bass player with pete townshend Archives

Tony Butler (Big Country, The Pretenders, Pete Townshend)

Courtesy of Vintage Guitars

In a Big Country…Let My Love Open the Door…Back on the Chain Gang….My City was Gone…

He anchored some of the most enduring British pop hits of the 1980s with bass passages that were instantly recognizable and as memorable as the melodies and lyrics!

A bassist, vocalist, writer, solo recording artist, and educator (Livewire Youth Music Project), touted for his tenure in Big Country, Tony Butler was also an in-demand session player and sideman, rendering his dual melodic / in-the-pocket artistry in the service of Pete Townshend, The Pretenders, and Roger Daltrey among others.

Tony cites prog-rock icons Chris Squire and Mike Rutherford as his primary bass influences

Vintage Guitars issued a Tony Butler Signature Bass in 2011. Among Tony’s weapons of choice also include Fender Precision, Rickenbacker, Aria Pro (a former endorsee), and Washburn.

In 2017 Tony waxed his debut solo slab entitled My Time which features his Big Country bandmate Mark Brzecki on drums.

Tony Butler Sound & Vision:

Big Country:

“In A Big Country” https://youtu.be/657TZDHZqj4

“Fields of Fire” https://youtu.be/19eti8Lf2Zo

“Harvest Home” https://youtu.be/QByihCyvNJI

Live at Reading 1986 https://youtu.be/1UlnVnQ06ZM

The Pretenders:

“My City Was Gone” https://youtu.be/thu8DWsirJo

“Back on the Chain Gang” https://youtu.be/CK3uf5V0pDA

Tony Butler:

“Heaven Saved a Place for You” https://youtu.be/PcjJoCdpJgY

“Here Comes the First One” https://youtu.be/J29N6fWEEkg

Pete Townshend:

“Let My Love Open the Door” https://youtu.be/9dw29xpA0Qg

“Slit Skirts” https://youtu.be/nAL7RYHKrlA

Chucho Merchan (Eurythmics, Pete Townshend, EBTG, David Gilmour)

A first call session cat, composer, conductor, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, band-leader, solo recording artist, and human and animals rights activist; Bogota born Jesus Alfredo “Chucho” Merchan is among the instrument’s most prolific players.

Merchan has forged grooves incorporating fretless, slap/pop style, jazz , Latin, funk, punk, soul, and permutations thereof with Everything But the Girl, The Dream Academy, Pete Townshend, Thomas Dolby, Eurythmics, Billy Bragg, The Pretenders, David Gilmour, Phil Manzanera, Sam Brown, and Robert Wyatt, to cite a very, very select few.

Chucho Merchan Sound & Vision:

Chucho Merchan: “Pachamadre Mamatierra” https://youtu.be/uBTv4a6vQqE

David Gilmour for “Wish You Were Here” courtesy of Chucho Merchan YouTube page: https://youtu.be/CYUTMzgQtXQ

Pete Townshend’s Deep End courtesy of Chucho Merchan YouTube: https://youtu.be/SYP0qzw-tbI

John Entwistle (The Who)

By Thomas Semioli

“My life’s in jeopardy, murdered in cold blood is what I’m gonna be, I ain’t been home since Friday night and now my wife is comin’ after me…”

“My Wife” https://youtu.be/cGjjlbxBALE

Aptly dubbed “The Ox” and “Thunderfingers” – the late, truly great John Alec Entwistle shattered the concept of rock bass as a solely supportive instrument by cranking the treble tone way beyond its intended function whilst creating breathtaking counter melodies within the context of Pete Townshend’s compositions, which were quite tuneful to begin with. Entwistle’s harmonic modus operandi was not hard to decipher for an educated bassist– The Ox lived and died (no pun intended) by the pentatonic scale.

John’s weapons of choice were plenty: check out his Who gear page: http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/bass/bass7174.html

With expeditious dexterity and his considerable use of volume which rivaled Jimi Hendrix, John was also an early proponent of string tapping and harmonics.

In addition to his patented three-finger plucking technique and deft use of a plectrum, John’s historic collaboration with Rotosound to develop round-wound strings revolutionized the sound of the electric bass.

Most folks cite Live at Leeds and Quadrophenia as John’s masterworks – however his bass playing on The Who’s less acclaimed studio albums: By Numbers, Who Are You, Face Dances, and It’s Hard are equally spectacular.

And consider the fact that he was the only bassist who could negotiate the percussive onslaught of Keith Moon.

John’s solo break on “My Generation” is, to my ears, the best rock bass solo ever committed to tape with regard to execution, timbre, and melody. But that’s just my opinion….

Tony Butler (Big Country, The Pretenders, Pete Townshend)

Chucho Merchan (Eurythmics, Pete Townshend, EBTG, David Gilmour)

John Entwistle (The Who)

“My life’s in jeopardy, murdered in cold blood is what I’m gonna be, I ain’t been home since Friday night and now my wife is comin’ after me…”

“My Wife” https://youtu.be/cGjjlbxBALE

John’s weapons of choice were plenty: check out his Who gear page: http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/bass/bass7174.html

With expeditious dexterity and his considerable use of volume which rivaled Jimi Hendrix, John was also an early proponent of string tapping and harmonics.

In addition to his patented three-finger plucking technique and deft use of a plectrum, John’s historic collaboration with Rotosound to develop round-wound strings revolutionized the sound of the electric bass.

Most folks cite Live at Leeds and Quadrophenia as John’s masterworks – however his bass playing on The Who’s less acclaimed studio albums: By Numbers, Who Are You, Face Dances, and It’s Hard are equally spectacular.

And consider the fact that he was the only bassist who could negotiate the percussive onslaught of Keith Moon.

John’s solo break on “My Generation” is, to my ears, the best rock bass solo ever committed to tape with regard to execution, timbre, and melody. But that’s just my opinion….

“My Generation” https://youtu.be/fRipFYoji2A

His solo slabs had their moments too.

“Heaven and Hell” https://youtu.be/QfbzUof-h64

“Who Cares” https://youtu.be/0yqarUkoDsI

Dig Tony Senatore’s rendition of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” https://youtu.be/SzJRNc1mFWE

Dig some of these lesser known Ox tracks:

“Dreaming from the Waiste” https://youtu.be/UprgN2wz1PA

“Eminence Front” https://youtu.be/KI_npEyjgxA