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Stephen Stills: Bassist!?!
- Thread starter G-Dog
- Start date
Tommy's Famous.
Pretty sure In N Out didn't open until the 1980s.
The first In N Out in LA opened in 1955. Regardless, I always loved Stephen's bass tone. I especially like his solo on " Deja Vu"
Did you mean "deconstructed" or "self-destructed"?
I may have the exact chronology wrong, but I feel like Crosby's last few projects from the 21st Century were infinitely more engaging musically than any thing he did on his own prior. E.g., the CPR band, and his tour circa 2019 or '20. I'm always surprised at how creative and inspiring some of his latest material was...'cuz frankly I didn't expect that based on his work in the 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s.
Isnt this why they used the Foam under the strings "back in the day"?
I feel like the foam would work alot better than.. cheeseburger grease/BBQ sauce etc.
"Yeah, but cheeseburgers taste good!. BBQ sauce tastes good!"
/Vincent Vega
I'll never understand how Neil Young can make an acoustic guitar sound so great and then as soon as he picks up an electric it's the most ear-piercing tone and odd phrasing. The only lead tone that I find as offensive to my ears is the solo in Sympathy for the Devil. That one actually hurts my brain.
Being lefty myself, I wonder about that as well. Having played my share of right-hand basses, I can tell you that it's no advantage.
It may simply be that -- for whatever reason -- that's what was available. I have read that Stills considered being the bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, so maybe it was Jimi's??
That would make some sense as Stills and Hendrix were pretty close friends when Hendrix was alive.
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Maybe elsewhere, but she gets plenty of deserved attention and mention here. The only snag may be the session credit claims, which is often a topic of discussion.
That's what I'm figuring ... I just don't recall reading that Jimi actually owned a bass -- and seeing how his guitars were restrung righties, there's little reason to assume he had a lefty. So I'm back to the example of OMD's Andy McCluskey, and guessing that a lefty bass was just the best bass available at some point.
Should also add that Stills was very good as a bassist: solid, creative, good tone. I actually bought a Judy Collins 'best-of' CD simply because Stills played bass on one song (the single version of "Chelsea Morning" IIRC). Which just shows that there were a lot of ways his career could have gone in the mid-60s: the Monkees (if his teeth had been straighter), Jimi's bassist, Judy's session player ... but he ended up hanging out in Laurel Canyon, commiserating with an ex-Byrd about their former bands. Busy times.
I'm the same. I also can't stand his voice. I don't think I've ever made it through a NY song without turning something else on.
Yeah, well, neither did she.Neil Young is, however, a very gifted acoustic guitarist.
Joni Mitchell said "Neil never rocked or rolled one day of his life"
…said my dad.
Keith’s tone was perfect for that song, and the entire album…raw, nasty, feral. It reminded me of Mickey Baker on “Love Is Strange”. They decidedly made a gritty low-fi album as a reaction to the psychedelic hot mess of their previous one, plus all the other excesses going on elsewhere, and at the same time were inspired by the Velvet Underground. As for Neil, he wasn’t regurgitating secondhand blues licks like so many of the guitarists in that period, and ultimately made far more of an impact on subsequent generations of guitarists than Stills did.
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I have pointed out his lovely bass playing in “Suite…” for a long time. Once people tune in to it they generally freak out. By using the word “people” I am referring to non-bassists. His playing has the ability to do that. Some here on the board have criticized it over the years, but I think his creativity on that track is sublime.
But BBQ sauce? It must be a wink-wink.
Please???
But BBQ sauce? It must be a wink-wink.
Please???
LOL on the "said my dad"
As for Steve-vs-Neil legacy: let us not overlook the fact that SS played several instruments very well; Neil didn't even attempt to match Stephen's facility for church-revival piano, Latin congas, or bluesy Hammond, because he would never manage any of them half as well. And he didn't have to - Stephen was there to do those already.
Neil's main impact on subsequent generations was to sound gloriously trashy and out-of-control on electric guitar, which is arguably easier to accomplish -- even as it can easily be done to excess. Or done well. Neil does both, often at the same time, because he's more a 'in the moment' musician, where Stephen is more a build-the-performance musician.
Not trying to be nay-sayer here, just seems I only hear Stills dismissed these days, despite all he accomplished. Both had great qualities, which is a big part of what made them so great together. Best tour together IMHO: 1974.
