it's actually not that hard a bass line, the tricky thing is just that you have to practice it fast enough that your fingers only feel comfortable plucking correctly-- you'll find the slowest way to do it comfortably kinda automatically and then speed up with practice
@@reallife7235 agreed. There’s a difference between tone and character/style. Geddy will always play like Geddy, but if you put him on a Ken Smith running through an potato, it’s not going to sound that much like him.
@@kevinsheppard2312 facts. gear will make you sound better to your own ears which in return if you think you sound better, you will play better. that’s what it feels like for me anyways
+David Ashabranner People have their heads up their butt. Once they decide to pull their heads out of their butts and just slip back into the real world they might forget about their dumb 0 talent pop music and listen to some stuff that takes a lot more than editing tricks to get a good tune.
The solo bass riffs were recorded separately from the main bassline which is why you hear a subtle volume difference and tonal difference in the riffs.
I love these isolated tracks! There is always way more distortion then I think there is going to be! Whenever I hear people trying to sound like Geddy, they always play with lots of clanky bright tones, but his tone is rather dark and distroted actually!
his more modern bass tone (90s and 00s, the sansamp days) is a lot brighter and clankier, which im personally less of a fan of. Between hemispheres and signals, he was using an ashly preamp with some clipping diodes in the fx loop to achieve a super cool grindy sound thats still not too "hifi". the camera eye is a perfect example of this. it has an explosive growly sound to it that doesn't take your head off with treble
Fuuuuuu....I'm always impressed with Geddy, but what really impresses me hearing the bass track in isolation is just how much swing and feel he's pulling off. Take note kids: this is not your typical clinical, sterile, "prog rock" bass playing - yeah, it's flashy, but it's all feeling, swing and groove.
His mother is a Hungarian Jew, and she pronounced his name, Gary, with an R-roll, which comes out "Geddy." Thus his stage name. (Real name, Gary Weinrib.)
Geddy Lee has earned his respect. He was the perfect bass player for Rush. Whether someone prefers Entwistle, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Paul McCartney, James Jamerson or some other bass player, they are all tremendous influential bass players. There are bass players who you see around neighborhood music stores, music venues, churches, in the street that are also great. Music and being masterful at your craft is all about sharing and learning and respecting interpretation of styles, parts, improvisation, and passion. The people who put down other bass players don't get it. It's terrible critiquing other bass players and musicians all the time as it takes away from the music experience. As musicians it is a curse. Musicianship is a journey and each player is on heir own journey and hopefully never reach whatever they are going for.
Totally agree.... And I have had a never-ending pet peeve about musicians who HAVE to find something to badmouth in every track they have ever heard!!!!!.... Jealousy is a big buzzkill......
@Shallex It's almost impossible to say if one is objectively "better" than the other because they're both phenomenal, but in different ways. However, I will say that Orion kicks some serious ass. m.th-cam.com/video/cVPCC6V3xRs/w-d-xo.html
Xavier Sánchez I agree both beautiful instruments, being a mediocre at any of them is easy, being great in any of them...maybe a little bit harder at bass. I love both and play both
First of all, I doubt you've tested the IQ of every bass player compared to guitarists and drummers. Second, to be fair, guitar on most songs isn't that challenging either.
+Jesse M G I modified my jazz bass to output in stereo and it sounds like he had the neck clean and in the center and the bridge going through a stereo chorus to two left and right channels out of phase
Absolutely Ric-o-sound. You can hear it here as well as any place it's ever been used. Clearly sounds like stereo separation, but the track is identical. Excellent use of the electronics.
Okay, a previous comment said Geddy says he used the Rick in YYZ, whereas it SOUND like the Jazz punch and clarity for most of the song, and those solo bits with the stereo separation are clearly the Ric. (That's what it SOUNDS like. I wasn't there.)
i agree... i own both... a mid 70's jazz, and a 68 rick (i even had the whole geddy lee (ashly/bgw) amp setup at one point) and despite (& with all respect to) how Ged remembers it, with scrutinizing ears, all of MP sounds exactly like a blown out jazz bass...not a Rick at all but i wasn't at Le Studio in the fall of '80 to confirm that either!..lol
Am I the only one here who finds great relief in hearing the amount of fret buzz and finger-slippage on some of the greatest basslines in history? Or who loves those artists even more for not "fixing" the problem in post-production?
Without a doubt the greatest bass player of all time, there are only a few who could even come close to this level of mastery where you can play with the technicality and precision and still make it rhythmical, plus the fact that Geddy can play like this, sing like a god, and play MIDI Pedals and keyboards/synths
Fun fact: Geddy's '72 Jazz Bass has a short in the bridge pickup. It's not really certain if that's relative to this era of Rush recordings, as his tech didn't open the bass up until around 2008. There's a thread on the TalkBass forums about Geddy's tone, and his actual bass tech gave some really in-depth information about his gear.
+MrSpartanm33 100% Jack Bruce. That's who Geddy says influenced him the most, and it's all over this song. (Not saying he wasn't influenced by the others mentioned here, though)
My right wrist and arm hurt just listening to this. For him to bless us with this magnificent gift (upon many others over the years)...Geddy Lee is beyond legendary.
You can tell that this is the Jazz. Anyone who's played a Jazz knows that if you play as hard as Geddy does, the strings hit the pick-ups and the lower fret metal, which you can slightly hear in this song.
+The Cisco Kid Nope - the Ricky. Geddy confirmed in an interview with Bass Player Magazine where he went track by track through Moving Pictures during the Time Machine Tour. The jazz was used for Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Witch Hunt, and Vital Signs. The rest is the Ricky.
Amazing. You want to think he had some help with this song using the Jazz, but I don't doubt your info. I've owned the 4001 and its a very wide, flat neck that is MUCH more challenging to play fast AND CLEAR than the Jazz, (which he uses almost exclusively now.) Monster player, no matter how you cut it.
I can tell you the overdubs are probably the Rickenbacker, but the main bass in this is the jazz bass. Solo the neck pickup on a jazz bass and run some overdrive on it. You'll get a sound very similar to this. P.S. I own a period correct 1978 Rickenbacker 4001 and a Fender Jazz bass. Only Camera Eye and Red Barchetta were 100% Rickenbacker.
CorvetteCoonass I'm thinking you're right. The Rick has a less defined sound on Camera Eye and RB. Geddys photo on the album shows him holding the Jazz. I think the vital signs video has him playing the jazz. No biggie, really. He moved into the Steinburger shortly after this, and then the Wal, before settling in the jazz for good. Nice to know it had a big part in getting that album to sound so clear.
Been listening and trying to play (even a little) like Geddy since 1974 - with little luck I might add. He and Chris Squire have always been and continue to be (even after us losing Chris 😥) bass players we could all learn tons from. BTW, the YT feature that allows you to slow the track down but maintain the same pitch is very handy for videos like this!
I've tracked this on both a Jazz and Rick, and to me, it sounds (and feels) like the main theme (which IS double-tracked) is the Rick. The intro is the Rick, on the neck pick-up, up until the two unison runs before the main theme kicks in. The trade-off solo section and the guitar solo are clearly the Jazz, and I feel like the secondary themes are the Jazz as well. The little solo's just have a send from the board run through different amp settings and chorus that's kicked in just for them, but they're are not double-tracked. And then the thing under Neil's last fill near the end IS double-tracked but left panned mono instead of hard L&R, which is a weird, noisy choice to me, almost like it's meant to make noise instead of playing a musical figure. Pretty cool.
I consulted the "Mereley Players" RUSH compendium, and it says the Jazz is the only bass used on the whole album (and the Rick 4001 was used in the videos only "for effect"). While I'm happy to stand corrected, I guarantee you I'll get a tone closer to these tones with my 4001 than either of you can with a Jazz.
This also isnt double tracked... Its the jazz neck pickup only but the main theme has stereo chorus on it with the dry signal underneath the effected signal in the mix.
Man, we already knew how incredibly talented Geddy was just from the album Hemisphere's alone. (Think side one and La Villa), but thank God we also have this.
I too never realized those were dubbed. However, the guitar player in me understands wanting a separate sound for his solo parts. It's not like he can't play it all in one pass. He just wanted a little extra juice for those awesome runs. Totally acceptable studio practice.
I cant tell you how much I appreciate you putting this up. I have to be one of the biggest Geddy lee fans ever. I play bass and have owned his signature Jazz bass for close to 7 years now. If I had access to his isolated bass tracks when I was a kid I would have just dropped down dead from joy. Hearing his playing this way is just pure joy. I checked out an interview with him describing what he used on moving Pictures and he said it was a split between the Jazz and the Rick.
Love these isolation tracks! Great song for it too with that funky Rickenbacker 4001 sound. Geddy will always be considered one of the best rock bass players; I wish I had about 30% of his talent.
I like how he matched Alex's rhythm for a little over half the song. And those really high notes at 2:17 and 2:18 are the highest I've ever heard a bass played. Geddy also had the unique sounding bass that always stands out. Brian May (Queen's guitarist) is the only other person I can think of who plays an instrument with a tone that is hard (or impossible) to find anywhere else.
I never realized how much chorus he is using in some of the parts. It's really noticable with the isolated track. Man I love these, I feel like I'm listening to something that's a secret! 😅
I've had 2 Rics and I love that Ric owners think only a 4001/4003 can make that sound. I had a Mexican Jazz bass that had a better Ric sound and my current '58 reissue Fender P can sound like a Ric (depending on EQ'ing) except it has (much) better bottom end. Hey, I love remembering Geddy playing a 4003 from the time they got their advance for Fly By Night in '75 and so much in fact I had a 4003 and a 4001 V64. After having had enough of their issues, I had 2 Carvins and now I have a Fender and that is where I am happiest now.
Yes, we all eventually come home to Fender. Home of the best bottom end in the world. (Just got a Classic Vibe 70's P yesterday. Very sweet, and rivals any P out there.)
Jaco was not a rock bassist nor was Geddy a jazz-fusion bassist. I don't think Jaco was listed as one of his influences but I could be wrong. This is a lot of John Entwistle and Jack Bruce influence.
Could you point me to any particular phrase or section of this that sounds like anything that Jaco ever did? If I hear any influence in this it would be a John Entwistle or Chris Squire influence (Particularly the latter) but I hear nothing that sounds like Jaco.
That run he plays at the very end of the song has always been the hardest part of this to play for me. I know where my fingers are supposed to go, but they just won't go fast enough lol.
@musicfan101ful It's him. I've listened to this song a million times. There are distinctive crackles and growls that just can't be duplicated exactly. What's really fun is hearing the overdubbed solos with that fat chorus effect, and of course just listening to him beat the living daylights out of those strings. That's pure Geddy.
On the real, this level of precision with the high action he likes before the ability to easily punch in and re-record individual passages was really a thing is pretty flabbergasting.
Honestly, I'm wanting to learn to play Bass Guitar, and while this tells me it is going to be a challenge, I'm definitely not going to dislike this. I love Geddy Lee's talent on the Bass.
0:40 Been trying to perfect this riff since 1981.. especially the first fast 32nd-nt triplet into the Hungarian run... ...and assuming this is the actual track from the album, now I’m hearing that Ged Never played it! He just played straight 16ths up the scale..
People talk about Geddys tone and what some dont realise is just how much compression he has on his bass and how the compressors settings make his tone what it is. If I had to guess its about a 8:1 ratio with a medium attack time and a super long slow release. The pumping is after the initial attack so you get that Geddy classic articulation on the string strike. If I was a bass player trying to get that Geddy tone I would forget the bass and amp and get a Urei, means more.
this song is not that hard if you've been playing consistently for afew years, but damn its pretty damn well written. one of my favourite instrumentals
@Cookieonbass If I remember correctly, the solo pieces were what the industry calls "punched in". They were recorded on a different bass at a different time than the rest of the song, and were "punched in", hence the different tone and increased volume. I'm a big Geddy nut too. FINALLY got to see them on the Time Machine tour in Tulsa. :-)
You can really hear the 'drop ins'. The solos were recorded separately, of course! Also sounds double tracked at points,maybe thats the 2 outputs the Rickenbacker has??
It is, but they take it about 10 clicks slower. Alex and Geddy apparently recently performed YYZ with the drummer from the foo Fighters and he took it at the recorded speed and Geddy said that he and alex were giving each other panicked looks because it was faster than they usually play. The interview I saw that in was about a month ago with the CBC
Geddy possesses all of the benchmarks of a real musician. He proves that an bassists presentation is so much about finger/pic attack. Effects are overrated and overpriced...ahem... I see a return of analog attitudes and publishing strategies in the near future. The digital age is growing old and boring and lacking humanity ALREADY!.... I say, bring back the 70's attitude of live in-studio recordings, "closer to the heart" and artistry of music.
Actually, I keep working with people that want a clean bass tone and what I'm hearing in classic isolated tracks are a lot of distortion or other effects like the chorus employed here. The fuzz is great because it gives the tone some mids and presence. Too often in metal especially the bass is buried because the frequencies are devoured by other instruments - playing it clean seems to be wrong!
Doctor Who Fan Analog recordings require vital, spontaneous, inspired, skilled musicianship. Digital recordings usually require musicians......................
Tony Simmons Digital recording has nothing to do with the music itself. There's nothing special about analog that magically makes musicians better. The only difference is the sound, and even that can be emulated with plugins.
Doctor Who Fan I guess I didn't communicate very well there.. I meant that really good musicians excel on analog recording sessions, while mediocre musicians can only "excel" on digital recordings...
Guys, argue all you want by the fact is that Geddy didn't play this song on the Rick or the Jazz. He played it on "the Sex" because this bass line is like sex in my ears.
Roy Coleshill What i meant to say is the sound of the bass, which sounds like a ricky. I like his settings during this time with the distortion and all that which he sadly doesn't use anymore.
Mysterious Internet Guy you should him talk about his fender man, he's in love with that thing! It's his number one bass because he says it has a specific tone to it that no other bass he has can replicate and that's why he loves it.
Probably does in the studio like EVERYBODY else in the world. But it could also be how he records. He uses direct and mic'd amps with a speaker simulator and another track with a Sans Amp. They mix and match the track depending on what is needed in each part. That's the switching sound you hear. If it was just straight up overdub they would all have the same tone.
yeeyeeyeah All rock players overdub these days; the technology is too prevalent to resist. Jazz dudes don't (not yet anyway). In rock, it's the presentation of the piece - not the performance, that is important on an album. If you want to see the performance you have to see them live (and depending on the band in question that may not even happen then). At least RUSH actually still plays live without tape and gimmicks.
'Back in the day....' when i was learning bass, i had never heard of Rush. Don't ask me how, but they just weren't that huge in rural Sussex. My inspirations at the time were Jean-Jacques Burnel, for his talent and originality (I have never heard anyone able to play the intro to No More Heroes) and Patricia Morrison, who, although perhaps not quite as technical, showed me that girls can play bass too.
Just look at Geddy's own influences to see bassists who are easily his equal. John Entwistle, Jack Casady, Jack Bruce, and Chris Squire. All tremendous musicians.
Damn, he's not even moving his fingers. That's talent!
ha!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA i don't get it. :P jk
HES ONLY TOUCHING THE BASS WITH ONE FINGER.
Thats real fast!
lol!
I love how aggressive his playing is. The way his fingers just slap the strings.
Keep going, I'm hard.
He doesn't slap
Joetime90 meant that his finger picking style slaps the strings and he's right. It's like slapping ;)
He does have a great attack.
he uses a near perpendicular to the body attack and quickly snaps his fingers back. It's almost slapping
Ha, I can play this in my sleep... in fact, I can only play it in my sleep.
You win the comments
GG that’s amazing
I was the 100th person to like this comment. Your welcome lol.
it's actually not that hard a bass line, the tricky thing is just that you have to practice it fast enough that your fingers only feel comfortable plucking correctly-- you'll find the slowest way to do it comfortably kinda automatically and then speed up with practice
@@sinistar3198 um huh? Are you a bass player and have you mastered this? Attach a link. Love to see it.
I always loved how this nerdy menschy guy always played bass like a Viking warrior.
@8un3zz Nigga, why are you hating? He's right!
menschy
LMAO! Because I always looked at Geddy the same way. Nerdy looking on the outside but as savage as it gets on the bass.
Yeah bass tone isn't all about the gear. Especially with Geddy, so much of the sound comes from his unique right hand technique.
When he was young, he thought it was about the gear. Eventually, he realized that he was going to sound like himself, no matter what gear he used.
I've seen others say this when I played a $350 bass and without Sans Amp or the right cabinets. That "it's his fingers" point is overplayed.
@@reallife7235 agreed. There’s a difference between tone and character/style. Geddy will always play like Geddy, but if you put him on a Ken Smith running through an potato, it’s not going to sound that much like him.
@@kevinsheppard2312 facts. gear will make you sound better to your own ears which in return if you think you sound better, you will play better. that’s what it feels like for me anyways
Dude I can't play this song full speed and I play with a pick. I watch him play with his fingers and then Im just starstruck.
I can play 0:00-0:08 on bass
Sounds like the bassline on "And Justice for All".
Geoffrey Gentry fuck yes
TT
I think you can play until 0:40 not too hard
Well,I can play all the song.
2:55 When your neighbor is listening to Rush.
HEELSTEVEN MAGGLE I was looking for something to combat the neighbors
NEIGHBOUR please stupid ,, speak English
@@conanhayle That's the American spelling of the word.
@@conanhayle says the guy with shit grammar
@@conanhayle does your nurse know you are on the internet, sweetie?
How can anyone thumbs down YYZ or any Rush tune for that matter.
+David Ashabranner People have their heads up their butt. Once they decide to pull their heads out of their butts and just slip back into the real world they might forget about their dumb 0 talent pop music and listen to some stuff that takes a lot more than editing tricks to get a good tune.
Not everyone has the capacity, if you show someone this and they show a frustrated look you know they are stupid.
David Ashabranner they are jealous!😊
BECAUSE THEY"RE DEAF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only a deaf person or one with no musical tastes whatsoever could or would thumbs down the mighty Rush.
Exactly. FUCK POP
The solo bass riffs were recorded separately from the main bassline which is why you hear a subtle volume difference and tonal difference in the riffs.
Yes 100% correct. AKA "Punch -in's".
Yep, I believe the solos were on a Rickenbacker while the rest was a jazz bass
Yes! I've heard that as well. It sounds like it to me as well since I play bass and own both of those instruments.
'subtle'?
2Plus2Is4Minus1Thats3QuickMath cool to know! I thought it was because he used two separate inputs on his bass, one clean the other distorted.
You know whats cool about this whole Jazz and Ric debate? Nothing so just appreciate that a human being actually played this.
Ha! Exactly. :D
it's the sound of the rick-o-sound,
Nnno, I think quite everyone does xD
@@julienmeunier2675This was recorded with his '72 Jazz, wasn't it?
@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney Yes, although apparently the Ric 4001 was used for the brief bass solos.
Geddy Lee is the full package, not only is he a monster player, his tone is amazing
I love these isolated tracks! There is always way more distortion then I think there is going to be! Whenever I hear people trying to sound like Geddy, they always play with lots of clanky bright tones, but his tone is rather dark and distroted actually!
Its all about how it sits in the mix. Geddy plays with a driven bass sound high in midrange.
his more modern bass tone (90s and 00s, the sansamp days) is a lot brighter and clankier, which im personally less of a fan of. Between hemispheres and signals, he was using an ashly preamp with some clipping diodes in the fx loop to achieve a super cool grindy sound thats still not too "hifi". the camera eye is a perfect example of this. it has an explosive growly sound to it that doesn't take your head off with treble
Fuuuuuu....I'm always impressed with Geddy, but what really impresses me hearing the bass track in isolation is just how much swing and feel he's pulling off. Take note kids: this is not your typical clinical, sterile, "prog rock" bass playing - yeah, it's flashy, but it's all feeling, swing and groove.
Struggle President Bruh
Listen to Chris Squire if you think prog bass is clinical or sterile
Prog rock bass is anything but sterile!
@@declanp1 but it’s doesn’t swing or groove
I don't know who this gerry leaf guy is,but he can play a bass guitar .
He's from rush…
faustfood Getty Lee.
His mother is a Hungarian Jew, and she pronounced his name, Gary, with an R-roll, which comes out "Geddy." Thus his stage name. (Real name, Gary Weinrib.)
Funniest comment!
And sing and play keyboard with his feet at the same time
Geddy Lee has earned his respect. He was the perfect bass player for Rush. Whether someone prefers Entwistle, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Paul McCartney, James Jamerson or some other bass player, they are all tremendous influential bass players. There are bass players who you see around neighborhood music stores, music venues, churches, in the street that are also great. Music and being masterful at your craft is all about sharing and learning and respecting interpretation of styles, parts, improvisation, and passion. The people who put down other bass players don't get it. It's terrible critiquing other bass players and musicians all the time as it takes away from the music experience. As musicians it is a curse. Musicianship is a journey and each player is on heir own journey and hopefully never reach whatever they are going for.
agreed, but let's not forget Chris Squire
Dale Waits And Colin Moulding.
Well said!
Totally agree.... And I have had a never-ending pet peeve about musicians who HAVE to find something to badmouth in every track they have ever heard!!!!!.... Jealousy is a big buzzkill......
Tom Yau hard to believe he was influenced by James Jamerson.
2:55 just entered a elevator at Rush enterprises.
underrated comment
Cheese and rice
Geddy Lee is without a question the best bassist ever. This is maybe the most difficult song I've ever tried to play on the bass guitar.
Jaco is up there too.
Rivaled only by Cliff
@Shallex It's almost impossible to say if one is objectively "better" than the other because they're both phenomenal, but in different ways.
However, I will say that Orion kicks some serious ass.
m.th-cam.com/video/cVPCC6V3xRs/w-d-xo.html
Either this or Tommy the Cat is the most difficult IMO
@Shallex hey shallex found you again
Yeah, keep saying that the Bass is easier than the Guitar.
True dude, true… both are awesome but the difficulties are the same.
Xavier Sánchez I agree both beautiful instruments, being a mediocre at any of them is easy, being great in any of them...maybe a little bit harder at bass. I love both and play both
Yeah, but this is an exceptionally difficult song and shouldn't be considered as any sort of standard. (Edit: I'm a bassist, so no bias here.)
I think that if you play shitty music you will play in a shity way with any instrument
First of all, I doubt you've tested the IQ of every bass player compared to guitarists and drummers. Second, to be fair, guitar on most songs isn't that challenging either.
Geddy Lee is easily my #1 or 2 favorite. He's definitely one who makes me want to learn bass, him and Chris Squire, Roger Waters, and Greg Lake.
David Gilmour wrote the majority of the bass and recorded it for Pink Floyd.
Try jaco pastorius, geddie was very influenced by him
I really think he's a great bassist. He might not be the most technically advanced, but I think he fits the band incredibly well.
Waters wrote and played most of the basslines
David Nouis Please link a source of that
Didn't realise there was chorus used on it until I heard it isolated
Ric-o-sound? Or maybe double track?
+Jesse M G
good point could very well be
+Jesse M G I modified my jazz bass to output in stereo and it sounds like he had the neck clean and in the center and the bridge going through a stereo chorus to two left and right channels out of phase
+uglycustard1 It's double tracked for stereo, with an 8 ms delay on the right.
Absolutely Ric-o-sound. You can hear it here as well as any place it's ever been used. Clearly sounds like stereo separation, but the track is identical. Excellent use of the electronics.
A real bass drop
Rip: fender bass.
I think this was recorded on Ric. sounds like Ric anyway.
Sergei Schvedt The majority of it was played on a Jazz bass. The solo bits were played on a Ric though.
Okay, a previous comment said Geddy says he used the Rick in YYZ, whereas it SOUND like the Jazz punch and clarity for most of the song, and those solo bits with the stereo separation are clearly the Ric. (That's what it SOUNDS like. I wasn't there.)
i agree... i own both... a mid 70's jazz, and a 68 rick
(i even had the whole geddy lee (ashly/bgw) amp setup at one point)
and despite (& with all respect to) how Ged remembers it,
with scrutinizing ears,
all of MP sounds exactly like a blown out jazz bass...not a Rick at all
but i wasn't at Le Studio in the fall of '80 to confirm that either!..lol
love how you can hear the punch ins when he does the fills!! very cool!!
Am I the only one here who finds great relief in hearing the amount of fret buzz and finger-slippage on some of the greatest basslines in history? Or who loves those artists even more for not "fixing" the problem in post-production?
Without a doubt the greatest bass player of all time, there are only a few who could even come close to this level of mastery where you can play with the technicality and precision and still make it rhythmical, plus the fact that Geddy can play like this, sing like a god, and play MIDI Pedals and keyboards/synths
Great bass line and player, as his major influence, Jack Bruce of Cream.
Annnnnd Chris Squireof YES.
Don't forget Mr. John Entwistle
Fun fact: Geddy's '72 Jazz Bass has a short in the bridge pickup. It's not really certain if that's relative to this era of Rush recordings, as his tech didn't open the bass up until around 2008. There's a thread on the TalkBass forums about Geddy's tone, and his actual bass tech gave some really in-depth information about his gear.
Would you mind provide me a link? i can't seem to find that thread :(
This guy has potential hopefully he gets the recognition he deserves 😏🤧
Yeah, he’s a real talent. It’s a shame that he hasn’t made it big yet 😏
I've just checked and he's not in any band. Hope it makes it big one day.
I listened to so much primus i heard john the fisherman at the end of the intro
You can tell he's influenced by john entwistle.
+MrSpartanm33 Chris squire perhaps
+MrSpartanm33 100% Jack Bruce. That's who Geddy says influenced him the most, and it's all over this song. (Not saying he wasn't influenced by the others mentioned here, though)
Alex M
I've heard him state Chris Squire was his fave.. i mean Rush sound more like yes than they do any other band
I think the players mentioned here are actually his top 3.
John Entwistle and Geddy were contemporaneous
I waited 5 minutes for the video to start before I realized the volume was muted.
Lol
@Shallex hahahaha, IQ=100000000
It's okay bro
My right wrist and arm hurt just listening to this.
For him to bless us with this magnificent gift (upon many others over the years)...Geddy Lee is beyond legendary.
You can tell that this is the Jazz. Anyone who's played a Jazz knows that if you play as hard as Geddy does, the strings hit the pick-ups and the lower fret metal, which you can slightly hear in this song.
+The Cisco Kid Nope - the Ricky. Geddy confirmed in an interview with Bass Player Magazine where he went track by track through Moving Pictures during the Time Machine Tour. The jazz was used for Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Witch Hunt, and Vital Signs. The rest is the Ricky.
Amazing. You want to think he had some help with this song using the Jazz, but I don't doubt your info. I've owned the 4001 and its a very wide, flat neck that is MUCH more challenging to play fast AND CLEAR than the Jazz, (which he uses almost exclusively now.)
Monster player, no matter how you cut it.
I can tell you the overdubs are probably the Rickenbacker, but the main bass in this is the jazz bass. Solo the neck pickup on a jazz bass and run some overdrive on it. You'll get a sound very similar to this.
P.S. I own a period correct 1978 Rickenbacker 4001 and a Fender Jazz bass. Only Camera Eye and Red Barchetta were 100% Rickenbacker.
CorvetteCoonass I'm thinking you're right. The Rick has a less defined sound on Camera Eye and RB. Geddys photo on the album shows him holding the Jazz. I think the vital signs video has him playing the jazz.
No biggie, really. He moved into the Steinburger shortly after this, and then the Wal, before settling in the jazz for good. Nice to know it had a big part in getting that album to sound so clear.
Without even looking it's not possible this is any other bass but a rikenbacker. Even a fretless jazz wouldn't have this much in the midrange.
One of the greatest bass players ever, with exaggerated technique and a great musical taste.
Very talented man....
1:21 best part
This is way more difficult than I expected......far away. What a badass player....
Here are the chords:
G-E-D-D-E-E
K-E-E-L-L
I-T
(Only he knows the K,L and I chords)
I think I'm going to quit playing bass
BREAKFAST Well you should've quit long ago.
Well, it's been 11 months. Have you quit?
If anything, listening to a song like this fills me with morale and makes me want to practice even more.
NO, keep going; you're so much more capable if you'll practice a few spots each day! Don't try all at once!
ScaredToFart dont QUIT. Be inspired and keep going
Geddy is the master on the bass! love the isolated track. hope my bass player friends appreciate!
best bass line of all time
Hello Chloe
how're you doing
Comments like this are priceless, Thank you❤️
it's nice meeting you here
"Yeah, I've got this," said no one ever except for Geddy.
Been listening and trying to play (even a little) like Geddy since 1974 - with little luck I might add. He and Chris Squire have always been and continue to be (even after us losing Chris 😥) bass players we could all learn tons from.
BTW, the YT feature that allows you to slow the track down but maintain the same pitch is very handy for videos like this!
The 2:26 mark is just so damn groovy, it always blows my mind how he does it.
Holy smokes, it's even better when you hear it isolated. Gotta be one of the all time great basslines.
4:17 holy shit bro!!! , coversolutions is great
I'm not a big rush or Geddy guy but this is truly amazing and impeccably done
I've tracked this on both a Jazz and Rick, and to me, it sounds (and feels) like the main theme (which IS double-tracked) is the Rick. The intro is the Rick, on the neck pick-up, up until the two unison runs before the main theme kicks in. The trade-off solo section and the guitar solo are clearly the Jazz, and I feel like the secondary themes are the Jazz as well. The little solo's just have a send from the board run through different amp settings and chorus that's kicked in just for them, but they're are not double-tracked. And then the thing under Neil's last fill near the end IS double-tracked but left panned mono instead of hard L&R, which is a weird, noisy choice to me, almost like it's meant to make noise instead of playing a musical figure. Pretty cool.
this all is the jazz actually, with the neck pickup soloed
DutchPs3Gamers It looks like I'm not the only one who notices that this is the Jazz bass with neck pickup soloed.
I consulted the "Mereley Players" RUSH compendium, and it says the Jazz is the only bass used on the whole album (and the Rick 4001 was used in the videos only "for effect"). While I'm happy to stand corrected, I guarantee you I'll get a tone closer to these tones with my 4001 than either of you can with a Jazz.
Robert Wright but the rick was used on red barchetta and few other songs. quit pretending like you know everything
This also isnt double tracked... Its the jazz neck pickup only but the main theme has stereo chorus on it with the dry signal underneath the effected signal in the mix.
Man, we already knew how incredibly talented Geddy was just from the album Hemisphere's alone. (Think side one and La Villa), but thank God we also have this.
I probably shouldn't be, but I'm surprised that the solo runs are dubbed in. Still, some hellacious playing. Ged's the best.
I too never realized those were dubbed. However, the guitar player in me understands wanting a separate sound for his solo parts. It's not like he can't play it all in one pass. He just wanted a little extra juice for those awesome runs. Totally acceptable studio practice.
He is also using a pedal of some sort, that's why it sounds different
Yeah.. It's a Boss chorus pedal... I had one for years
That's just for tone. Saw him do it live on the Signals tour, played straight through.
I cant tell you how much I appreciate you putting this up. I have to be one of the biggest Geddy lee fans ever. I play bass and have owned his signature Jazz bass for close to 7 years now. If I had access to his isolated bass tracks when I was a kid I would have just dropped down dead from joy. Hearing his playing this way is just pure joy. I checked out an interview with him describing what he used on moving Pictures and he said it was a split between the Jazz and the Rick.
Wow thank you! He's a monster!
Love these isolation tracks! Great song for it too with that funky Rickenbacker 4001 sound. Geddy will always be considered one of the best rock bass players; I wish I had about 30% of his talent.
It's his Jazz Bass actually.
Primus sucks!!! Oh wait wrong band.
No you said that right.... primus sucks lololol. But this is definitely rush lol
Not wrong band, just missed Lol
Dezső Debreceni what do you mean by that? Just asking
I like how he matched Alex's rhythm for a little over half the song. And those really high notes at 2:17 and 2:18 are the highest I've ever heard a bass played.
Geddy also had the unique sounding bass that always stands out. Brian May (Queen's guitarist) is the only other person I can think of who plays an instrument with a tone that is hard (or impossible) to find anywhere else.
Those "high notes" are just harmonic overtones. They aren't fretted notes.
Jaco did a lot of harmonics like that. Always sounds cool when they pop up.
Geddy Lee doesn't play bass. He beats it up and takes its lunch money.
Great way to practice the bass line. You can really listen on how he's playing.
I never realized how much chorus he is using in some of the parts. It's really noticable with the isolated track. Man I love these, I feel like I'm listening to something that's a secret! 😅
Was thinking same thing.
@@ferox965 Double track with both rick and jazz probably.
Hands down one of the best Bass players......
I've had 2 Rics and I love that Ric owners think only a 4001/4003 can make that sound. I had a Mexican Jazz bass that had a better Ric sound and my current '58 reissue Fender P can sound like a Ric (depending on EQ'ing) except it has (much) better bottom end.
Hey, I love remembering Geddy playing a 4003 from the time they got their advance for Fly By Night in '75 and so much in fact I had a 4003 and a 4001 V64. After having had enough of their issues, I had 2 Carvins and now I have a Fender and that is where I am happiest now.
Yes, we all eventually come home to Fender. Home of the best bottom end in the world. (Just got a Classic Vibe 70's P yesterday. Very sweet, and rivals any P out there.)
There is so much jaco in this
Only not as good.
+Keith Williamson i would say, not as revolutionary.
Jaco is a legend but Geddie is still one of the best rock bassists in the world
Jaco was not a rock bassist nor was Geddy a jazz-fusion bassist.
I don't think Jaco was listed as one of his influences but I could be wrong. This is a lot of John Entwistle and Jack Bruce influence.
+HughJanus jaco played pretty much everything. He has played in rock bands, too.
Geddy talks about jaco in the jaco documentary :)
Could you point me to any particular phrase or section of this that sounds like anything that Jaco ever did? If I hear any influence in this it would be a John Entwistle or Chris Squire influence (Particularly the latter) but I hear nothing that sounds like Jaco.
Can a good samaritan explain how to do the harmonics at 2:17? Like what frets?
I do 5 4
That run he plays at the very end of the song has always been the hardest part of this to play for me. I know where my fingers are supposed to go, but they just won't go fast enough lol.
Only Geddy Lee would double track a bass line
@musicfan101ful It's him. I've listened to this song a million times. There are distinctive crackles and growls that just can't be duplicated exactly. What's really fun is hearing the overdubbed solos with that fat chorus effect, and of course just listening to him beat the living daylights out of those strings. That's pure Geddy.
Ged is a freaking beast!
On the real, this level of precision with the high action he likes before the ability to easily punch in and re-record individual passages was really a thing is pretty flabbergasting.
Thanks! I can now play this fully on bass :D.
Honestly, I'm wanting to learn to play Bass Guitar, and while this tells me it is going to be a challenge, I'm definitely not going to dislike this. I love Geddy Lee's talent on the Bass.
What effect is being used starting at 0:47? Is it multitracking or a stereo chorus?
Multi-tracked stereo with slightly different amp settings for left and right channels.
AMS Harmonizer. Stereo effect. Pitch left side up 4 cents and right side down 4 cents.
sick love that
sounds like triple tracked or time aligned with tape delay and chorus-like affectation
It's a double note on the 12 fret on the G string and the 13 fret on the D string, you have to make a slide to the first fret with that note.
0:40 Been trying to perfect this riff since 1981.. especially the first fast 32nd-nt triplet into the Hungarian run...
...and assuming this is the actual track from the album, now I’m hearing that Ged Never played it!
He just played straight 16ths up the scale..
Holy god.
LOL...Hearing it for the first time was like that for me to young David.....
I love Geddy from the bottom of my heart. The only bummer about hearing this track is finding out the bass solo parts are overdubs.
Best drummer ever and one hot lead guitar baby
Don't understimate the right hand technique and concentrate only on the left hand. That's what makes a great bass player
Day-um....just damn!
Hello Weeza
how're you doing
Comments like this are priceless, Thank you❤️
it's nice meeting you here
People talk about Geddys tone and what some dont realise is just how much compression he has on his bass and how the compressors settings make his tone what it is.
If I had to guess its about a 8:1 ratio with a medium attack time and a super long slow release. The pumping is after the initial attack so you get that Geddy classic articulation on the string strike.
If I was a bass player trying to get that Geddy tone I would forget the bass and amp and get a Urei, means more.
this song is not that hard if you've been playing consistently for afew years, but damn its pretty damn well written. one of my favourite instrumentals
Lemme see bro
@Cookieonbass If I remember correctly, the solo pieces were what the industry calls "punched in". They were recorded on a different bass at a different time than the rest of the song, and were "punched in", hence the different tone and increased volume. I'm a big Geddy nut too. FINALLY got to see them on the Time Machine tour in Tulsa. :-)
we are not worthy!!!
You can really hear the 'drop ins'. The solos were recorded separately, of course! Also sounds double tracked at points,maybe thats the 2 outputs the Rickenbacker has??
He's no Danny Partridge!
lol!
hes cuter though;-)
Savage.
It is, but they take it about 10 clicks slower. Alex and Geddy apparently recently performed YYZ with the drummer from the foo Fighters and he took it at the recorded speed and Geddy said that he and alex were giving each other panicked looks because it was faster than they usually play. The interview I saw that in was about a month ago with the CBC
Geddy possesses all of the benchmarks of a real musician. He proves that an bassists presentation is so much about finger/pic attack. Effects are overrated and overpriced...ahem... I see a return of analog attitudes and publishing strategies in the near future. The digital age is growing old and boring and lacking humanity ALREADY!.... I say, bring back the 70's attitude of live in-studio recordings, "closer to the heart" and artistry of music.
Actually, I keep working with people that want a clean bass tone and what I'm hearing in classic isolated tracks are a lot of distortion or other effects like the chorus employed here. The fuzz is great because it gives the tone some mids and presence. Too often in metal especially the bass is buried because the frequencies are devoured by other instruments - playing it clean seems to be wrong!
Digital recording isn't somehow "less human" than analog. If music is lacking something, it's the musicians, not the type of recording.
Doctor Who Fan Analog recordings require vital, spontaneous, inspired, skilled musicianship. Digital recordings usually require musicians......................
Tony Simmons Digital recording has nothing to do with the music itself. There's nothing special about analog that magically makes musicians better. The only difference is the sound, and even that can be emulated with plugins.
Doctor Who Fan I guess I didn't communicate very well there.. I meant that really good musicians excel on analog recording sessions, while mediocre musicians can only "excel" on digital recordings...
Guys, argue all you want by the fact is that Geddy didn't play this song on the Rick or the Jazz. He played it on "the Sex" because this bass line is like sex in my ears.
Oh Geddy, you should have never left the rickenbacker
+Mysterious Internet Guy
funny you say that on a bass track that he used the jazz bass for
Roy Coleshill What i meant to say is the sound of the bass, which sounds like a ricky. I like his settings during this time with the distortion and all that which he sadly doesn't use anymore.
he still uses drive through his jazz bass even in clockwork angels
Mysterious Internet Guy this is a jazz bass not a Ricky
Mysterious Internet Guy you should him talk about his fender man, he's in love with that thing! It's his number one bass because he says it has a specific tone to it that no other bass he has can replicate and that's why he loves it.
Incredible playing
4:18 I still don't really know what he did there
Sounds like a double stop.
Sister Fister I think he means the fast bit after the double stop.
i still don't know what he did thruoghout the whole song
I hear you! I wonder if that part is even composed! It sounds like a mash up it's delivered so quickly.
Fantablastic! I owe just about everything I know about music to the Master GEDDY LEE!
Can you do one for Freewill?
Sadly the multitracks for Freewill are not publically available
Very interesting to hear that. I don't think any of us had any idea.
Sounds like he overdubs!
And?.......????
Probably does in the studio like EVERYBODY else in the world. But it could also be how he records. He uses direct and mic'd amps with a speaker simulator and another track with a Sans Amp. They mix and match the track depending on what is needed in each part. That's the switching sound you hear. If it was just straight up overdub they would all have the same tone.
yeeyeeyeah All rock players overdub these days; the technology is too prevalent to resist. Jazz dudes don't (not yet anyway). In rock, it's the presentation of the piece - not the performance, that is important on an album. If you want to see the performance you have to see them live (and depending on the band in question that may not even happen then). At least RUSH actually still plays live without tape and gimmicks.
One of the most technical bassist out there for one of the top 5 most talented bands in history!
1:15 is so tasty
Geddy is a True Bass Master.
he useing the rick and the jazz bass in this song
The 88 who gave a thumbs down probably think the bassist with the 80's band DEVO is awesome.
Geddy, one of the greatest to EVER play the bass 👍
there are no vocals on this track
pickledbateye your point is??
'Back in the day....' when i was learning bass, i had never heard of Rush. Don't ask me how, but they just weren't that huge in rural Sussex.
My inspirations at the time were Jean-Jacques Burnel, for his talent and originality (I have never heard anyone able to play the intro to No More Heroes) and Patricia Morrison, who, although perhaps not quite as technical, showed me that girls can play bass too.
28 people are fans of crappy modern pop instead of this
Ikr :/
Nice profile pic
Cygnus X-1 Or literally any other genre and not this, as genres aren't really mutually exclusive
Just look at Geddy's own influences to see bassists who are easily his equal. John Entwistle, Jack Casady, Jack Bruce, and Chris Squire. All tremendous musicians.