hope your Holidays are happy ones too!!
Jon

 

[JimmyM]

First time I heard Red Red Sun, I thought I had you pegged as a closet Yes fan Among all those great hits, that album cut is still my favorite song from InXS, and it’s largely due to the bass. All the best, Garry!

 

[jcburn]

First time I heard Red Red Sun, I thought I had you pegged as a closet Yes fan Among all those great hits, that album cut is still my favorite song from InXS, and it’s largely due to the bass. All the best, Garry!

I agree Jimmy. Listen Like Thieves is my favourite INXS album. Killer songs, killer bass lines and tones.
Biting Bullets my favourite track.

 

[Jv-d]

As I mentioned in the first lines of this thread- James Jamerson and Motown - it was all over the radio when I was a kid and we had an ancient B&W TV with the built in record player and tube amp- so the bass just filled the room.
But, even before I discovered Zep /JPJ and Deep Purple / Mr Glover- I was HUGELY influenced by someone very sneakily- thru the music on all my favourite American TV shows and on the radio- guess who?

Carol Kaye of course- I really started noticing pick bass with her- Mission Impossible, Mash, Brady Bunch, Hogan's Heroes etc ad infinitum. Then I got the 45 of Good Vibrations and that bass line blew me away- I really couldn't hear much else in that amazing track except Carol's bass.
This all coincided with me starting on bass but I then realised that she had me even earlier. One of my all time fav songs is this.. from 1968. Still gives me chills.. the production and arrangement is insane..



I found the Carol Kaye lesson book in a thrift shop but never bothered to learn how to read so I just did it by ear.


The TV show did not age well but the bass sure did..

Garry
Really interesting...
All roads, or many/most, lead to Jamerson... A genius in the true sense of the word... Affected virtually all contemporary music that came after him... "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" --the book vs movie has a CD included with it, with a who's who of bassists opining and playing JJ's bass lines...Maca, Geddy, Chuck Rainey to name a few ... I think it was Anthony Jackson who stated what I said above, about his being a true genius...
You listened to him on all those Motowm /Tamla hits on your big console radio... I had a little Sony transistor radio that I could just barely get 77 WABC out of NYC and would hear all that great music that was being produced during that period ( A couple years younger than you)...
I was thinking about Jameson when I was practicing a few days ago, and went into "My Girl"...
So simple, so perfect for that song... exactly what that song needed to support everything else that was going on... (very hard to play without embellishing on the original, real discipline needed) Really astounding that he came up with that line in response to Robert White walking around the studio playing that wonderful guitar riff...brilliant!
So, as I was practicing, I thought about what is said about Bo Diddley, and the Bo Diddley riff being the basis for all RnR rhythm guitar to come after (shave and a haircut, two bits -- thank you Keith Richards)... There's a little bit of Bo Diddley in all RNR rhythm guitar licks...
Then I got to thinking about Jameson being the same for bass players, as in, there's a little bit of James in all of what we play, in some way shape or form... Even Jaco stands on the shoulders of Jamerson. So, Garry, it is no surprise that he is at the very core of your playing...

You also make a huge point about Carole Kaye and all those TV show's she played on... All that music seeping to the brain, then adding to the mix of influences... Astute thought!

I laughed at your putting up the Hogan's Heroes theme song...
In 5-8th grade band, we had a great director, who was actually a bass player, so he was pretty hip. He transcribed Beatles, Santana, Blood, Sweat and Tears etc for the band to play... One of those songs was Hogan's Heroes!
I had moved from trumpet to baritone (braces), and played the counter melody on that song. The tubas must have played Carol Kaye's bass part... Whenever I hear that theme song I always hum the counter melody that I played close to 50 yrs ago! So, I had a big laugh when I saw your post, and never before had I thought about that show's themes songs and all the others that are somewhere in the back of my/our brains... That was a great point you made!!
About Kaye's bass instruction book... I remember on of my friends had started playing bass, and that band director had him get her bass instruction book. I remember him practicing from it and asking the band director questions about the contents -- about finger picking or playing with a pick!
Small world!

Did you ever hear of a Kiwi bass player Gary Thain, played with Keef Hartley Band and then Uriah Heep? I was big into Heep back then, but I wondered if the Keef Hartley band had any impact in Australia?

MacArthur Park, ya, me too, incredible song, though I have seen it bashed as over the top, I always really liked it, though I couldn't figure out the baking aspects in relation to it raining... I didn't care, I really liked the song ... I know exactly where I heard it as a kid, still see where I was ... Weeding our driveway! No poop! Must have had the transistor radio while I was weeding! So, here's to Joe Osborn and my sore knees n fingers...

This is getting long again, so the Beach Boys will have to wait for another time - or not...

I will ask another question of you, after watching Spinal Tap couple nights ago... It never gets old, and I needed some levity...
Garry, are there any Spinal Tap moments you had in your carreer??
Your secrets are safe with us!!
Later, Mate
Ya, the spell check, IA is BS... doubled the time writing this, having to correct all its "corrections"
F Big Brother!

 

[garrybeers]

I remember the Peavey MIDI bass (assuming that was built upon Chick's tech).

I thought it was a really cool idea, but I really didn't like the Peavey aesthetic, and I prefer to play synth parts / trigger samples from a keyboard.

So Chick modified one of your Fenders with his tech?

Yours is just a much nicer, more appealing instrument, that I'd enjoy playing, whereas I'd feel about as self conscious playing the Peavey as I would if I were forced to un-ironically play a Keytar.


Wasn't that video from the Summer-XS show?

I seem to remember the main support act was Jesus Jones, who were very much pioneers of sample-led rock.

The drummer, singer / guitarist, and keyboards player were all triggering samples live, but it always struck me as a little odd that the bassist wasn't - I guess because his playing in a live setting was so busy.

It's a shame you can only hear his parts on the first album, as everything got converted to / reinterpreted as keyboard parts after that.

Jesus Jones supported us at quite a few shows around the UK- great band live.. manic and musical at the same time. The bass player was great.

 

[garrybeers]

Garry
Really interesting...
All roads, or many/most, lead to Jamerson... A genius in the true sense of the word... Affected virtually all contemporary music that came after him... "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" --the book vs movie has a CD included with it, with a who's who of bassists opining and playing JJ's bass lines...Maca, Geddy, Chuck Rainey to name a few ... I think it was Anthony Jackson who stated what I said above, about his being a true genius...
You listened to him on all those Motowm /Tamla hits on your big console radio... I had a little Sony transistor radio that I could just barely get 77 WABC out of NYC and would hear all that great music that was being produced during that period ( A couple years younger than you)...
I was thinking about Jameson when I was practicing a few days ago, and went into "My Girl"...
So simple, so perfect for that song... exactly what that song needed to support everything else that was going on... (very hard to play without embellishing on the original, real discipline needed) Really astounding that he came up with that line in response to Robert White walking around the studio playing that wonderful guitar riff...brilliant!
So, as I was practicing, I thought about what is said about Bo Diddley, and the Bo Diddley riff being the basis for all RnR rhythm guitar to come after (shave and a haircut, two bits -- thank you Keith Richards)... There's a little bit of Bo Diddley in all RNR rhythm guitar licks...
Then I got to thinking about Jameson being the same for bass players, as in, there's a little bit of James in all of what we play, in some way shape or form... Even Jaco stands on the shoulders of Jamerson. So, Garry, it is no surprise that he is at the very core of your playing...

You also make a huge point about Carole Kaye and all those TV show's she played on... All that music seeping to the brain, then adding to the mix of influences... Astute thought!

I laughed at your putting up the Hogan's Heroes theme song...
In 5-8th grade band, we had a great director, who was actually a bass player, so he was pretty hip. He transcribed Beatles, Santana, Blood, Sweat and Tears etc for the band to play... One of those songs was Hogan's Heroes!
I had moved from trumpet to baritone (braces), and played the counter melody on that song. The tubas must have played Carol Kaye's bass part... Whenever I hear that theme song I always hum the counter melody that I played close to 50 yrs ago! So, I had a big laugh when I saw your post, and never before had I thought about that show's themes songs and all the others that are somewhere in the back of my/our brains... That was a great point you made!!
About Kaye's bass instruction book... I remember on of my friends had started playing bass, and that band director had him get her bass instruction book. I remember him practicing from it and asking the band director questions about the contents -- about finger picking or playing with a pick!
Small world!

Did you ever hear of a Kiwi bass player Gary Thain, played with Keef Hartley Band and then Uriah Heep? I was big into Heep back then, but I wondered if the Keef Hartley band had any impact in Australia?

MacArthur Park, ya, me too, incredible song, though I have seen it bashed as over the top, I always really liked it, though I couldn't figure out the baking aspects in relation to it raining... I didn't care, I really liked the song ... I know exactly where I heard it as a kid, still see where I was ... Weeding our driveway! No poop! Must have had the transistor radio while I was weeding! So, here's to Joe Osborn and my sore knees n fingers...

This is getting long again, so the Beach Boys will have to wait for another time - or not...

I will ask another question of you, after watching Spinal Tap couple nights ago... It never gets old, and I needed some levity...
Garry, are there any Spinal Tap moments you had in your carreer??
Your secrets are safe with us!!
Later, Mate
Ya, the spell check, IA is BS... doubled the time writing this, having to correct all its "corrections"
F Big Brother!

I gave Gary Thain a great mention back on page 7 of this thread. Loved Heap and loved his playing.

 

[Jv-d]

I gave Gary Thain a great mention back on page 7 of this thread. Loved Heap and loved his playing.

Sorry, I sped-read the pages leading up to the current, so I glossed over/missed a a bunch of stuff
Will have to go back n check it out

 

[Jv-d]

A Merry Christmas to you and yours and to all in here...
A little Christmas cheer for all to enjoy!

 

[garrybeers]

Chris Squire = Christmas for bassists..
Happy holidays to all.
G

 

[Prof.Dr.Metz]

Chris Squire = Christmas for bassists..
Happy holidays to all.
G

Same to you, from one Gary to another!

 

[woodyng2]

On a road trip last Sunday, My husband asked if I would mind hearing some xmas music in the car.
I kinda hate most commercial holiday music, but then I thought, Sure, Cue up Chris Squire’s Swiss Choir!
Just the tonic I needed-I was sick of shopping mall music.
Chris’ vocal solo in this version of Silent Night absolutely reduces me to a blubbering pile of protoplasm every time I hear it.
I’m so happy he made the album, returning to his choral roots in a grand way. And, His Rickenbacker sounds stellar throughout, one of the best recordings of it AFAIC.
All the musicians and singers are excellent, but special mention to Steve Hackett for fabulous guitar.
Merry Christmas, Y’all.

 

[Tim de Martino]

Cool thread, watching with interest as I have a 74 4001 (nice bass, big sound but not classic clank) and just paid megabucks for a mint Greco PMB800.

Should be an interesting comparison, but I get the feeling that the greco will get the gigs, plus the Rick is almost too valuable to pub gig. Not that I care that much, but there must be a point where I can safely have nice things?!

Cheers

 

[spiritbass]

On a road trip last Sunday, My husband asked if I would mind hearing some xmas music in the car.
I kinda hate most commercial holiday music, but then I thought, Sure, Cue up Chris Squire’s Swiss Choir!
Just the tonic I needed-I was sick of shopping mall music.
Chris’ vocal solo in this version of Silent Night absolutely reduces me to a blubbering pile of protoplasm every time I hear it.
I’m so happy he made the album, returning to his choral roots in a grand way. And, His Rickenbacker sounds stellar throughout, one of the best recordings of it AFAIC.
All the musicians and singers are excellent, but special mention to Steve Hackett for fabulous guitar.
Merry Christmas, Y’all.

I was not reduced to a blubbering pile of protoplasm, but did enjoy this greatly. Thanks for posting - I was unaware of the existence of this album!

 

[Tim de Martino]

As an aside, I once auditioned for an INXS tribute band. I'm not a tribute guy, I must have been looking for any gig. It was super fkn weird... the singer thought he WAS Michael Hutchence, like a reincarnation, good players and a full band but just.... weird. I ran.

Only other time I considered a tribute was a Suzi show with a good mate who can DO those songs on bass and vox. She was killer. Shine My Machine, awesome!!

 

[woodyng2]

I was not reduced to a blubbering pile of protoplasm, but did enjoy this greatly. Thanks for posting - I was unaware of the existence of this album!

I bought the CD back when it was released, but listening to it since his death has made its effect more poignant.
It’s probably Chris’ most tender vocal, even more than Onward.
Plus, I’m a big softie.
Another vocal that kicks me in the gut every time is Bones Hillman’s (RIP) on Midnight Oil’s One Country.

 

[garrybeers]

On a road trip last Sunday, My husband asked if I would mind hearing some xmas music in the car.
I kinda hate most commercial holiday music, but then I thought, Sure, Cue up Chris Squire’s Swiss Choir!
Just the tonic I needed-I was sick of shopping mall music.
Chris’ vocal solo in this version of Silent Night absolutely reduces me to a blubbering pile of protoplasm every time I hear it.
I’m so happy he made the album, returning to his choral roots in a grand way. And, His Rickenbacker sounds stellar throughout, one of the best recordings of it AFAIC.
All the musicians and singers are excellent, but special mention to Steve Hackett for fabulous guitar.
Merry Christmas, Y’all.

I have to be honest- I've never heard of this album.. It's a great new surprise !..
Australia is not huge on Christmas music- It's summer there. !
Funny thing tho- I was asked 2 years in a row - 2019 / 2020. to be a judge on a Christmas Carollers contest- which ended up being fun as I obviously had no idea about Carols- they really don't exist on OZ. We're all at the beach !!

 

[garrybeers]

As an aside, I once auditioned for an INXS tribute band. I'm not a tribute guy, I must have been looking for any gig. It was super fkn weird... the singer thought he WAS Michael Hutchence, like a reincarnation, good players and a full band but just.... weird. I ran.

Only other time I considered a tribute was a Suzi show with a good mate who can DO those songs on bass and vox. She was killer. Shine My Machine, awesome!!

Suzie Q ??
I saw her at the Hordern Pavillion in 74 (?) - she was GREAT. Really one of a kind. Not sure what to say about the guy who thought he was Michael- poor bugger..

 

[garrybeers]

Cool thread, watching with interest as I have a 74 4001 (nice bass, big sound but not classic clank) and just paid megabucks for a mint Greco PMB800.

Should be an interesting comparison, but I get the feeling that the greco will get the gigs, plus the Rick is almost too valuable to pub gig. Not that I care that much, but there must be a point where I can safely have nice things?!

Cheers

I'll lay odds the Greco will win.. Mine sounded amazing on arrival- so much better than my 74 4001.. The only reason I swapped out the pickups with a Horseshoe/ Toaster was to replicate a "Squire"..

 

[Tim de Martino]

Yeah same here, the Greco sounds hands down more Rick...

My 74 arrived with a seymour duncan in the rear (which is how it sounded haha!) and a hi gain neck which was okay. Replaced with Retrovibe hi gain copies, it sounds better but still not awesome. I'm tuned CGDA so there's a bit of wool on the low string but I set it all up with custom Newtones so maybe further experimentation required....

Greco completely awesome straight away. Might just swap the truss covers and be done with it!