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Arcadia Weekly Sep 26, 2016
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“The Bass Book” includes interviews with some of the greatest bassists in history, including Sir Paul McCartney, Stanley Clark, and more. – Courtesy photo
Third Revised Edition of ‘The Bass Book’ Is Worth Its Weight in Gold
By Terry Miller
I love it when USPS delivers a new book from Backbeat Books … I salivate, get a cup of tea, and open the package with the fervor of a young child on Christmas morning anticipating Santa’s choice would deliver, as expected.
Backbeat always delivers for me. They know their stuff – producing quality publications with unparalleled accuracy.
In the’50s, the Fender company introduced the world’s first electric bass – the ever-popular Precision. The “P Bass” and the others that followed would help start a transformation in the sound of popular music.
This new third edition of “The Bass Book” explains how that growth happened and how its incredible popularity literally took the backbeat to a new level in just about every popular band from the 1960s through today.
As a drummer myself, I have always cherished a great sounding bass – the power of the two instruments combined and how that combo can literally change the course of a song from an afterthought, to a number one hit that’ll resonate and live forever in the frontal lobes of those exposed to that powerful driving force. Think “My Girl” by the Temptations or “Everyday People”… man these lines stick to you like super glue.
What sets this book apart from the plethora of music instrument books is the passion and humor Tony Bacon infuses; not unlike a truly great bass line that’ll knock your socks off.
Bacon is a prodigy at keeping the reader interested, with quips to which only a true musician could relate.
The photos are … “drool worthy,” as one reviewer noted … with rare bass images combined with the more well-known, like McCartney’s famous Hofner and, of course, the Precision and Jazz bass models made by Fender
The bass guitar provided the solid foundation upon which much modern music is still built. “The Bass Book” is the first to study its story, with the full low-down of the most important bass players and bass makers.
Brands featured in the book include Alembic, Danelectro, Epiphone, Fender, Fodera, Gibson, Hofner, Ibanez, Lakland, Line 6, Music Man, Peavey, Rickenbacker, Sadowsky, Spector, Squier, Steinberger, Warwick, and Yamaha.
Original interviews with makers of bass guitars from the past illustrate the amazing history of the bass during the ’60s and ’70s examined in detail, along with more recent developments, such as the rise of the five-string bass.
There are also exclusive interviews with Paul McCartney and with other bassists, including Jack Bruce, Stanley Clarke, John Entwistle, James Jamerson, and Jaco Pastorius.
OK Backbeat … now I challenge you to do a history of drums … particularly Slingerland … it could be the perfect companion to “The Bass Book.”
“The Bass Book” – $29.99 (US); Inventory #HL 00137902; ISBN: 9781495001505; width: 8.5 inches; length: 11 inches; 176 pages.
