The Last Bass Outpost
Main Forums => The Outpost Cafe => Topic started by: Pilgrim on April 19, 2017, 07:09:28 PM
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Sitting at home watching the Moody Blues at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000. I reaffirmed an existing opinion....
John Lodge is an absolute master as a bass player. In the pocket, driving the music, always in place and on time. In the last few numbers he has played otherwise identical sunburst Fender Jazz basses, one fretless and one fretted. There was also what looked like a black Tacoma acoustic on one number. His stuff is deceptively difficult, and always tasteful.
He is probably one of the most underrated bass players of the past 50 years. No one has written music quite like the Moody Blues, and at their concerts I see fans from 12 to 70.
In fact, I learned they will be in Denver June 20, and I'm in the process of buying tickets right now. I think it will be the sixth time I've seen them, dating back to about 1968.
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I agree about Lodge being way underrated. The Story in Your Eyes has one of my favorite basslines to play.
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Yup. And I'll bet every one of us can hear in our heads that bass background from the intro of Nights in White Satin, and the flute solo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9muzyOd4Lh8
It's also remarkable how well Justin Hayward's voice has held up.
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I saw them in Austin in 1999. Fantastic show!
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His last solo outing was only comparatively recently:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXO_nmX6IEo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzhFKYZh7aA
My choice of favorite Moodys song is a strange one, can't explain it other than that my older brother had the single and I dug it a lot as a 10-year-old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xbpgmJCxT8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrWTftmfe6Q