| Author | Message | ||
| 88persuader
Advanced Member Username: 88persuader Post Number: 310 Registered: 5-2004 |
On the thread about the Live Earth concert a few people mentioned how impressed with Flea they were. Well I have to be honest ... I've never been blown away by Flea and the work he's done with the Chili Peppers. I always thought he was hyped up because compaired to a lot of straight rock bass players he's a real stand out. But the other night I saw a video ... Stanley Clark and Friends. (Yes Stanley was playing his signature series II bass) The last tune was School Daze and Stanley had ... about 8 other bass players with him. ALL monsters!! And FLEA was one of them ... he did an AWESOME Job! He held his own with bass players like Stanley, Bunny Burrel, Marcus Miller and a many others. So ... after THAT performance I have to admit I'm now a FLEA believer! His abilities go far beyond what I've heard him play with the Chili Peppers. BTW ... he plays Modulus ... my 2nd favorite bass and someone asked what the bass player for Dave Matthews was playing. I didn't see their performance however Stefhan Lessard (Please forgive my poor spelling) plays Modulus also so that's probably what he was playing. | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 1237 Registered: 12-2002 |
I saw the night school video also & after watching & listening to it made me glad I own an alembic, did you knotice how the alembic sounded like it was a living/breathing instrument compared to the other basses? | ||
| georgie_boy
Advanced Member Username: georgie_boy Post Number: 257 Registered: 8-2005 |
I'd love to see this video---any ideas where I can see it?? | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 1240 Registered: 12-2002 |
i saw it on pay-per view but you can also get more info on it here http://www.stanleyclarke.com/magazine/current_edition.htm (Message edited by keavin on July 09, 2007) | ||
| alembic_doctor
Advanced Member Username: alembic_doctor Post Number: 295 Registered: 8-2002 |
Between you, me and the fence post; I wish I could jump like that and still play all the right notes. | ||
| byoung
Senior Member Username: byoung Post Number: 727 Registered: 12-2004 |
Ha! I can't talk while I'm playing. Forget jumping. | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 674 Registered: 6-2002 |
Flea Has a video out called "Adventures in spontaneous jamming and techniques" It's in the same format as Jaco's "Modern Electric Bass" video. He's interviewed by River Phoenix, where he discusses his influences, technique, and so on. He also plays up a storm. I highly recommend it for it's instructional as well as entertainment value. He's one heck of a Bass player - and for a guy who admits to being musically illiterate, he's really impressive. Definitely worth a look. Rami | ||
| 88persuader
Advanced Member Username: 88persuader Post Number: 311 Registered: 5-2004 |
Hey i never said I thought Flea was a hack! :-) I just thought he was a very good funk player who DIDN'T stand out among other FUNK/JAZZ players and gained a lot of extra respect because the Chili Peppers are marketed as a rock band more then a funk band. But again he surprised me holding his own amoung all those heavy hitter bass players and definitely made me eat crow! He IS an outstanding bass player! In regard to finding the video ... I found it on my TV cable provider under FREE "pay for view" concerts. Just lucked into it. In regard to Keavin's reference about the Alembic bass sounds standing out ... I agree. However honestly I though ALL the players had great sounds ...even Marcus with his old Fender Jazz bass. I'm an "Alembic" player but also love many other brands. I'm a big fan of Modulus basses ... they sound great and are the most SOLID basses I've ever owned ... and i think bang for the buck you can't touch Carvin basses. A friend of mine just got a Carvin 5 string with all the options and case NEW factory direct to his specifications for under $1400. When i saw and played it I drooled!!!! For the money it's VERY Impressive, can't be touched. If I didn't currently hold some debt for a Chapman Stick I bought a few months ago I'd definitely order a Carvin 6 string bass to add to my collection. And I WILL order one once my debt is cleared up. It's a BIG world out there and there are some amazing basses to be had. My Alembic is the bass I'm most proud of owning but I love many other brands too. Of course if I were RICH I'd own one of every Alembic model bass and guitar available ... just because! :-) They ARE after all the Rolls Royce of guitars! | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 361 Registered: 10-2003 |
I also love other basses, but I have to say I agree about the Alembics on that dvd. I think Stanley and Jimmy sound waaay better than anyone else. Jimmy's solo is the standout for me. Stanley maks a bit of a hash of it for a change, but I think I can let him off.  But Flea, I agree. Despite being a huge Chilis fan - I'd go so far as to say they're possibly my favourite band - I always rather underrated him. Then I saw them live at the Leeds festival some years back and he was great, one of the best bassists I've seen live. Plus I love him to death, he seems the humblest, warmest, most open-minded human being. | ||
| dfung60
Advanced Member Username: dfung60 Post Number: 259 Registered: 5-2002 |
Flea does a have a very powerful, independent style - he merged traditional rock, slap, and punk styles into something that's very common today but was pretty unique in the early days of the Chilis. And he was commercially successful enough that this mix got heard and influenced a whole new generation. He's not my favorite player, but I would definitely put him in my top 10 list of most influential bassists... It's well known and has been discussed here in the past that Flea was also an Alembic user. Somebody will follow up with the specifics, but he was the cover guest of an issue of Bass Player during the Chili's peak days and in his interview, he mentioned that he used an Alembic in the studio on at least one of their huge album hits (I think it was either Mother's Milk or Blood Sugar Sex Magik). He was very visible onstage and in ads at that time with Musicman, probably their most high-profile endorser, but in the studio he choose a solidbody Alembic (I think an Epic, but I'm not sure). His change to endorsing Modulus didn't happen until a few years later (that must have been around 1994 or so), so I'm not quite sure what happened. You definitely can hear different sorts of bass sounds on the Chili's records, some very distinctively the Stingray, some definitely not although I wouldn't have picked Alembic as those alternate sounds. David Fung | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 2515 Registered: 7-2004 |
I believe Flea also blazed the trail on an innovative approach to the problem of buckle rash on the back of an instrument. hehehehe Bill, tgo | ||
| dannobasso
Senior Member Username: dannobasso Post Number: 602 Registered: 3-2004 |
The story goes, he wanted an endorsement of about a 1/2 dozen instruments. Alembic don't play dat. So he went elsewhere. I admire his ability to make a considerable income playing his music. | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 675 Registered: 6-2002 |
I never thought I'd do it, but I found this Carvin LB76P that I couldn't resist. Solid Flame Koa body, 5 piece Maple & Walnut neck, Birdseye Maple fingerboard with stainless steel frets, Piezo electronics upgrade with 18 volt battery supply. It can also play in passive mode. Just an awesome Bass. $1500.  I was always curious about Carvin Basses, and I must say that I was not disappointed. | ||
| tbrannon
Senior Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 497 Registered: 11-2004 |
Nice bass Rami- what's your opinion of the electronics? The only negative I've heard about Carvin basses in the past 5 years has been from guys saying that they ended up swapping out the pups and throwing some barts or emg's in them. What do you think so far? I've owned several Carvin bass amps and have been totally happy. I'm currently trying to decide whether to buy one of their B1500 amps or to pick up a Carvin power amp and then go preamp shopping. Toby | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 676 Registered: 6-2002 |
It sounds great Toby. As a long time Alembic lover and player, I wish that I could just totally trash everything else. But I can't. I can't think of a single thing to complain about it. It has a beautiful rich and full sound. It's controls allow unlimited tone shaping. It's crisp and clear with tons of sustain. It's construction and fit and finish are superb. The action is super low and the frets are perfectly manicured. I found it on Carvin's "Guitars in Stock" page. For $1500, it's a give away. Just magnificent. I also recently bought a B1500 monoblock head. It blows my Eden rig away. It actually drives my Eden 410XLT cabinet BETTER than my Eden amp. It cost $699!!!!! I have a BRX10.4 cabinet on order. I think Carvin gear should serve as a wakeup to the industry. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 2517 Registered: 7-2004 |
I've been using a Carvin 1200 watt power amp to drive four Carvin 12" floor monitors for years. No problems except when a guy I lent the monitors to hooked them up wrong and blew out half the speakers. I wound up with two that worked. I bought a couple of more expensive JBL monitors, but the Carvins sounded better, so I brought back the JBL's and bought some replacement speakers from Carvin. Definitely a lot of bang for the buck. I've always wanted to check out their DC-400 guitar. Alembic style for under $1500. Bill, tgo | ||
| jbybj
Member Username: jbybj Post Number: 85 Registered: 6-2006 |
Back to Flea. I wish I could hear his bass playing in my head, but any memories I have of RHCP music is dominated by the plaintive, whining, cat f***ing sound that comes out of Anthony's mouth. They are one of the few bands, that whenever they come on the radio, compell me to change the station. If Flea had just gone to highschool in the Valley maybe he'd be in a different band today....... | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 677 Registered: 6-2002 |
Check out his DVD. There's some AMAZING funky jamming with Chad Smith. He really turned me on to the Envelope Filter. Great, great stuff. Flea's the real deal. | ||
| fc_spoiler
Senior Member Username: fc_spoiler Post Number: 564 Registered: 5-2006 |
Flea used an Epic on "One hot minute" For what I know that's the only Album he recorded with an Alembic. | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 363 Registered: 10-2003 |
I believe he used the Epic because he was after a bass that recorded consistently all over the fretboard, an area where he felt the Musicmans (men?) were weak. (Message edited by bigbadbill on July 11, 2007) | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 1256 Registered: 10-2002 |
That's my understanding too Flip. The only track it's not used on is Aeroplane. (or so I've been led to believe). Graeme | ||
| davr35
Member Username: davr35 Post Number: 63 Registered: 12-2004 |
I believe he used a Wal on Blood Sugar Sex Magic. I was a big RHCP fan but I feel that the last two CD's are very weak. | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 364 Registered: 10-2003 |
It was indeed a Wal, as can be seen on Funky Monks. That's actually my favourite recorded sound of his. | ||
| dnburgess
Senior Member Username: dnburgess Post Number: 519 Registered: 1-2003 |
FWIW - I think Stadium Arcadium was a great achievement - to release what would have been a triple album in the old money at this stage of their career with such consistently high quality material. | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 365 Registered: 10-2003 |
I agree. I think it's a fabulous album. | ||
| hydrargyrum
Advanced Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 272 Registered: 3-2004 |
I haven't heard stadium arcadium completely, but I thought the two previous albums were quite a disappointment. Seems like when John left the band he never quite recovered to his previous level. I personally love One Hot Minute, although I guess the band said Dave Navarro was pretty difficult to work with. | ||
| jubeas3eyes
Member Username: jubeas3eyes Post Number: 94 Registered: 1-2006 |
I absoulutely loved Stadium Arcadium. I can't say much since dnburgess hit the nail on the head, but i must say this album is one of the best albums ever. | ||
| davr35
Member Username: davr35 Post Number: 64 Registered: 12-2004 |
I gave my copy of Stadium Arcadium away. In my opinion the Peppers are becoming the new Stones. Great band...bad records | ||
| bigbadbill
Advanced Member Username: bigbadbill Post Number: 367 Registered: 10-2003 |
Well, different strokes for different folks...I still love 'em. | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 1266 Registered: 10-2002 |
Just finished listening to the second CD. I've had it since new but never listened to CD2 - I thought CD1 was too much like every other Chili's album. However, there's alot of good stuff on CD2. Still a fair amount of filler though. Graeme | ||
| eligilam
Junior Username: eligilam Post Number: 47 Registered: 2-2006 |
In my opinion, the all-time greatest bassline Flea has played: "Subway to Venus" off of Mother's Milk. Heck, he smoked it through that whole album...it was back when his tone was more scooped out and less "dirty." Cool stuff. Will | ||
| alembic_doctor
Advanced Member Username: alembic_doctor Post Number: 301 Registered: 8-2002 |
My Favorite FLEA bassline is "Soul to Squeeze" Very simple. Totally in the Pocket. | ||
| hydrargyrum
Advanced Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 274 Registered: 3-2004 |
I love the bass line in Soul to Squeeze. Aeroplane's solo is also really cool. | ||
| blazer
Intermediate Member Username: blazer Post Number: 162 Registered: 12-2003 |
Check this out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE7HbFT3yK8 Shot during the "Mother's Milk" tour and they were ON FIRE! |
