Bob Babbit

[pederpropell]

Bob Babbit, the legendary Motown player, has passed on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Babbitt

He played bass on the AD Crash Landing sessions, and so became a name within the Hendrix story..


Pederpropell

[thunderbaas]

Bob Babbit, the legendary Motown player, has passed on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Babbitt

He played bass on the AD Crash Landing sessions, and so became a name within the Hendrix story..




Pederpropell

Checkin Wiki he played on a lot of great songs!!!! Though I liked Crash Landing a lot when it came out nowadays I prefer Billy Cox's bass work. And allthough a bit off topic,another great "Rock God" past away yesterday also. John Lord from Deep Purple,still think putting his hammond organ through a Marshall Amp was epic !!!!!

[Mark7]

With all due respect he played some disco bass on the "Midnight Lightning" Lp, pretty crappy work.

[dino77]

With all due respect he played some disco bass on the "Midnight Lightning" Lp, pretty crappy work.

Bob Babbitt was one of the top bassists in popular music, have you checked his CV? Also do not hear any "disco bass" on Midnight Lightning. Please point to a specific song or passage so we can all discuss it in detail.

[Mark7]

Bob Babbitt was one of the top bassists in popular music, have you checked his CV? Also do not hear any "disco bass" on Midnight Lightning. Please point to a specific song or passage so we can all discuss it in detail.

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nErzhxr67RQ Listen at 0:13 and 1:24.

Overplays from 0:15 to 0:25 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AEODFmTqRY

[MourningStar]

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nErzhxr67RQ Listen at 0:13 and 1:24.

Overplays from 0:15 to 0:25 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AEODFmTqRY

ok - I played it. Have not a clue what you are on about in regards to "crappy work". As for 'disco bass', ... hmmm, a new term for me - and I find no flaws either way.

I'm done.

[trampledunderfoot]

Not sure I'd call his work "overplay[ed]" or "crappy" - I do prefer the original bass-playing for each track, though. Something about the sonic quality of the overdubs (aside from the other issues) makes it very difficult for me to enjoy Crash Landing and Midnight Lightning.

[ranasakawa]

Not sure I'd call his work "overplay[ed]" or "crappy" - I do prefer the original bass-playing for each track, though. Something about the sonic quality of the overdubs (aside from the other issues) makes it very difficult for me to enjoy Crash Landing and Midnight Lightning.

I agree, listen to the difference with the track "Peace in Mississippi" the bass and drums is far superior on the original version.

[Fenders Fingers]

managed to squeeze a listen into my busy day :-)
Yep, sure is different playing, Crappy? Too subjective a term.
I'd say no anyway, just different and yes I prefere the original playing here.
This guy is(was) no slouch on the Bass.

[dino77]

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nErzhxr67RQ Listen at 0:13 and 1:24.

Overplays from 0:15 to 0:25 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AEODFmTqRY

Thanks.
In "Beginnings" he's doing a slide down the neck of the bass. In "Gypsy Boy" he's doing a nice little obbligato, or what you might call it. Unfortunately it's not in tune with Jimi's (out of tune) guitar.

Let's go to Wikipedia for a subjective definition of "disco bass"...
The disco sound has soaring, often reverberated vocals over a steady "four-on-the-floor" beat, an eighth note (quaver) or 16th note (semi-quaver) hi-hat pattern with an open hi-hat on the off-beat, and a prominent, syncopatedelectric bass line sometimes consisting of octaves. The Fender Jazz Bass is often associated with disco bass lines, because the instrument itself has a very prominent "voice" in the musical mix.

I would add slapping bass the strings, that was pretty common in disco music. IMO this definition doesn't really match Babbit's playing on Midnight Lightning or Crash Landing.

I guess you might mean the bass is too "prominent" in the mix though, and that he adds his own licks.
Alan Douglas claimed all the original parts played by Jimi's sidemen were transcribed and then played as written by the studio musicians. Either the trancriber was rather bad or it was a false claim.

[MourningStar]

wiki-schmiki, I say 'disco bass' (and all things 'disco' for that matter) is nothing original and is simply an aspect of funk (which predates disco by years and years and years). Oh, and 'bass-slapping'? Not unique to disco, but yes, quite common. Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge) and Larry Graham (Sly & Family Stone) were doin' it in the 60's and I will offer my first-born that they picked it up from the old stand-up bass cool jazzers of the '50's.

[Fenders Fingers]

wiki-schmiki, I say 'disco bass' (and all things 'disco' for that matter) is nothing original and is simply an aspect of funk (which predates disco by years and years and years). Oh, and 'bass-slapping'? Not unique to disco, but yes, quite common. Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge) and Larry Graham (Sly & Family Stone) were doin' it in the 60's and I will offer my first-born that they picked it up from the old stand-up bass cool jazzers of the '50's.

Thought you are done, lol

[MourningStar]

Thought you are done, lol

oops! my bad ...

[Mark7]

BTW check out the backing band on disco queen Gloria Gaynor's 1975 album "Never Can Say Goodbye" :

Gloria Gaynor - vocals
Allan Schwartzberg - drums
Bob Babbit - bass
Pat Rebillot - keyboards
Carlos Martin - congos
Lance Quinn, Jerry Freidman, Jeff Miranov - guitars

Some familiar names!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCSvNZWpXaM

[dino77]

BTW check out the backing band on disco queen Gloria Gaynor's 1975 album "Never Can Say Goodbye" :

Gloria Gaynor - vocals
Allan Schwartzberg - drums
Bob Babbit - bass
Pat Rebillot - keyboards
Carlos Martin - congos
Lance Quinn, Jerry Freidman, Jeff Miranov - guitars

Some familiar names!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCSvNZWpXaM

That was noted by Hendrix researchers long time ago, but so what - it only means they were the top studio musicians that were hired for many sessions in New York at the time, not that they were disco players.

Babbitt also played with these "disco" acts...:




The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Lou Rawls, Gladys Knight, Diane Ross, Ashford & Simpson, The Spinners, Phyllis Hyman, Mary Wells, the O'Jays, Sister Sledge, Major Harris, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Phil Collins, Robert Palmer, Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton, Joe Cocker, Nils Lofgren, Yoko Ono, Dextor Gordon, Herbie Mann, Stanley Turrentine, Lonnie Smith, Taj Mahal, John Mayall, Bonnie Raitt, Shania Twain, Carlene Carter, Tracy Nelson, Joan Baez, Tom Rush, Frank Sinatra, Dionne Warrick, Laura Nyro, Brenda Lee, Frankie Vallie, Del Shannon, Jim Croce, Barry Manilow....

[karsten]

I think Alan Douglas said that the original tracks were never played to the dubbing musicians. I'm sure Bob Babbit could have played something closer to Billy's basslines. Im not sure Allan Schwartzberg, being from a different school, could have sounded more like Buddy. Definately not like Mitch.

Anyway, what you are hearing is Alan Douglas' (poor) musical directing. The musicians were just hired guns.

[stplsd]

Anyway, what you are hearing is Alan Douglas' (poor) musical directing.

I'ts like a ballet dancer trying to dance in hobnail boots

[Sharpstat]

I'ts like a ballet dancer trying to dance in hobnail boots

Over here in the states we have an expression that goes, "like a Monkey fuckin a football"! Alan Douglas "butchered recordings". I enjoyed hearing the original backing track, it wasn't bad like he proclaimed it to be?

[Fenders Fingers]

We slipping into an AD bashing thread ....................... again?

[dino77]

We slipping into an AD bashing thread ....................... again?

It seems... Anyway, one Brad Baker did the "arrangements", not AD.