Bass Player: Jeff Berlin Another Jeff Berlin special. ‘Hells Bells’, the opening track from the Bruford album ‘One Of A Kind’. ‘There is one mad passage that I am not entirely satisfied with as the bass part is lost in the mix, even if you slow it down ( bars 89 to 101 – it…

Bass Player: Martin Briley Bilbo: ‘Another early favourite for me. Like Chris Squire, the tune is all tone. There is nothing ‘chopsy’ about it and it is a relatively easy read. I have always enjoyed this album and the bass sound that Martin Briley has achieved (using a Rickenbacker, I am reliably informed) is on…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin The opening track from the Bruford album ‘Gradually Going Tornado’. This is a full trancription of the track ‘Age Of Information’, another Jeff Berlin vocal performance. Not one of the hardest tunes of the album but there are some tricky syncopations later in the tune. It is not clear whether Jeff…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin Wow! This one is a monster. Jeff Berlin’s part for Land’s End, a 10 minute ‘epic’ from the Gradually Going Tornado album. There are some very ‘vague’ passages in the middle around the piano interlude but, with a little poetic licence, you should be able to figure this out. Some monstrous…

Bass Player: Chris Squire ‘ Another one I had been meaning to have a go at for years. Chris Squire’s bass part to ‘Heart Of The Sunrise’ from the Yes LP ‘Fragile’. Very weird experience trying to figure out the time signatures; 12:8, 6:8, bars of 5:8 and 3:8, some 4:4. Remember, this is MY interpretation.…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin Another one of Jeff Berlin’s performances from the Bruford album ‘Gradually Going Tornado’. This is the track ‘Plans For J.D.’. another of Jeff’s vocal performances. ‘I have to say that reading through this one actually brings a smile to my face. The chart has some delightful details that I hadn’t noticed…

Bass Player: Jack Bruce ‘Another of the tunes off the Cozy Powell ‘Over The Top’ album with Jack Bruce on bass, the source of my concept of a decent bass sound to this day. Some nice little grooves from JB. And having bought it when it came out in 1979, I have just realised that…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin Another Jeff Berlin transcription. This is ‘Q.E.D’, another track from the Bruford album ‘Gradually Going Tornado’.  ‘Some tough counting in the early stages of this transcription and it is absolutely possible that I am not hearing the pulse correctly (I am thinking 6:4 listening to Dave Stewart’s keyboards. Once the melody…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin Another Jeff Berlin performance from the Bruford LP ‘Gradually Going Tornado’. Another bass sound that Bilbo would look to emulate consciously or subconsciously. Unsurprisingly, Jeff Berlin was a big fan of Jack Bruce also so this is not at all surprising. This is a full transcription of Jeff’s bass part to…

Bass Player: Jack Bruce An early influence for Bilbo , in terms of defining the sound of a bass, was Jack Bruce on the ‘Over The Top’ album by Cozy Powell. ‘I remember that I bought my first ‘expensive’ bass (an Aria SB600) because Jack had an Aria SB1000. I couldn’t afford the more expensive…