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CD Review |
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Recorded between March 1997 and September 2000. Basses used: Warwick Streamer 4-string and Cort Artisan 5 (tuned E-C) Martin Simpson is one of the few shining lights in our local music industry. He brings out self-financed, self-produced and often self-recorded albums that are always a fun listen. Bass to Bass is no exception, and features some of South Africa’s finest musicians, including drummer Larry Rose and guitarist extraordinaire Mauritz Lotz. The album kicks of with Space Rock (Lift Off), a track that brings to mind a Jethro Tull demo sans real drummer and some of the 80’s guitar albums a mate of mine so dearly loved to make me listen to. Only some very cool flute playing by Annerine Tomlinson helps to rescue this otherwise bland opener. Some very cool bass ostinatos and Heinz Shrader’s sax make The Bass Remains the Same (Sax Appeal) a track to take note of. I thought the drums might have been played in half time to build more tension and emotion, but otherwise it’s a really good song, which brings to mind some 80’s fusion, a la Spyra Gyro. Werewolf by Night would, I think, have been better served by omitting the somewhat cheesy vocals. There are parts of this song though that smack of Level 42 meets Duran Duran, and with some nice bass parts it’s a fun, well thought out piece. Nicely put together, though, despite the vocals, and a nice JP Destefani guitar solo too. The Quinterican has popped up on a couple of recordings of late (on the Bass in Your Face sessions), and this two part bass solo piece is where Martin can deliver. Or can he? …I’m happy to say that although (like the rest of us mere mortals), Martin is no Stu Hamm, he is clever enough to hold our attention just long enough on this very smart and well executed two handed tapping piece. Get Lost, a track penned with Mauritz Lotz, is one of my favourite pieces of local music. Although Lotz takes centre stage here (deservedly so), Martin holds his own in this dark, back-and-forth piece with some solid playing, some tasty tapping, and a very nice bridge section. Again, Martin’s solid tone cuts through, even when Mauritz takes a scorching solo. Some very nice drumming by Larry Rose makes this the highlight of the album. Orbit immediately reminded me of early 80’s band Quaterflash, with Heinz Schrader’s sax lines sounding very much like Rindy Ross’s, but then the B section kicks in and I’m thinking “Iron Maiden?” It’s a cool mix of pop sensibilities and shows what a rocker can do with the right tools. A track familiar to anyone who has heard any of Martin’s Bass In Your Face compilations, The Bass Remains the Same (Bass to Bass) is a bass dominant track that smacks of 70’s glam and the vibe of some 80’s “alternative” bands. It’s a happy tune that makes the foot tap, and I’m told that that is the point of being a bass player, so ‘nuff said! Some cool two handed tapping introduces The Death March Boogie, which moves quickly into a southern boogie/rock feel, complete with blues harp – but then, according to the liner notes there is no bass! Synth bass? A sad day indeed I’m afraid. Not much here to inspire. Tuesday Morning (Brunch) - a great title is about all I can say about this one. There is some interesting bass work, but after a couple of listens I can only say “bring in a real drummer mate”, as the synth drummer is really a low point in an otherwise nice piece. Good intentions are so often fraught with scandalously bad ideas. Remember being in primary school, and watching a very young Michael J. Fox, or a Tom Cruise movie – well Oh Yeah! is the film’s soundtrack. Remember those transformation scenes where the ugly girl becomes the prom queen? Well this is the theme music in one overly long montage scene… The Bass Remains the Same, again, only this time its reprise, Blow by Blow, is a more calculated and interesting piece with Tomlinson’s flute adding depth to what might otherwise have been a possible sleeper. On second and third listens I heard more of what Simpson was playing and began to enjoy it more and more. Again the Jethro Tull-ish vibe (no Ian Anderson’s scathing lyrics unfortunately), which I think works well here. Space Rock (reprise?) (Splash Down) closes the album, and unlike its name suggests, it doesn’t splash down. But that’s because it never really gets going, despite some funky (???) harmonica work and a tasty bridge (what is it with bridges?). On a whole, the album has some really happening moments and some that might have served Martin better by being left out. But the overall picture is what it’s all about, and Bass to Bass is a nice listen, introducing us to more of the energetic madness that is Martin Simpson. At least he’s doing something positive for us bottom end dwellers…not many others are! Comments from the artist. What I love most about music is that it is so subjective and what turns one person off turns another person on. In general though, the good tunes are a favourite of most of us and the ‘also rans’ get forgotten about over the long haul. To get what I’m saying, is that, I’m willing to bet that ‘Comfortably Numb’ is just about everybody’s favourite track on Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ as is ‘Whole Lotta Love’ on Zep’s second offering and ‘Persephone’ is on Wishbone Ash’s ‘There’s The Rub’. Bass To Bass isn’t my favourite album offering but what it sets out to achieve is to bring together all the crazy, luny, ideas I’ve come up with over the years and give the listener a pretty good picture of what I’m all about (like me or hate me) but because of this, I feel the album lacks co-hesion. Julian has put together a very honest and well-written review of this album and although I may not agree with everything he says, he pretty much endorses my own feelings about this disc. The programming of a drum box (Boss DR660) for a few tracks was an area I really wanted to explore but I realised quite early in the recording process that it was one of those avenues I’ll probably never explore again, especially as drum features play a big part in the music I compose. Actually, Get Lost and The Death March Boogie were also earmarked for the drum machine treatment but sanity prevailed in the end and Larry Rose & Vinnie Henrico came in to rescue these two tunes. I have, at home, a copy of The Death March Boogie, where I two-hand tapped my way throughout the tune but John and I felt that it lacked consistency in terms of note duration and note levels (remember that this was recorded in analogue and I had to tap consistently for a full seven minutes) so we hit the synths instead. Get Lost is definitely this album’s ‘Comfortably Numb’ with the track Bass To Bass coming in a close second and Tuesday Morning is undoubtedly the album’s ‘also ran’ track. Orbit doesn’t really do much for me personally I have to admit but where I differ strongly with Julian is Space Rock (Splash Down) which is one of my fave pieces on this crazy disc. |
