Stevie Wonder "Do Like You"

[bc_dup1]

Our drummer just suggested we play this. I'm pretty familiar with the 4 or 5 albums before "Hotter Than July", but I'd never heard this track from HTJ before. Wow, funky or what? Is that Nathan Watts? On fretless?

 

I'm not sure I'd want to attempt this, especially as I don't play fretless, but the bass/drums interaction on this is as great as anything I've heard on a Stevie Wonder track (which is, of course, saying a lot).

 

BTW if anyone knows where I could access a transcription of this (ok, lazy, me) I'd be very interested.

[alexclaber]

Great album!

 

Just put that track on and immediately thought "this is so amazing - Nathan Watts plays bass so like Stevie's left hand - shows what happens when you spend that much time in the presence of a master!"

 

Then listened a bit more and something kept niggling about the sound and feel - not enough thick punch on the attack and so bouncy and ahead of the beat, almost falling over itself to get to the end of the bar. On Nathan's other stuff with Stevie he sits further back, dead on top of the beat sometimes but certainly not rushing. This part has more of the feel (and a bit of the sound) of Stevie's keyboard bass on "Black Man" (fantastic track on SITKOL). Checked the liner notes and they confirm what my ears are telling me - it's the "Stevie playing drums and keyboard bass" rhythm section on this track.

 

Isn't it about time someone produced a book transcribing and analysing the great keyboard basslines? Care to step up to the bat, Ed F?

 

At the very least, Stevie Wonder and Bernie Worrell should be up there in the pantheon of true bass geniuses!!!

 

Alex

[bc_dup1]

Alex that sounds exactly right. Our drummer mailed me an mp3, I don't have the album credits, but my first reaction was, that doesn't sound like NW. The sound is so thin and quite well back in the mix at times (it's actually quite hard to make out the bass in the "long riffy bit", for example, the drums seem to bury it, unless that's just the sound quality on my mp3). Plus I don't think of NW as a fretless player, although that may be ignorance on my part. Some of the trills sounds odd, completely OTT (I *do* associate NW with OTT trills, but those still sounded excessive). That it was Stevie himself on keys is the obvious explanation now you mention it (although obviously I was too dumb to work that out for myself).

[getz out]

You can have fun with a song like that. Since the bass is back in the mix, you can mess around with the part as it really isn't the hook and not what the audience would pick out. Rock it out, bc.

 

Hey, how's that Fender Jazz treating you? What a beautiful specimen. Can you post that pick again for some bass-porn goodness?

[bc_dup1]

I get your drift Maury but not true of this song. The bit where the bass is furthest back in in the mix is in one of those fusiony-type harmony/unison riffs that Stevie is so fond of (think of Sir Duke or Master Blaster for better known examples). Since I'd be playing along with the horns I'll have to stick to what is on the record.

 

I've played the Jazz at recent rehearsals (using whatever amp the rehearsal studio supplies, a hit and m. The jury is still out - I won't know until I get the chance to play it on a few gigs with my own amp. I must say I like the feel of it and it's certainly better looking than my other basses!!

 

Unfortunately I don't know how to post pics, or I'd happily become a bass pornographer. I think the last time I linked to the site that was selling the bass.

[bassaddik]

when you get a chance, listen to " rocket love " and check out the string arrangement ( Claire Fisher? )

absolutely gorgeous.