hawks/fantasy

[Jon Jarrett]

On Fri, 27 Apr 2001, Chuck Rosenberg wrote:

> In a message dated 4/27/01 5:21:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> ejobson at THRUPOINT.NET writes:
>
> on "worst line-ups"...
> > Harvey Bainbridge - Bass/keyboard
>
> I'm a little confused when i see Harvey bashed for his bass-playing. I'm not
> one to no anything about bass-guitar virtuosity really, but "Free Fall"
> sounds to me like some of the more challenging bass heard on any HW album.
> I've also always loved his synth/kybds, though I can't always distinguish
> between him and Dave...

        I think Harvey is *great* on synths, inventive, weird, and
individual (though I too never really know how much Dave is putting into
it; the guitar hardly stops on _California Brainstorm_ but when
pre-programming and MIDI switches in the guitar and Richard setting off
routines from teh drum-kit are added into the equation a lot of that noise
could still be sort of Dave's work). I do however think he's a lousy
bass-player. Probably Hawkwind's worst, it's difficult to say what John
Harrison could actually do compared to what he had the need to play on the
really early stuff. It's not that Harvey can't write for the bass, as you
say `Free Fall' isn't easy and he plays it fine, some of the most musical
bass parts in HW are his work, but he just doesn't leave the
bass-line. Plod plod plod, note for note the same. _Live '79_ or TIHDNP
show you just what I mean here. Anyone else is more interesting. Keep him
on the keys though, as long as they'll actually pay him which seems to be
something of a difficulty. Yours,
                                  Jon

--
       Jon Jarrett (01223 514989)     jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
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