Sloppy fretless playing - isolated bass track

[Aussie Mark]

 

Seriously, this is awesome

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/deconstructing_gimme_shelter_listen/

[Freuds_Cat]

@#$%^&*!!  I cant see/hear any of these until I get home from work. I'm a big fan of Wyman and am one of the believers who think he is greatly underated.

[Denis]

Wow, that's great!!!

[Hornisse]

Works perfectly with the track!  Charlie Watts is one swinging drummer too.

[dadagoboi]

Wasn't aware this was played on a fretless, is it documented somewhere?  Nothing in 'Stone Alone ' that mentions it IIRC.  Great song and track.

[Hornisse]

He used that "home made" fretless bass on a lot of the early Stone's records.  Not sure what it was before he cut down the body and removed the frets.

[Dave W]

I don't think this is sloppy and it doesn't sound like his fretless playing.

IIRC he has said that the homemade fretless he used on some of his earlier work was a no-name Japanese bass. The frets rattled so he pulled them.

[Aussie Mark]

i don't think that was particularly bad.

My thread title was tongue in cheek.  I think it's great playing actually

[Aussie Mark]

IIRC he has said that the homemade fretless he used on some of his earlier work was a no-name Japanese bass. The frets rattled so he pulled them.

In one of his books that I have ("Rolling With The Stones") he says that he continued to use the defretted bass on studio recordings for many years even after he switched to the Framus/Mustang/Dan Armstrong/EB-3/Steinberger live.

[Freuds_Cat]

Wyman is an amazingly accesible correspondant. A few years ago I emailed him after reading Stone Alone for no other reason than to let him know that I enjoyed the book and and that I was wondering when he would follow it up with the next book continuing on from Brians death.

He is known to be quite pedantic about replying to all letters sent to him and sure enough he not only replied but got into a two way conversation with me over 3 emails about ghost writers and their merits and failings actually mentioning names which was pretty interesting. He asked questions about me and my life and eventually promised that his son Stephen who runs his office would make sure that I was made aware when the new book became available.
I was notified and was very happily surprised to find that when my copy arrived (I did order and pay like anyone else) it was signed by Bill which I did not ask for.

[Highlander]

Something to add to the family heirlooms...

[Dave W]

In one of his books that I have ("Rolling With The Stones") he says that he continued to use the defretted bass on studio recordings for many years even after he switched to the Framus/Mustang/Dan Armstrong/EB-3/Steinberger live.

So this track could have been done on it, and maybe it was. It still sounds more like his fretted playing to me.

As always, I could be wrong.

[Chaser001]

I've always liked Bill Wyman's playing very much.  I've never understood why he doesn't get more credit. 

[uwe]

No one whose first name isn't Mick (J.) or Keith ever gets any credit with the Stones. Brian, the other Mick (T.), Ron and Bill learned the hard way. Charlie is the one possible exception, but then he gets to punch Mick J.!

[Deathshead]

Im beginning to think more and more that short scales sound a bit meaner than 34" basses.....

whats the deal with the high end ring/overtones in many of these 60s isolated bass recordings?.