| Author | Message | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 4674 Registered: 7-2004 |
I assume I'm not the only one who watched Paul McCartney on SNL last night. I hate to say this, but I felt sad and almost embarrassed for him because of how little of his voice he appeared to have left. I'm hoping it was due to illness or maybe he just did a bunch of shows. It was like watching Willie Mays unable to get around on a fastball in his final year with the Mets. Bill, tgo | ||
| eligilam
Advanced Member Username: eligilam Post Number: 284 Registered: 2-2006 |
I agree...although SNL is notorious for making the vocals for their musical acts sound atrocious. Frequently it sounds as if the singers can't hear themselves well through their monitors. | ||
| jbybj
Advanced Member Username: jbybj Post Number: 319 Registered: 6-2006 |
I would guess it's the monitoring environment. One of the guitarist was horribly off (singing) as well. I saw Paul with that lineup in Vegas a few years ago, and they all sounded excellent. | ||
| 2400wattman
Senior Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 855 Registered: 11-2005 |
I know the bassist from one of the '80's biggest selling "hair bands" if you will and they refused to do SNL for the reason that their engineer would not be allowed anywhere near the console. SNL's engineer ran everything and evreyone on the show so from what I understand. I did not see Paul's performance but after our resident attorney's review I won't go looking for it on you tube. | ||
| tomhug
Member Username: tomhug Post Number: 55 Registered: 7-2008 |
I saw Paul live this past March, and there were only two high notes on which he failed to hit a pitch. But I think this was one of the first shows on his tour, so he probably wasn't warmed up. I was frankly shocked at how he did not modify the notes he tried to reach. He "went for it" regardless of which era he was singing. Probably a transitional thing, or the stage at SNL, which is notoriously bad. | ||
| bassman10096
Senior Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 1261 Registered: 7-2003 |
Paul's voice didn't sound bad at all - to the extent it could be heard. Compared most of the late night talk shows, SNL's sound is inexcusable. Particularly when so many rocket scientists in the viewing audience will chalk PM's bad vocal sound up to "over the hill". | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 4676 Registered: 7-2004 |
Bill: It may have been due to bad monitors, bad PA, bad acoustics, bad engineer, bad health, end-of-the-tour laryngitis, or any of a multitude of explanations, but, unless you had your TV going through an auto-tune, Paul's voice did not sound good, to put it charitably. My wife and I both heard him clearly causing us to cringe. Of course this isn't the first time a rock 'n roll icon has been less than stellar on SNL. I remember Mick Jagger croaking out the lyrics when the Stones appeared a number of years ago after a U.S. tour on which Jagger had apparently blown out his voice. Hey, even my beloved Grateful Dead sucked on SNL. Bill, tgo (Message edited by lbpesq on December 13, 2010) | ||
| tomhug
Member Username: tomhug Post Number: 56 Registered: 7-2008 |
I just checked a recording of this out. It _is_ pretty rough, but what I would call uncharacteristic for Paul, who is a pretty gifted natural singer. Sounded like a bit of cold or laryngitis. I listened to it on headphones though and one thing that was cool was listening to Sir Paul's Hofner running direct to broadcast mix. Very educational. | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 1863 Registered: 10-2003 |
Bit of a flub there at the beginning (about 0:40), but it doesn't even begin to rattle him. Gotta love a true pro. Thanks for the idea to re-listen with the headphones. John | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 1864 Registered: 10-2003 |
I'd love to hear him really rip on the instrument. I don't know that we've really heard what he can do, have we? Anyone know of any particularly inspired cuts he's played on in the last 30 years? The most bass-centric tune I can think of is "silly love songs" from the 70's.. John | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1572 Registered: 9-2002 |
There's the disco influenced 'Goodnight Tonight' (he was in this phase where you hear him bouncing a high 7th or octave against the root note), 'Take It Away' form Tug of War, and 'Getting Closer' (MORE octave work) from Back to the Egg. On 'Another Day', he really follows (or vice versa) the acoustic guitar part. The five-string work (on a Wal five-string) under 'Pieces of Eight' from Tripping the Live Fantastic, low B's and all. Of course these are all after the Beatle faves. My favorite four to five string expansion: 'Lady Madonna'. IF you play along with the record or play it in your band in A, start the chorus at D on the G-string. That line repeats, start it the second time on open D or D on the A-string. At the turnaround at the end of the chorus ('see how they runnn...'), you play low C, open low B, then E. I just love that. Show off to your firends: While the open E is ringing, reach up and play the resolving A-G# at the octave on the G-string ! His most disarmingly simple line for me is the bass figure under 'Come Together': Open D, G-G#-A at the octave on the A-string, then reach across to F on the G-string to D at the octave on the D-string. How do you find stuff like that? His noodling around under 'Something': If I did that, it would sound so busy somebody would shoot me. I've always admired Paul for striking that balance where it's more than your meat and potatoes bass part, but it's less than busy, those little tags and his melodic harmony that just kills me as it always fits. And how did he do so much with that little Hofner? As much as I should have one, it feels like a little balsa wood toy to me. I was wired for bass. I always hear lows. I hear the pedals on the pipe organ first. I hear the bottom of the rumble when a Harley or a big truck goes by. I listen to music, I hear bass and drums first, I'm useless at hearing rhythm guitar parts or figuring out vocal harmonies. When I heard Paul in the Beatles, I turned my back on an entire childhood of learning to play the piano and I had to play bass, and I always love his parts first above anyone else. His elegant simplicity and impeccable taste are a target I always aim for (and rarely hit). That he's a reasonably normal man, married forever with happy children only burnished him more for me. I will however, never become vegan ! It's all his fault. I coulda been a plumber . . . J o e y (Message edited by bigredbass on December 13, 2010) | ||
| tomhug
Member Username: tomhug Post Number: 57 Registered: 7-2008 |
In terms of really ripping, "Rain" still blows me away. Bass-wise I think he did his best work with John, George, and Ringo... Can't think of any real stand-outs post Beatles. I mean his bass work is solid and good in Wings and beyond, but I can't think of any "ripping" going on. I always liked Listen to What the Man Said, Jet, Band on the Run, Live and Let Die. All with solid bass lines, but no "ripping". Junior's Farm is a nice beefy bassline... I always hear basslines first too. Probably courtesy of Paul | ||
| hydrargyrum
Senior Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 894 Registered: 3-2004 |
As a guitar player, I was always really impressed by Paperback Writer's bass line. | ||
| benson_murrensun
Advanced Member Username: benson_murrensun Post Number: 395 Registered: 5-2007 |
When a buddy and I each got a pair of decent "stereo speakers" in 1970 (the venerable KLH Model 17) I finally heard the bass lines on Sgt. Pepper's. And that did it for me. Beautiful, bouncy, contrapuntal, musical, and with great tone. Let's not forget that he is great on guitar and drums, too. I hear he can play piano, as well. Sir Paul is the man. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 7104 Registered: 6-2000 |
I've listened to RAM a few times since this thread popped up. I heart Paul. | ||
| 2400wattman
Senior Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 857 Registered: 11-2005 |
ah.. "Monkberry Moon Delight" A cool tune that would be cooler if the flat backup vocals (not sung by Paul) were fixed OR removed. BAM!! | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 7106 Registered: 6-2000 |
Adam, you are so right. I always thought that song was silly, but it's the backing vocals that really makes it that way. Or maybe it's because I was four years old when I first heard it, and a piano up your nose is a funny thought! I also thought he wrote Heart of the Country for me since we were moving from San Francisco to Sebastopol (remember I was 4!) and the prospect of the animals and flies was scary until I heard that song. | ||
| rockbassist
Advanced Member Username: rockbassist Post Number: 203 Registered: 8-2005 |
I didn't watch it. I didn't even know he was on. I haven't watched SNL in about 20 years. I have seen bits and pieces of it over the years but I don't think it has been funny since Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy left. Even then, it wasn't as funny as the original cast. I saw Paul a few years ago in Boston and he sounded great. He played for 3 hours. I was shocked considering he is the same age as my mother. Speaking of bad performances. I saw KISS in August. It was the tenth time I had seen them. I bought the Simfy Live recording of the show and was shocked at how bad they were. Gene's bass sounded like crap. Pauls' voice was cracking all night and he couldn't hit any of the high notes. It was one of the worst concerts I have ever been too. They only thing that saved it was that I brought my son and he had a great time. | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 712 Registered: 1-2008 |
I've seen Kiss twice. The first time was in 1977. I was a Kiss fanatic and would fight you if you said anything bad about them!!! I was really excited about the concert, but as soon as they started plying I quickly realized that the musicianship was... questionable. The second time was in 1998/99 (I also took my son). It was nearly the SAME show and sucked just as bad as 2 decades earlier!!! Ted Nugent was good though. | ||
| rockbassist
Advanced Member Username: rockbassist Post Number: 204 Registered: 8-2005 |
I was also a KISS fanatic back then. I saw them in 1978 and 1979 and thought they were great. Not the musicianship, but the show was awesome. The 1998/99 shows were not as good, but I also enjoyed Nugent. This year they were terrible. It was the first time that I went to a concert and wanted my money back. Even the opening bands sucked. Three weeks after I saw KISS I went to see Pat Benetar and REO Speedwagon. They were great. The difference in musicianship between them and KISS was like night and day. | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1577 Registered: 9-2002 |
I have Pat's 'True Love' CD (her send-up of jump and swing, cut largely with Roomful of Blues), produced by Neil, and it's one of my favorites in the "I Didn't know They Could Do That!" file. Just like Brenda Lee, dynamite does come in small packages, and Neil Geraldo is a great player. J o e y | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 713 Registered: 1-2008 |
I saw Pat at the Tennessee Theater a couple of years ago (a GREAT room for music). WOW!!! What a voice that tiny lady has on her. Neil is indeed a great player, but he needed to turn DOWN to "11". His stage volume was overwhelming the FOH. | ||
| thumbsup
Intermediate Member Username: thumbsup Post Number: 151 Registered: 7-2008 |
Paul is an older aging rocker now and as is the case after the eye site starts to leave some voice pitch and cracking soon can follow..... I can relate! He is an icon...but not immortal! In his prime ... very hard to beat instrumentally and vocally! | ||
| 2400wattman
Senior Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 858 Registered: 11-2005 |
Wow, how did Kiss come up on Paul McCartney thread? It's kind of like bringing Blatz beer to a craft brewers party! Merry Christmas everyone! |
