Off Topic 46 years in the making

[T-bone]

As far as great Aussie's though - Hey, what about Mark Knopfler?? One of my fav's for a very long time.

Mine too. And let's not forget Midnight Oil and INXS.

Do we forgive them though for Men at Work? At least we now know what vegemite is.

tbone

 

[Aussie Mark]

As far as great Aussie's though - Hey, what about Mark Knopfler?? One of my fav's for a very long time.

Oh yeah, and Neil Young is one of my favourite Americans.

 

[oli@bass]

Great Aussie's? Who can not name AC/DC, especially on the MusicMan Bass Forum?!

Mark surely knows Diesel, I wonder whether anyone else ever heard of him? I totally dig his 1994 album "Solid State Rhyme" (great basslines btw, check them out!), but wasn't able to find any other of his CDs in local stores.

 

[phat5]

Anyone remember the 80's band Aviom? Or Dragon?

 

[Aussie Mark]

Anyone remember the 80's band Aviom? Or Dragon?

Avoim doesn't ring a bell with me, but Dragon sure does - check out my '76 Stingray

Other than "Rain" Dragon didn't do a lot in the 80's, most of their hits were actually in the 70's.

 

[phat5]

Avoim doesn't ring a bell with me, but Dragon sure does - check out my '76 Stingray

Other than "Rain" Dragon didn't do a lot in the 80's, most of their hits were actually in the 70's.

Cool! I saw Dragon in '78...they opened up for Johnny Winter at the Coconut Grove. As for Aviom, my friend Randall Waller was the lead vox and guitars. He also played for Dragon and ended up playing on 2 tours with Shania.............lucky dog.

 

[SteveB]

Oh yeah, and Neil Young is one of my favourite Americans.

I'm assuming you're testing us.. Neil is Canadian, after all.

What song is it that you want to hear?

(famously spoken by Ronnie Van Zandt - singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd - on the live album "One more from the Road" just before the band broke into "Freebird")

I grew up hearing Skynyrd coming from my older brother's room.. that and Greatful Dead. I never listened to either band on my own but I think I know lots of music from each. I actually played "Freebird" two weeks ago for the first time in 26 years of playing.. I was doing acoustic versions of cover songs at a fundraiser with a friend and I had no idea how to play it.. I just followed him and picked it up on the fly. Amazingly, it went over well.

 

[Aussie Mark]

I'm assuming you're testing us.. Neil is Canadian, after all.

As far as great Aussie's though - Hey, what about Mark Knopfler?? One of my fav's for a very long time

 

[mynan]

Neal Young was one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's favorite Americans too...

 

[SteveB]

Neal Young was one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's favorite Americans too...

Oops! That's right.. they didn't need him 'round anyhow..

 

[bovinehost]

I was never what you'd call a Skynyrd fan. I did see them open for Joe Walsh once, way back in the early 70s.....God bless Joe Walsh, I love him, but he's not the most exciting man to watch. Skynyrd, for what they did, were very good live.

My cousin Owen Hale is a Nashville drummer of some renown and a while back, the Skynyrd guys talked him into leaving Nashville for a bit (this is very dangerous when you're a studio rat) and touring with the band. As dismissive as I once was about the entire southern rock thing (and I'm as southern as it gets), I have to say that they loved Owen and he loved them. My mom (RIP) and Owen's mom went backstage one time and they treated them old ladies like queens of the world. That goes a long way with me.

Owen has nothing but good things to say about them now, and he was mighty upset when Leon died a while back.

So....not my cup of tea, but hey, they were nice to my mom.

You can't argue with that.

Jack

 

[SharonG]

OK, Mark, clearly I neeed some edumification? Where is Mark K from?

 

[Petersonic]

Mark Knopfler is from Scotland, as far as I know.

 

[Jimmyb]

Mark Knopfler is from Scotland, as far as I know.

Getting closer....

 

[Aussie Mark]

Getting closer....

Actually, Scotland is spot on, according to Google. Born there, and moved to Newcastle as a kid.

 

[KennethB]

Actually, Scotland is spot on, according to Google. Born there, and moved to Newcastle as a kid.

This is true despite all the Geordies trying to "take credit".

I had the same reaction as you, Mark, the first time I heard "Freebird". It's really a horrible song in my opinion. I've been forced to play it over the years, and I'm getting close to the point where I can't take it anymore. The same goes for "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Mustang Sally". Well, sometimes you have to "play for the people" as they say. And people really do love those songs. I don't get it.

 

[shastaband]

37 years playing bass.

Hope I never have to play Freebird again.

But I still like Mustang Sally.

YMMV.

 

[RitchieDarling]

But I still like Mustang Sally.

One of the gaggle of local "blues" bands has the philosophy that if they stretch songs out, they only have to play three of four per 45 minute set.

And it was with this in mind that one evening I timed them while they dragged "Mustang Sally" out to 14½ minutes!

It was disturbing!

They had two guitars, sax, and a keyboard player. It went something like:

Intro - guitar solo - other guitar solo - sax solo - 1st verse - 2nd verse - that "ride, Sally ride" bit - guitar solo - other guitar solo - sax solo - 3rd verse (actually first verse repeated) - "ride, Sally ride" bit - keyboard solo - guitar solo - other guitar solo - sax solo - 1st verse repeated yet again - guitar solo - keyboard solo - end

Then they did the same to "Pride and Joy"!!

And by that time I wanted to poke out my eardrums with a cocktail straw!

This town is infested with unrehearsed, middle-aged, white guys with long grey hair, fedoras, and a harmonica fetish.

Ugh! I need a bromo!

Ritchie

 

[Aussie Mark]

This town is infested with unrehearsed, middle-aged, white guys with long grey hair, fedoras, and a harmonica fetish.

I hear you, I'm not a fan of coffee table boutique basses either.

 

[RitchieDarling]

I hear you, I'm not a fan of coffee table boutique basses either.

Fedoras, not Foderas!





R