Vintage Will Lee

[BigEarl]

I don't want to be THAT guy, and I love Will, but he's playing Sissy Strut wrong. Or as Kid Anderson would say "WRRRRRONG!"

 

[Dr. Cheese]

More Will Lee with the Brecker Brothers.

 

[Ewo]

Whoa! For years I've been using the octave riff in the verse at sound checks to see how slap sounded, but I'd forgotten where I got it from. Aha, a Tropea album.


"Of all the guitar players I've ever heard, you're one of them." LMFAO!

 

[Moe Hickey]

Random dumb thought. Way back on Letterman when he was on NBC they were doing a "Dear Dave" letters sequence and one of the letters was essentially "Dear Dave: I can tell every time you have an especially exciting line up of guests I notice that Will Lee jumps up and down higher when he is playing during the show's opening." Then Dave said something like "that's true. Why I remember when we had so and so on the show ... " and then they cut to a video where they had Lee rigged to wire cables and he's jumping up and down and suddenly goes airborne up into the studio rafters. Still cracks me up.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

One of the few players who’s overly bright bass tone I can actually tolerate- because he’s such a MONSTER bassist.

 

[Alkali Ike]

I just picked up a used vinyl copy of Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly". The list of bassists on that album is like a Who's Who of great bass players. Mr. Lee played on Walk Between The Raindrops.

 

[Jamie_Funk]

This may be my favorite Will Lee P-Bass and flanger tune.


I don’t know if this is Will Lee on bass or maybe Anthony Jackson on I’m Every Woman, but I know Will Lee and Hamish Stuart (AWB) sang background vocals.

It was Will Lee - album credits confirm it

J

 

[pfschim]

cool track. two different basses shown. Burst P and an Oly White J (with p/u mod of some kind). Both Fenders and not Sadowskys (as far as I can tell).

 

[Alkali Ike]

Letterman handed over the spotlight to Will Lee on this OTT rendition of MacArthur Park, with composer Jimmy Webb on keyboards and the full "CBS Orchestra". Don't miss Lee's vocal high notes at the end.

 

[DJ Bebop]

cool track. two different basses shown. Burst P and an Oly White J (with p/u mod of some kind). Both Fenders and not Sadowskys (as far as I can tell).

Nope, I believe one, the P is Fender, a vintage piece. The Jazz is a Sadowsky with soap bars, like or probably this one...

 

[Dr. Cheese]

It was Will Lee - album credits confirm it

J

Cool, all I have is iTunes downloads these days, so my knowledge of credits is large due to my memory.

 

[howlin]

Letterman handed over the spotlight to Will Lee on this OTT rendition of MacArthur Park, with composer Jimmy Webb on keyboards and the full "CBS Orchestra". Don't miss Lee's vocal high notes at the end.

OTT! You ain't kiddin'. I can't help but think it was a kitschy send up of the most kitschy pop song ever. The part at the end with WL climbing up from behind the cake put me in stitches.

 

[howlin]

It's interesting that this came up today as I was watching this:

and this:

 

[Jamie_Funk]

Cool, all I have is iTunes downloads these days, so my knowledge of credits is large due to my memory.

I remember reading the CD booklet years ago and checking out who played bass on which tracks - Google confirmed my memory was correct

I recall wondering initially if it might have been AJ due primarily to the phaser/flnager use, but the style didn't seem like him to me. Great playing by Will on that track for sure, and its always been a fun track to play along to.

J

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I remember reading the CD booklet years ago and checking out who played bass on which tracks - Google confirmed my memory was correct

I recall wondering initially if it might have been AJ due primarily to the phaser/flnager use, but the style didn't seem like him to me. Great playing by Will on that track for sure, and its always been a fun track to play along to.

J

AJ definitely put the phase shifter/flanger on everyone’s radar when he recordedFor the Love of Money around 1973 or 74. That said, Will Lee certainly does not sound like Anthony Jackson when he uses a flanger.

 

[JimK]

never heard it or seen the bass, please do share

I would have to dig...in a '70s Downbeat, Lee was in an issue, kinda like a "new talent" page. He's pictured with his bass...modified with about 7 pickups.
He talks about that bass costing him the gig for Spectrum in early issues of Bass Player.

Crap...dug & found the Downbeat I was thinking of. April 21, 1977 with Gato on the cover. Back when they were doing 2 mags a month at 60-cents each. Anyway, not the photo I was thinking about. I am going to re-read this.
Back then, Downbeat had a Profile section. That's where this article is located.

 

[JimK]

Here's my substandard photo ability-

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Here's my substandard photo ability-
View attachment 4125528

I think I read that way back when.

 

[Alkali Ike]

It's interesting that this came up today as I was watching this:

and this:

Thanks for sharing these.

 

[consectaneus]

He's in a really good Beatles tribute band called the Fab Faux as well.