Ronnie Wood

[butchblack]

Ron Wood did a solo tour in the late 70's early 80's. I caught the show at a club called the Channel, a large steel building in Boston. He was doing some great fusion, very Jeff Beckish. Great show. Unfortunately, he had to do a couple of Stones tunes to placate the audience. The fusion stuff was outstanding

 

[Jim Carr]

I heard Ron Wood play bass in '69 and '70 in Boston at the original Boston Tea Party. The band was Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Mick Waller, and Nicky Hopkins, with Wood on bass. This was by far the best rock band I have ever heard, and I have heard quite a few (I'm over 50).

Wood used a 1968 Telecaster bass (with the pickup and bridge covers still installed), not a 50's P-bass, I believe. The instrument was absolutely brand new when I first saw them. I stood about 10 feet from him. I almost traded a dual showman for a mint used '68 Telecaster bass right after, and am still kicking myself for not doing it. If I recall correctly, Wood used two Marshall Major 200 watt heads and two Marshall stacks. Count 'em, that's 16 twelve inch speakers!

Yes, he tempted me to switch back to a pick, too, though I did not. However, his playing live and on "Truth" has inspired me for years. I was sad when he went back to guitar...

BTW, the Jeff Beck Truth LP/CD (and to a lesser extend Beck-o-la) are great, but that band was so much much more than what that those recordings deliver. This was a deeply moving blues band made up of totally virtuosic individuals. The weird thing was that they all wore little see-through nightie kind of frilly shirts and had poofy silly little hairdoos!!!

But man, they were beyond any real description. Rod Stewart was able to deliver a James Brown level of emotional intensity, Beck's solos were trancendent and glowing (where did he hide the compressor???), Ron Wood and Mick Waller both had extremely (for the day) unusual and advanced techniques...wow!!!!!

They jammed, for real, but never seemed to be over-doing it. The audience was blown away.

These two performances were my most memorable musical experiences at rock concerts. I have never stopped thinking about and marveling over them.

 

[Sneckumhaw]

Most people don't understand that Mick is Keith's singer.

But you, of course, have the inside scoop on the inner workings of The Rolling Stones.

 

[GlennW]

That's right...who do you think put the Loog in Andrew Loog Oldham?

 

[zazz]

ron wood is vv cool with me as far as the stones go...

if anyone knows about the art of weaving ..then they will know that ronnie and keith are the masters ...its more of an an attitude and you either get it or you dont...simple as that.

 

[Sneckumhaw]

Wood used a 1968 Telecaster bass (with the pickup and bridge covers still installed), not a 50's P-bass, I believe.

I thought he used a white jazz?

 

[corinpills]

I heard Ron Wood play bass in '69 and '70 in Boston at the original Boston Tea Party. The band was Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Mick Waller, and Nicky Hopkins, with Wood on bass. This was by far the best rock band I have ever heard, and I have heard quite a few (I'm over 50).t:

Dr. Jim,

Was that the location in the South End that was a church? That's a pretty legendary show to have been at- VERY impressive. Do you remember Charlie Daniels, the guy who used to do stage announcements at the Tea Party? He had a photo exhibit last year in Cambridge from his years touring with the Faces andyou would not hjave beloived some of the candid shots. Those cats were really, really short and skinny and he had shots of them at the pool of a Holiday Inn in the south wearing really small bathing suits and frealking out everybody.

 

[hublocker]

I think I have at least two copies of Truth.

 

[ryco]

I love Ronnie's bass playing. I love hearing a guitarist play bass because their lnes are so loose. He isn't the strongest foundation groove player but he came up with some very inventive lines. Guitar licks just sound cool on bass. Waller's style is a lot like Mitch Mitchell's - really can hear a lot of jazz influence in their playing.

I saw Ronnie with Faces every time they came around Seattle - even the UPS gig with Savoy Brown. Never have seen Jeff, who is in my Top 10 og guitarists.

I think Ronnie was a GREAT choice for the Stones - what other guitarist could be in that band? I'm not a Stones fan but I think he fits both in personality and as a lead player.

 

[jsamans]

I'm also a big Ron Wood fan. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that makes his bass playing on Truth and Beck-ola so great -- it's a combination of playing style, tone, mixing, and IMO blind luck. I think he was like 20 years old when Truth came out! His playing just oozes with a youthful swagger and sloppiness that carried over to the Faces and the early Rod Stewart solo stuff...although while the swagger and sloppiness remained, the youthfulness gave way to more of a sleazier feel.

I think he was by far the best pick for the Stones. Only someone who stood by when Rod Stewart single-handedly changed the name of the band from the Faces to the Rod Stewart Band could deal with/ignore the egos and issues that were the Glimmer Twins.

Woody also played the pretty funky disco bass line on the Stone's "Emotional Rescue".

 

[The Lurker]

Dr. Jim,

Was that the location in the South End that was a church? That's a pretty legendary show to have been at- VERY impressive. Do you remember Charlie Daniels, the guy who used to do stage announcements at the Tea Party? He had a photo exhibit last year in Cambridge from his years touring with the Faces andyou would not hjave beloived some of the candid shots. Those cats were really, really short and skinny and he had shots of them at the pool of a Holiday Inn in the south wearing really small bathing suits and frealking out everybody.

Welcome to the world of rationing and chronic childhood malnutrition Most of the Stones and their contemporaries were born during the Second World War and times were pretty rough back then, they didn't always get enough to eat as kids. Look at any of those guys back then and they all look pretty short and scrawny.


Ronnie is one heck of a player, no matter what he plays.

 

[marchone]

I heard Ron Wood play bass in '69 and '70 in Boston at the original Boston Tea Party. The band was Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Mick Waller, and Nicky Hopkins, with Wood on bass. This was by far the best rock band I have ever heard, and I have heard quite a few (I'm over 50).

Wood used a 1968 Telecaster bass (with the pickup and bridge covers still installed), not a 50's P-bass, I believe. The instrument was absolutely brand new when I first saw them. I stood about 10 feet from him. I almost traded a dual showman for a mint used '68 Telecaster bass right after, and am still kicking myself for not doing it. If I recall correctly, Wood used two Marshall Major 200 watt heads and two Marshall stacks. Count 'em, that's 16 twelve inch speakers!

Yes, he tempted me to switch back to a pick, too, though I did not. However, his playing live and on "Truth" has inspired me for years. I was sad when he went back to guitar...

BTW, the Jeff Beck Truth LP/CD (and to a lesser extend Beck-o-la) are great, but that band was so much much more than what that those recordings deliver. This was a deeply moving blues band made up of totally virtuosic individuals. The weird thing was that they all wore little see-through nightie kind of frilly shirts and had poofy silly little hairdoos!!!

But man, they were beyond any real description. Rod Stewart was able to deliver a James Brown level of emotional intensity, Beck's solos were trancendent and glowing (where did he hide the compressor???), Ron Wood and Mick Waller both had extremely (for the day) unusual and advanced techniques...wow!!!!!

They jammed, for real, but never seemed to be over-doing it. The audience was blown away.

These two performances were my most memorable musical experiences at rock concerts. I have never stopped thinking about and marveling over them.

Necro thread. I saw The Jeff Beck Group close to a dozen times at the Fillmore East, Randall's Island, elsewhere around NYC, the Newport Jazz Festival. The reason I bailed on Woodstock was because the word on the street wasthey canceled their appearance a week before.

I can't overestimate how much of an influence Ron Wood was on me. In fact, I went out and bought a new Fender Telecaster Bass a week after seeing them the first time. I even had the rooster haircut.

Even though I'm a dedicated fingerstyle player now he was one guitarist who played bass I could listen to for hours.

 

[bobyoung53]

Reminiscing about the early days of my bass playing career, I thought of Ron Wood. I was a huge fan of Jeff Beck Group's "Truth" and "Beckola". Loved his tone,unique style and thought his bass looked cool too. It was an early '50's P Bass, so when I bought my first Fender, I chose a Telecaster. That bass sure came close to his tone when played through a Sunn tube rig.

Then, along came "The Rod Stewart Album" on which he played bass as well as guitar. If you've never heard his bass solo on the end of "Street Fighting Man" do yourself a favor and get it.

Anybody else out there have any love for this guy's musicianship?

It was actually a '68 Telecaster, I saw it for sale online in a london shop some years ago. He was a great bass player.

 

[bobyoung53]

Necro thread. I saw The Jeff Beck Group close to a dozen times at the Fillmore East, Randall's Island, elsewhere around NYC, the Newport Jazz Festival. The reason I bailed on Woodstock was because the word on the street wasthey canceled their appearance a week before.

I can't overestimate how much of an influence Ron Wood was on me. In fact, I went out and bought a new Fender Telecaster Bass a week after seeing them the first time. I even had the rooster haircut.

Even though I'm a dedicated fingerstyle player now he was one guitarist who played bass I could listen to for hours.

Ron's bass playing blows me away on those first two Beck albums. I started out on guitar so can use a pick but I've been brushing up on my picking technique lately it just sounds so good especially with Rotos or flats actually too.

 

[marchone]

Ron's bass playing blows me away on those first two Beck albums. I started out on guitar so can use a pick but I've been brushing up on my picking technique lately it just sounds so good especially with Rotos or flats actually too.

I was proficient with both plectrum and fingers. I could use both in one tune. A stroke 6 1/2 years ago ended picking. Very frustrating. But I'm lucky I can still play at all. The thought of ending it was frightening.

 

[bobyoung53]

I was proficient with both plectrum and fingers. I could use both in one tune. A stroke 6 1/2 years ago ended picking. Very frustrating. But I'm lucky I can still play at all. The thought of ending it was frightening.

Yeah, I think about that sometimes too, what would happen if I had to stop. Glad you were able to adapt. Look at Anthony Jackson.

 

[Guitalia]

Here's some Ronnie Wood completist material: a compilation of Jeff Beck Group BBC Sessions from 1967 and 1968.

Beck has said in interviews that when he looked for drummers for the group, it came down to Mickey Waller and Ainsley Dunbar. In fact, some of the tracks (starting at 5:00, for example) feature Dunbar rather than Waller.

P.S. - For those who have forgotten about or weren't around in the days before affordable electronic tuners, get a load of Wood's tuning in the Dunbar selections. That E string!

 

[D.M.N.]

Necro thread. I saw The Jeff Beck Group close to a dozen times at the Fillmore East, Randall's Island, elsewhere around NYC, the Newport Jazz Festival. The reason I bailed on Woodstock was because the word on the street wasthey canceled their appearance a week before.

I can't overestimate how much of an influence Ron Wood was on me. In fact, I went out and bought a new Fender Telecaster Bass a week after seeing them the first time. I even had the rooster haircut.

Even though I'm a dedicated fingerstyle player now he was one guitarist who played bass I could listen to for hours.

Somewhere I have a boot of the Newport show! Pretty low quality, but interesting for what it is.