Herbie Flowers...gone at 86

[Michedelic]

Herbie didn't play on any of the Ramones records.





Sometimes I'm in the mood for

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Other times I'm in the mood for

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If Nilsson Schmilsson is

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Jump Into The Fire is

Yeah, I don’t hear a burst of energy on that tune, just aimless bashing about, plus all that silly detuning. And that’s what he should be remembered for? It could have been anyone on bass. Flowers was better than that, and has been better. There are far more worthy examples.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Yeah, I don’t hear a burst of energy on that tune, just aimless bashing about, plus all that silly detuning. And that’s what he should be remembered for? It could have been anyone on bass. Flowers was better than that, and has been better. There are far more worthy examples.

We get it ; it's beneath you.

Go find another in memoriam thread to take a giant "cooler than thou" dump in.

 

[vilshofen]

This from The Guardian, to complement SteveCS' BBC post, above (no paywall):

Herbie Flowers obituary

Bassist who played on an estimated 500 hit songs – the most recognisable being the motif he provided for Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side

www.theguardian.com

 

[60bass]

Another great bassist gone but the music he helped create lives on. RIP Herbie

 

[lunarpollen]

I was listening to music on shuffle earlier and this tune came on... The bass line immediately reminded me of something Herbie Flowers would have played. I looked it up online, and confirmed it... He played on a whole bunch of her late '60s stuff... Anyway, check out her 1960s material... Highly recommended!

 

[SteveCS]

I was listening to music on shuffle earlier and this tune came on... The bass line immediately reminded me of something Herbie Flowers would have played. I looked it up online, and confirmed it... He played on a whole bunch of her late '60s stuff... Anyway, check out her 1960s material... Highly recommended!

That bass is Flowers through and through - even on the 'B' sides it was never phoned in. I can imagine the producer saying "Hey Herb, just do a bit of that Space Oddity thing in the middle, somewhere around 1:25 should do it!" Thanks for posting

 

[jerry]

I broke out Tumbleweed Connection today, lots of excellent playing from everybody, this is no exception.

 

[coronado3]

Anyone know what the little switch on his jazz bass did?

 

[60bass]

Anyone know what the little switch on his jazz bass did?

Quite possibly that could have be a series parallel switch. a very common modification for a jazz bass. in fact I've done it to every Jazz base that I have ever owned.

 

[coronado3]

Yeah, I have mine hooked up with a push pool switch on the volume just switch it into a series which I prefer. Maybe that type of switch wasn’t readily available at that point.

 

[coronado3]

*push-pull

 

[60bass]

Yeah, I have mine hooked up with a push pool switch on the volume just switch it into a series which I prefer. Maybe that type of switch wasn’t readily available at that point.

AFAIC a serious parallel switch should be standard on every single Jazz Bass made. IIRC they had it at one time with the S1 switch.

 

[frankie5string]

Anyone know what the little switch on his jazz bass did?

From the way he described it, it was a switch-in'able pair of diodes...Although he called them "resistors"...
He said it made the bass distorted and fuzzy sounding when engaged, but disengaged it still interfered, so he had it ripped out.

Here's a fun track... This is Pete Atkin's "No Dice"... Pete says the bass line on the intro was written out, knowing Herbie would be on the session he had no issues with the line. The rest of the song is littered with all sorts of little bits Herbie was using EVERYWHERE at the time. Fun.
Barry Morgan is on drums on this track - and he and Herbie formed Blue Mink.