Dee Murray Archives
Elton John: “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” (Dee Murray’s Isolated Bass)
I recently went on a search for videos of Dee Murray (which, unfortunately, are hard to find). This clip came with the claim that this is Murray’s isolated bass on Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.”
Elton John: Madman Across the Water (Live)
I spin Elton John’s 17-11-70 album regularly, mostly just to hear the remarkable bass lines of Dee Murray. It never gets old. There’s simply not enough footage of this incredible bassist (or Elton John’s trio) out there, but here’s a great clip of them performing the title track to Madman Across the Water, live in 1971.
Bass Transcription: Dee Murray’s Bass Line on Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas”
Dee Murray is a giant of the bass guitar many people do not rate as being among the best of all time, but I certainly do. His playing on the holiday single “Step Into Christmas” by Elton John is nothing short of impressive as he finds many inventive ways to make very simple chord changes sound exciting and new. After...
Aidan Hampson Transcribes Oasis and Elton John Bass Lines
Aidan Hampson has turned his bass transcribing ability to the works of Elton John and Oasis in two new downloadable books from Guitar Music Publishing. The majority of the songs covered “Best of Elton John for Bass” had bass lines originally played by Dee Murray, while the bass parts in the Oasis book were originally played by Andy Bell and...
Bass Transcription: Dee Murray’s Bass Line on Elton John’s “Amoreena”
“Amoreena” was Dee Murray’s first recording collaboration with Elton John, and from analyzing the transcription of his playing on this tune, it’s not hard to see why John and Murray had such a prolific career working together. Many different bassline approaches are employed to great affect in this song. The form of the bassline as a whole also demonstrates good...
Elton John with Dee Murray: Razor Face
Lately, I’ve been wearing out my copy of Elton John’s 11-17-70 on vinyl. The sole reason: the bass lines of Dee Murray on that incredible live album. While this video is almost one year later and from a different venue (BBC Studios), the lineup is the same – with John, Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson. This is “Razor Face”.
Bass Players to Know: Dee Murray
Every now and then, the car radio takes me by surprise. A station spins just the right song to pique my insatiable curiosity as I sit in traffic, easing the pain of running late by distracting me with a sing-along. An Elton John song is no anomaly when it comes to commercial radio, and for good reason… a tune like...