The Last Bass Outpost

This came out recently as a boxed set, four CDs (i) remaster (ii) Steven Wilson remix (iii) Outtakes & Alternatives (iv) live material from the Tech Ecs Tour.



I always had a soft spot for that album (I'm one of those weirdos that prefers everything from Master Of Reality onward to the first two albums) and if you appreciated its strengths like I did, then this new release is a treasure trove for you. The remaster is excellent, but the Steven Wilson remix dwarfs it, you've never heard the intricacies of Geezer's playing like on that recording and what Wilson has done is also bring out the keyboards prevalent on the album (but not very audible on the original mix). Believe it or not: Sabbath with keyboards sounds real good and all mighty, on Dirty Women even a bit like Deep Purple, never a bad thing! 

For some reason, the remix (CD2) cannot be found on YouTube though. But CD3 (also mixed by Steven Wilson) can be found and that contains alternative versions of some songs like you've never heard before. Such as All Moving Parts Stand Still with an early Sabbath style harmonica and a funky clavinet by Gerald Woodruffe (19:06) and She's Gone without the orchestral arrangement but with Ward's drums and Geezer's nifty bass playing plus Woodruffe's mellotron chorale (25:50). "Black Sabbath goes Deep Purple" version of Dirty Women is at 30:49. Très lovely all of it.

Rob mad me aware of his passing in the Golden Earring thread, but I did not want to turn that into an obituary.

Alan was one of my early (and lasting) influences, he was my favorite Quo member with his no-nonsense attitude, the 'tache, curly hair and small but muscular frame. His insistent pick downstroke style in eights with lots of octave slides up and down plus the melodic parts he would always slip in were something I patterned my bass playing after. Other influences would come over time, but Alan was there first. I also liked his singing (of which he did a lot more in the 70ies when he sang live the lion's share of material with Rossi and Parfitt singing mostly the singles). The NME once quipped while reviewing Quo's 'Live!' album (where most songs are sung by Alan): "Rossi has a fine pop voice, but the other guy who sings with him (meaning Lancaster) would have a hard time getting a job with Bachman Turner Overdrive."





Bass playing-wise, a good example for his isdiosyncratic style is this here here at 3:52 and 5:00.



Pummel that Mustang in eternity, Alan!

... Dusty to dust. 



Thanks for all that great music, Joe Michael. Those stubby little fingers got a great tone.

Alas!, environmental protection can be taxing!

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/06/california-condors-endangered-birds-tehachapi

Do you ever have that? Mishear lyrics in an embarrassing way? Forever (no pun intended) I thought the chorus here was "Reverend Blue Jeans". 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQLWF_ItzYs&list=RDQQLWF_ItzYs&start_radio=1

Worse still, when I sang along to the song today in the car, of course I sang "Reverend" again, I know better, but it has become ingrained.


Another one of my howlers was to misconstrue (no doubt in an adolescent, oversexed, but underf***ed Über-projection) "Ashen Lady, Ashen Lady - give up your vows" (at 2:57)



as "I should have laid ya, I should have made ya give up your vows ...".  My only defense is that Alan Lancaster kinda sang it that way (at 12:38) in Quo's version. Darn Limey confused me!

With his flavor for big arrangements he'll do plenty fine with the heavenly choir. And remember: There can never be too much multitracked voices, grand piano tinkling and harmony guitar!

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/20/jim-steinman-dies-hitmaker-meat-loaf-celine-dion

Hopefully some bad girls up there too.



It's funny, I only bought his solo album Bad for Good and the Original Sin album last week at the spur of a moment.

Of course, those albums all are Meat Loaf albums without Meat Loaf, but Jim Steinman without Meat Loaf still sounded better than Meat Loaf without Jim Steinman.



And I would have liked to have heard Def Leppard's Hysteria had they let him finish it instead of calling Mutt Lange to the rescue. That would have been flawed, but grandiose. Mutt Lange, otoh, was flaw- and heartless on that production job.

RIP, you OTT master of grand cheese and sometimes very poignant lyricist.

youtube.com/watch?v=3jPMv9zJ1LE&list=RD3jPMv9zJ1LE&index=1