So...what did Paul actually play on?

[IkarisOne]

If he did, wouldn't be surprised if that's one of the ones Paul re-recorded. Sounds like flatulent mid-range thunka-thunk compared to the silky smooth undergarments of tracks like VC.

Or I could be entirely wrong.

I could see Paul's angular style being preferable in some cases- it was punkier than Watt Roy's Blockhead wedding band kind of bass. Maybe WR was vamping on certain takes and Mick just wanted a straight read.

[dave202]

Norman told me personally that he played on 16 tracks on Sandinista.

So...less than a third?

So what sort of shit arithmetic do you get in the north east of England? 16 out of 36 is nearly... a half, or something like that.

[Silent Majority]

Norman told me personally that he played on 16 tracks on Sandinista.

So...less than a third?

So what sort of shit arithmetic do you get in the north east of England? 16 out of 36 is nearly... a half, or something like that.

Thanks, Thatcher.

[dave202]

Norman told me personally that he played on 16 tracks on Sandinista.

So...less than a third?

So what sort of shit arithmetic do you get in the north east of England? 16 out of 36 is nearly... a half, or something like that.

Thanks, Thatcher.

Thatcher? I thought I was closer to Einstein. Oh well.

[Dr. Medulla]

Norman told me personally that he played on 16 tracks on Sandinista.

So...less than a third?

So what sort of shit arithmetic do you get in the north east of England? 16 out of 36 is nearly... a half, or something like that.

Heston lives in the quasi hell where there was a side seven and eight that added another twelve tracks to the package.

[IkarisOne]

Norman told me personally that he played on 16 tracks on Sandinista.

So...less than a third?

So what sort of shit arithmetic do you get in the north east of England? 16 out of 36 is nearly... a half, or something like that.

Heston lives in the quasi hell where there was a side seven and eight that added another twelve tracks to the package.

We all do.

[Silent Majority]

Norman told me personally that he played on 16 tracks on Sandinista.

So...less than a third?

So what sort of shit arithmetic do you get in the north east of England? 16 out of 36 is nearly... a half, or something like that.

Thanks, Thatcher.

Thatcher? I thought I was closer to Einstein. Oh well.

As in she's responsible for Heston's schooling.

[Hammy]

One of the great things about being a 'Clash Head' - is you can find nuggets of musicality, in their live performances. But c'mon boys, get back to planet earth - no bassist ever looked like Paul, rocked a bass like Paul, hammered bass guitars to floorboards & generated cultural tsunamis - like Paul. Even 'musso' bassists - with guitars hitched up to their chests probably started because of Paul …love the 'player'/hate the game.

[Silent Majority]

[Chuck Mangione]

One of the great things about being a 'Clash Head' - is you can find nuggets of musicality, in their live performances. But c'mon boys, get back to planet earth - no bassist ever looked like Paul, rocked a bass like Paul, hammered bass guitars to floorboards & generated cultural tsunamis - like I Paul. Even 'musso' bassists - with guitars hitched up to their chests probably started because of Paul …love the 'player'/hate the game.

I unabashedly agree. Simmo rules.

[TeddyB Not Logged In]

Paul was a better bassist than Stu Sutcliffe from, erm, Day Two, but perfect comparison S.M.!

[Chairman Ralph]

Well, I can only repeat what Johnny Green told me when I started chronicling this stuff so long ago -- after work began on Give 'Em Enough Rope, Paul wasn't allowed to join the rehearsals "until he'd learned the songs properly." Also...

I could see Paul's angular style being preferable in some cases- it was punkier than Watt Roy's Blockhead wedding band kind of bass. Maybe WR was vamping on certain takes and Mick just wanted a straight read.

...Johnny mentioned that it wasn't unusual for Mick to re-do whatever Paul laid down initially, which happened quite a lot, he said (particularly during the recording of London Calling).

As for Sandinista!, it's well-documented that Norman Watt-Roy did most of it, since Paul was off making All Washed Up (or Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains)...which is old news around these parts.

However, I personally have never gotten too worked up about this issue -- as a group's persona often trumps that whole "who played what" issue.

A good illustration of that principle is the famous '79 bass-smashing incident -- which, even now, tends to get more attention than the nuances of Paul's playing style (though I don't have a problem with it -- hell, the way he wore it was what inspired me to pick up a bass in the first place!).

[Kory]

Perhaps this thread was started in response to the discussion in the multitracks one—it's clear to me that Paul is not on Lost in the Supermarket. That line is way too tight. I would be disappointed, however, to learn definitively that this happened too frequently outside of S!. I know that it doesn't bother a lot of people, but as a bassist, it kind of irks me to know that when I listen to the studio albums, it may mostly be only 3/4 of the band playing.

I doubt Pearlman would have sent him upstairs to practice for days on end if he wasn't on GEER. This stuff doesn't bother me anyway, I think records are about getting the best performance over, no matter what it takes. And unless you're recording straight up live, it's all a bit of a cheat anyway, innit?

Some of those bass tracks are pretty complicated. I would think that he played Guns on the Roof, but maybe not Last Gang in Town...
I agree with CK, I've never thought that Paul was on One More Time. I think anything that involves a little flourish was either Mick entirely, or Mick punching in for a bar or something.

The real question is, did Paul know when Mick had replaced his parts after hours? Or did he listen back and think, "hey, I'm not so bad!"?

[Kory]

I don't know but his live playing with the Gorillaz was very cool. It's funny/interesting that a musician can improve while not actually playing very much in the interim.

I know it's shat upon here, but I really dig his playing on TGTB&TQ.

[Kory]

Norman told me personally that he played on 16 tracks on Sandinista.

So...less than a third?

So what sort of shit arithmetic do you get in the north east of England? 16 out of 36 is nearly... a half, or something like that.

Heston lives in the quasi hell where there was a side seven and eight that added another twelve tracks to the package.

We all do.