• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

John Taylor of Duran Duran

#43
Two things to add; I really like John Taylor's playing a lot and I think he did some great work on the Power Station album, but I believe that some of it was actually played by Bernard Edwards. I could be wrong, and I don't think that's what the credits say, but I distinctly remember a Musician Magazine piece from that era where they discuss bringing in some of the Chic element.

The other thing is that people often overlook the influence of Japan on Duran Duran. In particular, Mick Karn's tone and approach seemed to really influence John Taylor (and David Sylvian's voice and melodic sensibility certainly found a home in Simon Le Bon's cranium). It's most notable when John Taylor plays fretless, but a lot of his approach seems to stem from Mick Karn's influence. That whole sinewey midrange tone and the way he slides into notes are straight Karn.
 
#45
Originally posted by embellisher
First Duran Duran song I ever heard was Rio. Kiler bass line, and even has a solo in it!
Click to expand...

Killer line, the solo tripped me up when I first heard it about two years ago...

My Rick cops the Rio tone EXACTLY with the treble pickup soloed and wide open, fingerstyle, moderately lightly over the treble pickup.

That's the only Duran Duran song I've heard... where should I go from there?

--jeff
 
#46
Something similiar to "Rio" would be "Girls On Film".

I also like "Save A Prayer" from the Rio album.

As far as basses & tone-
My Jazz did a decent job of getting it...no moderately light touch, though. ;)
 
#53
J.T. had a terrific blend of influences going on. One example would be "New Religion", where he takes his funky slap main line and morphs it into a ghost-note/harmonic ridden percolating brew by the end of the tune. Genius! I don't care how old he is now, but then he was in his early twenties and to be that good at that age is pretty amazing. I can see the Karn/Japan influence, but you can't forget a little band called Roxy Music. D.D. kind of took the baton and ran with it...and God love 'em for it. Great music! Long live J.T!
 
#54
i like john taylor a lot. quick story: a friend of mine wanted me to join his band and he come over my house one day and said, "if you can play bass like this you can be in our band." then he put on the "rio" opening track of that first DD record. it was "records" back then, kids. so that's a real compliment to JT.

also, although i wasn't crazy about the band in general, i thought his intro on power stations, "some like it hot" is killer. loved that picked, double-stop thing he did on that track.
 
#55
Anyone remember Paul Young? Pino Palladino really shines on tunes like 'wherever I lay my hat' or 'I'm gonna tear your playhouse down'. And Nik Kershaw too had some great basslines like 'I won't let the sun go down'. And then Scritti Politti with Marcus Miller on bass!

Ah, the 80's. Pop music ain't what it used to be...
 
#57
Now I tell you my story, I really started to play bass because a friend of mine wanted to start a band (when we were like 14 years old). We wrote one tune and decided that he would sing and play drums and that i would play bass (because the instrument was just "cooler" than regular guitar).
He was a big Duran fan and I also liked the band but never listened to it closely. But then he gave me some DD cd's and I immediately noticed the bouncing basslines of John.
His parts would cut through like a knife, his tight playing, snaps, octaves and the galloping rif of Planet Earth soon made their way into my playing.

I must credit my 1st two years of bassplaying to John Taylor. I think that there are a lot of bassplayers who started to play bass by listening to John.

My favorite songs are ofcourse "Rio", "Hold back the Rain" (with some furious galloping line in the end), New religion, "Last chance on the stairway",
"Planet Earth", "My own way", "Shadows are on your side" and many many more!

One last thing, Nick Beggs was way ahead of it's time for a "popbassplayer". Some of those Kaja GooGoo songs even have Stick on them, he' s an exeptional player and so is Pino Paladino.

The UK had many groundbreaking bassists (Chris squir, John Enthwistle, Mick karn, Jack Bruce)
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheVintageCorgi
#58
John Taylor. The man.

I'm way deep into their first LP and all the various b-sides that they put out at that time. Late Bar, Faster Than Light, Like An Angel, To The Shore.

He is amazing. I'm copping licks right and left from stuff he did 22 years ago. I'm sure he doesn't hold his early work in any regard, but I'm still having quite a time learning his stuff.

I got some live bootleg stuff from their first US tour and the bass is way up in the mix (where I like it). They could play.

:D
 
#59
I love Duran Duran's music; well-written and equipped with awesome bass lines. Save a Prayer is a beautiful tune and the synth melody adds so much warmth/sadness/emotion. Give it a listen again.

Also, I own the Decade video and they show some nudity on the Girls on Film video...too cool....:cool:
 
#60
Originally posted by MarkMcCombs
If you really work on Rio, I think most of us can get it. It's not that it's that hard, it's just so well done and thought out.
Click to expand...

It took me a bit to figure out, but once you break it down, it's not that hard. The thing about Rio is that it sounds intricate and amazing, but the reality is not nearly as complicated -- there's a lot of 1-5-8 going on there. The solo break in the middle isn't that hard either once you get it. The hardest part for me are the 16ths in the chorus... can't really do that, but I can play the rest.

Dino
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back