Jack Bruce

[Michedelic]

Jack was quite a chacter with a really Jaco style presence. ... He had a sound in his head, he was after, and, I think, he stayed true to it till the end. ... I've never seen of Jack playing a Fender bass, which is a little odd. ... He liked that over-driven mud-bucket sound. He wanted his bass to take up a lot of space on stage and on record.

Jack was notable for playing a Fender VI(pictured above), that is what you hear on the first “Fresh Cream” album. In spite of the “pop band” production(late ‘66), he got a fat sound out of it. He alternated between that and a Danelectro longhorn 4 string, which is what you hear on “Disraeli Gears”; I’m not certain when he latched on to the Gibson, but that’s the most visable on Cream’s US tours, and that’s what you hear on “Wheels of Fire” and “Goodbye”. His studio sound, on those first two albums, wasn’t really distorted, that came with the live stuff and Marshalls on 11. He was a champion of short scales, and reportedly didn’t want to use any other Fenders as he didn’t want to sound like anyone else. I don’t know if there are any live recordings, as it was before audiences started doing that sort of thing, but he was in Marvin Gaye’s pick-up band on a UK tour, sometime in early ‘66, I think. Wrap your mind around that, his interpretations of Jamerson’s lines.

 

[Michedelic]

Some interesting "birth of Cream" tracks:
Bootleg quality recording of Bruce's brief tenure in John Mayall's band, Jack's playing is understated, but Clapton is fierce on this...

From a one-shot session, Jack, Eric, Steve Winwood on vocals, Pete York of the Spencer Davis Group on drums...

 

[Skokiaan]

Night #2 at MSG- wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

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I went twice - first and last nights. A dream concert come true.

 

[The Chuck]

Jack is the man

 

[madbass6]

I watched for the second time last night a reunion of Cream in about 2005. I found that Jack Bruce was a good bass player and sang really well while playing, but the sound wasn't that great. His tone was a little off for my taste. Was he considered a very good bass player?

For your taste ?
Here's My humble opinion,
your taste compared to rest of the worlds taste I say the world wins by a long shot ! There's absolutely Nothing wrong with his tone !

 

[tothemax]

“Let It Rain”? Huh? That was a Clapton solo track, recorded in 1970 after the collapse of Blind Faith and Clapton’s involvement with Delaney and Bonnie, featuring Carl Radle on bass. These sessions led to the formation of Derek and the Dominoes.

And we learn something every day... I stand corrected even though I worked with someone that once toured with Jack Bruce. I did a stint as a roadie with the Knack when they were signing with Capitol and Bruce Gary used to tell great stories of when he toured with Jack. I apologize for the mis-info. But it's still a great bass track... except for little of Clapton's lead break, that great bass carries me through that tune.
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"From his legendary Derek and the Dominoes band, Clapton recruited bassist Carl Radle, who, along with drummer Jaime Oldacker, held down the rhythm over Clapton's soaring guitar licks. Also on board was vocalist Marcy Levy, who allowed Clapton to focus more on his guitar work by covering the more involved vocal harmonies.
The mix of little-known songs with massive Clapton hits resulted in a strong show with great pacing. The Cream hit "Badge" and his own sultry ballad " Wonderful Tonight" provide the pop element, while classic R&B/ Blues covers such as "Bottle Of Red Wine" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" allow Clapton the freedom to solo as only he can."

 

[JTE]

"Just because the bass has a traditional role to fill, that doesn't mean one has to fulfill it in the traditional manner."

I read that in an interview published in Guitar Player Magazine ca. 1978 (?) and it utterly changed how I approached bass, and music in general. Decades later Clapton credited Jack for showing him how he could be true to his blues roots while not having to regurgitate things.

 

[Skokiaan]

And we learn something every day... I stand corrected even though I worked with someone that once toured with Jack Bruce. I did a stint as a roadie with the Knack when they were signing with Capitol and Bruce Gary used to tell great stories of when he toured with Jack. I apologize for the mis-info. But it's still a great bass track... except for little of Clapton's lead break, that great bass carries me through that tune.
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A bit more bass trivia regarding "Let It Rain": during the coda Stephen Stills overdubbed a second bass part that follows the descending piano riff.

 

[Flyboyandy]

If Jack Bruce’s playing doesn’t wow you I propose that you aren’t conversant with the fact that much of what’s ordinary today was groundbreaking when Jack was a younger player (1960s-1970s) and he was a guy who broke that musical ground. Then, having broken through, he continued expanding his style and range.

On the contrary. I really liked it and wish I paid attention more a long time ago. I honestly just didn't know much about him. I just thought in 2005 that his sound would have been different or in my mind better. I really liked how he played and sang.

 

[Flyboyandy]

If Jack Bruce’s playing doesn’t wow you I propose that you aren’t conversant with the fact that much of what’s ordinary today was groundbreaking when Jack was a younger player (1960s-1970s) and he was a guy who broke that musical ground. Then, having broken through, he continued expanding his style and range.

I'm not quite sure where I said I didn't like it, I believe I said he's a good bass player, but I didn't know much about him. I thought he was quite good and I was entertained. I just didn't like the sound for that show.

 

[bholder]

On the contrary. I really liked it and wish I paid attention more a long time ago. I honestly just didn't know much about him. I just thought in 2005 that his sound would have been different or in my mind better. I really liked how he played and sang.

He may have been intentionally deliver the old overdriven sound to please the purist geezers in the crowd. Did you like the Warwick sound better than the Gibson at least? The Gibsons generally feature a whole lot of "thud", which is kind of an acquired taste to begin with, then you add the overdrive... ...guess you had to hear it "the first time around". hehe

 

[delta7fred]

The good thing about Jack's sound in the 60s was that you could still hear his bass on some crappy little one tube record player with a 6" speaker that rolled off below about 150Hz (what most of us kids had back then).

 

[jerry]

A bit more bass trivia regarding "Let It Rain": during the coda Stephen Stills overdubbed a second bass part that follows the descending piano riff.

It was also Stills doing the lead guitar part around the vocals.

 

[joebeadg]

Jack Bruce fun fact...or not so fun fact. Do you know who played bass on Millie Smalls my boy lollipop in the sixties? Jack Bruce! I think Jamerson might have got him that job

 

[joebeadg]

I love Jack Bruce. Its him and Jamerson for me. Even his distorted tone in cream and WB@L It fit! The guy did it all, multi instruments, sang, did some of his own lyrics, though most I think were Pete Brown. I was at 2 MSG reuinion shows, I think 2@4. After the last show they were clearing the stage, I noticed Jacks set list still there on the floor. I walked up and asked the guy if I could have it, I forget exactly what he said but he meant no! As I turned to walk away some girl with big boobies comes up and says hey! can I have Jacks set list? Guy says sure, and hands it to her. Good thing I'm not a big guy, because I was pissed!

 

[dougjwray]

It was also Stills doing the lead guitar part around the vocals.

Here's an interesting thing: I always thought that, too, but when it was stated during a Facebook conversation a couple of years ago, Bobby Whitlock, himself (who played on the entire album, of course) jumped in to adamantly state that Stills did NOT play a note on that track!

 

[dougjwray]

I love Jack Bruce. Its him and Jamerson for me. Even his distorted tone in cream and WB@L It fit! The guy did it all, multi instruments, sang, did some of his own lyrics, though most I think were Pete Brown. I was at 2 MSG reuinion shows, I think 2@4. After the last show they were clearing the stage, I noticed Jacks set list still there on the floor. I walked up and asked the guy if I could have it, I forget exactly what he said but he meant no! As I turned to walk away some girl with big boobies comes up and says hey! can I have Jacks set list? Guy says sure, and hands it to her. Good thing I'm not a big guy, because I was pissed!

I was hoping you were going to say that the girl then handed it to you.... but no.
I saw Jack with Ringo Starr's All Starr Band, back around 2000. At the end of the show, when the musicians all lined up at the front of the stage and took their bows, Jack did a parody of the "throwing the pick or drumstick into the crowd" thing by grandiosely taking out his earplugs and throwing them into the audience! I thought it was hilarious.
Watching him at that show was fantastic, because I got to hear him interpret McCartney's line on "With a Little Help From My Friends" and Andy Fraser's line on "All Right Now" (he played them respectfully, note-for-note) and also because he effortlessly played whatever instrument the other guys needed when they were playing their own hits. You heard, "Thanks, Jack!" a lot. He was one of the greatest "musician's musicians" ever.

 

[dougjwray]

I've always liked this 1991 clip. Jack's "modern" sound on the fretless Warwick is clean, but still wonderfully nasty, and his magical musical connection with Ginger is evident.

 

[jerry]

Here's an interesting thing: I always thought that, too, but when it was stated during a Facebook conversation a couple of years ago, Bobby Whitlock, himself (who played on the entire album, of course) jumped in to adamantly state that Stills did NOT play a note on that track!

Who knows, but when I listen to that track the guitar lines around the verses has that Stills 1969-Wooden-Ships tone to it. When I read a music bio I'm always amazed these guys remember anything, I never came close to doing the amount of drugs they did and can't remember what I did on gigs last year.

 

[dougjwray]

Who knows, but when I listen to that track the guitar lines around the verses has that Stills 1969-Wooden-Ships tone to it. When I read a music bio I'm always amazed these guys remember anything, I never came close to doing the amount of drugs they did and can't remember what I did on gigs last year.

No doubt-- it's the "Wooden Ships" tone. When I first heard the album (July 1970, right after its release), I was dismayed by Clapton's new, bright Strat tone, and my favorite solo on the entire album, tone-wise, was the one we're talking about. It came closest to the good old "woman tone." If Whitlock is remembering correctly, it would mean that Clapton set aside his new sound for that one solo, something he doesn't usually do.