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Is Sheryl Crow really a bassist?

Skel

Skel

Jun 19, 2005
3,237
45
Boulder, Colorado
#1
I've recently been listening to Sheryl Crow a lot - I'm always about 15 years behind the times. I've seen her on TV a few times and in pictures playing a big hollow body bass, so I guess she "plays bass". Obviously her songwriting is very good.

In listening very closely to the bass work to the song "All I Wanna Do", the bass line is very good and the tone is superb IMHO. Is this Sheryl playing bass? She's for real?

Skel
 
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#7
Nothing personal, DW, but your post exemplifies the muso snobbishness that drives me crazy. She's not a real bassist, an "artist", in your eyes because she's too busy writing a string of huge hits and selling out arenas to really buckle down on transcribing "School Days" and talking about amps? Again, nothing personal, but give me a break. So many musicians cannot see the forest for the trees.
 
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#8
corinpills said:
Nothing personal, DW, but your post exemplifies the muso snobbishness that drives me crazy. She's not a real bassist, an "artist", in your eyes because she's too busy writing a string of huge hits and selling out arenas to really buckle down on transcribing "School Days" and talking about amps? Again, nothing personal, but give me a break. So many musicians cannot see the forest for the trees.
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Maybe I phrased the question with too much room to make comments people don't really mean in an incidious way. I have no doubt Sheryl Crow could be a virtuoso bassist, an astronaut, scientist, etc. She's a gifted artist for sure. I was just wondering if she did the bass work on some of her hits, and it sounds like maybe they let a "specialist" studio bassist do it, freeing up her time to continue to show everybody the money with her songwriting and singing abilities...and that's smart.
 
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#15
I'm not even much of a Sheryl Crow fan (although she's got excellent taste in gear- the Guild basses and the gibson j-200 she plays), but I just think it's the apex of pretensiousness to talk about the "artistry" of playing bass. It's a job, right? You play the low notes and try to make people feel good, that's all. Essentially, just try not to get all fancy and destroy the song and you've done your job. Everybody wants to get all Meryl Streep and talk about their craft and their devotion to the church of low end.

Again, nothing personal, I don't mean this as a big attack or anything, but it always seems that the logical extension of thinking so highly of playing bass is putting down others who merely play. Sorry if it sounds harsh, I went to Berklee 15 years ago and I'm still scarred by jazz snobbery.
 
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#16
corinpills said:
I'm not even much of a Sheryl Crow fan (although she's got excellent taste in gear- the Guild basses and the gibson j-200 she plays), but I just think it's the apex of pretensiousness to talk about the "artistry" of playing bass. It's a job, right? You play the low notes and try to make people feel good, that's all. Essentially, just try not to get all fancy and destroy the song and you've done your job. Everybody wants to get all Meryl Streep and talk about their craft and their devotion to the church of low end.

Again, nothing personal, I don't mean this as a big attack or anything, but it always seems that the logical extension of thinking so highly of playing bass is putting down others who merely play. Sorry if it sounds harsh, I went to Berklee 15 years ago and I'm still scarred by jazz snobbery.
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Speaking of jazz, whatever the CD I have that has "All I Wanna Do" has a killer jazz song on it and one of her great lyrics is that "nobody listens to modern jazz". I guess she does, and appreciates it.
 
#17
Skel said:
Speaking of jazz, whatever the CD I have that has "All I Wanna Do" has a killer jazz song on it and one of her great lyrics is that "nobody listens to modern jazz". I guess she does, and appreciates it.
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Aw man. That tune...I wish I could remember what it's called. Makes me cry. What a killer tune.

EDIT: "We do what we can", is what it's called...

Killer.
 
#19
Ok. The question was is she really a bassist! I in no way put down her playing or her artistry! I merely said "I don't think she is a bassist in the same way as we are" My thinking is that I doubt she listens to Jaco or Victor Wooten! I doubt she is a gear snob like a good handful of folks here are! I doubt she even cares what a Fodera is or Epifini or Accugroove Electronics! You read into my post way too much and take things way to serious and then say you don't mean any disrespect! Respect my opinion the same way I respect yours! I like Sheryl Crow. My band does several of her tunes! Yeah, she can play bass! Yes, she writes good songs. And believe me, I am in no way a snob of any kind! Hell, probably 99% of the cats on this site can outplay me! 75% probably have gear costing twice or 3 times mine! What the hell do I have to be snobbish about! Guys posting vids of their playing looking for accolades! What do I have to be snobbish about?! If I sound pissed off............I am!
 

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