Re: Music videos that feature Gibson EB-2 and Epi Rivoli basses...

[Dave W]

Not sure it still counts towards your hipster cred if your son  left them with you when he moved out for school. 

[uwe]

Not sure it still counts towards your hipster cred if your son  left them with you when he moved out for school. 

I'm afraid that my son's judgement about The Smiths/Morrissey would have been extremely damning irrespective whether you would have asked him during his Right Said Fred, Eminem, Korn, White Stripes, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Mötley Crüe, Towers of London, Cinderella, Led Zeppelin, Gary Clarke Junior, Leadbelly or Son House phase. The one thing he has never had a taste for is Brit Indie and Brit Pop or Rock. "Too sexless, pimply-shoegazerish, emo and lacking true mojo" he'd say. Pretty much the only thing comparatively recently Brit that finds grace with him is the Baby Shambles/Pete Doherty. With very few exceptions, he prefers American music (or music by Brits trying to sound American) to British music.

BTO find grace with him btw for their ability to write a catchy three chord riff (as in You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet). Though Lou Reed would probably take issue with the term "write" and point to his own Sweet Jane which preceded BTO's hit quite a bit.

[dadagoboi]

Chas Chandler

[uwe]

Great singer. There is something about young Burdon's look that always reminds me of Russell Crowe. Or vice versa.

[Alanko]

I like a lot of '80s  goth music, such as Bauhaus, Fields of the Nephilim, Einsturzende Neubauten, Killing Joke and co. I have absolutely no love for Morrissey whatsoever, and only limited patience for anything The Smiths ever recorded. Morrissey seems like a delusional stageschool kid who thinks that a few campy Dickensian mannerisms offer a usable substitute to actual intellect. There is a reason he is enduringly popular in Latin countries where English is the 2nd or 3rd language; he sounds intelligent as long as you don't actually focus in on the words, and his weird pompy vocal delivery make it sound like he has something important to say. You cock your head to one side and deliver your pointless hyperbole in a sneering and aloof manner, so therefore you must be smart, right?

The problem, for me, is that homosexuality is now so commonly accepted in the UK that you aren't in any sort of direct opposition to anything if you happen to mince around a bit and wear a tight shirt. Nobody is really judging you for that, and actually a lot of heterosexual guys dress the same way Morrissey did in the '80s. What is the big deal? Old Smiths videos look like bad pantomime, with Morrissey flaunting this disturbingly crass poofter image, all whilst resolutely denying any form of homosexuality and maintaining celibacy. To me that reeks of a weird form of gay-sploitation; adopting all the effete mannerisms your chuntering homophobic Dad was angry at purely to present yourself as a credible 'musician in opposition' to flog a few records? That shit has aged badly. At the end of the day I don't really care about 'crashing bores' or rough working men's clubs, so Morrissey's solo works do nothing for me either.

Johnny Marr was the real brains of that outfit, but I don't think he could come up with a good guitar tone if you put a gun to his head.

[Granny Gremlin]

Yeah, not gonna defend Morrissey too much, but his lyrics (at least during The Smiths era), were hilarious and not stupid at all - there I will disagree with you.  By comparison most goth/industrial is really on the nose, which is kinda part of the schtick.  I had his stuff beaten in to me as all the older kids at camp/scouts loved him and played him incessantly on the beach boombox (I remember the year Kill Uncle came out rather well - the local tour stop was in the middle of camp and so many kids wanted to go that they actually let them drive back to the city for it... and then they all wore out thweir concert shirts by wearing them every day for the next 2 weeks, out on bivuak and all; pine sap never washes out guys).  It wasn't until later that I was able to tell the songs apart.  I agree the production is tragically unimaginative for the most part (though some people, including audio engineeers, love it - why I dunno.... maybe because it is so clean and tidy, if a bit ball-less).  Never really into it except for a short period when I discovered Marr's flourishes and started listening to the lyrics.  The best ofs get a spin every now and again

[Alanko]

Steve Swallow, and a sad story:



Steve rips it up on this bass. From TDPRI:

Keep in mind that this was when I was 24 and much dumber than I am now, BUT I had Steve Swallow's first electric bass, a 1962 Gibson eb-2. Over the years, he had customized the electronics and tried some weird prototype pickups and it was pretty far from original when I got it for $500. It was a great bass, though.

We were doing a show opening for the Boo Radleys and it was a packed house, very exciting. At the end, I threw the bass way up into the sky. As it came down a light caught my eye and it went right by my outstretched hand and sheared the headstock completely off. Our drummer was in the middle of knocking over his kit as well and people were screaming and cheering. The headstock could have easily been repaired, but I'm afraid I picked up the bass and destroyed it. Kindling.

Jazz history has never been one of my big passions, I'm afraid.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bad-dog-cafe/597280-have-you-ever-smashed-guitar-onstage.html

[Granny Gremlin]

Looks like 2 model 1s in there.

Dirtier tone than one would expect for that sort of music; wicked run tho.

[amptech]

That's a really nice clip! That is a dirty bass sound - but fits nicely in the music somehow.

[Alanko]

I'm guessing that sound is flats and amp dirt? Dirt doesn't seem a big component in jazz bass circles so it was nice to hear! You can also tell Steve is following the changes with the vibes player, which is also fascinating to hear.

[gearHed289]

Cool clip. I'm guessing flats too. I often cite Steve Swallow when people start throwing around that silly "bass players shouldn't use a pick" nonsense. Last time I saw him (probably early 90s) he was playing a Parker Fly. In fact, I think that's the first time I ever saw one.

[Dave W]

Not a video, but take a look at who's playing an EB-2 or Rivoli here

[doombass]

Stone Temple Pilots - Plush:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5UOC0C0x8Q&list=RDV5UOC0C0x8Q

[Granny Gremlin]

Oh lord.  The (I have coined a new genre: grunge prog) band across the hall plays that one ALL. THE. TIME.  I was sick of it back in high school.

[Alanko]

A lot of that '90s Grunge stuff sounds the same. A lot of the videos look the same as well. Why are the colours always pumped like that?

I wager that EB-2 never went anywhere near the studio when they were cutting that track! One of those songs I've heard but never known who was responsible.

On the topic of miming...

Noel Redding:



Glen Cornick:



Suzi Quatro: