Bass Player: Colin Bass

‘Colin! What do you want to be when you grow up’?

‘A fish’!

Well it didn’t turn out like that. The Camel concept album ‘Nude’, released in 1981, was built around the story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who, lost in the jungle, carried on fighting the Second World War until 1974, 29 years after the Japanese surrendered. The wonderful punchline to that story was that Onoda lived until 2016 when he died aged 91.

The ‘Nude’ album features some beautiful fretless playing by Wal exponent and most aptly named bass player ever, Colin Bass. Beautiful phrasing and tight lines. The chart is not too tough a read but those extra bars of 6:4 can catch you out if you are not careful.