The Kinks

bob_atherton · Post by **bob_atherton** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:31 am

I think You Really Got Me came out in '64, maybe as late as '65, but not '66. I thought Chris Squire was working in a store at the time, could have even been Rose Morris and liked the bass so much he bought one.

grayk · Post by **grayk** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:52 am

Do you want me to name names Ronn ? It seems to be the case with a number of conversations I have had over the years. People who know of The Beatles, know a lot of their popular catalogue but dont "hear" the musicianship as we do. I had a conversation with a drummer (who should know better)on Saturday night about McCartney. This guy is big into prog rock with Yes and Rush being his favourite bands. He seemed startled when I said about Mac being a great player. His reaction was "What McCartney a good bass player?" He doesnt get that if a bass player isnt full on in the mix and clanking like CS and Geddy they cant be good ! I love both CS and Geddy and that upfront bass sound, but I also love bass players that play melodically and with finesse like McCartney and Jamerson. I have shouted up for Macca for years but I have never had to defend Entwistle, Squire or Geddy ! Does that say something ?

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 5:22 am

People tend to equate 'busy' bass playing with being good, i.e. how many notes can you fit into a measure? That is naive IMHO.

Sometimes less is more; Geddy Lee has even followed this principle in later projects.

jps · Post by **jps** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:52 am

"could have even been Rose Morris"

I believe it was Boosey & Hawkes.

iamthebassman · Post by **iamthebassman** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:18 am

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:12 am

Cool pics, Ronn.

A couple of possible reasons as to why Waters quit playing the RM1999:

The action got to be too high, which I've heard he was quoted as saying.

The other reason to which their might be a little proof is that it was damaged; the album cover with all of their gear neatly laid out ('Ummagumma' live) shows the Rickenbacker with what I believe to be a seriously damaged pickguard...either that or the light is just bad and gives the impression that it's busted up really bad. He had Fenders by then, so he may have just kept on with those and not worried about fixing the Rick. YMMV......

wints · Post by **wints** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:10 am

Roger's bass was an early one John, short surround and all, and he (and it) appears in 66. Quaife and Entwistle were long on the scene and Squire had his bass, but was still not visible.

The action on Roger's bass is high from the earliest pictures. He has a tree there to keep the strings in the nut. I bet it was a pig to play. The pickguard does look damaged on Ummagumma, and I remember someone here posted that in one video Roger uses it as a cricket bat and you can see the neck warp. A cricket ball would do serious damage to a guard...

Where is it today I wonder...?

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:38 am

LOL A cricket bat, eh? I bet he'd think differently now if he knew how rare they were! He'd use the Fender as the bat...

haw · Post by **haw** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:48 am

Holy grails, the lot of 'em!!

Question is, where are the Waters and Quaife basses now?

wints · Post by **wints** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 12:44 pm

Quaife's original bass, which I believe is the one pictured here, warped away unplayable while on tour one freezing cold night in Germany.

He went from a hot dressing room outside into the cold and then back into the warm gig and when he went to play the first song said his fingers were underneath the strings....

That's how easy it was back then to warp...

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 12:46 pm

""could have even been Rose Morris"

I believe it was Boosey & Hawkes."

Correctomundo!

http://www.chrissquire.com/popup.html?imgBooseyHawkes.jpg

jps · Post by **jps** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 2:13 pm

And that was just from memory from reading about it a very long time ago!

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:16 pm

Sorry to hijack the thread but, Keith I think McCartney is underated by people who perhaps weren't really aware of what was going on during the 60's, he wrote the book on pop playing, nobody played like that before he did, he was in uncharted territory. It was Jamerson and him and they were very different styles, neither have gotten their due until recently. There would have been no prog rock without Mac's pioneering playing, and actually he was busy for those days. He was the first bass player to put the bass in the spotlight and not because he was a lead singer. Before him there was mostly upright, remember he started playing somewhere during 61-62 and it had not been many years since upright was the rule at that time, 2-3 years maybe?

grayk · Post by **grayk** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:52 pm

Extremely well said Bob.