Peter Cetera in Bass Player

[soundmasterg]

Does anyone know what amps he used on the classic recordings? If I had to guess I'd say perhaps Sunn, but thats just a guess on my part. I'd really like to know from someone who saw shows back then or had info on the studio setup. Thanks!

Greg

 

[dls59]

"Questions 67 & 68" Great vocal, great bass.

+1000000000000000

Great bass, especially on the instrumental interlude.

 

[JimmyM]

Does anyone know what amps he used on the classic recordings? If I had to guess I'd say perhaps Sunn, but thats just a guess on my part. I'd really like to know from someone who saw shows back then or had info on the studio setup. Thanks!

Greg

Ampeg B-15 for most of it.

 

[mccartneyman]

Anyway, it's the Readers' Poll issue. Of the 20 bassists listed, At the time, I had only heard of 3-
Jack Bruce, Chris Squire, & Peter Cetera.
Here's the listing-
893 Ron Carter
854 Stanley Clarke
484 Richard Davis
404 Ray Brown
330 Miroslav Vitous
287 Charles Mingus
128 Charlie haden
127 Cecil McBee
85 Jack Bruce
80 Eddie Gomez
77 Larry Ridley
71 Dave Holland
65 Rick Laird
64 Jimmy Garrison
56 Peter Cetera
56 Jack Six
53 George Mraz
43 Milt Hinton
30 Chris Squire

I know this is a Cetera thread, but .. NO McCartney??

 

[7flat5]

I know this is a Cetera thread, but .. NO McCartney??

1) It was DownBeat, and the Beatles just did not have jazz cred.
2) It was 1973, and the Beatles were 5 years gone.
3) Chicago had horns. Silly but true.
4) With the exception of Jack Bruce (??) all the others were either straight jazz, or fusion (Vitous, Weather Rept; Laird, Mahavishnu)

edit: OK, Chris Squire... He was different, very unique even then, and the band was sometimes technical in the fusion sort of way. Still only got 30 votes to Ron Carter's almost 900.

 

[keyboardguy]

At the suggestion of an earlier post, I checked out youtube. On this version of "Saturday in the Park" Cetera is playing some soulful stuff.





At 2:36 through 2:45 he played such a tasty phrase; truly a creative dude......

Mike

 

[tkozal]

Great article. I am an old fart who used to have that VW size poster form the Live at Carnegie Hall 4 lp box stuck to my wall....

It made me go dig out the DVD Audios I have of II and V, the sound on these is out of this world. the sound on II, for the stereo version is done at 192khz and 24 bit. it feels like the horns are in the room with you.

Like someone said above, Jaco wanted his gig!

I only really know I-V, beacuse by V, I had put a cape on, and thought I was Chris Squire....

 

[jerry]

Here's the listing-
893 Ron Carter
854 Stanley Clarke
484 Richard Davis
404 Ray Brown
330 Miroslav Vitous
287 Charles Mingus
128 Charlie haden
127 Cecil McBee
85 Jack Bruce
80 Eddie Gomez
77 Larry Ridley
71 Dave Holland
65 Rick Laird
64 Jimmy Garrison
56 Peter Cetera
56 Jack Six
53 George Mraz
43 Milt Hinton
30 Chris Squire

Wow, no Bob Cranshaw! I remember him being on all the Downbeat lists when I was a kid.

 

[cetera]

At the suggestion of an earlier post, I checked out youtube. On this version of "Saturday in the Park" Cetera is playing some soulful stuff.





At 2:36 through 2:45 he played such a tasty phrase; truly a creative dude......

Mike

Err..... that's his replacement Jason Scheff NOT Peter Cetera. He has embellished a typical Cetera line though...


I CAN'T WAIT for this issue to hit the stores here in the UK!! I'm checking the shop everyday for it....

Finally, the article I've been waiting for.... and only two months after my other fave Tiran Porter of The Doobie Brothers!! Thank you Bass Player Magazine!

As you can tell by my username I'm a HUGE Cetera fan. I'm in the process of forming a Chicago tribute here in the UK but getting the other players together is proving challenging....

To address earlier questions:

Peter used the following basses with Chicago:

Gibson EB-3
Fender Precision (blonde w/maple board)
Fender Precision (blonde w/rosewood board)
Fender Precision (white w/rosewood board)
Gibson Grabber (maple e/maple board) - he hated this one
Fender 70's Jazz (black w/maple board/blocks)
Fender 70's Jazz (white w/maple board/blocks)
MusicMan Stingray (Black w/maple board)
MusicMan Stingray (Red w/black pickguard & maple board)
Spector NS-1
Steinberger

Live he played through Acoustic & Ampegs from 1967 - approx 1974 then went over to Sound City. I've no idea what he used after 1978....

 

[skb5string]

Here is Chicago with Cetera. Circa 1972

 

[skb5string]

Here is one of my Fav Chicago tunes of all time! Dig it! 1975 Love Terry's Phaze guitar on this one too.

 

[skb5string]

Another version with Jason Scheff on bass and Vocal. He was a great replacement for Peter and IMO jst a bit more of a bass player! Well he came from a good family of bass! (Jerry Scheff)

 

[keyboardguy]

"""Err..... that's his replacement Jason Scheff NOT Peter Cetera.""""

Thanks for the education. Read up on him.I believe Jason's still with Chicago, correct?


Mike

 

[cetera]

"""Err..... that's his replacement Jason Scheff NOT Peter Cetera.""""

Thanks for the education. Read up on him.I believe Jason's still with Chicago, correct?

Mike

Correct. He's a fine bassist.... and a good singer, despite what some 'purists'say about him. After all, it disturbs people's comfort zones to hear someone else sing songs made legendary by someone else.

Personally, I can't think of a better replacement for Peter Cetera as a dual bassist/singer.... apart from maybe Richard Page of Mr Mister who apparently was also considered at the time...

 

[Alan Vorse]

I will admit, I was in the "born-after-1970-only-knew-the-80s-hits" camp. I thought Chicago was SO cheesey. Then when I was in my 20s, I started hearing some of the older songs and realized these guys were players and that even the Adult Contemporary guy was a great bass player. Imagine me telling all my prog-rock playing friends and band-mates they should check out Chicago and getting wierd looks.

By the way, I like the fact that Kim Thayil from Soundgarden always counts Terry Kath as an early influence.

 

[Johnny StingRay]

IMO a vast majority of musicians (especially those exposed to music post late 70's) have no idea of the ground they broke or the level of musicianship they possessed. For instance many younger guitar players know about Hendrix, Clapton,Page or even Santana, but I get blank stares when I mention Terry Kath, a player who was certainly in the same class. Cetera, was as good a pop bass player as ANYONE in his era, but I don't think I've met one bass player born after 1970 who knows who he is. While they are relevant to me, I would call that irrelevant or at the very least unappreciated. And it was their own doing.

I was about one year into playing bass the day Terry Kath shot himself playing with a gun..........and I cried. I was at Michigan State and when I heard the news I called my girlfriend back in Westland, Michigan but her phone was busy. About five minutes later she called me and said she called five minutes before, but my phone was busy.........we called each other at the same exact time!!!! We loved Chicago!! "Beginnings" was our song. It seems so recent yet so long ago too.

 

[GreyBeard]

Back in the 70's I played in a Chicago/BST cover band. It's good to see Peter get some respect for his playing. When I think about it, my style is a combination of Chicago/BST/and Grand Funk. (What a conbination)

 

[cetera]

I was about one year into playing bass the day Terry Kath shot himself playing with a gun..........and I cried. I was at Michigan State and when I heard the news I called my girlfriend back in Westland, Michigan but her phone was busy. About five minutes later she called me and said she called five minutes before, but my phone was busy.........we called each other at the same exact time!!!! We loved Chicago!! "Beginnings" was our song. It seems so recent yet so long ago too.

On January 23rd 2008 it is 30 years since Terry's sad death.

I have written to Guitarist magazine here in the UK demanding that they mark the anniversary with a good article on him. I recommend you guys do the same and contact the US guitar magazines (Guitar Player etc). He has been so sadly underrated and ignored for too many years. Together "we can make it happen.... yeah.... we can make it happen!"

 

[Lincoln]

Getting the issue in the mail was the best thing I've gotten from BP in 12 years of reading the mag. It got old telling people the same stories of Cetera and Chicago became a huge influence in pop, rock, R&B an jazz bass playing only to have people's eyes glaze over.

I was 4 years old in 1979 when Chicago and Cetera's influence hit me. My dad is a bass player and would play to Cetera's lines while I sat in the dining room listening.

His effect and the band's total effect have been profound.

Incidentally if you want to hear what Chicago would sound like if they weren't trying to sell records these days - check out Robert Lamm's solo record Subtlety and Passion releases in 2004. Two thirds of Chicago are playing on it including the Scheff and Imboden. It's Lamm's writing and arrangements - no schmultz - And there's even a guest appearance from the "soul" of Chicago.

Every Chicago fan must own this album -- and frankly the band owes it to the fans to put together one more album of this caliber

 

[Jerry Ziarko]

When I think about it, my style is a combination of Chicago/BST/and Grand Funk. (What a combination)

Very cool in my opinion...
While were on the subject, Chicago's latest release is fabulous. Jason Scheff has now been in the group far longer than PC was, although they clearly made their mark in their earlier days. I honestly can't think of a better replacement in any group that worked as well as PC.- JS. Jason is one of the few "busy" players that I really like. His melodic lines while singing lead parts never ceases to amaze me.