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Tina Weymouth

#24
I must say that I am a fan, though - but not for technical reasons, but rather her imaginative playing. One of my favourite albums of all-time is "Fear of Music" and almost every track has a distinctive bassline that contributes to the "atmosphere" of the song and how it sounds. "Electric Guitar" for example has an amazing line that is way up in the mix and just makes the track. The lines aren't hard to play - but I just wonder at how she came up with them - the ideas are so off-the-wall.

On a lot of their early stuff, the guitars are playing very rhythmic stuff - choppy and clipped - and the bass is contributing a melody, or at least a very melodic line, which immediately identifies the song - without it the song wouldn't be half as distinctive.
I've heard later stuff, and some of David Byrnee's solo stuff where, where there are "session" players and I really miss Tina Weymouth's quirky lines - for me they were an essential part of what Talking Heads was all about.
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Bruce, beautifully said. Her imaginative playing is really what appeals to me as well. As a matter of fact, as far as individual musical talent is concerned, her bass is a close second only to Byrne's vocals in defining the Talking Heads' sound IMO. Most of the other instruments in the band aren't as uniquely styled.
 
#25
I like her stuff. As others have said, Fear of Music is just loaded with awesome lines. "Cities" is another great tune with a simple but decidedly non-obvious line. "Drugs" just rules.

I've always been into that school of bass playing, the Tony Levin/Sara Lee/Sting/Tina Weymouth "simple-but-clever" approach. Many of the players who subscribe to this style have ridiculous chops (Levin most obviously) but use them very tastefully.(**) I really wish more young players would emulate this style instead of the flashiness of the Geddy Lee/Les Claypool/Flea(*) axis.


(*I'm not talking about the gloriously melodic stuff like "Soul to Squeeze"; I'm thinking more about the kids playing "Aeroplane" at ridiculous speeds in music stores. Grow the hell up already!)

(**I should proofread before posting, y'know?)
 
#26
Your very right Peter!!!! Bassist Busta Cherry Jones toured with the Talking Heads in about 79/80
as a second bassist.....and he was very funky too!
 
#28
True, Peter, True... But I was one of the kids growing up on Geddy and Entwistle and when your first learning the instrument, you just want to BURN! It has nothing to do with music-its conquering the physical confines of the instrument itself. I was fortunately saved by the grace of one Miles Davis and have been on the straight and narrow of musicality ever since! You can't take away their youthful exuberance, you just hope they can get a copy of "Kind of Blue" and "dig"it.
 
#30
Yes, I love Tina Weymouth. She's not going to do any crazy technical stuff, but her sense of groove is amazing - almost Sly or Bootsyish. Making Flippy Floppy is probably my favorite line of hers - so simple, but dripping with funk.

On a side not Byrne just came out with another solo album - gotta check that out...
 
#31
Your very right Peter!!!! Bassist Busta Cherry Jones toured with the Talking Heads in about 79/80
as a second bassist.....and he was very funky too!
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Righto. A chap Byrne likley met via one Brian Eno......

Tina's pretty awesome. My personal fave TH record is Remain In Light. That is just some advanced music. Not at the individual players' level (although some real beasts play on that record), but at the arrangement/writing/production level. Check out the bass part for "Once In a Lifetime" next time you hear it; a simple repeating part, but given such drama by what the rest of the band does. Tres sweet.

And if there's any doubt that Tina played just fine, I submit the long-out-of-print "The Name of This Band Is the Talking Heads" as proof otherwise.
 
#32
Well, I took a look at the "Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense" DVD of a concert which occurred in 1984. I was amazed at David Byrnes - what a creative artist! In fact, the whole band was pretty good, with the exception of Tina Weymouth. I thought her to be a complete waste of time; her playing was pathetic, and she looked and sounded totally out of place - I was very disappointed, especially as I'd read such great reviews of her playng. She was way out of her depth, and by far the weakest member of the band.
Was she ever good? By all accounts (certainly of the people I have asked), the answer was a resounding NO!

Thank God we don't all like the same things - just think how boring that would be!

- Wil
 
#33
Wil Davis said:
Well, I took a look at the "Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense" DVD of a concert which occurred in 1984. I was amazed at David Byrnes - what a creative artist! In fact, the whole band was pretty good, with the exception of Tina Weymouth. I thought her to be a complete waste of time; her playing was pathetic, and she looked and sounded totally out of place - I was very disappointed, especially as I'd read such great reviews of her playng. She was way out of her depth, and by far the weakest member of the band.
Was she ever good? By all accounts (certainly of the people I have asked), the answer was a resounding NO!

Thank God we don't all like the same things - just think how boring that would be!

- Wil
Click to expand...

Wow - that's an interesting take. Different strokes for different folks I guess. To me the obvious "weak link" is the drummer - I mean anybody can play those cheesy beats, but they do fit nicely...
Aloha
 

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