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Just started listening to The Who....blown away

MovingPitchers

MovingPitchers

Jun 9, 2013
8,508
12,032
Canada
#1
John Entwistle...holy crikey smokes God in heaven, this guy is a phenomenal bassist! I honestly can see where Geddy Lee gets a lot of his tone and influence from!

They both play very similarly and have the same concept about a bass' role in a song. They know when to back off and play simple stuff but also know when to really show off their skills and talents.

Baba O'Riley was an amazing song. The bass in it is just amazing! The little fills John does during those short no-vocal intervals are just textbook musicianship.

I'm blown away. I honestly can't believe I missed this band. Although I won't ever get to see them ever again, it's nice to see all the old recordings and stuff on Youtube that I can listen and watch.

Entwistle is amazing. Does anyone have any tips on how to play like him? I noticed he hits the strings very very very hard too. His right hand technique is surreal...it moves so smoothly like butter and looks like second nature too.

A lot of butt kissing here but honestly, you give credit where it's due and Entwistle is more than deserving of such praise from a mediocre bassist like me.



I also watched "Won't Get Fooled Again" live recording of his isolated bass. I mean...holy crow...
 
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#3
I grew up with these bands (I had Tommy, Who's Next & Quadrophenia)...but, honestly, I was not a huge Who fan...until about 2-3 years ago.
I had The Kids Are Alright DVD stashed away from its release; couple years back, I finally sat down & watched it beginning to end. Then it was on to YT & watching the Tanglewood concert. Yes, I was sold...and not just on Entwistle. For all his faults, Moon is the man. The band was never really the same without him. Kudos to the other 3 guys for their internal clock. They made the "chaos" work into their sound.
Live? The Who delivered. Would you rather see The Beatles, The Stones, or The Who in their prime?
You mentioned a Geddy/Rush connection. Who about Peart? Clearly, (he admits such) he was a fan of Moon/John Bonham.
Entwistle's right-hand technique...somewhere I saw/read that Townsend said it was related to Entwistle's French Horn technique. In any event, good luck.
 
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#4
MovingPitchers said:
John Entwistle...holy crikey smokes God in heaven, this guy is a phenomenal bassist!
I'm blown away.
Entwistle is amazing.
I mean...holy crow...
Click to expand...
No lie - he's one of the best ever; one of the legends.

MovingPitchers said:
Does anyone have any tips on how to play like him? I noticed he hits the strings very very very hard too. His right hand technique is surreal...it moves so smoothly like butter and looks like second nature too.
Click to expand...
His right hand is an amazing thing. I would recommend that you watch (many times) the film The Kids Are Alright. It's (for me, anyway) the best way to see what he's doing.

MovingPitchers said:
I honestly can see where Geddy Lee gets a lot of his tone and influence from!
Click to expand...
Yep - and Geddy's not the only one... ;)


Here he is in Japan (1990) with Keith Emerson, Skunk Baxter, Joe Walsh, and Simon Phillips (bass solo @ 4:00):
 
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#5
He had a very interesting RH technique, basically impossibly low action and striking the strings with the tips of his fingers like little mallets. He called it the typewriter technique.

It creates a very bright powerful ringing tone, and he was able to control the amount of ring and overtones by how he would strike the strings. It's hard to control but he was masterful and has really developed this unique style to perfection.

The Who have been a favorite of mine since I was very young, I'd listen to Tommy over and over.

Fast forward a few years and I rediscovered them as a teenager when The Kids Are Alright debuted at a repertory cinema, the experience was unforgettable, and the movie is as impressive now as the Who were for over a decade.
 
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#9
Check the isolated bass part to Eminence Front. It's on YouTube....

Regarding his right hand technique, despite how hard it looks like he hit the strings, he said he played with a very light touch and very very low action.

The Who's performance at The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus is up there among his best performances IMO.
 
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#11
chazolson said:
Amen. I have the transcription of what he's doing on that tune, and in pieces (one verse at a time) it's all humanly playable (although darned challenging). But as a single performance ... considering he's playing a bass line that he probably just made up, well ... damn.
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I got the tab for it and it's pretty accurate. I don't use tab normally so it takes me a long time to figure things out with it. He does some pretty cool chromatic stuff in spots and I can't play at his breakneck speed so I just play around and grab a few of his ideas and then just kind of make up my own stuff. It's too much for me to memorize! One of my favorite bass songs!
 
#12
chazolson said:
Amen. I have the transcription of what he's doing on that tune, and in pieces (one verse at a time) it's all humanly playable (although darned challenging). But as a single performance ... considering he's playing a bass line that he probably just made up, well ... damn.
Click to expand...

The story is Entwistle was basically fooling around, not realizing they were doing a take. Once he learned they were recording he wanted another crack at it so he could take it seriously, but Pete liked what he had done. There was no second take.
 
#17
I picked up the expanded CD of Live at Leeds this weekend. My sister had the original LP, which I stole -- it was very influential for me when I was a teenager. I had not listened to Leeds in years.

What a fantastic record -- not just Entwistle, the whole band. It's a damn near perfect performance.
 
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