| Author | Message | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 2335 Registered: 11-2004 |
Another one in less than a week! He was co writer of that classic rock tune 'All Right Now' dies at the age of 62. It was stated he was battling cancer and AIDS. RIP | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 11690 Registered: 5-2002 |
Here's a live video of All Right Now. | ||
| tomhug
Intermediate Member Username: tomhug Post Number: 168 Registered: 7-2008 |
I blew my mind when I played in a band that covered this that there's _NO_ bass on the verses. Great groove, and actually kind of tricky to play in the part under the solo, with a 12 fret jump in there at speed. I think Mr. Fraser was only 15 when he started with Free. RIP | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1470 Registered: 1-2005 |
One of my all-time favorite bassists, definitely an influence on me. | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1565 Registered: 2-2011 |
Sad news! Prayers go out to his family & friends. All Right Now is one of those songs I have played most of my life, but up until joining my current band, have always played it wrong. I always thought the high notes on the bass line during the solo were harmonics done on the guitar. So when it came time to learn it again for my current band, I looked up a You Tube video of Free playing it & saw that it was done on the bass. Tom, you are right about the full neck jump to play that part, when we first started playing it my singer used to mess with me on that part & try to mess me up! I told her I had to concentrate on that part & to quit talking to me! | ||
| peoplechipper
Senior Member Username: peoplechipper Post Number: 580 Registered: 2-2009 |
Sad news...I may have to cover that song though... | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 3649 Registered: 10-2002 |
Another influence gone. One of the earliest basslines I ever learnt Graeme | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 2336 Registered: 11-2004 |
Tomhug - I always played the bass line following the guitar after the first verse, it needs it to add weight, mind you Andy played a Gibson EB3 and it was way down on the mix as well. Rusty...ha ha luckily I saw Free at my home town because the singer Paul Rodgers is from Middlesbrough UK so I knew exactly what to play! | ||
| tomhug
Intermediate Member Username: tomhug Post Number: 169 Registered: 7-2008 |
Hi TerryC, This is the performance I used as my gold standard. It's such a great tune I am sure it sounds great either way. For the band I was in at the time, the negative space of the "empty" verse was needed to offset & emphasize the fullness of the chorus. | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1474 Registered: 1-2005 |
This discussion has gotten me thinking about how I got exposed to Free and Andy Fraser. I got into rock music in 7th grade when my family moved to Japan. I listened to Armed Forces Radio for the first month or so, but then moved on to the Beatles, then heavy metal in 8th grade, then on to other stuff. Armed Forces Radio (or whatever it was called, I remember "Far East Network" too) was only AM, and Japan really didn't have much as far as radio, but fortunately it was the '80s, the economy was good, and I had enough money to purchase the records that I wanted, so I listened to what I was into or what friends turned me on to. I think I got into Free because Billy Sheehan talked about them. So I had Fire & Water, Free Live, and Heartbreaker - oh yeah, there was a Gary Moore cover of "Wishing Well" that I kind of liked. I feel kind of fortunate, I never heard "All Right Now" on the radio to get sick of it or have it in the background, I was listening intently - the end part where they set up the groove and Andy starts playing the low A instead of the high one is just so great! And of course the bass solo on "Mr. Big" - just brilliant. I like the studio version the best. Another is the breakdown to "The Stealer" - it fades out on the original but they included the whole thing on the Molten Gold compilation - almost worth it to get the CD just for that! | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Senior Member Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 465 Registered: 6-2012 |
Highly under-rated. His work in "Wishing Well" was a huge influence on me. Amazing tone and clarity for using a Gibson mixed way down in the mix. Also a serious sense of "swing" - his basslines contain subtle nuances and variances that elevate many of the basic chord progressions and rhythmic patterns in Free songs to a more interesting level. For example, most typical rock bassists would not have approached the bassline in the "All Right Now" chorus the same way he did. | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1477 Registered: 1-2005 |
Good point on "All Right Now" - he was definitely not a "typical rock bassist"! Actually, it's Tetsu Yamauchi on "Wishing Well" and the entire Heartbreaker album. He is on an obscure album called Kossoff Kirke Tetsu and Rabbit which includes an early recording of the song "Anna" that Bad Company later did, then joined Free, then replace Ronnie Lane in the Faces. I'm kind of surprised that people keep saying that the bass is down in the mix on the Andy Fraser stuff - I'll have to go back and listen, it always sounded strong to me but my ears are better developed now, will be interesting to listen to the mix | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Senior Member Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 466 Registered: 6-2012 |
Thanks for the clarification on "Wishing Well". I have that one on a low-budget compilation CD and it's implied that Fraser is the bassist - the style is similar. Re: bass down in the mix - it will depend upon the quality of the recording and the device used for playback. The Free CD's that I've heard vary in quality - the bass is certainly audible, but it's often a little difficult to discern exactly what is being played. | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1479 Registered: 1-2005 |
I'll have to check out what I've got - CDs only now - but I grew up on vinyl so I might have been spoiled! |
