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My dad doesn't like Paul McCartney :(

#206
Stealth Fighter said:
Just go to You Tube and type Motown in the search field. Anything that pops up will be sufficient.
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This is not an easy comparison. The Funk Brothers were well versed in jazz harmony and likely added a lot of colorful upper partials and substitutions to the lead sheets they were handed by the songwriters. But those songs did not often veer from songwriter structural forms that were well -understood in the jazz community. There are a few Motown tunes that demonstrate ingenious moves - the modulation for the B section in "Keep Me Hangin' On," Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life" and many of Stevie's tunes from about 1970 on, and Linda Simpson's work. Oh, "Does He Know Who I Am" has a killer structure, but a lot of the Motown stuff is fairly straightforward on the structural front. The PARTS by the Funk Bros. were often breathtaking and ingenious, but they were not the Writers - some producers and artists wrote, but a whole lot of the songs came from a cadre of writers.

The Beatles could not play like the Funk Bros, but they had a writing streak that is incredible. My problem is that I have a horrible memory for lyrics and song names, but I have a dozen Beatles tunes coming to mind with unusual structures, mostly preceding Sargent Pepper. And they drew on a full universe of musical influences - sitars! - while the Funks were stuck in a somewhat narrower box. And they came up with a slew of memorable melodies.

Ultimately, the comparison breaks down because you have to compare singer/players/songwriters against a studio crew where those talents were often disaggregated - there are exceptions - Smokey Robinson wrote a lot, Marvin Gaye wrote, Linda Simpson was a 3-way threat, and Stevie…is just plain Stevie - unbelievable. But that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
 
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#210
GregC said:
I've read a lot of Beatles/Macca discussions here over the years. Folks can't even come close to a consensus on which tracks Paul played the Fender on vs. the Ric or the Hofner from simply listening to them. So I disagree with this conclusion.
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You're right, it's very difficult to pinpoint with exactitude which bass Paul used through his carrier but I'm certain that "Silly Love Songs" which has a killer sound and bass line, wasn't done on a Hofner.

IMO he used either an Ibanez, a Ric or a Fender, long scale and a mic configuration biased towards the bridge. Wonderful sound.
 
#211
Gravedigger Dav said:
Okay fine. There are those I don't care for either. My point is Jazz players are an elitest snobby bunch that value only Jazz, and in most cases, Classical.
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Ehh...I'm not Beatles fan, but I wouldn't go that far. I know a lot of pit players and jazz guys that moonlight in rock, funk and R&B outfits for the fun they don't have in some of the stricter formats. I think what happens is that many players fall in love with jazz when they start getting into it and constantly push to reach the next level. It doesn't really leave time for the other stuff...it becomes an addiction. That said, one guitarist I play with sometimes works part of the year on a cruise ship playing in two different bands, one covering the great American songbook and the other basically a dance/party band. When he gets home, it's all about the jazz...he has zero interest in just about any other style. Also, it's worth noting that most hobby players worth their salt can get out and play as much rock and R&B as they want but the musicianship bar is set a little higher with jazz, meaning they really need to have a thorough understanding of harmony and rhythms that aren't quite as prevalent elsewhere.

Then you have guys like Tony Levin who has rocked harder than most people can ever dream of, releasing a jazz album playing cello! I don't think it's as black and white as "jazz guys are snobs" or "rock guys are unskilled musicians", etc...
 
#213
Doublesixes said:
You're right, it's very difficult to pinpoint with exactitude which bass Paul used through his carrier but I'm certain that "Silly Love Songs" which has a killer sound and bass line, wasn't done on a Hofner.

IMO he used either an Ibanez, a Ric or a Fender, long scale and a mic configuration biased towards the bridge. Wonderful sound.
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Are you referring to the version from At The Speed Of Sound (1976), in which it was almost certainly the Ric, or the 1984 remake from Give My Regards To Broad Street, in which he's not the bass player on the track? That may be a Fender, played with plenty of slap.
 
#214
petrus61 said:
Ehh...I'm not Beatles fan, but I wouldn't go that far. I know a lot of pit players and jazz guys that moonlight in rock, funk and R&B outfits for the fun they don't have in some of the stricter formats. I think what happens is that many players fall in love with jazz when they start getting into it and constantly push to reach the next level. It doesn't really leave time for the other stuff...it becomes an addiction. That said, one guitarist I play with sometimes works part of the year on a cruise ship playing in two different bands, one covering the great American songbook and the other basically a dance/party band. When he gets home, it's all about the jazz...he has zero interest in just about any other style. Also, it's worth noting that most hobby players worth their salt can get out and play as much rock and R&B as they want but the musicianship bar is set a little higher with jazz, meaning they really need to have a thorough understanding of harmony and rhythms that aren't quite as prevalent elsewhere.

Then you have guys like Tony Levin who has rocked harder than most people can ever dream of, releasing a jazz album playing cello! I don't think it's as black and white as "jazz guys are snobs" or "rock guys are unskilled musicians", etc...
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yes, we are all generalizing here, but in general, I find Jazz players to elitists who think that Jazz is the only music form worthy of their interest. Even Sid Ceaser made fun of it in the 1950s, so it isn't a new phenomenon.
 
#215
mcarp555 said:
Are you referring to the version from At The Speed Of Sound (1976), in which it was almost certainly the Ric, or the 1984 remake from Give My Regards To Broad Street, in which he's not the bass player on the track? That may be a Fender, played with plenty of slap.
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Looks like in the original 1976 version, Paul plays his blonde Ric, as seen in the video. In the 1984 remake, the bass player seems to be using a Yamaha, looks like.

In any case, I can approximate that sound quite well with my Jazz.
 
#217
mcarp555 said:
Originally a Fireglo Ric, stripped down (after an amaturish refin) to natural.
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Talk about amateurish refin... I still can't forgive myself for stripping down my MIA 1979 Sunburst Fender Jazz to the color you see in my avatar. I also had the dumb idea of removing the frets, following a Jaco stupor.

Compounding the sacrilege, I replaced the original pups with DiMarzios. This happened in 1982 when the perception of value for a MIA Fender Jazz wasn't even a big deal. Of course, my bass had the bridge pup guard and the ashtray, just like yours, which I mindlessly threw away. * Edit * Forgot to mention that I also replaced the bridge with a Badass.

The bass sounds killer although I hardly play fretless anymore but obviously I regret the move. I still have nightmares about it.
 
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