Tina Weymouth - Whadaya Think

[corinpills]

In the early days of Talking Heads, when they were a trio and David Bryne's playing was much more strummy, Tina's bass lines were often the only other melodic element (besides the vocals). As the band got more rhythmic, her use of space and discipline about using hypnotic riffs were a major, major part of the band's sound. David Bryne became a really cool guitar player, too. It's like Joe said above: it's funky, but in a lower East side art scene way.

Plus, Tom Tom Club "Genius Of Love" is still THE jam.

 

[joe vegas]

just came across this-

i think the Italian director & editors fortunately found Tina to be cool & entrancing, because this is like "The Tina Show" at times, in terms of editing, which is a-ok by me! this is true Heads in excellent form, joind by Adrian Belew and others from that era.
great saturday night stuff.

 

[jerry]

just came across this-

i think the Italian director & editors fortunately found Tina to be cool & entrancing, because this is like "The Tina Show" at times, in terms of editing, which is a-ok by me! this is true Heads in excellent form, joind by Adrian Belew and others from that era.
great saturday night stuff.

That's when they also had Busta Cherry Jones on bass, Busta was also the bassist that followed Andy Fraser in the band Sharks. I've always loves Tina's playing, awesome use of space in the groove.

 

[10cc]

just came across this-

i think the Italian director & editors fortunately found Tina to be cool & entrancing, because this is like "The Tina Show" at times, in terms of editing, which is a-ok by me! this is true Heads in excellent form, joind by Adrian Belew and others from that era.
great saturday night stuff.

Bernie!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Long ago in Guitar Player interview, Tina said that the engineer played the bass on "Genius of Love," not her. She still played lots of other cool basslines, but knowing she didn't play on that track was a disappointment.

 

[Marc61]

Tina is a great bassist to be inspired by. Just listen to her bassline on Take Me To The River. You could use that on a thousand songs. She has excellent timing, and I always thought she was hot

Besides being fine musicians, her and Chris by all accounts are first class people. It's fun to root for the good guys once in a while

*edit* - my namesake (but no relation) Matthew Seligman sites her as an influence. Since he's the greatest playing bassist named Seligman (I'm third behind him and my son), I have to respect that.

 

[Mikhail1]

I loves me some Tina! A lot of her playing is very understated but carries the tune. I've been a Talking Heads fan since their first appearance on Saturday Night Live. Now I've just dated myself!! Also a big Matthew Seligman fan, especially his work with Thomas Dolby.

 

[Mechanical]

But...but...she plays with a pick.

 

[hrodbert696]

Tina is a great bassist to be inspired by. Just listen to her bassline on Take Me To The River. You could use that on a thousand songs. She has excellent timing, and I always thought she was hot

Besides being fine musicians, her and Chris by all accounts are first class people. It's fun to root for the good guys once in a while

*edit* - my namesake (but no relation) Matthew Seligman sites her as an influence. Since he's the greatest playing bassist named Seligman (I'm third behind him and my son), I have to respect that.

Funny you mention Take Me To the River - my classic rock band just added it, and gigged it last night. It was kind of an off-and-on gig, some positive crowd response but the place never quite caught fire. But THAT song, which we never thought of as an obvious crowd pleaser, suddenly brought everyone swarming to the dance floor. Unfortunately it was the last song of the first set and we never quite got the momentum back in the second.

 

[Al T.]

I have always liked TH- particularly Nothing But Flowers.

 

[Millsbass5ive]

As far as female bassists go, I was always partial to Aimee Mann. After all, 6'0" of blonde real estate ain't a bad thing, at all. Of course, she's a decent player, but, I'm goin' purely on looks here, so yeah......

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qvS5lHPOGk4/U2enPUB2YaI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/1pZWkqMGrpM/s1600/Aimee+Mann.jpg

 

[stevensivak]

saw them in 82 in paris in the buckminister fuller geodesic dome- it was the Big Suit era!! great memories...

Any info on the nature of her playing- in other words anything written for instructional purposes?

 

[D Bopp]

I love Tina's playing and love the Talking Heads.

Interesting bit of info, which may or may not be common knowledge: The rhythm tracks of every song on Remain in Light never change. The drums and bass play the same loop over and over every song. The vocals, keyboards and guitar are what change the dynamic.

 

[tonym]

But...but...she plays with a pick.

Mostly fingerstyle, sometimes thumb, sometimes pick. She's good at getting different kinds of sounds for different situations. I was lucky enough to see the Heads several times live over the years. Tina's great live.

 

[TyBo]

I was watching the "20 Feet From Stardom" video again recently, and was really taken with the Talking Heads clip of "Slippery People" from their "Stop Making Sense" film. Byrne and those backup singers are groovin' like mad, and of course Tina is right there groovin' along with them, hitting the perfect vibe for that song. They kind of embody my feeling that moving to the groove can enhance the playing ... it most definitely adds to the visual impact, which feeds the crowd, which feeds the music, etc. ... Tina gets it done, no doubt!

 

[Lobster11]

Funny you mention Take Me To the River - my classic rock band just added it, and gigged it last night. It was kind of an off-and-on gig, some positive crowd response but the place never quite caught fire. But THAT song, which we never thought of as an obvious crowd pleaser, suddenly brought everyone swarming to the dance floor. Unfortunately it was the last song of the first set and we never quite got the momentum back in the second.

But you learned something valuable to bring to the next gig, right?

 

[EmptyCup]

Tina Weymouth is 64 and still rockin' it? I respect that.

 

[stevensivak]

Unable to find a bass player in New York City, Frantz encouraged Weymouth to learn to play bass by listening to Suzi Quatro albums.[7] They played their first gig as "Talking Heads" opening for the Ramones at Invalid Link Removed on June 20, 1975.[1]

Who is suzy and what did she have to teach?

 

[stevensivak]

and this is golden:

 

[LedReign]

i dont understand people that dont LOVE the talking heads, such a talented group...and tina doesnt get the credit/recognition that she should-especially from other bass players. she truly is a master of the instrument and what it stands for.