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Talking Heads Tina Weymouth

#44
JohnnyBottom said:
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I have not seen that concert for a while. Now that I have the big OLED set hooked up to the main hi-fi, I need to give the whole show another watch. I just watched my brand new BlueRay copy of The Eagles Farewell tour I (my old DVD bit the dust) and I was blown away at how amazing that show is. And I remember enough about Stop Making Sense to know I need to revisit it.

Heck. Maybe I need to watch CBGB again too. :thumbsup:
 
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#45
Not Insane said:
I have to say that after reading your first sentence, I reread my post and realize I didn't actually qualify my scoring system for that B-. I was thinking solely of technical ability. Her creative and musical ability is actually up there with Sting, IMO.
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Her technical ability is exactly what it needs to be to do what she does, which is brilliant, so an A+ from me. That, however, is my opinion - technical prowess without musicality doesn't do much for me. I like Primus just fine, and Entwistle is a master when he's not trying too hard (Real Me is some of the greatest bass playing ever), but I prefer Tina's playing to either of them.
 
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#46
WG Plum said:
Her technical ability is exactly what it needs to be to do what she does, which is brilliant, so an A+ from me. That, however, is my opinion - technical prowess without musicality doesn't do much for me. I like Primus just fine, and Entwistle is a master when he's not trying too hard (Real Me is some of the greatest bass playing ever), but I prefer Tina's playing to either of them.
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Yeah, To me, Claypool is to bass what Niel Peart is to drums. That is, I was watching a clip of him "practicing" on my DVD of Rush's Brazil concert and I saw it like watching machinery. That is, it showed amazing skill, but after a few minutes it just got boring. Her style fits the song and even enhances it without playing too many notes.

I saw a video gets into the "play to the song" concept. He gets into it almost immediately (rhythm/contrast principle)
 
#48
Just depends on what you think is important.

If you think "chops" and playing like Les Claypool or Billy Sheehan is the most important thing, then Tina won't be a favorite of yours—and that's fine. As an unapologetic fan of Chris Squire and Michael Manring, I think this has value.

If you think writing lines that are simultaneously simple, original, and perfect fits for the song are what's important, then yes, Tina should be on your list of favorites. As an unapologetic fan of Sting and Paul Denman, I think this has value, too.

Maybe not everyone should be evaluated with the same yardstick.
 
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#50
Nothing but huge respect for Tina Weymouth here.

I saw the Talking Heads back in '82 - I think - with Tom Tom Club as an opening act. The moment she showed up I realized that she was *very* pregnant at that point, her Hofner bass was hanging in front of her by quite a margin. Long story short, she played, sang and danced for a total of about three hours with such energy it was unfathomable to me. Still is, on certain levels.

Would she make my "top 10" bass players list ? Absolutely not, but I've never heard a single line of hers that I didn't like and/or thought was out of place, so my hat's off to this fine lady. I hope she has a long, joyful and productive stay on this planet.
 
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#51
SunByrne said:
Just depends on what you think is important.

If you think "chops" and playing like Les Claypool or Billy Sheehan is the most important thing, then Tina won't be a favorite of yours—and that's fine. As an unapologetic fan of Chris Squire and Michael Manring, I think this has value.

If you think writing lines that are simultaneously simple, original, and perfect fits for the song are what's important, then yes, Tina should be on your list of favorites. As an unapologetic fan of Sting and Paul Denman, I think this has value, too.

Maybe not everyone should be evaluated with the same yardstick.
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I completely agree. However, I would add to your last line that maybe we can use multiple yardsticks. e.g. Someone may not be technically very skilled but incredibly soulful in their playing. While someone else may be technically incredible, but their playing is "cold" without "heart".

My favorite guitar solo of all time is in Comfortably numb. Not a lot of notes there, but usually live renditions literally bring tears to my eyes.
 
#52
Fender_Bender said:
I was always a big fan of the group back in high school and would buy the Japanese pressings of their albums whenever possible. My feelings are that she wisely stuck to simple stuff early on but got pretty funky later on. The Tom Tom Club Band with her and her boyfriend drummer was funky as hell too.
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Unless there was some really odd behind the scenes stuff going on (entirely possible in the "showbiz" scene and far beyond my area of expertise) Tina's "boyfriend drummer" was, and still is, her husband Chris Frantz.
 
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#55
jerry said:
The whole Speaking In Tongues is a special album to me and wifey, groove for days.
Tina's greatness to me is her discipline and space in the grooves, I just listen to the new remastered Stop Making Sense this past weekend, monster groove! Special mention to Alex Weir, A dream guitar player for me.
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I SO wanted to see that in IMAX when it came out last September. It was showing in the StL, but I got COVID and unfortunately, it had too short a run for me to make it to the theater before it moved on. Certainly one of the top concert films ever! They assembled such a badass ensemble for that tour!
 
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#56
Rolling Thunder said:
We all know the Talking Heads and their hits, but this deep cut made me look further into Tina Weymouth. Bassline has some stank to it.
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I love Tina Weymouth, but most of the effective bassline in this song is a synthesizer (there might be a few actual bass parts slipped in, it’s hard to hear). Bernie Worrell from Parliament played on this recording, and in the Stop Making Sense live version Tina, Bernie, and Jerry are all playing synths with Tina playing the funky bass synth line. Such a killer song either way!
 
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#58
She's a terrific musician. It always bothered me that David Byrne trash talked her playing the way he did. Not only was it not nice, it wasn't accurate, either.

I like technical players, too, and get plenty of kicks listening to the likes of Claypool but that's a completely different context. Within her context she was an outstanding player. Outstanding because she didn't stand out! Just funy, unpredictable lines that drove the songs. Great stuff!
 
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#59
[MODERATOR VOICE]
I want this to be perfectly clear: when discussing female bassists, I have NO tolerance for sexism whatsoever. If you violate this rule, I will warn you. Repeated violations will get you banned. Please respect all bassists regardless of biological sex, gender, or sexual orientation. As I state in the FAQ, the focus of this forum is the artistry and craft of bassists we love.
 
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#60
Lo-E said:
She's a terrific musician. It always bothered me that David Byrne trash talked her playing the way he did. Not only was it not nice, it wasn't accurate, either.

I like technical players, too, and get plenty of kicks listening to the likes of Claypool but that's a completely different context. Within her context she was an outstanding player. Outstanding because she didn't stand out! Just funy, unpredictable lines that drove the songs. Great stuff!
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As if he had the greatest guitar skills or vocal chops. But we now know he has Asperger / Autism.

Tina’s playing what great. I’m sure hanging out with Bernie Worrell , Bootsy , and probably some with Louis Johnson since Alex Weir ( his cousin and Brothers Johnson member ) , didn’t hurt .
 
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