I remember the article being much more complimentary than derogatory. It's the one with the "Crisco on the bass strings" story. I can't dig it up online but I have it on an old 3.5" floppy somewhere.
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Ronnie Baker
- Thread starter WhoFalls
- Start date
I remember the article being much more complimentary than derogatory. It's the one with the "Crisco on the bass strings" story. I can't dig it up online but I have it on an old 3.5" floppy somewhere.
It probably is nicer than I remember, 1989 or 1990 is a long time ago!
And of course there is this monster of a bass masterpiece which I assume is Ronnie Baker and sure sounds like him. Very similar to his line on "Get me back on time". His stamina is just incredible.
Bumping the Ronnie Baker thread. Where I'm from, in Brooklyn Philly and Chic ruled! (although others got airplay!)
But here are my top Ronnie Baker lines......
1. MFSB: 'Love is the Message;! THE greatest Cm-F7 groove of alltime! (Alright, Grover's Mr. Magic might top it, but....!). The Brooklyn National Anthem!
2. Harold Melvin: 'Bad Luck'
3. Ecstacy, Passion & Pain: 'Touch and Go'
4. The Whispers: "You're Only As Good As You Think You Are'
5. Double Exposure: 'My Love Is Free'
6. Loleatta Holloway: 'Hit And Run'
7. Double Exposure: 'Ten Percent'
8. Love Committe: 'Just As Long As I Got You'
9. Harold Melvin: 'The Love I Lost'
10. Ojays: 'I Love Music'
11. Harold Melvin: 'Don't Leave Me The Way'
There are much more! (I haven't even touched the ballads, except one!)
The mainstream....
Trammps: 'Disco Inferno' (arguably the bassline of the decade! And that's saying a lot in an era of bass!)
Ojays: 'Love Train'
But here are my top Ronnie Baker lines......
1. MFSB: 'Love is the Message;! THE greatest Cm-F7 groove of alltime! (Alright, Grover's Mr. Magic might top it, but....!). The Brooklyn National Anthem!
2. Harold Melvin: 'Bad Luck'
3. Ecstacy, Passion & Pain: 'Touch and Go'
4. The Whispers: "You're Only As Good As You Think You Are'
5. Double Exposure: 'My Love Is Free'
6. Loleatta Holloway: 'Hit And Run'
7. Double Exposure: 'Ten Percent'
8. Love Committe: 'Just As Long As I Got You'
9. Harold Melvin: 'The Love I Lost'
10. Ojays: 'I Love Music'
11. Harold Melvin: 'Don't Leave Me The Way'
There are much more! (I haven't even touched the ballads, except one!)
The mainstream....
Trammps: 'Disco Inferno' (arguably the bassline of the decade! And that's saying a lot in an era of bass!)
Ojays: 'Love Train'
Oh hell yes. My all time favorite might be Carl Bean's "Born This Way". The bass on that is so tasty.
I just looked at the mix magazine classic tracks article on "for the love of money" and it stated that Ronnie baker was not on love train. If that's true I didn't know that, I wonder who it is. It's kind of a straight eighth line, which I did think was different than he usually did, so I guess it's not too shocking to find that out.
He's still one of my favorites though.
Yes, that is also what I always thought as well. However, this article states differently, not on the Anthony Jackson part but on Ronnie baker not being on love train. Anthony Jackson not only played in for the love of money but also got a writing credit. My understanding is that the writing credit has been very kind to him over the years, and very deservedly so. Anyway, I don't know if the article is correct about love train, but I was surprised when I read it.
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I remember reading Bobby Eli's online review on another website, which questioned the Jackson article. He said that other than For The Love Money, Anthony Jackson "played very few sessions for us." He also said that the "dipping strings in butter" claim was false. He did say that Baker played with a '63 P Bass with Labella flatwounds.
I know Anthony Jackson was on "Me and Mrs. Jones" and "Give the People What they Want." By 1974 though he was with Buddy Rich then seemed to be in NYC mostly.
And yes, I heard the butter/ Crisco / peanut butter on the strings story was urban legend, although I was thinking about trying it last night to kill the high end on my kala round wounds...
It appears that on "People", it may have been both Jackson and Baker.
Not sure if this was Ronnie Baker or Derek Graves but it's Philly Intl.
Graves!
Really, both of them? Interesting. Bass player mag did a story about that one a few years ago when they wrote about all of the bassists on Philly international over the years and it sounded like they used Anthony Jackson on that song to try to recreate for the love of money again. I'll have to listen again today.
Derrick Graves- badass bassist and super nice guy. And he's a dentist.
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Old thread but Cheese do you remember the column that AJ wrote in which he said slapping was an "aberration" haha!
Maybe AJ was taking the long view because slapping is still around, but it is not the hot thing to do anymore. Most of the hot young bassists are not big slappers although I know they can when they want to. Even in Urban Gospel, slapping is less common. I guess Smooth Jazz is still slap country.
This was also a long time ago, during the early 90's or before that when it was hot.
