Sterling by Music Man

Hornisse · October 14, 2009, 05:08:52 PM

Burning For You sounds like a Stingray to my ears. What about the later song "Shooting Shark" which almost has slap bass on it. Sounds like the same tone as "Burning" so maybe Buck was busy again? Of course, Joe is shown again with the Black Pre EB Stingray.

Warning: More Cheesy Video Content

Hornisse · October 14, 2009, 05:20:09 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ8WjJKt6WM&feature=PlayList&p=A41EE0E57811BCD9&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=26

More Stingray w/Pick from Tom Hamilton. (Pre EB Radio Knob Stingray)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw4xJr47hRw&feature=PlayList&p=A41EE0E57811BCD9&index=27&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL

uwe · October 15, 2009, 07:20:55 AM

Quote from: Hornisse on October 14, 2009, 05:08:52 PM
Burning For You sounds like a Stingray to my ears. What about the later song "Shooting Shark" which almost has slap bass on it. Sounds like the same tone as "Burning" so maybe Buck was busy again? Of course, Joe is shown again with the Black Pre EB Stingray.

Warning: More Cheesy Video Content

I never grow tired of videos featuring scantily clad women crawling on all fours with an iguana mask and tail, but that song is once again not played by Joe Bouchard but by American Idol jury member Randy Jackson (who played similar stuff on Journey's Raised on Radio album). He was even credited on the sleeve at the time (as an old BÖC fan like me would know). I saw BÖC on the tour following Revölution by Night and Joe slapped the song live or had to - you could distinctly hear that he is no natural slapper (but a great bassist in most other ways) and that he felt uncomfortable doing it on stage. It was muffled, untidy and had none of that lightly skipping groove Randy Jackson is renowned for. Sure enough Joe left after that tour and that was pretty much the last straw that broke BÖC's back as a viable recording entity. None of the following albums would ever again reach former heights.

That said, Herr Jackson does play a Stingray, but he's also a funky finger and thumb player which - I dare say - seems to prove my point more than the contrary!

Hornisse · October 15, 2009, 07:47:07 AM

You are good Uwe! I always thought that Shooting Shark sounded like it was played by a funk player. I'll have to go check out my LP and look at the credits.

uwe · October 15, 2009, 09:02:45 AM

When I first heard the track, I was aghast. Together with the electronic drums it sounded nothing like the Bouchard rhythm section had once sounded. The whole Revölution by Night album, which has great songwriting, is marred by the electronic drums. For me at least. The dry rot had irreversibly begun to set in with that release, BÖC were chasing fashion (also bringing in outside songwriters "Eyes of Fire", good tune, but they had never been in need of outside material before).

I had no idea that such a thing as a Shooting Shark vid even existed, cheesy or not, thanks.

It's nice to have someone here to sensibly talk with about BÖC, Robert! If there ever was such a thing as a "thinking man's US hard rock band", then it was them. It's sad how they've reduced themselves to becoming a club act churning out the old hits, I read an interview with Eric Bloom comparatively recently where he was questioned about the lack of new material in the band's set list and he was quite bitter and dismissive: "The world is not waiting for a new BÖC album and neither am I." The last two albums they have done on independent labels after CBS dropped them weren't bad, but only a pale shadow of what they once were. For some reason, CBS also stopped remastering their later albums after having promisingly started with the early and middle period ones (the last one being Some Enchanted Evening as a double disc with extra tracks, recommended) - sales must have been abysmal. Not a happy band then.

Highlander · October 15, 2009, 03:23:40 PM

Imaginos is an excellent CD, too... albeit an Albert project highjacked by the label...

I saw them many times, still have the vinyl (a few on QUAD copies, and all the originals with inners, never found the 1st with one), and now, slowly getting the re-masters, only got up to Agent's so far... buying that LP when it came out on import in the UK and hearing Reaper for the 1st time still haunts me... got lots of singles, including a boot of What Is Quicksand/Arthur Comics, and a few boots, and still regretting selling the radio airplay LPs I had of 2 Hammersmith Odeon shows... (got most of them on a C90, but didn't have enough tapes handy to record the full shows... how dumb was that...!)

Anyone like me to post a few original pics from those Hammersmith shows...?

I am still in awe of Bill Gawlik's covers, but the t-shirts died years ago, had a beautiful white one that had the design covering it...

I stopped buying their records when Club Ninja came out (but got the CD at the time, and did see the tour) last time I saw them was at the disasterous Donnington gig, where it all just fell apart in the rain... so sad...

Knew about Mr Jackson... Joe's done some releases (2 I think) as a guitarist, with possibly the greatest rhythm section I wished I could have seen - Dennis D and Neil S...

Can't argue with the sadness of what they have become...

Highlander · October 15, 2009, 03:59:09 PM

STOP THE PRESS...

The Bouchard Brothers are back together in a touring band, playing a variety of BOC, Alice Cooper, and original material, called BLUE COUPE...

Why Alice material...? Dennis Dunaway is the bassplayer...

Lots of live vids on you tube, and an official site... DD's playing a lurid green Jazz (?) sounds quite good, and reputedly doing a tour in the next 12 months, internationally... already gigging in the US... found the links on the Joe Bouchard site...

Hornisse · October 15, 2009, 06:47:47 PM

Some good stuff by the old dogs! I've always liked Al's vocals. When I was a senior in High School my band covered this song with Al on vox.

uwe · October 16, 2009, 04:00:56 AM

"Al" meaning Alan Lanier or Albert Bouchard? This sounds more like Lanier to me, but I'm generally only good at picking out Bloom's, Buck's and (what I think is) Albert Bouchard's voice.

Hornisse · October 16, 2009, 12:23:03 PM

It was Al Bouchard I believe. Our drummer sang it and that is what he told me, but that was 30 + years ago.

Highlander · October 17, 2009, 01:47:12 PM

Definitely Albert...

Hornisse · October 20, 2009, 10:01:11 PM

Quote from: Hornisse on October 15, 2009, 07:47:07 AM
You are good Uwe! I always thought that Shooting Shark sounded like it was played by a funk player. I'll have to go check out my LP and look at the credits.

I listened to Cultösaurus Erectus and The Revölution By Night yesterday and there in giant letters is the credit to Randy Jackson on Shooting Shark. I don't know why I'd never noticed until you mentioned it Uwe. I guess I thought Joe was more versatile than he really was!

Chris P. · October 21, 2009, 12:15:22 AM

I wanted to come back to the 'Ray 34 and how she sounds, but I'm too late I guess. Other topics...

Highlander · October 21, 2009, 03:51:05 PM

Ray...? No, it was Randy...

Denis · October 29, 2009, 06:14:01 AM

I love me some BÖC! Listening to "Spectres" at the moment. Years ago I saw them with Rush in the Greensboro Auditoreum which at the time sat around 9000 people. Each of the times I've seen them after that were in smaller venues holding maybe 300-400 people at most. One of those, at Lincoln Theater in Raleigh, NC, was terrific because they pretty much dropped their regular playlists and except for some big hits, played stuff they had mostly quit playing live.