mjp, I read Bass Culture after reading your post and I'm really glad I did. Fascinating read. The most coherent explanation of Rasta I've read, too. I think I'll skip the Cruise bio and find a good one on Bob Marley instead, though. Any suggestions?
Last CD you bought/ Book you read
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The Beatles recorded 212 album tracks from 1962-1970 (187 originals and 25 covers). This does exclude outtakes and all, but those run the gamut from mainly '65-'69; over the operational lifetime of several basses (not to say that they were beat after that; they were just used during very discrete periods with the Beatles).
Most of these tracks had bass parts, but not all (Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, She's Leaving Home, Revolution 9, Julia and Mother Nature's Son are examples off the top of my head). The, there were tracks such as Hey Jude, on which George played the Fender Bass VI and Let it Be, on which John played Fender Jazz bass. Let's say, for the sake of argument (we love those!), that 200 had McCartney bass tracks.
From Please Please Me through Help! (I'm including singles and EPs in these ranges), McCartney used a Hofner "violin bass" exclusively (he had two; a '61 and a '63 that differed mainly by pickup placement). They cut 85 album tracks in this period.
On Rubber Soul, McCartney used the Hofner on perhaps half the tracks, so there's 8 more for the Hofner. His Rickenbacker 4001S was used on the rest (say 7 tracks). From Revolver through Magical Mystery Tour, he used the Rick exclusively except perhaps for Paperback Writer and Rain, on which it has been hypothesized that he used a Nu-Sonic bass. Still, not a Hofner. During the Revolver - Mystery Tour period, they cut 63 album tracks.
On the White Album, McCartney used a fiar bit of Fender Jazz bass as well as his Rick. Let's say that 25 of these had Paul on bass on a non-Hofner. THat put's us at the end of 1968 in a dead heat:
85 on Hofner, 85 not on Hofner.
On to Let it Be, where we'll assume Paul used the Hofner on 9 of 11 tracks (John played bass on the title track and The Long and Winding Road is a real ?). On the final 20 tracks, we need to leave out Her Majesty, so let's divide the track up to 8 Hofner and 11 Rick.
That's a final tally of 102 tracks with Hofner and 96 on The Rick 4001S, Fender Jazz and Nu-Sonic. Just working off the top of my head (except for the total number of album cuts), that gets me to 198. Not too bad considering my initial estimate of 200.
So, to quote Bill Clinton: "Define just about all." ;)
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
In Ian McDonald's book about the Beatles, 'Revolution in the Head - The Beatles'Records and the Sixties', in which he goes through all their songs, it says Paul played bass on 'Hey Jude', and George lead guitar. However, it does say John played bass on 'Let It Be'. Of course, McDonald could be wrong about who played bass on 'Hey Jude'.
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I don't buy that. There is no lead guitar on Hey Jude, just rhythm parts. Paul played piano, and laid down a bass track on August 1, 1968 that was scrapped in favor of an extra string part from the orchestral work (source: Mark Lewisohn, 1988. The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions.) Lewisohn was the recording engineer for almost all of the Beatles stuff after Rubber Soul.
Lewisohn does not indicate where the bass part comes from, but if you watch the "live broadcast" with all the hippies and such, George is playing the Fender Bass VI, John the Epiphone Casino, and Paul the piano. The problem here is that it appears that the bulk of the music in that performance is a lip-synch; and George had no real part in what was recorded or being recorded during that session, so he played the bass.
Whether he was actually playing it or not is unknown, but it looks as if he was. Whether that was recorded then is another story. But just listening to the bass part on Hey Jude tells me, with pretty good certainty, that Paul did not do it. Too root-based; no real melodic movement, and the sound is not that of a Rick or a Fender Jazz.
Of course, I could be totally full of crap.
Lewisohn does not indicate where the bass part comes from, but if you watch the "live broadcast" with all the hippies and such, George is playing the Fender Bass VI, John the Epiphone Casino, and Paul the piano. The problem here is that it appears that the bulk of the music in that performance is a lip-synch; and George had no real part in what was recorded or being recorded during that session, so he played the bass.
Whether he was actually playing it or not is unknown, but it looks as if he was. Whether that was recorded then is another story. But just listening to the bass part on Hey Jude tells me, with pretty good certainty, that Paul did not do it. Too root-based; no real melodic movement, and the sound is not that of a Rick or a Fender Jazz.
Of course, I could be totally full of crap.
mjp
Founding member
Yikes. I've been reading about Marley for 30 years and surprisingly, I don't think a really good bio has been written yet.
Timothy White's Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley was first, but like the first major Bukowski bio (Cherkovsky's), it's not entirely accurate. I guess for an overall picture in a single book I'd go with Stephen Davis' bio, Bob Marley, but I think it's out of print. Looks like it has been retitled: Bob Marley: Conquering Lion of Reggae.
I would stay away from the books by people who knew him - Rita Marley, Don Taylor - unless you plan on reading every book you can find.
I don't have the recording sessions book, but when I was reading the Beatles Gear book, it seemed like every recording description ended with; "...and Paul played the Hofner bass." But that was just an impression.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
I see! - Lewisohn's book ranks among the very best books about The Beatles'recordings, as far as I know. I've often thought about buying it.
Apparently, it does contain some errors. Here's part of a review on Amazon:
"Addictive, but in dire need of revision, September 20, 2006
By Chris Federico (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
I can't give it all five stars, due to the errors that could have easily been corrected between the first edition and this (fourth?) one -- new things have come to light since the book's initial appearance, thanks to the Anthology episodes and the great book, Recording the Beatles.
Much of the information in this book is erroneous, although nothing more was known as of 1988. So it's not a bad job; it's just out of date. The sheer work and research involved deserves a revision, and not just a reprint to cash in on the recurrent waves of Beatles interest.
One little problem is that Mark doesn't seem to know much about the writing or recording of music; he often uses confusing terminology that doesn't quite fit (he seems misguided about what a middle eight is, for instance, and has no idea what the difference is between an "overdub" and an "edit piece").
When he tries to interject his own opinion -- which isn't indicated in a book of nonfiction data like this -- he's often comically out of line. One instance that stands out is when he claims that "Martha My Dear" is not about Paul's sheepdog. It obviously is (not only judging from Paul's comments, but also considering that lyrics like "Hold your head up, you silly girl" were certainly not written about a human being!)."
- Lewisohn has also written a much larger book about The Beatles, including the recording sessions, but it seems to be out of print judging from the inflated prices Amazon sellers offers it for. The title is:
"The Complete Beatles Chronicle: The Only Definitive guide to the Beatles' entire career on stage, in the studio, on radio, TV, film and video"
- 365 pages, 2006.
- And then he wrote this one too. I wonder which one of the three books one should buy. It seems like this one is about the recordings only:
"The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962-1970"
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Hey Bukfan: You are correct about the Lewisohn errors. Apparently The Lads weren't the only ones burning funky shit back in the day.
Just to let you know, your citation of
is the same book that Chris Federico was writing about. At least as far as I can tell. That's the book I was citing from Lewisohn.
I go by what Lewisohn wrote and what my ears tell me. If Paul McCartney played bass on the Hey Jude track, I'll eat my hat. The bass part totally smacks of that on She Said She Said, which was likely also played by George as Paul has a hissy fit about something and stormed out of the studio as the Beatles continued recording.
Listen to She Said She Said and tell me if the bass part sounds anything like other McCartney lines from the Rubber Soul/Revolver/Pepper period.
Just to let you know, your citation of
is the same book that Chris Federico was writing about. At least as far as I can tell. That's the book I was citing from Lewisohn.
I go by what Lewisohn wrote and what my ears tell me. If Paul McCartney played bass on the Hey Jude track, I'll eat my hat. The bass part totally smacks of that on She Said She Said, which was likely also played by George as Paul has a hissy fit about something and stormed out of the studio as the Beatles continued recording.
Listen to She Said She Said and tell me if the bass part sounds anything like other McCartney lines from the Rubber Soul/Revolver/Pepper period.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
I'll give 'She Said She Said' a listen. I'm not a McCartney bass specialist, but maybe I can tell the difference between that song and the other songs from the Rubber Soul/Revolver/Pepper period anyway.
I see! It seems like he's published 2-3 books about The Beatles'recordings. I gather some of the books are just augmented or updated versions of his first book.
I see! It seems like he's published 2-3 books about The Beatles'recordings. I gather some of the books are just augmented or updated versions of his first book.
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mjp
Founding member
The sound is the same, but that's thanks to the engineer Geoff Emerick I suppose. Revolver is the record that really brought out the bass for the first time. For me.
But that isn't McCartney playing. I don't know if he could have played that part. He was not what I'd call an economical bass player. ;)
Book to read
Just a quick post here. Driving home from work one day I heard this author being interviewed on the radio. It blew my fuckin' mind and I knew I had to read her book. I wasn't disappointed. The author's name is Xinran and the book is called The Good Women Of China.
Just a quick post here. Driving home from work one day I heard this author being interviewed on the radio. It blew my fuckin' mind and I knew I had to read her book. I wasn't disappointed. The author's name is Xinran and the book is called The Good Women Of China.
Gerard K H Love
Appreciate your friends
Let's see some evidence, pictures, credits on album jackets or something. I know have Paul McCartney log in and verify.
you're James Jamerson?
sweet. but you're whiter than I expected.
sweet. but you're whiter than I expected.
Gerard K H Love
Appreciate your friends
Okay, Motown that's better than the Beatles. I liked all of that stuff from the sixties to into the eighties.
Did you play with Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Stevie Wonder or Rick James? Wow I just saw Rick James on the list and that makes Slimedog make some sense.
Did you play with Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Stevie Wonder or Rick James? Wow I just saw Rick James on the list and that makes Slimedog make some sense.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
So was Michael Jackson. :D
M
Mulnix
Al Stewart's Greatest Hits/ The Shotgun Rule by Charlie Huston
Yeah, I played with all those cats-I'm not James Jamerson, though my first name is James ( Paul Mccartney's first name is James, also, Paul is his middle name) so anyways I went by Jim Jimerson.
B
BicycleTragedy
You used to play with Husker Du and The Replacements? That is fucking awesome.
Have you read Geoff Emerick's Here There and Everywhere? Someone gave it to me recently and I wasn't expecting much but I was very impressed. I felt he didn't pull any punches. I thought it was a very insightful, down to earth read.
It is, indeed, sometimes...quite awesome to be alive.
Personally, I like "Books About UFOs."
mjp
Founding member
In prehistoric times, yes.
Yep. It's one of the best Beatle books out there.
to counteract the effect of spending a week in Disney World with my in-laws, I brought along an 800 page Beckett bio.
I'm not finished yet, but it's extremely well done. one of the most detailed, comprehensive bios I've read on anybody.
I'm not finished yet, but it's extremely well done. one of the most detailed, comprehensive bios I've read on anybody.
nervas
more crickets than friends
I Slept with Joey Ramone. I just finished this book a couple of days ago. I have read every book ever released on the Ramones and have only liked a few, but the most recent two were excellent. The first one written by Mickey Leigh(Joey's younger brother) and Legs Mcneil(Co-founder of Punk magazine) really gives you a different point of view. Tells much more about Joey's youth than any other Ramones book. I'm sure most fans know Joey was diagnosed with OCD as a teen, but this book really details all the struggles he went through growing up with OCD.
The second one, Poisoned Heart, I Married Dee Dee Ramone by Vera Ramone(Dee Dee's first wife,) I finished about 2 months ago. Another great book that tells a lot of the same but some new stories about Dee Dee Ramone and the gang! Check em out, both awesome! Also, I think Mickey should have gone with the original title intended, which was I Slept with Joey Ramone and his Mother Too! Maybe, publisher made him change it.
Now I await Johnny's memoir, which is said to have been completed at the time of his death. It was then put into the hands of Henry Rollins to edit, complete? It probably won't give much new insight, but since it was usually everyone else talking about what a demanding tyrant Johnny was, I'm interested to see his side of things.
The second one, Poisoned Heart, I Married Dee Dee Ramone by Vera Ramone(Dee Dee's first wife,) I finished about 2 months ago. Another great book that tells a lot of the same but some new stories about Dee Dee Ramone and the gang! Check em out, both awesome! Also, I think Mickey should have gone with the original title intended, which was I Slept with Joey Ramone and his Mother Too! Maybe, publisher made him change it.
Now I await Johnny's memoir, which is said to have been completed at the time of his death. It was then put into the hands of Henry Rollins to edit, complete? It probably won't give much new insight, but since it was usually everyone else talking about what a demanding tyrant Johnny was, I'm interested to see his side of things.
Digney in Burnaby
donkeys live a long time
Leaving Las Vegas by John O'Brien.
Big Sur by Jack Kerouac.
I preferred Las Vegas. A drunk with a better handle on his drinking. Okay, that's sarcasm. Sad story about O'Brien's life.
Big Sur by Jack Kerouac.
I preferred Las Vegas. A drunk with a better handle on his drinking. Okay, that's sarcasm. Sad story about O'Brien's life.
last month during my book purge, I set aside a pile of my wife's books to get her yea or nay on keeping them. she's not as attached to them as I am, but god forbid I touch her Margaret Atwood's!
anyway, I held the Mosley book up and she said "That's a good one. It's about drinking and philosophy. You should read it."
I've had read a couple of his mystery novels in the past, and liked them. I thought this was a mystery also, but it's not.
it's quite good. it's a very European novel by a very American writer. it reminded me quite a bit of Elie Wiesel's The Judges.
anyway, I highly recommend it.
Hosh
hoshomccreesh.com
Recently:
Ballad of the Sad Cafe - Carson McCullers
Shoplifting From American Apparel - Tao Lin
The Dead - James Joyce
Stories II - Scott McClannahan
Waylaid - Ed Lin
And the best book I have ever read about trying to be a writer:
On Becoming a Novelist - John Gardner
In progress:
Day of the Locust - Nathanel West
May Day - F. Scott Fitz.
Ballad of the Sad Cafe - Carson McCullers
Shoplifting From American Apparel - Tao Lin
The Dead - James Joyce
Stories II - Scott McClannahan
Waylaid - Ed Lin
And the best book I have ever read about trying to be a writer:
On Becoming a Novelist - John Gardner
In progress:
Day of the Locust - Nathanel West
May Day - F. Scott Fitz.
mjp
Founding member
I read a couple of his books, and that shit was cute for 30 or 40 pages, then it wore thin pretty quickly. I can't even put my finger on it, I just had a bad feeling after reading them. Like a sick feeling I'd just done something stupid. Pissed on a bum or something. Wasted my time.
And I should say that I thoroughly enjoy wasting time. I excel at it, in fact. But I would never piss on a bum. I would piss on an outlaw poet. Just to see how outlaw they really were.
I am drinking V8. I am not on acid.
