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Articles by Tim Fletcher - Page 4


Bass Transcription: Ronnie Lane’s Bass Line on “Itchycoo Park” by The Small Faces
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Ronnie Lane’s Bass Line on “Itchycoo Park” by The Small Faces

Ronnie Lane was born in Plaistow in East London on April 1st 1946. As a teenager, his father had encouraged him to play the guitar as “he’d always have a friend”. At first, he played skiffle, a type of rough country blues popular in the UK in the early 1960s, but he was also influenced by The Shadows and The...

Back To The Start: An Interview With Bruce Thomas
Interviews

Back To The Start: An Interview With Bruce Thomas

We know that many No Treble readers are big fans of Bruce Thomas of The Attractions, as the recent transcriptions of his bass lines have been popular features. So it’s good to hear that he’s been in the studio again. He has recorded a new album called in collaboration with singer-songwriter Spencer Brown, with ten new tracks and a cover...

Bass Transcription: Trevor Bolder’s Bass Line on “Changes” by David Bowie
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Trevor Bolder’s Bass Line on “Changes” by David Bowie

Since 1963, David Bowie worked with many bands as both singer and instrumentalist, and he had released several unsuccessful singles under his own name before “Space Oddity” became his first substantial hit. The song reached number five in the UK in 1969. Bowie’s first two albums (both confusingly called David Bowie) had been recorded using session musicians, with the bass...

Bass Transcription: Colin Moulding’s Bass Line on XTC’s “Senses Working Overtime”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Colin Moulding’s Bass Line on XTC’s “Senses Working Overtime”

The three founding members of XTC, bassist Colin Moulding, drummer Terry Chambers and guitarist/vocalist Andy Partridge, initially got together in 1972, calling the band ‘The Helium Kidz’. They took some of their early influence from The New York Dolls and attached themselves to the developing ‘glam rock’ scene that was popular in the UK at the time. When guitarist/keyboardist Barry...

Bass Transcription: Graham Maby’s Bass Line on Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Graham Maby’s Bass Line on Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”

Joe Jackson has had a similar career to that of Elvis Costello, first coming to prominence in the “New Wave” era in the late 1970s, and then diversifying into a broader variety of musical styles as he became more established. The initial success of singles such as “Is She Really Going Out with Him?” (1978) and “Different for Girls” (1979)...

Bass Transcription: Bruce Thomas’ Bass Line on Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ “Lipstick Vogue”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Bruce Thomas’ Bass Line on Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ “Lipstick Vogue”

As there was a very positive response to last month’s transcription of “Oliver’s Army,” I thought that the No Treble readers might like another chance to have a look at Bruce Thomas’ work. This track contains a much busier bass line than “Oliver’s Army”, and Bruce tips his hat to some of his influences within the course of the song....

Bass Transcription: Bruce Thomas’ Bass Line on Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ “Oliver’s Army”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Bruce Thomas’ Bass Line on Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ “Oliver’s Army”

British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello has had a long and varied career, and although his early hits were in the new wave era, with songs such as “Watching the Detectives” and “Pump it Up”, he could also create subtle ballads (“Alison”), cover jazz standards (“I Don’t know What to do With Myself”) and would later release an album of country standards...

Bass Transcription: Danny McCulloch’s Bass Line on The Animals’ “Monterey”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Danny McCulloch’s Bass Line on The Animals’ “Monterey”

Continuing the theme of British bassists from 1968, this time I’m looking at Danny McCulloch’s bass line on “Monterey” by The Animals. This band formed in the gritty northern English city of Newcastle in 1960, and were one of the edgier sounding bands associated with the “British Invasion” of the U.S. pop charts by the middle of the decade. Their...

Bass Transcription: John Paul Jones’ Bass Line on Dusty Springfield’s “Take Another Little Piece of My Heart”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: John Paul Jones’ Bass Line on Dusty Springfield’s “Take Another Little Piece of My Heart”

Dusty Springfield was a British singer whose early chart success in the UK and USA was with straightforward pop tunes such as 1963’s “I Only Want to be With You,” and more sophisticated ballads like 1966’s “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”. The 1968 Dusty… Definitely album began her change towards a more R&B/Soul sound, with inclusion of...