“Sir Horace Gentleman” anchored one of Ol’ Blighty’s most influential ‘70s ensembles: The Specials.

A master of the 2-tone groove which fused trad Jamaican ska with stripped down new wave rock, Panter and his pals – oft bedecked in ‘60s style rude boy attire (pork pie lids, loafers, mohair suits), scored several UK hits during their golden era which spanned roughly 1979-81.

Panter is also a painter. The Croydon native studied at Lanchester Polytechnic, served as an art educator, and has hosted several exhibits throughout his career.

His autobiography Ska’d for Life is essential reading for rockers beholden to the said genre. Panter’s primary tools of the trade were trad Fender basses – Precision, Telecaster, and Jazz.

Horace Panter Sound & Vision…

“Rudy A Message to You” https://youtu.be/cntvEDbagAw

“Stereotype” https://youtu.be/fxQ5ooPT4Gw

“The Gangsters” https://youtu.be/lgCZN1rU5co

“Rat Race” https://youtu.be/AmkMEoVb6rA

“Ghost Town” https://youtu.be/RZ2oXzrnti4

By “former” New York City bassist Joe Iaquinto, who now resides in the Midwestern United States….returning to the land of his birth on occasion to devour Italian food in eateries of dubious renown….

In my generation (i.e. living in 1970s New York City) – hearing and having to play disco music in clubs was unavoidable.  In hindsight, some of the music was downright fantastic; especially for bass players. We were up in the mix, given to thumb thumpery, and were afforded the attention typically bequeathed to our bandstand brothers and sisters.  However at the time, the “stigma” attached to disco was overwhelming. It was considered purely commercial music with little or no “artistic value” by the ever present jazz, rock, blues, and pop elites. 

As if to answer the prayers of those who couldn’t stand it any longer, punk rock began to infiltrate the music scene akin to lava spewing out and destroying all that was polyester, platforms, and satin!  As I witnessed this massacre, I couldn’t help but cling harder to my beloved Earth, Wind & Fire, Doobie Brothers and Chicago records,  wondering how anything good could come from this music of the streets.  I consider myself musically openminded.

Yet most of the stuff I was hearing from the rehearsal studios in my then hometown was downright frightening! Working at the legendary Manny’s Music store on 48th Street in Manhattan – where artists spanning the Beatles to Miles Davis purchased gear,  I was pushed further into the abyss by the number of people suddenly coming into the store and bashing on Fender Precision basses in the manner of Sid Vicious and Dee Dee Ramone: no disrespect…..

Then I heard the Laughing Dogs. 

Yeah, they were playing CBGB and were classified as a punk band. To  my ears they were head and shoulders above the common crop of three-chord, “1-2-3-4!!!” amateurs.  These guys composed clever, interesting songs, they rendered strong vocals. In general, they were damn good rock musicians. 

Bassist Ronny Carle (aka Ronny Altaville) was a chameleon; running the gamut from throttling his Rickenbacker and Fender Jazz basses in an 8th note frenzy to creating melodic lines that would make Macca proud. These guys were truly a power pop group with a punk attitude, slyly hiding their true intentions behind a wall of lo-fi bass and drum sounds.  They gigged often with such soon-to-be-legends Blondie, Talking Heads, Mink Deville, and the Shirts – all iconic New York City ensembles. Their most punkish song, “I Need a Million” appears on the 1976 album Live at CBGBs. If you’re not familiar with the Laughing Dogs, do yourself a favor and check them out. 

I absolutely love bands that can play multiple styles of music and do so with a sense of humor that keeps them from sounding contrived, and that’s these guys. 

Check out “Lazy Road,” from their album, Pre-Colombian Gold, 1974-1976.  It sounds similar to early Steely Dan. And pay rapt attention to  Ronny Carle’s wonderful playing.  “Low Life,” from the 1979 LP, The Laughing Dogs exudes enough jangly guitar and vocal harmonies to launch a dozen 1990s shoe-gazing pop bands! 

I’m grateful to my dear friend and fellow New Yawker Larry Tepper, for providing me with lots and lots of Laughing Dogs material.  Larry is also the guy who turned me onto Colin Hodkinson and Back Door way back when we were in high school. Hey, it’s what we bass players do, right? We pay it forward! 

Ronny Carle Sound & Vision…

“Lazy Road” https://youtu.be/UxkEenY6e2I

“I Need a Million” https://youtu.be/kqceZjbFVXo

“Low Life Band From Brooklyn” https://youtu.be/e9ucPYeqL-k

By Thomas Semioli

An engaging performer and a founding member of The Pretenders, Pete Farndon embodied the punk ethos of attitude over skill. However as the band progressed, he developed the necessary chops, as so many players do in their early years with steady work on the bandstand.

Of course, Chrissie’s songs reign supreme in The Pretenders – as does her vision of the band, hence Pete worked the lower register exclusively, and outlined the changes with rudimentary root / third / fifth passages, and basically (pun) stayed out of harm’s way.  Bassists who’ve followed in Pete’s bootsteps have noted to me (and in various publications), that Hynde is rather dictatorial towards her players – all Pretenders bass passages must be Chrissie approved. Note that the band has employed dozens of players since Farndon’s firing, and tragic passing.

Pete also served as a backing vocalist and composed two songs which made it to wax “The Wait” and “Space Invader.” Rumors abound that on occasion session player(s) were called in to ghost his parts, but I have no official proof…so I cannot confirm such claims.

Farndon’s primary weapons of choice included Fender Jazz and Precision basses, and a Rickenbacker 4001.

Dig Pete and The Pretenders at the height of their powers: https://youtu.be/_HD2fodz-7c

He was a prolific Grammy Award winning composer, filmmaker, producer, solo recording artist,  multi-instrumentalist, and founding member of the Patti Smith Group wherein he shared bass duties with Lenny Kaye.

His numerous collaborations and band memberships include Blondie, Iggy Pop, John Cale, and John Waite, to site a scant few.

Dig this interview with Ivan and Iggy Pop https://youtu.be/2VTbKTcVyZQ

As a bassist – and given his formidable skills as a composer, Ivan was the consummate song player, working the pocket and outlining the changes in the service of the singer…as so many of us do!

Dig Ivan Kral “Winner Takes All” https://bit.ly/2GjdLI2

Dig Ivan on “Dancing Barefeoot” which he co-composed with Patti https://youtu.be/u69ZI5Www8Y

Dig Ivan with the Patti Smith Group on Rockpalast 1979 https://youtu.be/5UYlLHlCQ_w

“I’d like to congratulate myself and thank myself and give myself a big pat on the back.”

Greatest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony acceptance speech ever – by way of Douglas Glenn Colvin aka Dee Dee Ramone in 2002!

Though Dee Dee essentially rendered indistinguishable bass passages sans any significant semblance of harmonic or rhythmic variation throughout his entire career as a founding member and primary songwriter of The Ramones – he played exactly what was needed – serving the almighty song!

His execution and attitude anchored one of the greatest forces in the history of popular music, which continues to inspire generations long after his passing, and the passing of his band mates.

As I recall, the rock and the jazz police respectively were appalled by The Ramones nihilistic approach and feral aesthetic, which made them even more appealing.

Dee Dee’s technique necessitated his fashionably knee-level low hanging bass and right hand position as his the rapid fire 16th / 32nd notes necessitated the flexibly of his wrist rather than his rigid forearm – fact is, you can’t play that fast and that steady any other way! And he utilized only one weapon of choice – the mighty Fender Precision.

In the most hallowed tradition of their forefathers Berry, Penniman, Lewis, and Presley – Dee Dee and The Ramones’ body of work exudes the very essence of the art form that is rock ‘n’ roll: their eternally youthful vibrancy; their unabashed reverence for the past while pushing forward; their stark individuality; their instantly recognizable collective sound; their uncanny ability to threaten the status quo; and their enduring and expansive effects on pop culture represent just a few of the reasons why these revolutionary outcasts from Queens County Long Island New York will be relevant, and always sound fresh.

The Ramones in all their 1978 glory: https://youtu.be/-WgdD3F73CY

Courtesy of MC 5 Com

“I wanna hear some revolution out there! Kick out the jams mother….” They were among the most incendiary forces in American rock ‘n’ roll. Before bands became brands, these five outcast visionaries from Michigan harnessed the anti-establishment fervor of the industrial heartland. 

With the stinging libretto of front-man Rob Tyner (originally a bassist), fortified by the blazing two-guitar attack of Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith – the MC5 blasted blue collar counter culture blooze into adolescent bedrooms throughout Nixon’s fractured America.

At the center of the storm were bassist Michael Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson who anchored the MC5 with an unforgiving back-beat. Davis’ bass playing was unswerving – quoting time tested motifs as the guitarists waged war. Associated with John Sinclair, participants in the anti-war movement (Chicago 1968), and inspired by the Black Panther Party; not even The Stooges, Velvet Underground, nor The Doors – three pariahs of the same era who were eventually accepted by the establishment – approached the perilous stance of the MC5.  

Michael Davis Sound & Vision

Dig Michael on this live clip of “Ramblin’ Rose, Kick Out The Jams, Looking At You” medley from 1970 https://youtu.be/74jS3dW0DtE

Rock lore on the “buzz” inspiration of their band moniker ranges from a reference to the Manchester drug scene to a line lifted from the British television series Rock Follies, whereas “cock” is simply local slang for a mate: “It’s the buzz, cock!”

Regardless, The Buzzcocks were among the most influential bands to emerge from the UK punk – new wave era with their deft combination of pop melodies as penned by Pete Shelley, stripped down arrangements, and boundless energy.  

Employing no frills four-to-the-bar roots passages to creative counter-melodic motifs, the bassist during the band’s glory years was Steve Garvey, who anchored some of their finest singles along with The Buzzcocks’ essential early canon: Another Music in a Different Kitchen (1978), Love Bites (1978), and A Different Kind of Tension (1979).

Garvey, who also moonlighted with pop punks The Teardrops (which also included members of The Fall and PIL) and drummer John Maher were a ferocious rhythm section which grooved mightily at a frenetic pace.

After The Buzzcocks’ initial split in 1981, Garvey worked with Steve Diggle (50 Years of Comparative Wealth / 1981), toiled in various ensembles, produced, lectured, and returned to the band briefly in the early 1990s for one of their numerous reunions. 

Steve Garvey Sound & Vision with The Buzzcocks

“What Do I Get” https://youtu.be/iMXR7w76VZU

 “Everybodys’ Happy Nowadays” https://youtu.be/pf2DgSJuUHc