It really does have a shit-ton of output! I don't have them super close to the strings either. And I have a small square of electrical tape over the E string pole pieces.
My favourite EC song, played brilliantly. Well done Troy. I saw them play this live so many times and my God! If you think the studio version is fast……. Bruce and Pete on fire. Thanks for taking this on.
A beast of a bassline! (gotta give the drummer some love here too). Since you are glutton for punishment, try to keep up with Bruce and Pete (the drummer) on the live version of this song on "Live at the El Macambo" album. You thought the album version was fast... For about 4 years, 1978-82, there was no better band on earth. They literally would blow through 18 songs in about 38 minutes, then storm off the stage.
No doubt! I'll check it out, but I rarely do live versions of songs because they tend to get out of hand at times. Yeah, I love the fact that they can pack so much into a song that is under 3 minutes.
Bruce's bass-lines are architectural. His technical ability serves his compositional greatness. He is a part song writer in all his tracks with E.C. and THE ATTRACTIONS. While I'm sure he can be a great pocket/groove player when playing a cover song, if he is involved with creating an original song he is first and foremost a composer extraordinaire.
Brilliant Troy - an absolute finger breaker of a bassline - probably the toughest on the full This Years Model album, congrats on getting it down. When the album came out in '78, the music press made a big thing of the line "Sometimes I almost feel, just like a human being" because they just could not figure Elvis Costello out at all. At a time (punk era) when it was supposed to be three chords and root notes, neither the songs or the Attractions' playing just did not compute. Anyway, Bruce Thomas is a genius. If you put James Jamerson, Bootsy Collins and Stanley Clarke together in a room, they'd have a hard time coming up with that bassline!
Amazing to think this came out the same year as Rush's "Hemispheres"... and "new wave" was considered a rebellion against the excesses of prog rock... but the bass on this whole album is every bit as busy and melodic and proggy as anything Geddy was laying down!!!
@@RickNBacker Very True. The interesting thing about punk and new wave was that it allowed a lot of really good bands to break through simply because A&R men at the time would sign anything as long as the band had short hair and sounded a bit aggressive. The Stranglers' Black and White Album came out in '78 too and features some quite advanced playing including Jean Jacque Burnel's brilliant bass playing and Dave Greenfield's great keys. Troy, if you don't know that record, it's well worth listening to.
Thanks a lot! Definitely! Yeah, it was just a timing thing that I was not a bigger fan of EC&TA back in the day. They nearly created their own genre and didn't fit into any of the categories of music that I was into at the time. They certainly took "punk" to the next level!
There's a clip of them playing this song at the same "Pink Pop" show Rush played at. I'd love to ask Bruce if he had any interaction with them or memories of that show.
The Attractions were a great band of superb musicians, and Elvis' quirky but driving songs gave them all something special to work with, with plenty of room for chops galore. Pick your instrument, and there's a ton to learn from that amazing band.
Kick'en ass lol. I've always loved busy or at least busy sounding bass lines. I guess that's what inspired me to start playing. It just sounded so magical to me.
Simply dazzling. Thank you so much for doing this amazing video. The album mix never allowed my ears to take in the sheer genius of BT’s composition and the skill at work . I should also say that the quality of your playing is wonderful. You’re doing a great public service to seekers of rock and roll enlightenment
That's one of Bruce's songs that I would just listen to and say to myself "oh no way forget about even trying that." but with your breakdown I may have to try some of those elements. Fantastic Job on this one!
Awesome! That's great to hear and you could probably even trim a couple of corners (if you had to) and still have it sound great. Thanks so much, take care!
Troy's playing is very clear and precise and if you slow the video down a notch or 2 (click the gear icon) and you can definitely pick up the rhythm if you start slowly and softly. Before you know it, it really starts to flow and you can start to really dig in!
I'm going to start by saying that seeing you "here" has made my afternoon. I'm glad to see you still on the TH-cams, still rockin' on the bass, still grinding away learning the songs and making them more accessible than just doing a needle drop. It's a surprise to find that this song challenges you, that said it does have a lot of moving pieces that go by really fast and with the main riff, it's kind of tough to play it with the correct nuance and feel with all the notes in place and not trying to half arse it.
Wow, thanks so much for the very nice comment. I really appreciate it. - Some songs are difficult in terms of figuring out the notes, but not terribly difficult to play once the notes are learned and memorized. My "Bouree" and "Go For Baroque" are examples of this type of song. - Some songs have a lot of notes and are a challenge to play. My "Heart of the Sunrise" and "Big Money" might be good examples of these types of songs. - Some songs aren't too difficult to figure out in terms of "notes" but are much more challenging in terms of actually playing them. This is one of those songs. My " Powerslave" cover might be another example of this type of song. Of course, what another player might find to be difficult or easy may be completely different from what I find to be difficult or easy. It's all subjective to that particular person.
Wonderful stuff - love all your work on Bruce Thomas. It might be time to give him his own playlist on your channel page, since I intend to sit down with them (and the Rockpalast footage) soon
Flawless! Really nicely done, helped me a lot with some trouble spots. That Profile bass catches the best possible sound of a Precision, which can be very hit or miss sometimes with the real thing. Definitely getting one eventually.
Absolutely impressive! What a killer line! I have learned so many songs from you. If you need a break after this one, maybe you could teach me Rock Me by Great White. LOL! Neither you nor Constantine have covered Rock Me or Save Your Love. Please stay happy and healthy and keep up the fabulous work! We appreciate you!
Wow...and I thought RUSH's YYZ was a "handful"! There are times I find myself literally looking out from deep in the abyss as I play a difficult piece! You did this Finger Ride justice Troy! "Winging It" seems to bring out your Own Killer Style! STILL laughing at "Slipping The Drummer A $20...no rush man, take it easy"! LOLOL Cheers From Ohio
INSANE playing I LOVE to see! Absolutely great cover Troy, and I see you getting obsessed to that one bass hahaha, I'd love for you to check out a band from my country called Serú Girán, the bassline from Eiti Leda is insane, I'm sure you'd love it!
OMG! I’m a long time Bruce Thomas fan, but do you use three fingers to pluck on this? I don’t know how you do it! When BT played on a Paul McCartney record, the drummer said, “you really like to push it don’t you?” Meaning he leads the beat significantly.
Great job Troy! I wonder if you can go "back in time" to blocked videos and reset the premiere for 48 hours from now and actually have it work . . . I've got quite a few videos of my own that sit forever in "blocked" status, wasting away. I'm gonna try it.
Thank you Dave! I don't think that would work. TH-cam, only fairly recently, started this thing where they'd keep the video blocked for the first 48 hours after a dispute if filed. What I did (uploading the video, but setting it as a premier, seemed to work, though it was a few hours off... perhaps a time zone thing). In your case, you may be able to just file a fresh dispute. I do that all the time. "Take On Me" gets blocked at least once a year and I just file another dispute to free it up.
Good lord what a difficult song to play, this is definetly the song you take a break from practicing when you're done playing it
You can say that again and, you're right, I rarely played this one twice in a row!
This bass has the hottest pickups I've ever heard!!
It really does have a shit-ton of output! I don't have them super close to the strings either. And I have a small square of electrical tape over the E string pole pieces.
@@TJH3113 😁 Oh, I forgot to tell that you are a great bassist. Respect!
Great job man! This tune absolutely slams. Thanks for keeping Bruce Thomas in the scope of all-time great bass players.
Thanks so much! I love Bruce!
Spot On !!!
Thank you!
My favourite EC song, played brilliantly. Well done Troy. I saw them play this live so many times and my God! If you think the studio version is fast……. Bruce and Pete on fire. Thanks for taking this on.
Very cool, I'm glad you liked it! Bruce has said that some of those live performances may have been "chemically enhanced".
Wow what a bass line, I really need to explore more of Mr Thomas' playing.
Those early Elvis Costello albums are a must-own from a bass perspective!
Definitely some wild stuff from Mr. Thomas!
Stellar! One of my favorite rock bass lines ever
THANKS!
A beast of a bassline! (gotta give the drummer some love here too). Since you are glutton for punishment, try to keep up with Bruce and Pete (the drummer) on the live version of this song on "Live at the El Macambo" album. You thought the album version was fast... For about 4 years, 1978-82, there was no better band on earth. They literally would blow through 18 songs in about 38 minutes, then storm off the stage.
No doubt! I'll check it out, but I rarely do live versions of songs because they tend to get out of hand at times. Yeah, I love the fact that they can pack so much into a song that is under 3 minutes.
Bruce's bass-lines are architectural. His technical ability serves his compositional greatness. He is a part song writer in all his tracks with E.C. and THE ATTRACTIONS. While I'm sure he can be a great pocket/groove player when playing a cover song, if he is involved with creating an original song he is first and foremost a composer extraordinaire.
I couldn't agree more with your assessment of Bruce.
Brilliant Troy - an absolute finger breaker of a bassline - probably the toughest on the full This Years Model album, congrats on getting it down. When the album came out in '78, the music press made a big thing of the line "Sometimes I almost feel, just like a human being" because they just could not figure Elvis Costello out at all. At a time (punk era) when it was supposed to be three chords and root notes, neither the songs or the Attractions' playing just did not compute. Anyway, Bruce Thomas is a genius. If you put James Jamerson, Bootsy Collins and Stanley Clarke together in a room, they'd have a hard time coming up with that bassline!
Amazing to think this came out the same year as Rush's "Hemispheres"... and "new wave" was considered a rebellion against the excesses of prog rock... but the bass on this whole album is every bit as busy and melodic and proggy as anything Geddy was laying down!!!
@@RickNBacker Very True. The interesting thing about punk and new wave was that it allowed a lot of really good bands to break through simply because A&R men at the time would sign anything as long as the band had short hair and sounded a bit aggressive. The Stranglers' Black and White Album came out in '78 too and features some quite advanced playing including Jean Jacque Burnel's brilliant bass playing and Dave Greenfield's great keys. Troy, if you don't know that record, it's well worth listening to.
Thanks a lot! Definitely! Yeah, it was just a timing thing that I was not a bigger fan of EC&TA back in the day. They nearly created their own genre and didn't fit into any of the categories of music that I was into at the time. They certainly took "punk" to the next level!
There's a clip of them playing this song at the same "Pink Pop" show Rush played at. I'd love to ask Bruce if he had any interaction with them or memories of that show.
The Attractions were a great band of superb musicians, and Elvis' quirky but driving songs gave them all something special to work with, with plenty of room for chops galore. Pick your instrument, and there's a ton to learn from that amazing band.
Another gem from one of the all-time-great bass albums, This Year's Model!
I hope you liked it!
Damn this looks like a test of endurance and dexterity. Great work!
Indeed and for him to shake is hand at 2:04 is saying something lol.
Both! Thanks!
And yet he's very relaxed as he plays, sign of a real pro.
Incredible
Thank you John
Where in the world does one build a bass line such as this! Very juicy tone, well played Troy:)
Great question! Thanks Lori!
Every one of the Attractions are absolutely amazing musicians, as are you for this amazing cover. Nice work.
Big truth! Thanks Bob.
That had my plucking hand aching just watching that😳 excellent stamina and control.
Thanks for sharing some of the pain! Thanks again.
Kick'en ass lol. I've always loved busy or at least busy sounding bass lines. I guess that's what inspired me to start playing. It just sounded so magical to me.
Haha... thanks Tiny! I like "busy" too, but this???
This is fantastic! Such a great (and challenging) bass part.
Thanks!
2:06 I feel you.
Haha!!! Thanks God for that little slow-down.
Perfect loved that😊😊😊
Thanks!
Outstanding ! That’s the first time I‘ve seen you give the old hand a shake after a fast run ! I was cramping up just watching.
Thanks 👍
Brilliant loved it
Awesome! Thanks.
You killed it Troy! One of my favorite bass lines ever!
Thank you, Todd!
That is some serious playing
I don't know what Bruce was thinking!
One of my favorite's - thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Simply dazzling. Thank you so much for doing this amazing video. The album mix never allowed my ears to take in the sheer genius of BT’s composition and the skill at work . I should also say that the quality of your playing is wonderful. You’re doing a great public service to seekers of rock and roll enlightenment
Thanks so much for the very kind words, Joe!
Thank you Troy, you bring so much joy to your viewers.
You are very welcome.
That's one of Bruce's songs that I would just listen to and say to myself "oh no way forget about even trying that." but with your breakdown I may have to try some of those elements. Fantastic Job on this one!
Awesome! That's great to hear and you could probably even trim a couple of corners (if you had to) and still have it sound great. Thanks so much, take care!
Troy's playing is very clear and precise and if you slow the video down a notch or 2 (click the gear icon) and you can definitely pick up the rhythm if you start slowly and softly. Before you know it, it really starts to flow and you can start to really dig in!
Nice job!!! I love watching you play. It amazes me how you are able to listen and figure out all these songs. Keep them coming!
Thank you, Rich! I'll try!
Bruce Thomas is a mind-boggling bassist. Incredible performance of this! Thanks!
Couldn't agree more! He's a super nice fellow too! Thanks and take care!!
You played it like a Boss! Wow!
Thanks Lance!
Soooo GOOD!! Great work on another rapid fire BT bass line!!
Thanks so much!
Wow! That's some workout Troy.
Brilliant cover. Bruce Thomas is well up there with the great bass guitarists.
Thanks, it definitely was!
Big truth!!!
very impressive, well done!
Thank you very much Sam!
Whooooooooaaaaaa! Awesome, so awesome!🎉🎉🎉
Thanks a lot, Charles!
perfect play
thank you
This is a tough one 🥵
You can say that again!
That was cool. Never heard it before. It seems one of those where you feel a bit rudderless throughout. Nice job!!
Thanks! Yes, "rudderless" is a good way to describe it.
so fun to watch thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
I'm going to start by saying that seeing you "here" has made my afternoon. I'm glad to see you still on the TH-cams, still rockin' on the bass, still grinding away learning the songs and making them more accessible than just doing a needle drop.
It's a surprise to find that this song challenges you, that said it does have a lot of moving pieces that go by really fast and with the main riff, it's kind of tough to play it with the correct nuance and feel with all the notes in place and not trying to half arse it.
Wow, thanks so much for the very nice comment. I really appreciate it.
- Some songs are difficult in terms of figuring out the notes, but not terribly difficult to play once the notes are learned and memorized. My "Bouree" and "Go For Baroque" are examples of this type of song.
- Some songs have a lot of notes and are a challenge to play. My "Heart of the Sunrise" and "Big Money" might be good examples of these types of songs.
- Some songs aren't too difficult to figure out in terms of "notes" but are much more challenging in terms of actually playing them. This is one of those songs. My " Powerslave" cover might be another example of this type of song.
Of course, what another player might find to be difficult or easy may be completely different from what I find to be difficult or easy. It's all subjective to that particular person.
you are brilliant either way!!!!! Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Marvine :-)
Thanks again, Marvine!
Holy crap that's moving! Way to tear it up!
Tell me about it! Thanks!
Awesome as always
Thank you so much Rodolpho😀
Wow...moves along so fast and I love it. Wicked playing Troy. The sound is out right awesome ;-)
It does, doesn't it? Thanks Marvine!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Brilliant! Great song, great album, great cover Troy. Well done. Looking forward to the next one.
I'm glad you liked it! Thanks.
That intro was insane! Good job as always Troy!
Thanks, Eric. I'm glad you liked it!!
Wonderful stuff - love all your work on Bruce Thomas. It might be time to give him his own playlist on your channel page, since I intend to sit down with them (and the Rockpalast footage) soon
Thanks Bertis! You know, I may have enough EC&TA covers to warrant their own playlist. Thanks for the suggestion.
Flawless! Really nicely done, helped me a lot with some trouble spots. That Profile bass catches the best possible sound of a Precision, which can be very hit or miss sometimes with the real thing. Definitely getting one eventually.
Thanks Kent. Yeah, I was never a Precision guy, but there's something special about this bass.
It’s funny that Elvis Costello is usually classified as punk/new wave, when this sounds like a Rush bass line.
Right? This album ranks among the all time great bass workouts. Every song a bass tour-de-force!
Truth! They definitely took "punk" to another level!
Wow! 🤯
Thanks Art!
WOW!
THANKS!
Holy smokes! Casually listening to that song, a lot of those ghost notes aren't really apparent. Nice video!
Thanks a ton!
Absolutely impressive! What a killer line! I have learned so many songs from you. If you need a break after this one, maybe you could teach me Rock Me by Great White. LOL! Neither you nor Constantine have covered Rock Me or Save Your Love. Please stay happy and healthy and keep up the fabulous work! We appreciate you!
Thanks! I agree! I'll check it out. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try
Amazing bass line!
It sure is, isn't it?!
That's really busy, I like it!
Definitely! Glad to hear that!
Wow...and I thought RUSH's YYZ was a "handful"! There are times I find myself literally looking out from deep in the abyss as I play a difficult piece! You did this Finger Ride justice Troy! "Winging It" seems to bring out your Own Killer Style! STILL laughing at "Slipping The Drummer A $20...no rush man, take it easy"! LOLOL Cheers From Ohio
Thanks for the great, and descriptive, comment!
Great job Troy!
Thank you, Floyd!
Damn dude!
Thanks!
That hurt my hand to watch. Wow.
That makes two of us!
That'd sound great on a Fretless!
That's crazy talk!
INSANE playing I LOVE to see! Absolutely great cover Troy, and I see you getting obsessed to that one bass hahaha, I'd love for you to check out a band from my country called Serú Girán, the bassline from Eiti Leda is insane, I'm sure you'd love it!
Thanks a ton! I'll take a listen. Thanks for the suggestion.
Awesome Troy!!!
Thank you, Rodrigo!!!
I once played this in a band I was in and the bassline was so hard that my fingers bled
Say no more.
atta boy. super tough fucking tune. j
Thanks!
Boy howdy, that's a bear!
Haha... yes, it is! Thanks!
OMG! I’m a long time Bruce Thomas fan, but do you use three fingers to pluck on this? I don’t know how you do it! When BT played on a Paul McCartney record, the drummer said, “you really like to push it don’t you?” Meaning he leads the beat significantly.
No, just two... and it was murder. Bruce is a beast and my appreciation for him continues to grow.
🤘😃🤟
Thanks!
Bloody hell. Well done. Have you covered Barracuda?
Thanks a lot! No, I have not done that one. I was afraid it might be a bit too fast for me😂
🌹
Thanks Cindy.
Scorching!
Thanks!!!
Playing that Bruce Thomas precision bass?
What else would I be playing on this song?😂
Great job Troy! I wonder if you can go "back in time" to blocked videos and reset the premiere for 48 hours from now and actually have it work . . . I've got quite a few videos of my own that sit forever in "blocked" status, wasting away. I'm gonna try it.
Thank you Dave! I don't think that would work. TH-cam, only fairly recently, started this thing where they'd keep the video blocked for the first 48 hours after a dispute if filed. What I did (uploading the video, but setting it as a premier, seemed to work, though it was a few hours off... perhaps a time zone thing). In your case, you may be able to just file a fresh dispute. I do that all the time. "Take On Me" gets blocked at least once a year and I just file another dispute to free it up.
Do you happen to know if Bruce used a pick on this?
Update: I checked the video clip on BT’s website and confirmed he used fingers.
Thanks for taking care of that for me.
Here's a man who doesn't have arthritis.
Not in my hands, anyway... yet😂
Holly Moly
Haha... almost as tough as playing some of those old Crisis songs, like "Feel the Night".
I tried so hard to keepup but I didn't make it/
IT'S A FAST ONE! HI MARVINE!!!
Seems like Bruce tried to out do his Brother on this track!
True! Although, while they do share the same last name, they are not related.
This version sounds very much like that "train' beat that you were describing...
th-cam.com/video/4IQkaxPb938/w-d-xo.html
It does! And they play it at a much more reasonable tempo!