“Doesn’t everyone sniff cocaine off stripper’s bums?”
They don’t make rock stars like Glenn Hughes anymore. The rightfully proclaimed “Voice of Rock” is a world class bassist and singer-songwriter on par with Sir Paul and Sting who carved his legend with Trapeze and Deep Purple Mark III & IV.
Armed with a Fender and Rickenbacker 4001 –among other instruments, Glenn’s funky bass playing and soaring vocals with Deep Purple were decidedly soulful: which was one of the primary reasons Ritchie Blackmore bolted to form Rainbow.
As such, the Purps hired Tommy Bolin and waxed one of the great lost albums of the 1970s – Come Taste The Band (1976).
Glenn’s solo catalog and collaborations are an extraordinary, groundbreaking fusion of rhythm & blues and hard rock: Play Me Out, Glenn Hughes Blues (with Tony Franklin), The Way It Is, Soul Mover, Hughes-Thrall, Tony Iommi/ Black Sabbath’s Seventh Star, and Black Country Communion, to cite a select few.
Glenn’s autobiographical tome, penned with Joel McIver is essential reading!
Dennis Dunaway (Alice Cooper)
Courtesy Dennis Dunaway Facebook
By Thomas Semioli
“Rock ‘n’ Roll,” proclaimed Dennis Dunaway to this writer – “if it doesn’t kill ya’ it will keep you forever young!”
‘Twas a time when rock ‘n’ roll actually horrified parents! And no band mortified America’s elders more so than the original Alice Cooper band circa 1969-74.
A composer / conceptualist who commandeers his signature mirrored Fender Jazz and, previously his “Frog” Gibson EB, Dennis Dunaway’s bass passages for the original, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Alice Cooper band were as daring and unconventional as his ensemble.
Greatly inspired by the Yardbirds, Cream, and Sir Paul, among others of his generation, and an inspiration to a few generations of hard rockers; Dennis worked brilliant upper register motifs (“No More Mr. Nice Guy”) cascading glissando passages (“Muscle of Love” – kudos to engineer Dennis Ferrante), cool Latin rhythms (several cuts on Pretties for You), and sinuous in-the-pocket grooves; all of which served the song.
Photo courtesy of Dennis Dunaway Facebook
Dig my select sampling of Dennis’ work with the original Alice Cooper Band, spanning 1969 to 1974:
Dennis continues on the bandstand and the recording studio with Joe and Albert Bouchard in Blue Coupe, guest appearances with the Hollywood Vampires, the Dennis Dunaway Project, original Cooper clan reunions, and as a solo video and recording artist.
Dennis’ autobiography “Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!” (with Chris Hodenfield) is essential reading for rockers of any era. I had the opportunity to chat with Dennis for Huffington Post Books in 2015.
They say “never get too close to your idols” – well, they were wrong about Dennis, he’s a humble cat with a wicked sense of humor! As you would expect….
Dennis Dunaway: The Billion Dollar Bassist Re-Writes the History of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Tom Semioli – Huffington Post June 2015
“How can you kick the bucket if you’re writing a book? Every time I’d read something about Alice Cooper, I’d complain aloud ‘ah, that’s not how it happened! And my kids had to put up with that for years, and years, and years. Finally they said to me ‘Dad! Shut up and write a book!”
My hot-blooded Sicilian mother oft warned me that there were three sides to every story “his, hers, and the truth!” The same loving women who doted on her only son also made a habit of tearing Alice Cooper posters off my bedroom wall in the 1970s- thankfully she never discovered the panties that spilled out of my vinyl copy of School’s Out (1972) back in the era when a certain band was re-imagining the art of album packaging. She also warned me that these degenerate creeps whom I worshiped and inspired me to join a band were actually Russian operatives on a mission to rot the minds of American teenagers. Nowadays my mom’s behavior is commonly referred to as “menopause.”
Behold the third side of the story of a bona-fide American rock ‘n’ roll legacy. Dennis Dunaway, bassist, songwriter, conceptualist for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Alice Cooper band – that’s right, Alice Cooper was a group before he, the former Vincent Furnier, emerged as a Hollywood Square, celebrity golfer, and singular show business entity – has composed the definitive and most truthful tome detailing the groundbreaking collective that also included Michael Bruce, the late Glen Buxton, and Neil Smith.
Aptly entitled Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! My Adventures in the Alice Cooper Group (Thomas Dunne Books – St. Martin’s Press, 2015), and written in collaboration with veteran rock journalist Chris Hodenfield – Dennis vividly details in the first person how the Alice cooperative of five endearingly misfit pioneering adolescents put the Woodstock generation to rest; and the rest, as they say, is history. Kiss, Marilyn Manson, Guns ‘n’ Roses, arena rockers too numerous to mention, and even MTV took their cues – and then some – from the original Cooper clan.
Dunaway laughs as I bestow upon him the new title of “literary lion.” He revels traveling in writers circles in New York City too. “I’m meeting all these famous authors…individuals who wrote books about such important historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln. I wrote about a band who threw a chicken at an audience!” I remind Mr. Dunaway that he too is an important part of history and that his new book documents the missing link between the transformations in American pop culture from the 1960s to the 1970s – an era that continues to resonate.
Among the unsung heroes afforded due recognition in Snakes! is his wife, Cindy Smith, sister of drummer Neal Smith. “Cindy created the look that set off the whole gam rock thing…other people got credit for it, and accept credit for it…and it’s not that they weren’t part of it…but Cindy was doing it way, way, before anyone else…” Dennis also speaks lovingly and reverentially of the band’s dearly departed guitarist, Glen Buxton. A true rock ‘n’ roll outlaw with a razor sharp wit to which Dunaway often quotes, it was Buxton who created many of the group’s signature riffs which every player who followed in his platform boot-steps is required to replicate, and air guitarists young, old, and middle-aged continue to mime.
Effectively re-writing the script to a vital period in rock ‘n’ roll history as demanded by the Dunaway brood actually commenced for Dennis during Easter of 1997 – the same number of years ago as the age of a rather distraught young adult who can’t figure out if he’s a boy or a man as per the libretto of the band’s first hit. But first he had to overcome a life-threatening disease. “If I was going to write a book,” Dennis recalls, “I had to survive the surgery. That sounds strange, but that’s what drove me as well.” Dunaway also had to conquer moods of bitterness borne by the age old injustices of the music business, and a feeling that the fans had forgotten him. Truth is, the hardcore fans always held Dennis and the original Alice Cooper band to close their hearts despite the fact that the Cooper brand continued without them.
“We were overshadowed by the monster we created,” emphasizes Dennis. “There are a lot of newer Alice Cooper fans out there that don’t even know that I or the band existed!” During our conversation I note that oft times in my career as a musician – my band-mates and I would refer to the sounds and mixes of the original Alice Cooper albums for our producers and engineers – all of whom nodded their heads with respect and approval. Even without the theatrics, the Alice Cooper band canon was Hall of Fame worthy.
My comment flatters Dennis, who is quick to point out that “we also upstaged ourselves as musicians with the visuals in the Alice Cooper band.” Ditto the boa constrictor which infamously slithered around the body of Mr. Furnier during concert performances. “Journalists would write half an article about the boa and not even mention the great songs we wrote for the snake!”
That was then, this is now. Mr. Dunaway, author and bassist, currently plies his craft in a kick ass trio dubbed Blue Coupe – which is made up of former Blue Oyster Cult members Joe and Albert Bouchard. They record, tour the world, and to my ears, they put guitar slinging bands (more than) half their age to shame.
At the official release party held in the Rare Books section of The Strand in New York City – Dennis and Blue Coupe tear the house down much like his old band did when a certain type of music was indeed a threat to society. To thunderous applause from glam grannies, young rockers, and Strand employees spattered in black eye-shadow akin to Dennis’ former singer, the bassist bellows “no more pencils…one more book for your summer!”
Dennis and Blue Coupe ripped the joint with rousing renditions of “I’m Eighteen,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” Blue Oyster Cult’s 1976 anthem “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” and close with “School’s Out” -abetted by the backing vocals of New York City legends Tish & Snooky.
During the question and answer segment for attendees, co-author Chris Hodenfield speaks eloquently of his time touring with the band for his well-known Rolling Stonemagazine feature in 1972. He quips “Dennis has an appallingly good memory….everyone in the band was a comedian who tried to outdo each other.” Reminiscing how Groucho Marx and George Burns were Alice Cooper band fans,
Dunaway praises his wife, the band’s former managers, his beloved band-mates, the road and lighting crews from years past, and of course, his loyal fans.
“Rock ‘n’ Roll,” proclaims the author to me – “if it doesn’t kill ya’ it will keep you forever young!”
Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! My Adventures in the Alice Cooper Group by Dennis Dunaway and Chris Hodenfield is out now on Thomas Dunne Books – St. Martin’s Press, 2015
Prakash John (Lou Reed, Alice Cooper)
When Lou Reed decided to transform his persona from underground artist to a bona-fide arena rocker, he enlisted guitar shredders Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, drummer Whitey Glan, keyboardist Ray Colcord, and bassist Prakash John to forge his sonic assault. The result was one of rock’s greatest concert releases: Rock n RollAnimal (1974) – and one of rock’s greatest bass performances.
With Steve Katz in the producer’s chair, John and the band essentially threw every motif imaginable against the wall and somehow all of it stuck!
With a strong foundation in his native Indian music, along with studies in classical, and a passion for rhythm & blues borne of his dues paying days in Toronto based Top 40 bands, John’s harmonic extensions and endless rhythmic variations within the most basic of rock chord progressions were inventive ala Jack Bruce. Perhaps Jaco heard Prakash with Lou and decided to tweak his bridge pickup – we’ll never know. John’s soulful playing on Sally Can’t Dance helped Lou nail his only Top 10 album.
After Lou sacked his Animal band, John and his mates went to work for Alice Cooper and replicated their signature din as heard on the live Alice Cooper Show album.
Kenny Passarelli (Elton John, Hall & Oates, Joe Walsh)
By Thomas Semioli
A composer, producer, bandmember, collaborator and recording artist – Kenny Passarelli has been the go-to bass player for numerous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists, serving as the harmonic and rhythmic catalyst on several seminal sides, and ensembles.
Born in Denver, Colorado, Kenny’s musical journey began as a classical trumpet player – studying with Byron Jolivett, and performing with the “Inaugural Band” as a member of the Denver Junior Police Band.
Following his meeting with Stephen Stills, who played him demos of his new group Crosby Stills Nash &Young, Kenny opted for a career in rock and roll. Though he missed the opportunity to work with the iconic guitarist at Woodstock in ‘69, Kenny nailed a gig with Joe Walsh, fresh out of the James Gang, with his band Barnstorm also featuring drummer Joe Vitale.
Working on-and-off with Walsh throughout the 70s, Kenny co-authored “Rocky Mountain Way” and his ascending fretless motif enabled Wash to live a “Life of Illusion” – another classic rock track which he co-wrote with Walsh.
Along with Rick Danko and Boz Burrell, Kenny was an early proponent of the fretless bass in a rock context which he plays with a decidedly soulful / rhythm and blues approach.
At the recommendation of Walsh, Kenny was the foundation of Reg Dwight’s second greatest band as heard on Rock of the Westies (1975), Blue Moves (1976), and the archival Captain Fantastic Live at Wembley (2005).
As the bedrock of the Darryl Hall & John Oates band, Kenny waxed Livetime and Along the Red Ledge (1978) in addition to Hall’s iconic Sacred Songs slab.
Courtesy of Hall and Oates Com
Dig Tony Senatore’s renditions of Kenny’s select work with Darryl Hall and John Oates:
Several musical guests on Live From Daryl’s House have rendered compositions from Sacred Songs with their esteemed host– and with good reason: it stands among the seminal slabs of its era!
Go figure why RCA shelved it for three years fearing its lack of commercial potential.
Produced by Robert Fripp, who also renders his signature sonic guitar soundscapes, Sacred Songs prominently features the core of Sir Elton’s most dexterous ensemble : guitarist Caleb Quaye, drummer Roger Pope, and bassist Kenny Passarelli. The tracks, which were recorded in 1977, burst forth with the vibrancy a concert performance – even though they never played ‘em on stage!
Kenny works his gritty soul influences from cut to cut, and keeps the pocket percolating when reinforcing Daryl’s left-hand keyboard motifs throughout.
Dig Tony Senatore’s rendition of Kenny’s bass passages from Sacred Songs…
Kenny also shined on notable slabs by Stephen Stills (Stills and Stephen Stills Live -1975), Rick Derringer (All American Boy / 1973), Otis Taylor, and Dan Fogelberg (Souvenirs / 1974), among others.
His impressive solo canon, which also features Kenny’s talents as a pianist, includes releases which are a meld of classical, new age, and Spanish heritage.
Coda: In November 2016, I cited Kenny Passarelli among Eleven More Bass Players Who Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Huffington Post http://huff.to/2gHNIOA in the Musical Excellence category.
Among Kenny’s weapons of choice include the Fender Jazz bass, and the fretless Fender Precision bass.
Jim Rodford (Argent, The Kinks, The Zombies)
By Thomas Semioli
In Memoriam: The axiom “don’t get too close to your heroes…” did not apply to my bass hero Jim Rodford. When we spoke on film at his local pub in St. Albans where The Kinks, Who, Beatles, and Stones, among others, all honed their craft back in the day, Jim shared insightful and untold stories about his career, the artists, and the era. As per my request, Jim was kind enough to dig his weathered Fender Mustang out of storage which can be heard on The Kinks and Argent classics. With my colleagues’ co-producer Mark Preston and cameraman Derek Hanlon, I bought Jim a pint or two to repay all those bass lessons from In Deep, Low Budget…. Godspeed to the great Jim Rodford!
If you’ve ever grooved to “Hold Your Head Up,” “Give The People What They Want” “God Gave Rock and Roll to You,” “Come Dancing,” “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman,” and “Destroyer” among other Argent and Kinks “Klassics,” please refer to James Walter Rodford, of St. Albans, Hertfordshire England. As a member of Mike Cotton Sound, Jim shared stages with The Beatles, The Who, The Animals, and The Kinks’ original line-up.
He was a founding member of the progressive pop powerhouse Argent (1969-76) and the longest tenured (1978-96) and most musically adept bassist The Kinks employed after the departure of Peter Quaife. With Argent, Rodford rendered adventurous counterpoint for the band’s legendary extended instrumental passages. With the Kinks, Jim underpinned Ray’s melodies and Dave’s riffs with inventive lines that facilitated the band’s commercial and artistic rebirth the moment he joined. Jim also appeared with The Kast-Off Kinks tribute band, wherein he replaced John Dalton whom he originally replaced in The Kinks back in the late 1970s!
The ageless Jim Rodford continued to ply his bass artistry on stage and on record with revamped line-ups of Argent, The Zombies, and the Colin Blunstone Band, among others until his passing in 2018.
Coda: I cited Jim Rodford (and John Dalton) in Eleven Bass Players Who Belong inthe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for Huffington Post in 2015: http://huff.to/1WPHSp6
And Jim was also mentioned in my Huffington Post interview with Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent The Zombies Still Got That Hunger for New York City: http://huff.to/1JQbpWe
Dig Jim Rodford in Know Your Bass Player on Film Season One 2014 – filmed at The Horn, in St. Albans UK https://bit.ly/2QuX6E7
Ronnie Lane (Faces, Slim Chance)
Affectionately referred to as “Plonk” by his bandmates for reasons not appropriate to discuss on this forum, the late great Ronnie Lane’s career, which spanned from 1965 until his passing in 1997, was an amazing journey which traversed pop, folk, rhythm and blues, soul and permutations thereof.
Though he is more renowned for his songwriting with Steve Marriott and the Small Faces, and later with The Faces (“Glad and Sorry,” “Debris,” “Stone”) Mr. Lane was a remarkably fluid bassist who served as a pocket player and melodic foil – often within the same composition.
Ronnie’s solo career leading Slim Chance was a groundbreaking meld of traditional English folk and rock which inspired generations on both sides of the Atlantic.
Lane’s collaborative album with Pete Townshend Rough Mix (1977) was among the most overlooked gems of the 1970s.
When he was stricken with multiple sclerosis in 1983 – Mr. Lane assembled the historic Ronnie Lane Appeal for ARMS (Action into Research for Multiple Sclerosis) Charity Concerts in the UK and US which featured his mates Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, Andy Fairweather-Low, Paul Rodgers, Joe Cocker, Ray Cooper, Chris Stainton, Bill Wyman, Kenny Jones, and Charlie Watts among others.
Though diminutive in physical stature, Mr. Lane was a giant of classic rock – and kept gigging to the very end despite his debilitating disease.
Jim Fielder (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Buffalo Springfield, Tim Buckley) VIDEO INTERVIEW
Courtesy of Jim Fielder FB
“Jim Fielder is one of the pioneers of the Fender Bass. His lines were as important and recognizable to listeners as the melodies and words.” Ron McClure
As a founding member of Blood Sweat & Tears, Jim Fielder’s bass playing captivated millions by way of the band’s extraordinary run of hits and classic albums, including the monumental Child Is Father to the Man (1968), and BS&T (1969) both of which were a groundbreaking meld of rock, jazz, rhythm & blues, and pop music.
The towering Texan also contributed to landmark albums by Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention (guitar on Absolutely Free), Buffalo Springfield (Again), George Benson (Tell It Like It Is), Tim Buckley (s/t, Goodbye and Hello), Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, and Al Kooper among others.
Profoundly inspired by James Jamerson, Fielder likely helped Fender sell many a Precision bass in the late 1960s as his warm gritty tone, and soulful improvisations within Blood, Sweat & Tears’ amazing repertoire were a constant presence on AM/FM radio. Following his time in BS&T, Fielder became Neil Sedaka’s musical director/bassist for several years.
For additional insight on Jim’s career, check out KYBP Chicago Bureau Chief Joe Gagliardo’s Goldmine interview – published in 2010. https://bit.ly/2yMIivf
Jim on stage with Buffalo Springfield – Courtesy Buffalo Springfield Com
When William Martin Joel was allowed to bring his seasoned touring band into the recording studio – he waxed one of the best singer-songwriter sides of his generation The Stranger (1977)*, which was the first of a series of seminal slabs by the piano man.
The late Doug Stegmeyer embellished Billy’s hits and album tracks with tastefully executed grace notes, slaps, fretless glissandos, and nimble plectrum and finger picking – all rendered with a crisp bite in the service of the song. Doug came to the attention of Joel as a member of the band Topper, which also featured Liberty DeVitto and Russel Javors. His first tour with BJ was in support of the Streetlife Serenade album, waxed in 1974 which he did not appear on.
*Members of the “classic” Billy Joel band appeared on Turnstiles (1976) – which failed to reach a wide audience upon its initial release.
Rock journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted in All Music Guide: “…no matter how much stylistic ground Joel covers, he’s kept on track by his backing group. He fought to have his touring band support him on Turnstiles, going to the lengths of firing his original producer, and it was clearly the right move, since they lend the album a cohesive feel. Turnstiles may not have been a hit, but it remains one of his most accomplished and satisfying records, clearly paving the way to his twin peaks of the late ’70s, The Stranger and 52nd Street…”
As pictured, Doug’s main weapon of choice was the Fender Telecaster bass.
Doug Stegmeyer / Huffington Post Eleven More Bass Players Who Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Famehttps://bit.ly/38QIjf7
Bruce Springsteen came to his senses and ensured that the E Street Band got their props – albeit fifteen or so years too late. Now Billy Joel needs to own up to the responsibility. As I and millions of others were witness, the classic Billy Joel band line-up of saxophonist / keyboardist Richie Cannata, drummer Liberty DeVitto, guitarists Russell Javors and David Brown, and the late bassist Doug Stegmeyer were among the best live bands of their era. And they were magic in the recording studio.
In the absence of Stegmeyer and company, Billy made good records. With Doug and the boys, Billy waxed classic records. The Billy Joel band came of age in the 1970s – an incredibly fertile and diverse era. In those days, music artists competed and played on concert bills with everyone; spanning fusion powerhouses such as Return to Forever and Weather Report, to supergroups including Led Zeppelin; to groundbreaking roots artists such as Asleep at the Wheel and Townes Van Zandt; to prog rock masters Yes, Jethro Tull and King Crimson; to soul visionaries Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye; to reggae innovators Bob Marley; to politico punk rockers such as The Clash and Patti Smith; to singer songwriter pioneers such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Laura Nyro, Carole King and Van Morrison; and whatever we can pin on Frank Zappa and The Mothers – to name a very select few. Before computers hypnotized the masses, ad agencies segregated listeners, and bands became “brands,” young audiences of my generation were attuned to musical excellence.
The classic line-up of the Billy Joel band exuded musical excellence and stood equal among these above referenced 1970s era artists. Go back and listen to their records, and their sizzling live set on The Stranger Deluxe Edition which fuses jazz, bar band rock, and Broadway. Doug Stegmeyer and his bandmates elevated the artistry of Billy Joel on stage and on record to greatness, and are long, long, overdue for their recognition in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.
Tony Levin (King Crimson, John Lennon, Peter Gabriel)
Photo by Juergen Spachman from Tony Levin Com
By Thomas Semioli
A revered session bassist, sideman, band-member, composer, recording artist, blogger, and photographer, among other endeavors who prolifically doubles on the Chapman Stick: Tony Levin began his musical journey as a classical bassist and tuba player, has been a pillar in Peter Gabriel’s various genre defying ensembles since 1978.
In addition to leading his own groundbreaking bands (Stick Men, Bruford Levin Upper Extremities), Tony was a member of King Crimson for their pioneering latter day studio albums Discipline, Beat, Three of a Perfect Pair, and Thrak and continues to tour with Fripp and company on various anniversary treks.
You also know Tony from his outstanding work on over 500 albums with artists including John Lennon (Double Fantasy), Paul Simon (One Trick Pony) Robert Fripp (Exposure), Pink Floyd (A Momentary Lapse of Reason), Alice Cooper (Welcome to My Nightmare), Lou Reed (Berlin), Todd Rundgren, Seal, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, and Carly Simon to name a few.
Tony is also renowned for his “funk fingers” which are modified drum sticks attached to his finger-tips which essentially pound the bass strings a la slap style.
In addition to his Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame-worthy career as a bassist, Mr. Levin was among the World Wide Web’s first bloggers wherein he published road diaries of the various tours he participated in – which you can access via his www.papabear.com.
Also be sure to check out Tony’s work on TonyLevin.Com
Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith)
Photo courtesy of Aerosmith Com
By Thomas Semioli
He anchors the almighty Demon of Screamin’ in what is arguably America’s greatest rock and roll band.
A chameleonic player, Thomas William Hamilton varies his tools and tone yet maintains his identity within the boundaries of the Aerosmith.
He works the pocket, he doubles the riffage, he renders countermelodies… and he’s done it all on Fender basses (Precision and Jazz), G & L, MusicMan Stingray, MusicMan Sabre, Hofner, Sadowsky, Parker…and probably a few I’ve missed.
His motif to “Sweet Emotion” is among the most recognized in the history of rock and roll: https://youtu.be/wwKwoU9cQ_o
Tom has dozens of co-writing credits including the aforementioned “Sweet Emotion,” as well as “Janie’s Got a Gun, “Jaded,” “Critical Mass,” and “Sick as a Dog.”
On latter-day slabs Pump (1989), Get A Grip (1993), and Nine Lives (1997) Hamilton harbors a growling low B to further underpin the Tyler’s hoops ‘n’ hollers coupled with Joe Perry’s raucous riffage.
On the band’s fifteenth studio effort Music From Another Dimension (2012) Tom takes the lead vocal for the first time on “Up on the Mountain.”
Among Tom’s signature passages is “Walk This Way.”
Here is Jack Douglas -from a KYBP social media thread – discusses how Hamilton achieved his sound on this track: “Basic secret of Walk This Way bass sound was setting up the SVT EQ, using the right mics and combining it with the dir. Same with Sweet Emo except I doubled the bass line with a bass marimba, which Jay Messina played so tight you can’t hear it. The Flickenger Limiter with the 100 cycle pass through tightened up the whole sound and the massive amount of tubes in that monster added it’s own special sauce.”
