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Who's the daddy? Richard Sinclair, that's who

I

IzzyStradlin

Dec 29, 2010
12
0
#1
Hi all

This is my first post, and I joined solely to discuss this guy tbh. I just started out listening to the Canterbury Scene bands (Caravan mainly, and some solo stuff by Richard Sinclair).

Anyway, to the point. Anyone heard the song Nine Feet Underground from In The Land Of Grey And Pink? The bassline kicks butt!

Anyone have any opinions on the guy? Trivia? Hopefully, tabs or notes?
 
#2
Ah, finally, a man after my own heart! Richard is indeed an extraordinary artist--a magnificent vocalist and my favorite bassist bar none. His lines are always tastefully elegant, always musically interesting, and always compellingly complex without being gratuitously so. But probably because he is not the "lead bassist", rock god type of player and played in bands that many have barely heard of, you won't find him mentioned much on this site. Like so many other superb, original players from the golden age of Prog rock (eg. Ray Shulman, Hugh Hopper, Mont Campbell, John Greaves, Roy Babbington), he tends to get overshadowed here by the likes of G. Lee and C. Squire, with their, dare I say, more obvious charms.

If you like Richard's playing, you should get to know his work in Hatfield and the North, a criminally underappreciated band and Richard's finest hour. Also, check out the other great Canterbury-type bands--eg. Soft Machine, Egg, Gilgamesh, Gentle Giant, Henry Cow. A world of wonderment awaits you!

I believe Richard now lives in Italy, still plays and composes, and occasionally gigs with his old mates from his various 70s bands, using his same heavily modded Jazz bass. He does have a website, I think.

For now, here's a taste of Richard and the Hatfield boys at their best:
 
#3
bassobrutto said:
Like so many other superb, original players from the golden age of Prog rock (eg. Ray Shulman, Hugh Hopper, Mont Campbell, John Greaves, Roy Babbington), he tends to get overshadowed here by the likes of G. Lee and C. Squire, with their, dare I say, more obvious charms.
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Okay, so now I'm gonna have to go Google "Mont Campbell", because everyone else you just named* have been involved in some of my favorite musics ever...and yet I don't recognize that name at all.







* except for Lee.
 
#4
You may need to look up "Dirk Campbell," since he changed his name after the '70s. He's definitely one of a kind. Was originally the bassist with Egg, another Canterbury type band (Dave Stewart on keys), then took time off to get a degree in French horn and composition at the Royal College of Music. Returned to the fold in the early incarnations of National Health (with Hatfield and North alumni Stewart, Pip Pyle, Phil Miller), before bolting the scene again (replaced by Neil Murray and then John Greaves in NH). He has been active in the time since, but not notably successful. He has two solo albums out, one from 1996 and one last year. They are basically his own very eclectic version of "world music", where he plays about 5,000 different instruments from as many different countries. The guy is just a phenomenally talented musician. Brilliant composer--he wrote most of the Egg stuff and most of the early National Health stuff (on CD Missing Pieces). And an extravagantly talented bassist, of course.
 
#6
Lotta heavyweight names being tossed around in this thread :cool:

Here's John Greaves playing with National Health. Interesting J-bass mod. Check out the "silverware solo" at 2:31



/rick
 
#7
Another name *not* mentioned above (but worthy of imo) is Bill MacCormick, originally with Robert Wyatt's Matching Mole and later with Phil Manzanera in Quiet Sun and 801.



/rick
 
#8
Good call! I guess what I like most about this kind of music is its playfulness and its sheer wit. While it requires extraordinary talent to compose and play this stuff, the composers and players are sublimely uninterested in commercial success and refuse to take themselves too seriously, unlike, say, the members of Yes, Rush, KC, PF, ELP, and Genesis. And Richard Sinclair epitomises this sophisticated but delightfully carefree approach to music-making.
 
#9
Haha, I guess my n00b status just became official. Tragically, I've actively heard NONE of the artists mentioned here. I grew up listening to John Paul Jones, John Illsley (of Dire Straits fame), Roger Waters and all the more popular ones. Of late, Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree has been the guy who tipped the scales in favor of me going out and buying a bass.
But you can bet on what I'll be youtubing about the next few days.
Btw, that Hatfield and the North song was a joyous listen!
 
#11
Totally agree about Bill on Team Spirit--superb, and a performance he apparently rates highly himself. In case people haven't seen it, here's a great interview with him, covering almost all of the old ground, and his various involvements with Wyatt, Matching Mole, Gong etc.
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Izzy--nothing noob about it. You obviously have wonderfully refined tastes and instincts!
 
#12
bassobrutto said:
I guess what I like most about this kind of music is its playfulness and its sheer wit. While it requires extraordinary talent to compose and play this stuff, the composers and players are sublimely uninterested in commercial success and refuse to take themselves too seriously, unlike, say, the members of Yes, Rush, KC, PF, ELP, and Genesis.
Click to expand...

I definitely agree re: the playfullness & wit; one of the things I love about the Canterbury bands was that they all seemed to have a sense of humor.

And while I don't necessarily think the members of Yes et al took themselves too seriously, they definitely took themselves seriously!

Another difference: Most of the musicians in the Canterbury bands could read music, and I think this informs their stance and separates them from the more popular (and, ironically, more serious) prog bands.
 
#13
Hoover said:
Another difference: Most of the musicians in the Canterbury bands could read music, and I think this informs their stance and separates them from the more popular (and, ironically, more serious) prog bands.
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If I recall correctly from a Facelift mag interview, Richard Sinclair isn't a reader or felt a bit inferior to jazzers like Phil Miller or Pip Pyle, his bandmates in Hatfield & The North. I have to check.

Dave Stewart also has stated that he didn't like the "free" approach some of the musicians favoured and that was the reason why National Health split, or John Greaves, Pip Pyle and Phil Miller continued with the returning Alan Gowen.

Speaking of National Health: Neil Murray does some excellent playing on their first album, on fretted and fretless bass.


E: Check out this excellent resource:
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#14
Wow. In The Land Of Grey And Pink. Greatest Album Ever? Quite possibly.

I have this habit, which annoys those around me no end, to keep a song on repeat. For days. Weeks on a few occasions. In the case of Krwlng (Linkin Park!), months. "Winter Wine" has just become that song which will now be heard till every nuance is internalized inside me.

Also, has anyone heard Caravan of Dreams? Richard Sinclair singing "Keep on caring"? This, to me, is what music is all about. Sort of gives you the whole "I'm on this journey called life, with my music alongside me, wondering about life, origins, ends, meanings, and enjoying the view along the way...." Hard to put into words.
 
#15
I used to own "Caravan Of Dreams", dunno why I lost it. His "R.S.V.P" is good too with great "What's Rattlin'" song partly about Mike Ratledge.

He apparently used a fretless Hagström bass (Super Swede perhaps?) during his stint with Camel (1977-1979). I recall only the pic on "A Live Record", a red bass with a black pickguard.

Apart from that I've seen him only with the natural Jazz Bass he converted into fretless and replaced the front PU with a P-pickup.

Here's some pics:

In it's "original" form (probably stripped) in 1973:
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From the Camel days, still fretted but with the pickup mod and the Hagström bass (?) on a stand:
3439185382_878395ea5e.png


Frets away:
11tbbmg.jpg


A new fretboard?:
062306_0048_full.jpg
 
#16
Aaahh, not posted here in years, but now there is a Richard Sinclair thread...:)

I've been trying to get as close as I can to his sound for years but never quite nailed it.

IIRC he used to have a black Fender Jazz with matching headstock back in the day.

Time for a nice cup of tea....
 
#18
PhR said:
Hmmm, never seen him with one but his predecessor in Camel, Doug Ferguson, definitely played one.
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I saw Doug with Camel and his Jazz playing at a student hall in Bristol just after the release of their first album. They played their hearts out to about 40 cross legged, slightly stoned, punters. They were FANTASTIC. They also played an encore of Arubaluba (spelling?) Happy daze.....
 
#20
Bring on the Love! Richard caught my ear with Hatfield's lp's,and i had to hear more,his recordings with Caravan were great,and the Camel lp rain dances,i thought was their best effort. A superb,effortless-sounding bassist,who always played interesting,intricate lines,and a great vocalist to boot,he is one of my favorite musicians from this period.
And meanwhile another favorite was making equally great music in Germany,Helmutt Hattler of Kraan,but that's a subject for its own thread.
 

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