Palama wrote:Joe Jackson - a comp CD of my favorites from 1979 to 1982.
Wifey is out so cranking up the stereo. To say that I play my music too loud is a slight understatement. :-"
With the volume level high, you can really hear (…and feel…) Graham Maby’s bass. Lovin’ it!
YESSSSSS!!!My musical journey started with a 6 string. I had to have it to learn to play what I thought was the best lead that was wasted of all-time. I found myself running over to turn the knob up to 11 to hear it fade out getting those last few seconds. it happens after that skiffle riff towards the 4:00 mark of this vid.
https://youtu.be/BLZZ8GWAk7E?si=ykl2tRSx-PWrg8Q9Got close to it...then somewhere playing that I'd revert to the bassline. Everytime. Started learning KISS' "Detroit Rock City" (which is really 2 guitars a half step apart playing the same thing, classic KISS) playing Paul's part with the band I was with. I knew about 15 songs on guitar. The band left all the equipment at my house that day. Latchkey kids with no parents...we rocked the roof off until it was time to clean up the place...anyways just like the Aerosmith song...3/4's of the way if I wasn't playing with anyone else the bassline creep popped in. Went over to the bass in the corner...standing head and shoulders above the other guitars like "Here I am!". Started noodling around on it and was like "Man, those strings are HUGE". The action on this was real low so it wasn't
that bad. Jammed my way into a few songs playing the bassline. Put on the records and was playing "Deuce", "The Jack", but when I got to "Is It My Body" I slid into that groove and the clouds parted. I wasn't playing the guitar again. So, years later New Wave happened and after taking a rash of crap from my entire Spanish class for liking "My Sharonna", I thought if that brand of music elicits that much hate from people I need to pay attention to it. Went to the record store and dived into the bargain bin...the staff knew me and I had the same weird tastes they had. The place was like the movie "High Fidelity". If I asked for a take...I was gonna get schooled...BUT...they knew that I knew and could prove I knew Music. So, one of them put Joe Jackson Band into my hands. Look Sharp!. THIS was the uplifting, dance around in the pogo while enjoying every second of it music that was New Wave. It was this album where I found Graham Maby and his playing exactly where I needed to be. Those slides, fills...starting a song out at 100 MPH while background singing one or 2 words. I couldn't believe that he NEVER was mention in the Greatest Bassist convos. It was my job from there on out to make sure others knew. Toss more age on the pile and I was in the working band stage. We had regular paying gigs where between all of our friends, families and co-workers could pull 200 people into a bar on a Fri-Sat night. Got tight by practicing our asses off. We started writing our own material and it wasn't like McCartney/Lennon...it was more like the Police or cats mating process. The littlest part became the biggest part. One sentence became the gist of the entire song. I really borrowed a lot of Maby's stylings when it came to bringing my stuff to the table and it stuck. Anyways, I'm rambling but you made me go back in time mentioning him. This is the song that made me take a step back and play it 3 times in a row.
Joe Jackson Band - Look Sharp!
"Got The Time"
https://youtu.be/XTIPCc1nKYQ?si=JMbqTayG7qkOir76It finds Maby in one of his rowdiest forms but hanging in for the background vocals. I really missed this type of music as Joe evolved. He can't leave any venue until he hits the early stuff...and he KNOWS it.
Thanks, and ALWAYS play it loud.
