'Scuse Me, While I Kiss The Sky': Noel Redding Dead
	found on CNN written by nmiguy, edited by Peter (Plastic) [ read unedited ] posted Wed 14 May 5:22am
		Noel Redding the Bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience has died. No explanation was given as to the cause of his death. In the 1960's Jimi hendrix, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell were the trio that made up The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The Album Are You Experienced? was a commercial success for the band. With hit songs like Purple Haze the band was suddenly on the map. Noel Redding's contributions to the Jimi Hendrix music was significant. Some of the more memorable bass lines he performed were in songs like The Wind Cries Mary and Manic Depression. Noel was a bass player from another generation, a classic rock generation. Yet the music of that band is still very influential. How will Noel Redding be remembered? Does he rank up there with the late John Entwhistle? Or will he be more remembered for his lengthy battle for royalties?

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1.  Talented, but overshadowed by a Legend   by Andrew Dice Clay       at Wed 14 May 5:57am score of 1     He was an excellent bassist that was overshadowed by Hendrix. After Jimi died, it was even worse. He doesn't rank with Entwhistle, only because I believe Entwhistle ranks with the VERY best (Mingus, Clarke, Carter, Pastorious, etc.).   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

2.  He didn't contribute all that much   by eminem enterprises       at Wed 14 May 6:45am score of 1.5 informative     According my sources, Hendrix actually told Redding every note to play, which isn't too surprising when you realize that the bass was doubling one of the guitars in many instances, especially early on. And it was Hendrix himself who played the bass solo in "1983 ... Merman". Further indication of this is that Stanley Clarke, who was inspired to pick up the bass by the Experience sound, noted in an interview that when Redding went on to subsequent groups he didn't have the same, uh, flair. So Redding will not be remembered by rock musicians the way Mitch Mitchell (drummer for the Experience) is revered. And John Entwistle was in a different league altogether. BUT, Redding was part of the driving "balls to the wall" attitude that made Experience a great live act. Jimi wanted/needed musicians who would push him and compete for attention. As a converted guitarist, Redding was certainly will to do that. While Hendrix was happier with his military buddy Billy Cox on bass post-Experience, the music never had the same urgency even with Mitchell still drumming. Everybody has a share   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

3.  Re: He didn't contribute all that much   by Phaedrus       at Wed 14 May 7:52am score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 2     I'm not sure I agree. While Redding may not be as influential as more technically proficient bassists such as Entwhistle, Stanley Clarke or Jaco Pastorius, he was a key component of the Experience's sound. Redding himself wasn't even sure about taking the gig as a bassist, since he was primarily a guitarist (there are some bootleg recordings of the Experience with him playing guitar, and while of course not in Jimi's league, he was nonetheless a competent guitar player). In fact, Jimi selected him for the gig because his approach on the bass was similar to the guitar, something that Jimi dug because that was how he himself played the bass (you can hear this most prominently in Jimi's bass playing on "All Along the Watchtower"). So, while he may not be remembered as one of the great bass players of all time, I think he deserves credit for contributing to the sound of what is an undeniably important phase of Jimi's music. "And what is good, Phaedrus,And what is not good-Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?""   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   5.  Re: He didn't contribute all that much   by nmiguy       at Wed 14 May 8:39am score of 1.5 intriguing   in reply to comment 2     He didn't contribute that much??? Listen to the bassline in Crosstown Traffic from Electric Ladyland. I actually feel a bit ashamed. Noel has died and I'm giddy and excited to be able to talk about my favorite band. But rather than to grieve the loss of this man, I just feel like celebrating the timeless music he made. Noel was a bit more sensitive than Billy Cox, and Billy was great too. But I give mad props to Noel redding and what he did stylistically. He was way ahead of his time. Few bass players from the 60's era had that funk-blues-heaviness going on.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

4.  Redding was very talented   by nmiguy       at Wed 14 May 8:11am score of 1     He brought a very heavy and funky approach to the music. Check out the bassline in Dolly Dagger and Machine Gun. The Spastic heavy funk was driving in Machine Gun, and the driving bassling in Dolly is powerful. He wasn'tthe snap & pop funk player, he was doing heavy bass before many others were doing it. Hendrix was not fully appreciated in his time, because his sound was a few decades premature. Noel was a big reason for this. Whereas Entwhistle was a virtuoso, Noel is on a different tier. He was an innovator. Maybe he was not the type to stretch the technical limits of the instrument, but he was from an era where there were a number of very important bassists, and he ranks up there with most of them. In my mind, I compare him with John Paul Jones. Maybe a bit better than JPJ.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

6.  JW, but not OT   by thomp       at Wed 14 May 8:55am score of 1     The more I listen to Jack White (White Stripes), the more I think he would do better to dump Meg, go back to the early 70s, and record an album with Redding and Mitchell. Not that Jack is even close to Jimi, but I think the music would be damn good. Love that raw sound of a solid power trio. That was my attempt to bridge the generation gap. Thank you.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

7.  Here's how I remember Noel Redding   by CelebratedMrK       at Wed 14 May 9:36am score of 1.5 compelling     That wicked afro, those John Lennon glasses, those crazy-ass clothes...but no, those are superficial details. Have we forgotten that these 3 guys were inventing the power trio around the same time as Cream? Let's give Noel the credit where it's due. He played for/with Jimi Hendrix and that fact alone guarantees him a place in rock history. I think Noel's bass-playing on Manic Depression, a tricky song in 3/4 time is one of his best. And please, let's stop comparing John Entwhistle to Charles Mingus. No one is that good.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

8.  Follow the Bass Path   by tightlikethis       at Wed 14 May 10:03am score of 1     In his book Revolution in the Head, Ian McDonald points out some of the musical limitations of the power trio, seeing it as tending to produce songs that were less integrated and felt more like individual solos strung together. The fact that Noel Redding played in a power trio as opposed to a band would probably have a huge impact on where I would place him in the rock bassist pantheon. While certainly not untalented, the style of music that musicians produced in power trios tended to come down on the flashier,more pyrotechnic side, which I guess I don't necessarily consider a good thing. Looking at it from that point of view, I would prefer John Entwistle of the Who simply because he and Pete Townshend often shifted the paradigm by having the guitar serve as the root of the song while Entwistle's bass lines were more melodic. Additionally, I would probably place non-power trios bassists Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney higher as well. Their bass lines also subverted the bassist's traditional role as the foundation of the song and additionally, they both did a lot of interesting experimentation with putting the bass note somewhere else in the chord apart from the root note (i.e., if the chord is C, playing E rather than C), in order to create some really unique voicings. But no true disrespect to Noel or power trios: we all need to turn it up to 11 occasionally... "Fake is as old as the Eden Tree." - Orson Welles   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

9.  Re: Follow the Bass Path   by thomp       at Wed 14 May 11:13am score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 8     A good power trio is more than three players stringing solos together. When those three players get in a groove, the music becomes greater than the sum of its parts (see synergy). It doesn't have to be flashy or pyrotechnic; that just happened to be the style in the 70s. Examples of less flashy power trios would be The Minutemen and the Meat Puppets from the 80s. (If you ever saw Meat Puppets do Zeppelin covers, you know what I'm talking about.) It's rare to hear bands in which each player is both lead and rhythm and knows when to assume each role.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   10.  Melodic bass....   by CelebratedMrK       at Wed 14 May 11:45am score of 1   in reply to comment 8     Entwhistle's playing was very melodic, but Paul McCartney could really make it sing. Paperback Writer still gives me goosebumps, esp. towards the outro when John and Paul harmonize on the title phrase and Paul's bass line propels the song forward by just emphasizing the root note and the fifth, if I am not mistaken. Another bass-crazy song is Old Brown Shoe where he actually plays the bass like a lead guitar. That song, not one of my favorites, is virtually a musical education for bassists!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   12.  Re: Melodic bass....   by tightlikethis       at Wed 14 May 3:01pm score of 1   in reply to comment 10     I agree with you about "Paperback Writer"- very often in this period, McCartney would play bass lines very high up on the frets, creating a very interesting effect. And don't forget the B-side of the "Paperback Writer" single: "Rain", which McCartney had often cited as his favorite. A good analysis of his bass lines can be found here. "Fake is as old as the Eden Tree." - Orson Welles   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   18.  thanks for that awesome link   by CelebratedMrK       at Thu 15 May 4:08pm score of 1   in reply to comment 12     Of course, after reading that discussion, i also grew depressed about how individuality and personality via the instrument, be it bass, or drums or guitar, is now more or less dead in popular music.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

13.  Redding's passing worthy of note..   by StratKat       at Wed 14 May 10:32pm score of 2 brilliant     He played bass on the most important albums of the most influential guitar player of an entire generation. That he was overshadowed by Hendrix's incredible talent and charisma is an understatement. That he managed to maintain a presence onstage and in the studio with Jimi, and not be smothered by it, is a testament to his personal strength and character. I got to see Jimi Hendrix three times in concert, all three with the original Experience, and Noel always held up his end. I don't remember him anything but on the money, which must have been a very demanding job with Hendrix's improvisational left turns in live performance.       One of their Houston shows, forget now if it was the second or third, one of Noel Reddings solo bands, "Fat Mattress" opened. It was good stuff, with Redding playing guitar, a Gibson 335 or 345, and he played well. I don't remember him getting much airplay. He never had any substantial commercial success after his period with Hendrix.       The reference and comparisons to the late John Entwhistle and Jack Bruce are inevitable, but the question of who was better is moot really. The only viable similarity is that they both were bass players in three piece bands. Their functions in the bands were markedly different.       Entwhistle's purpose was to move the songs along while adding melody at the same time. Townshend is primarily a rhythm guitar player and Keith Moon was a chaotic drummer. Entwhistle had to keep the time, but added flourishes over Townshends rhythm.       Jack Bruce was a soloist in a band with two more, all of them constantly pushing each other.       Reddings space for improvisation was highly limited by the bandwidth consumed by Hendrix and Mitch Mitchell. Mitchell was not chaotic, more like manic. He chewed up dead space.       Redding did good work with the Premier psychadelic guitarist of all time. That ain't a bad epitaph. You take the slide rule, I'll take the bottleneck....   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

14.  Re: Redding's passing worthy of note..   by Ozymandias       at Thu 15 May 12:18pm score of 1   in reply to comment 13     The reference and comparisons to the late John Entwhistle and Jack Bruce are inevitable, but the question of who was better is moot really. The only viable similarity is that they both were bass players in three piece bands. Their functions in the bands were markedly different. FYI: "The Who" was not a thee piece band: John Entwistle Keith Moon Pete Townshend Roger Daltrey (and later Kenney Jones to replace Keith Moon).   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   16.  Re: Redding's passing worthy of note..   by 74westy       at Thu 15 May 12:26pm score of 1   in reply to comment 14     FYI: "The Who" was not a thee piece band Strictly speaking you are correct but the instrumentation in a rock power trio is: guitar, bass, drums, vocals — just as you find in The Who. So, from a warped sort of perspective, the four members of The Who are the functional equivalent of a three piece rock band. I am Sparticus!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   20.  Re: Redding's passing worthy of note..   by StratKat       at Thu 15 May 9:26pm score of 1   in reply to comment 14     As 74westy already noted, the Who had three instruments...and a singer. I wasn't discounting Daltrey's contribution, but addressing the comparisions as per the power trio instrumentation.       And yeah I know about Kenney Jones...The Who died with Keith Moon. His style of playing was irreplaceable, and Townshend changed his style of playing with Jones tame style of drumming. The Who should have disbanded after Moonie's death because they weren't the Who without him. What's a thee piece band? Is that some Amish deal or something? You take the slide rule, I'll take the bottleneck....   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   17.  Re: Redding's passing worthy of note..   by nmiguy       at Thu 15 May 2:28pm score of 1   in reply to comment 16     By your logic, Led Zeppelin was a trio too. Okay, if that's the way you feel, I suppose that this is fine. The Stones must be a quartet, no? (Actually Mick Jagger plays a number of instruments, guitar, piano, harmonica...)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   19.  Re: Redding's passing worthy of note..   by StratKat       at Thu 15 May 9:18pm score of 1   in reply to comment 16     Thank you for having enough snap to know what I meant. You take the slide rule, I'll take the bottleneck....   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   22.  Re: Redding's passing worthy of note..   by nmiguy       at Fri 16 May 6:58am score of 1   in reply to comment 20     I saw the who some years back (post Moon) and I thought they sounded great. It was a Quadrophrenia tour, they re-released their old rock opera and toured with an orchestra. I believe the lead guitarist was Stuart Townshend, (Pete's brother) and Pete played an acoustic guitar the whole show until the end when they did a reprise of Love reign O'er me. I was blown away. And Entwhistle is the most amazing bassist I have ever seen live in person.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   23.  Re: Redding's passing worthy of note..   by StratKat       at Fri 16 May 10:01pm score of 1   in reply to comment 22     I saw the Who live in ,I believe, 1966. Then in I think 74 0r 75. Now, sound systems weren't then what they were even 5 years later. They were loud as hell, and everybody but Entwhistle destroyed everything. Kind of spoiled me. After Moon died, Townshend had a chance to refine their sound quite a bit...They lost me after "Who are you", the last album with Moonie. Now Townshends solo stuff is another thing entirely, truly great stuff, "Rough Mix", "Empty Glass", "All Good Cowboys have Chinese eyes", are all splendid works anyone would be proud of. But "The Who"..were not after Moonie died, great musicians though they all were. It always amazed me that Entwhistles solo work didn't blow everyone else away like it did me. He was absolutely the greatest British rock bassist..IMHO. Losing him, I truly felt a disturbance in the Rock "Force".       Did you ever hear "Smash your head against the Wall"?. Damn... You take the slide rule, I'll take the bottleneck....   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

15.  favorite bass player   by Ozymandias       at Thu 15 May 12:26pm score of 1     Since we are all gushing over our favorite bass players, let me say that I don't think anyone recording today compares to Les Claypool. Since I can't figure out how to link to a page withing allmusic, let me just quote a bit of it: The most original rock bassist to come along in the '90s was unquestionably Primus' Les Claypool. With his oddball sense of humor and funky playing, Claypool took his varied musical influences and created an invigorating and completely inventive style. If you've never heard of him, I highly recommend you check out some of his latest albums. (His early stuff is more punkish which I think might turn off most of the plastic crowd). Recently he's put out two live albums, one of which is a live recording of their version of Pink Floyd's Animals. His recent studio album "Purple Onion" is also amazing, probably my favorite album of 2002.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

24.  Re: favorite bass player   by StratKat       at Fri 16 May 10:10pm score of 1   in reply to comment 15     Isn't he the cat that had the Bass Banjo?? If so, yes, he is one bad sumbitch. You take the slide rule, I'll take the bottleneck....   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

21.  A better comparison   by Dr Spackle       at Fri 16 May 12:37am score of 1.5 succinct     Maybe a better comparison for Noel would be that of Michael Anthony, the bass player from Van Halen. The Experience and Van Halen are quite similar in make-up — guitar virtuoso, technical drummer and a bass player to fill the holes. When you have a trio (or trio + frontman) that consists of some strong players on guitar and drums, someone has got to hold down the fort. This thankless task ends up landing in the bass player's lap, and if he/she can't hang rhythmically, it's gonna show up. Redding and Anthony had the exact same job. I think we're a bit closer comparing apples to apples here than comparing Redding to Entwhistle, Bruce, et al. And both Redding and Anthony may not win any flash and style awards (outside of costume choice anyway), a big reason the Experience and Van Halen rocked as hard as they did were due to the "fort holding" talents of each respective player. I know that I'm apathetic, but I don't give a fuck.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

25.  Re: A better comparison   by StratKat       at Fri 16 May 10:16pm score of 1   in reply to comment 21     An excellent comparision! Having seen both live though I must say that Anthony was quite a bit more mobile than Redding. Redding had about the same stage moves as Bill Wyman. You take the slide rule, I'll take the bottleneck....   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]