Macca isolated bass tracks - WOW!

[nukebass]

I wouldn't be certain that McCartney was "relagated" to acoustic for Something. I would guess it was his choice, especially since he opened the song on ukelele.

[rickboy88]

He could have switched to bass though just as easily as he switched to acoustic. Clapton was in charge of that concert as music director.

[rickfan60]

In my experience it is not unusual for an isolated track to sound odd or even lifeless. This is especially true with bass tracks. We are used to a bass part as it sounds in the full mix. Fret noise, amp noise, dead spots, recording technique, and player mistakes can be completely masked by the other tracks. Take them away and the true color complete with flaws are there for all to hear.

[VRICKY63]

Hmmmm ....wonder what strings he is using for Pauls tone ?

[peewee]

The Beatles is a good example for a band that was better than the sum of each member's qualities.
However - IMHO Paul was the finest bassist of all times, checkout the bassline in something, it always makes me shed a tear.

I have to get better outboard speakers; all I'm getting through my laptop is pick click on these iso tracks...but it is in time!

Gil, to me, Macca's line is Something is his masterpiece. His note selection, phrasing and sense of melody are second to nothing he recorded before or since, IMHO. Probably the most beautiful bass line in Pop music....awww, that's just me getting all misty-eyed again

[delberthot]

Fantastic. I wouldn't say that i was a huge Beatles fan but "A Day in the Life" is in my list of all time favourite tracks. That's from any band, not just the beatles.

Really interesting hearing it this way.

[tennis_nick]

He could have switched to bass though just as easily as he switched to acoustic. Clapton was in charge of that concert as music director.

Imagine playing that bassline and singing the part as flawlessly as he does.

Acoustic makes sense to me

[rickboy88]

OK, this is the last time I am going to post on this. Honest.

After Paul switched to the acoustic, he only the sang the "IIIIIII don't no!" high part screaming thing twice, which I'm pretty sure he does on the original with George. Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne sang the harmony parts after Paul opened solo on ukulele. Paul mainly stood there and strummed after that.

If I was Eric Clapton, I probably would have done the same thing. I would personally have loved to have seen Paul play that line on his bass (hopefully the old 4001S!) but that night was about George. Everyone was told to check their egos at the door.

I and others have noticed that the only Ric at the concert was George's old 12 string on a stand. That was probably on purpose too. Even Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were all non-Ric that night, which is very unusual.

[rickboy88]

That would be fellow forumite Francesco Fai in that video.

Thanks for correcting the record guys.

Oops, I posted once more....

[ilan]

Hmmmm ....wonder what strings he is using for Pauls tone ?

The "long, shiny kind"?

[ilan]

With A Little Help From My Friends sounds like the Ric, but A Day In The Life sounds to me like the Hofner... My friend Marc says it's the Ric. Who's right?

[teeder]

It still sounds Ricky to me.

[berth]

With A Little Help From My Friends sounds like the Ric, but A Day In The Life sounds to me like the Hofner... My friend Marc says it's the Ric. Who's right?

A day in the life sounds a lot like my Klira 162-3 which is very Hofner like as you can see:

[sloop_john_b]

It does sound Hofner-like, but a 4001 with tube compression nails the sound too, and that's precisely what it is.

[ilan]

I can never make a Ric sound like that, not even with flats and mute. Do you know for certain it was the Ric?