Steve Harris extremely sloppy in these isolated live tracks

[Clef_de_fa]

Bands have been cutting/pasting and quantizing and melodyning for a while now.

Which is quite s*** to me ... it is all just big pile of illusion ... it is kind of sad when you can't say it is real anymore and it is like that everywhere !

 

[lijazz]

I attribute the sound of these clips to his playing style. The grit and fret noise are part of his tone, which sits well in the mix, much like Geddy's tone on the isolated clips of him, which is similarly gritty and raw. What troubles me Harris' timing. It is not very good. Geddy's on the other hand is "metronomic" (if that is even a word).

 

[pbass2]

Isolated tracks are silly.

I agree with this. At first when things like this starting popping up, like say an isolated JPJ Zep track I'd be kinda excited/curious to hear it, but I generally don't even listen anymore--I'm pretty over it. Mainly because that's not what the artist intended--it's the final mix that the artist deemed "done" and what they wanted the world to hear--the sum of all the parts.
And bass guitar in particular, in most cases was not meant to be heard alone--it's pretty ugly by itself unless you're really dialing it in for using it in a solo context, but that has different considerations for tone, technique, etc., than getting the right sound/performance for working in a full band mix.

 

[Floyd Eye]

No way that is him. Running around or not. No friggin' way.

 

[HunterBurgan4Me]

Yep. Just tell RUSH that!!

Also tell that to Nolly from Periphery. He jumps, skips and hops and has pretty machine like timing. You can't tell me that band aren't energetic and loud.

 

[two fingers]

Listen to every metal/rock bass track ever made. The majority of them are a "sloppy mess".

Bass guitar is a noisy instrument. It's just how it is. I'm sure either him or the producer were perfectly fine with the tracks. Notice how you had to isolate the track in order to actually hear the "slop", so does it really matter in the end?

This. Geddy Lee sounds like crap. Many others do as well. Jamerson did just about the only pretty nice isolated tracks I have heard. But, just like this guy said, they all seem to find a perfect spot in the mix without all the noise shining through.

 

[musicman666]

I really don't think it is Harris....it sounds like a Sansamp Bass Driver to me!!

 

[Duckwater]

This. Geddy Lee sounds like crap. Many others do as well. Jamerson did just about the only pretty nice isolated tracks I have heard. But, just like this guy said, they all seem to find a perfect spot in the mix without all the noise shining through.

I disagree with this argument, and I find Geddy's isolated tracks to be a little harsh sounding but his timing and consistency are right on.

Check out this live Pantera bass track, Rex Brown is a much cleaner player than you would think from their full band mixes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkQFxfVIKpk

This Steve Harris bass track is leagues better than those Flight 666 ones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbDswF-PDz4

 

[knarleybass]

I am just glad none of my isolated tracks are out there... that is if there were any

 

[pbass2]

But, just like this guy said, they all seem to find a perfect spot in the mix without all the noise shining through.

The thing is, the "noise" is part of the texture of the whole track. If everybody just played with a perfectly clean tone and technique without any clank, finger noise, etc., on every genre of music, well, it just wouldn't do that magic thing some music needs from the bass, even if said noise is barely audible--it's part of the vibe.
Still, doesn't mean it was meant to be heard in an isolated context.

 

[gidbass]

there is no way it is him
if it is , then i am a bass superhero.

I agree. While Steve isn't "schooled" in bass, that doesn't mean he is sloppy...those tracks are sloppy....

My .02

 

[handofseven]

Sorry bro, but there's no way that's Steve Harris. Totally fake. Sounds like a novice, just learning the song. I'll bet Steve Harris can play Aces High in his sleep.

 

[Shinji]

Calm down, most of us here are musicians and we have a right to criticize. Steve Harris is one of my favorites; and I would have never evolved into a decent player if it wasn't for his inspiration, but these tracks are pretty dang bad. If I caught myself playing that sloppily, I would hit the practice room until I worked out my kinks.

I hear ya, it is indeed sloppy. However I just get frustrated by all these peeps on these forums that think their **** don't stink.
I agree I wouldn't be happy if I had a recording this sloppy, but we all have bad days.
Also for the record, I'll admit I'm a pretty **** bass player but I get by.

One last thing, being a musician doesn't give you the right to criticise. Sure we all listen to music differently than our non-musician brothers, but the majority of people listening wouldn't care.

 

[Meddle]

Wrong, people with refined ears know exactly what strings clanking against the frets sound like.
What some people with unrefined ears obviously can't hear is the pick scratching against the string.
Unless he was drunk and playing left handed (with a pick) it was not Steve Harris

I think I'm getting a contact high off the level of smug emanating from this post. Is 'refined ears' something you get upon graduating from Berklee? Is it certifiable?

 

[IncX]

hmmm, i can relate.

its possible i sound like that live

 

[zagralin_arf]

Steve mentioned in his last Bass Player interview that he keeps his nails long for Maiden. It helps him get his sound.

The amount of compression he uses also means that any little tiny mistake is brought up to the same level as everything else. You can hear CRAZY compression going on there. Ever played with a compressor and crank it way the hell up? Everything gets boosted and thats a big part of what is going on there.

It sounds different than it does live because his bass tone is what the other 3 guitarists in Maiden base their sounds around...so it all comes together and sounds full when its done. Solo, Steve's tone sounds like that.

Trust me...I've done the research. Used his strings, on a P bass, with the Badass (and the mirrored pickguard...the key to his tone) and I know that is him.

And you know what...thats a fast song and its the first song of the night and he is known for not warming up. Sure it sounds like butt soloed, but watch the full band video. You don't notice it and you see how he runs around...the dude is a monster. And I believe he breathes fire.

 

[Epitaph04]

Okay so I Actually listened to the tracks...they sound fine to me. Finger noise and fret clank is the norm when it comes to bass tracks. The majority of the isolated tracks I've heard have all sorts of these noises in them. John Myung, Geddy Lee, etc etc. They all have them, and it's all part of the sound/mix.

 

[Duckwater]

I'm pretty sure everyone here is familiar with Steve's signature tone and the fact that the bass is a noisy instrument.

 

[IPA]

That being said, if Steve Harris played with the kind of mechanical precision all our favorite youtube heroes display, he'd probably be playing on youtube instead of the world's largest arenas - that feeling in Maiden's music of a power so intensely insane you can barely control it is what got them to and what keeps them on the top, and he expresses it in his playing.

Amen!

 

[maxiegrant]

I recently stumbled upon these isolated bass tracks from the live album Flight 666 on Youtube and I thought that this was worth sharing.
Aces High isolated bass:


I would never think that his playing could be so sloppy. I've always looked up to him when learning to play bass and I was very disappointed when I heard this. I mean, his rhythm is very inconsistent, it sounds very amateurish.
I imagine that the person isolated these tracks from the 5.1 mix from the DVD. I am quite sure that these are legitimate tracks. I have compared the full band and isolated tracks, and even the ending matches the notes.
It it also interesting how little of it we can notice in the full mix.
I am not meant to bash Steve Harris or Iron Maiden, but I wanted to hear some opinions and share my disappointment.

Here's how to avoid being disappointed: record your own music. Find out how it really works.

A live performance is not just the isolated tracks, and it is pure folly to try to analyze the performance from that.