Jamiroquai's 'Emergency On Planet Earth' album was probably my first CD purchase in early the 90s after being perplexed by this britfunk band on MTV who appeared to be throwing out Stevie Wonder, Roy Ayers, Parliament/Funkadelic and Mizell Brothers vibes. Then came 'Return of the Space Cowboy' (1994) and 'Travelling Without Moving' (1996) albums in the same vein.
My interest waned a little as the music seemed to get less funky and more poppy. However in hindsight they did produce a lot great tunes and pop ballads in later albums which have aged very well. The lead singer crazy hat guy, Jay Kay, is the only original band member still in the band afaik. (Mrs Waffles I thought too that Jamiroquai was the name of the lead singer Jay Kay at first!)
I'd like to create a thread to show appreciation for the world of Jamiroquai over the years. Did you know that the co-founder of Ozric Tentacles, Nick Van Gelder was Jamiroquai's first drummer? They were clearly into the space funk thing.
I see a lot of flashes of Jamiroquai basslines in other artists like Pharrell Williams, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars (thanks to posters on MB and SCD), and my ears continue to prick up when modern tunes have similar bass elements to that Stu Zender bass attitude of the early days. I would so much like 2024 to be the year I properly start learning the bass and post something in the "Play Something" thread, and I am inspired by these ladies who posted on YT a few years ago.
Feel free to post any thoughts related to Jamiroquai, britfunk, bass, or low register funk!
As usual I'm shoehorning Louis Cole into this. His solo stuff as well as Knower have some ridiculous bass playing, usually by Sam Wilkes, but also by the fantastic MonoNeon. Not sure how Jamiroquai-y it is but it's funky as shit and I'm posting it here.
I actually made a whole thread fanboying about this stuff.
https://scd.community/index.php?topic=445.0 (https://scd.community/index.php?topic=445.0)
Indeed Grindy, Knower is amazing! And probably more experimental in the sense that Jamiroquai just timed it well and put themselves in the mainstream commercial funk vibe. But I'm still partial to that vibe. I can't help it, I was a teenager in the UK in the 90s.
Louis Cole and Sam Wilkes/Mono are also so funky, to the point of breaking all the strings/keys on their instruments. Knower are class. Put it out there! :love:
I only know the hits, really. Never took the plunge.
I couldn't, really, because my younger brother was way into them and got a big, ugly jamiroquai tattoo on his arm. For a while, whatever he was into wasn't for me on principle.
But I liked the hits, though, with Canned Heat being my favourite. To my ears, their sound was really accomplished and well produced.
I need to go back into the last few years to see what they're doing.
I saw a couple of shows on YT where he sang brilliantly and he was soloing and descanting on his previous hits, which is always a bonus.
Yeah I only really know the hits as well, but I dig a lot of them. Though my favorite bass part I've heard on one of their songs is actually (I believe) a synth bass, from the song they did for the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack.
I'm never beating the synth nerd allegations, am I. :laughing:
Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on Jan 18, 2024, 03:01 AMYeah I only really know the hits as well, but I dig a lot of them. Though my favorite bass part I've heard on one of their songs is actually (I believe) a synth bass, from the song they did for the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack.
I'm never beating the synth nerd allegations, am I. :laughing:
I wasn't aware ppl were saying these "allegations", thought it was only you lol
Quote from: tristan_geoff on Jan 18, 2024, 01:37 PMI wasn't aware ppl were saying these "allegations", thought it was only you lol
It is just me haha. I can accuse myself if I want. :laughing:
Never said it was a bad thing either lol.
Overall Jamiroquai should be a band that I like and I do really enjoy some of the hits. But whenever I try to get into an album or even a compilation (and I try this every few years, most recently yesterday) they lose me pretty quickly, not sure why. I think their songwriting often sounds a bit half-baked and uninspired to me and Jay Kay, while I generally like him as a singer, sometimes has this little mannerisms and hooks that annoy me a bit. I still think they're a cool band and I'd love to love them but I'm not there yet.
Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on Jan 18, 2024, 03:01 AMYeah I only really know the hits as well, but I dig a lot of them. Though my favorite bass part I've heard on one of their songs is actually (I believe) a synth bass, from the song they did for the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack.
I'm never beating the synth nerd allegations, am I. :laughing:
Quote from: tristan_geoff on Jan 18, 2024, 01:37 PMI wasn't aware ppl were saying these "allegations", thought it was only you lol
As tristan_geoff alludes to. I don't think these are allegations either. It is
proven that you are the resident synth nerd, Mrs. Waffles :P
Quote from: grindy on Jan 19, 2024, 07:33 AMOverall Jamiroquai should be a band that I like and I do really enjoy some of the hits. But whenever I try to get into an album or even a compilation (and I try this every few years, most recently yesterday) they lose me pretty quickly, not sure why. I think their songwriting often sounds a bit half-baked and uninspired to me and Jay Kay, while I generally like him as a singer, sometimes has this little mannerisms and hooks that annoy me a bit. I still think they're a cool band and I'd love to love them but I'm not there yet.
Defo agree that many of his songs sound a little bland. Was listening to his latest album Automaton from 2017 and Summer Girl is probably the best one for me. But even then it's a medium tempo ballad, not exactly a mind blowing masterpiece. However they still manage to get some old school sounds and beats in there so I look forward to listening to any new new material, especially if it reflects their early stuff.
Quote from: Saulaac on Jan 20, 2024, 12:05 AMAs tristan_geoff alludes to. I don't think these are allegations either. It is proven that you are the resident synth nerd, Mrs. Waffles :P
Defo agree that many of his songs sound a little bland. Was listening to his latest album Automaton from 2017 and Summer Girl is probably the best one for me. But even then it's a medium tempo ballad, not exactly a mind blowing masterpiece. However they still manage to get some old school sounds and beats in there so I look forward to listening to any new new material, especially if it reflects their early stuff.
What would you say is their strongest, most consistent album?
Quote from: Saulaac on Jan 20, 2024, 12:05 AMWas listening to his latest album Automaton from 2017 and Summer Girl is probably the best one for me. But even then it's a medium tempo ballad, not exactly a mind blowing masterpiece. However they still manage to get some old school sounds and beats in there so I look forward to listening to any new new material, especially if it reflects their early stuff.
Gave Summer Girl a spin.. Your description is fairly accurate to me. It's a nice enough song, but definitely lacks the vibrancy of their early hits and, like you say, doesn't feel very inspired.
Quote from: grindy on Jan 20, 2024, 07:02 AMWhat would you say is their strongest, most consistent album?
Glad you asked that question, grindy because it prompted me to go through pretty much the entire discography again. It's a hard one because each album is quite different. If an interviewer were to stop randoms in the street and ask what album title they would associate the band with the most, I would say The Return Of The Space Cowboy still. Maybe it would depend on the person's age.
I've listed one or two favourite songs from each album in the spoiler below. Those are the one's I found to be brillant, through the new lens. I should make a compilation for the car when I get the time.
Surprisingly I think Rock Dust Light Star is their strongest recent album, and a turning point (at least for me) where I accepted that they are never going to go back to the 90s, and that their new electro soulful pop funk direction is not that bad after all.
Quote from: Guybrush on Jan 20, 2024, 09:33 AMGave Summer Girl a spin.. Your description is fairly accurate to me. It's a nice enough song, but definitely lacks the vibrancy of their early hits and, like you say, doesn't feel very inspired.
I hope she enjoyed it, Guybrush..
Indeed the earlier hits somehow sounded familiar. And there were some critics saying they sampled too much, such as the basslines from "When you gonna learn" is taken straight from Weldon Irvine's 'We Gettin Down' / Herbie Hancock's Chameleon / Johnny Hammond's 'Los Conquistadores Chocolates'. Or that "Alright" is copied from Idris Muhammad's 'Could Heaven Ever Be Like This' and Eddie Harris's 'It's Alright Now' etc. etc.
OK, so perhaps they may or may not have been carrying the flame "a little too brightly". EDIT: I don't really care either way. But let's celebrate this fact!
(BTW I took the word "celebrate" from the French word "célébrer", which I think means 'let us come together and broadly agree publicly on this event or gathering'.)
So in the spirit of Lisna's music resolutions for 2024, I will try to love Jamiroquai again! :D
Spoiler
Emergency On Planet Earth - (1993)
When You Gonna Learn*
Music Of The Mind*
Emergency On Planet Earth
If I Like It, I Do It
The Return Of The Space Cowboy - (1994)
Just Another Story*
Stillness in Time
Manifest Destiny*
Scam
Travelling Without Moving - (1996)
You Are My Love
Do You Know Where You're Coming From
Travelling Without Moving
Synkronized (1999)
Planet Home
Soul Education
A funk odyssey (2001)
Main Vein
Black Crow
Dynamite - (2005)
Dynamite*
Seven Days In Sunny June
(Don't) Give Hate a Chance
Starchild*
Rock Dust Light Star - (2010)
She's A Fast Persuader*
Two Completely Different Things (according to YT comments, this has been heard in Big Lots, CVS Pharmacy, Home Depot and Hotel Paisano in Marfa. Top quality muzak!)
Automaton - (2017)
Summer Girl
We Can Do It
Vitamin
(https://i.postimg.cc/cHW0LZsK/AP-Bass-2.gif) (https://postimages.org/)
Music satire needs to come back. Any musical comedians in the wings? :coldsweat:
Quote from: Saulaac on Jan 25, 2024, 12:03 AMMusic satire needs to come back. Any musical comedians in the wings? :coldsweat:
My husband and I were coincidentally travelling by boat in Prague and I noticed across the way, "Jazz Boat". We couldn't stop talking to each other for the rest of the night in that voice. ...Great!
Ooh yeah, Jazz Boat has a nice ring to it, Hope. Superb!
Like a first relationship or first love which one never quite gets over, I often return to library archives. There are little quips which perhaps influenced Jamiroquai's more flutey tunes like Seven Days in Sunny June.
It's a nice sunny day here and I had a few moments during lunch break to listen to a bit of Dick Walter. They're a little slower than I would like but i guess slow is also good sometimes.
I nearly posted these in the Muzak thread, such are their easy listening attributes.
The Fat Man - Dick Walter (1975)Pacific Coast Highway - Dick Walter (1980)
Nice,
@Saulaac 🙂
Only got a brief listen as I'm at a buss stop, but Dick Walter's Fat Man sounds great. I probably prefer that to Jamiroquai. Will give it a more thorough listen when I get home 🙂
If the buses are running that sounds like the roads are open? How's the snow? We're planning to go to the Pyrenées in 3 weeks but will likely be in jeans and T-shirts. Can we borrow some of your snow? :laughing:
Just posting here because BASS
I love this guy
Charles Berthoud is great 🙂 amazing player and fun videos.
Quote from: Saulaac on Jan 31, 2024, 10:25 PMIf the buses are running that sounds like the roads are open? How's the snow? We're planning to go to the Pyrenées in 3 weeks but will likely be in jeans and T-shirts. Can we borrow some of your snow? :laughing:
Didn't catch this, but.. yes. We still have lots of snow. Some winters we hardly get any. This time, we got too much! It's been above zero degrees during daytime so it is melting, but it's slow.
Bus roads are top priority, so they usually get cleared and open quickly 🙂
Charles Berthoud is a great one, grindy. He's a real virtuoso. I'm not subscribed to that channel but there looks to be a huge amount of stuff on there. The thing is, there are hundreds if not thousands of great bassists past and present, so it's a question of prioritizing which rabbit hole to go down.
Recently listening to funk and RnB bassists such as Larry Graham or Abe Laboriel Snr. (who did the basslines for CHiPs), Gary King (played with Bob James), and then Prince and Jaco Pastorius... There a still loads of rock, prog and metal bassists to get through.
Quote from: Guybrush on Feb 07, 2024, 11:34 PMCharles Berthoud is great 🙂 amazing player and fun videos.
Didn't catch this, but.. yes. We still have lots of snow. Some winters we hardly get any. This time, we got too much! It's been above zero degrees during daytime so it is melting, but it's slow.
Bus roads are top priority, so they usually get cleared and open quickly 🙂
Just as an update, we're in the Pyrenées this week and the snow is not great this year. Enough to have fun in, but it is clear evidence that this mountain region no longer gets consistent sub-zero weather at 1500 metres in winter. I wonder if it's anything to do with the gulf stream which is not blowing arctic winds as far south as it has been in the past.
And for anyone interested in Jamiroquai bassists, this is a good breakdown of a few of those basslines:
Quote from: Saulaac on Feb 19, 2024, 06:52 PMCharles Berthoud is a great one, grindy. He's a real virtuoso. I'm not subscribed to that channel but there looks to be a huge amount of stuff on there. The thing is, there are hundreds if not thousands of great bassists past and present, so it's a question of prioritizing which rabbit hole to go down.
Recently listening to funk and RnB bassists such as Larry Graham or Abe Laboriel Snr. (who did the basslines for CHiPs), Gary King (played with Bob James), and then Prince and Jaco Pastorius... There a still loads of rock, prog and metal bassists to get through.
Just as an update, we're in the Pyrenées this week and the snow is not great this year. Enough to have fun in, but it is clear evidence that this mountain region no longer gets consistent sub-zero weather at 1500 metres in winter. I wonder if it's anything to do with the gulf stream which is not blowing arctic winds as far south as it has been in the past.
And for anyone interested in Jamiroquai bassists, this is a good breakdown of a few of those basslines:
Might be controversial but I honestly consider CB to be the best bassist on the planet. I couldn't name the best for any other instrument but for bass it's just him for me. He can play every genre, he can groove, he can shred, he can be heavy, he can be melodic. Pretty much every new video he puts out completely blows my mind. My only criticisms are that some of his compositions can be quite similar in structure and that some of his vids are unnecessarily gimmicky but he's a youtuber so he has to lure in the clicks.
Quote from: grindy on Feb 19, 2024, 08:38 PMMight be controversial but I honestly consider CB to be the best bassist on the planet. I couldn't name the best for any other instrument but for bass it's just him for me. He can play every genre, he can groove, he can shred, he can be heavy, he can be melodic. Pretty much every new video he puts out completely blows my mind. My only criticisms are that some of his compositions can be quite similar in structure and that some of his vids are unnecessarily gimmicky but he's a youtuber so he has to lure in the clicks.
Wow that's quite a statement, grindy! Your high praise for CB is noteworthy. :guitar:
I should subscribe to see what he's all about. He doesn't seem to be in a regular band, but that's probably not how the young ones do it these days is it?!
I don't care all that much for his own compositions, but his skill does seem to surpass any other bass youtuber I've seen.
He doesn't play in a band as far as I know. At least I haven't seen him mention it in any if his videos.
Quote from: Saulaac on Feb 20, 2024, 11:10 PMWow that's quite a statement, grindy! Your high praise for CB is noteworthy. :guitar:
I should subscribe to see what he's all about. He doesn't seem to be in a regular band, but that's probably not how the young ones do it these days is it?!
Yeah, he's a youtuber first and foremost. I'd love to see him in a band. In my dreams he's in a mind-blowing power trio with Louis Cole and Tim Henson.
To continue my Louis Cole fanboying, I really like the bass line in this song.
Interestingly LC doesn't actually play bass and this was the first thing he ever learned on the instrument, spending several weeks practicing playing what he wrote.
^That's impressive. Perhaps using some finger dexterity from his keys skills but still a wonderful groove. Transferable skills and all that!
He did a similar thing on 'Bitches' on a glamrock guitar which has a nice riff too.
Sorry to soil this thread with metal shredding bullshit but this is some badass bassing.
^ I can't really connect with it musically, but yeah it looks technically brilliant.
It sounds better at 0.75 speed. Was it sped up?
Quote from: Saulaac on Feb 25, 2024, 11:13 PM^ I can't really connect with it musically, but yeah it looks technically brilliant.
It sounds better at 0.75 speed. Was it sped up?
I certainly hope not, that'd be cheating. ;D
^That's a groovy mashup, grindy. My alzheimers is setting in so I can't remember those guy's names but that's the bassist from Knower, and the keyboardist is Jack thingymabob.
Talking about bassists (as one does), this concert has some great basslines from Trevor Horn. I must admit I didn't know him but he was important enough to arrange a concert and to include Grace Jones in it.
3:34 to 3:40 Horn plays a really great riff which upon reflection is like from Bach or something.
Snarky Puppy is probably already mentioned both here and elsewhere, but I just find the riff starting at 16 seconds in here incredibly funky ❤️
Snarky Puppy is defo on my top 50 desert island discs, Guybrush. There's a case to be made that if they ever do a remake of Starsky and Hutch then that riff should feature in the opening credits :)
Iirc, this tour was in Holland and I watched it around the time of covid part 1 (2020), and I remember being so transfixed by the Cory Henry solo on Lingus. Superb players. They all seem to have their own individual projects but then come together when Michael League has the next gig lined up. Some of their tunes are a tiny bit samey, but yeah they are clearly one of my favourites.
Looks like y'all don't enjoy the shreddy shit that much but damn, Mohini Dey is impressive af
It's impressive playing, but I don't think John Coltrane's sax benefits at all from being doubled with bass. It's cool, but I don't actually like the sound of it.
I like the way it works together but just bass would probably sound nicer
^ I don't know that album "The Art Of John Coltrane" well at all, but Mohini Dey certainly seems to be full on into it. I must admit my favourite part was around the one minute mark when she picked up the original bass part and seemed to play counter-point.
Next time I'm listening to a shredder I'll listen out for the slower parts to see what they're doing. :guitar:
I also liked this vid where she was pre-recording for Lewis Pragasam's "Man, Land, Struggle" (Asiabeat). It's slappy, gamey and spiritual.
^Yeah, that's groovy, and Federico is very versatile. I've seen clips where he shreds amazingly fast.
One of my favourites is Abe Laboriel Sr., (who was the bassist for the CHiPs series in the late 70s).
Here he is in 2014 getting progressively more intense, particularly from 5:00 to 9:00 :yikes:
And for anyone who wants to be reminded of that CHiPs bass part, it's here C:-) :