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Sting: Isolated bass track on "Message in a Bottle"

#4
Maybe they didn't have a lot of studio time for tracking bass. It's out of tune, and there are multiple equalization things happening. The first chorus is obviously rushed, click track or not. It's really a pretty bad bass recording.
 
#7
The first two Police albums were done very quickly and cheaply with their FOH mixer engineering and most things played live. I don't hear a lot of intonation issues as much as sliding into the notes as one does on fretless. Some of the high F#s are a little shady, I guess, but it sure us a great sounding record; one of the all time classics.
 
#9
I'm a big fan of Sting & The Police & that song, but I agree that this is not his best bass recorded isolated. As a whole song arrangement it's awesome tho. Just like the man himself, probably not the 'Best' bass player in the world, but as a whole (musicianship, person, songwriter, arranger etc) he is The Genius.
 
#10
OldDirtyBassist said:
Maybe they didn't have a lot of studio time for tracking bass. It's out of tune, and there are multiple equalization things happening. The first chorus is obviously rushed, click track or not. It's really a pretty bad bass recording.
Click to expand...

It's fretless and I think intonation is OK.

Robus said:
Great band. Had they stuck with it I think they could have ranked with the best.
Click to expand...

They are one of the best.
 
#12
Jazz Ad said:
The whole dynamics of the band was in this.
Sting pushing forward while Copeland was pulling back.
It makes their music sound like a strange mix of reggae and rock.
They are, indeed a legendary band and one of the best.
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Beg to differ, but I think they're both pretty intense guys who tend to push forward, SC definitely is not the laid back or holding kind of drummer.
 
#13
Thanks for posting this.
I've always really loved The Police. I think Stewart Copeland is one of the top drummers and I've always loved Sting's bass lines and voice. His bass lines always sounded to me, as him playing exactly what needed to be there, with no excess. A case of the silence and pauses being as important as the notes played.
 
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#16
I love these 'wow listen to how crappy this isolated bass track is' threads. I love the Police. I don't listen to them much anymore, but Synchronicity is one of the best albums ever recorded. Iso a bass track with no context, how can one even comment on that? Is it to make you feel better about yourself?
 
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#19
richntiff said:
I love these 'wow listen to how crappy this isolated bass track is' threads. I love the Police. I don't listen to them much anymore, but Synchronicity is one of the best albums ever recorded. Iso a bass track with no context, how can one even comment on that? Is it to make you feel better about yourself?
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Agreed, Message in a Bottle was on Regatta De Blanc, though.

Listening to isolated tracks does make me feel better about myself, although maybe not in the way you meant. I hear lots of imperfection and also lots of emotion. Also, almost always more overdrive than I expected. Then I listen to some of the stuff I've recorded and I hear myself trying to be needle-clean and perfect with every part. In the final product, it really doesn't sound as good that way, somehow.

So, these isolated mixes give me hope, maybe I should drop the leash and let the rock roll.
 
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#20
WJGreer said:
Agreed, Message in a Bottle was on Regatta De Blanc, though.

Listening to isolated tracks does make me feel better about myself, although maybe not in the way you meant. I hear lots of imperfection and also lots of emotion. Also, almost always more overdrive than I expected. Then I listen to some of the stuff I've recorded and I hear myself trying to be needle-clean and perfect with every part. In the final product, it really doesn't sound as good that way, somehow.

So, these isolated mixes give me hope, maybe I should drop the leash and let the rock roll.
Click to expand...

Speaking of that, I remember how I started get hired more when my bass playing get more 'rusty' after abandoned it for awhile for 'pursuing more (musical) things that doesn't had anything to do with technical side of bass playing' (namely attitude).

Each thing has it's own place tho,.. there's also place for 'clean perfect high' technical bass playing too I believe.
But in the case of MIB-Sting-Bass track-The Police it's not that.
There are more important things than that.
 

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