Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
Robert "Kool" Bell (Kool & the Gang)
- Thread starter Mr_O'B
- Start date
I guess technically he qualifies as "funk" on the cited examples.
Funk is about" The One". He plays one, two, three and four. Can't miss. He would have been a good attorney given his propensity to cover all the bases.
All I feel is "yawn".
Funk is about" The One". He plays one, two, three and four. Can't miss. He would have been a good attorney given his propensity to cover all the bases.
All I feel is "yawn".
I dug Kool and the Gang from day one..
Then there was one of my all time favorites ..
and
and
Then there was one of my all time favorites ..
and
and
Groove, groove, GROOVE!!!
I didn't even have to click on any of those links before those basslines were rolling through my head! It made me pick up my bass and start playing them! I spent many hours in my youth dancing to this mans grooves!
I didn't even have to click on any of those links before those basslines were rolling through my head! It made me pick up my bass and start playing them! I spent many hours in my youth dancing to this mans grooves!
Go ahead and yawn. Everybody else will be partying!
There are all sorts of classic music that does nothing for me, but respect the impact that such music has made.
Clearly you're not the intended demographic of the music. He was one of the early funk bass players. No he's not a virtuoso on the instrument but he's played some iconic basslines over the years. Cover bands plays his basslines on a daily basis. That says something.
The question a great bassist should always is, "what will be best for the song?" The formula for a great bassline is usually not a display of incredible chops.
If you understand how the space between the notes makes the groove, you'll understand Roberts playing.
Actually I was right in the middle of the intended demographic. I remember rushing to the local barber shop/ record store the day the 45 "Hollywood Swinging" dropped (original blue label).
Don't forget, K&TG were competing for our lunch $$ with Curtis Mayfield, The Staple Singers, Ohio Players, homeboys Parliament & JB etc..
The popular opinion on Kool Bell specifically, especially among bassist from our generation and area, was lukewarm at best.
Were it not for the super-tight and imaginative horn section, I don't think they would have made it out of Plainfield.
Dr Cheese stated it well when he said that a good bassist will provide what the piece needs.
Unfortunately IMHO, their rhythm section's approach to Groovy/Funky music was a bit too simple and homogenized. Sort of the Lawrence Welks of funk (see "Joanna") and Kool indeed provided egually limpwristed and homogenized basslines.... IMHO...
Last edited:
Agree.
This is what Juliard actors are taught. The space between lines, or words within the same sentence, can make or break an effort.
True. This is what had put Ronald LaPread, George Porter Jr, BB Dickerson so valuable.
Bell just needs more shuffle for me.
The Kool & The Gang of the late 70s and early 80s is completely different from the late 60s to mid-70s Kool & The Gang. Citing "Joanna" as some kind of proof that the band wasn't really funky is like citing James Brown's "The Original Disco Man" as proof that James Brown wasn't funky.
You are correct. The pre JT and re-tooling years were better. THAT was an extreme example. Good catch counselor.
I just cannot get excited about a "funky" bassist that plays so safe and square, sans any shuffle whatsoever.
He should be playing behind Johnny Mathis.
Does nothing for my boogie shoes.
It's bad for my TMJ.
Again IMHO.
Well, I can't say I entirely disagree. I was never all that impressed by Kool as a bassist per se. For me it's more about the whole with that band.
Popularity to me doesn't slways equal quality.
I mean, at one time the Ford Taurus was the no. 1 seller in its class, but that doesn't make it a 64 Impala.
I saw Kool and Gang at least twice as part of those package tours that were so big back in the Seventies and Eighties. I liked Kool's energy live. He was never, ever flashy, but he stayed out of the way of a dynamic horn section. The man who played bass on the Wild'n Peaceful album deserves his spot among funk legends.
