What a tune!
Doug the classical composer reacts to Rainbow’s Gates of Babylon. Could be particularly interesting for those of us who can tell thy harmonic majors from upper tetrachords.
Thanks to Gary Halverson for the heads up.
![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/morse9.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/paice2.jpg)
Doug the classical composer reacts to Rainbow’s Gates of Babylon. Could be particularly interesting for those of us who can tell thy harmonic majors from upper tetrachords.
Thanks to Gary Halverson for the heads up.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
The only time Ritchie actually played PROG (if you discount the ’69 Concerto and the Gemini Suite) – with the aid of the able David Stone. An area he should have ventured into more often.
Of course, Lizzy has something to say about it too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c6rfmXdJHs
It’s a pity that Ritchie never had the guts to perform this live. Did with the exception of Long Live Rock’n’Roll and Kill The King (as well as a few times: L.A. Connection) ever see anything off the last Dio era album see the stage? I can only remember basically the abridged On Stage set still being played even in 1978 on that long US tour with REO Speedwagon. LLRnR (the song) was already thrown in at the Munich 1977 gig I saw (prior to the release of the same-named album a few months later), but did the set ever progress from there?
It’s still a mystery to me why Blackmore got rid of Bob Daisley at the end of the US tour 1978, his bass playing on that track is immaculate. Roger Glover hadn’t joined Raunbow as a bassist yet, that was still a long way off, so that can’t have been the reason. As Daisley’s subsequent contributions to Ozzy’s albums evidenced, the man is no stranger to writing and performing heavy rock that retains balls AND is both tuneful as well as garnering airplay in the US of A (ironically, exactly what Ritchie wanted too).
October 20th, 2022 at 02:16RJD should be inducted in the R&RHOF full stop.
October 20th, 2022 at 05:09If there is creditably or justice then this should happen sooner rather than later.
It’s time for less BS and more grown up approach to this.
At least they can do it for the fans who sits and watch less talentless musicians in the hall of fame year after year.
Peace ✌️
It was and it is official long before any classical composer ears and educative bla-bla: ONE OF THE HARD/HEAVY ROCK GOLD TREASURE OF ALL TIME.
October 20th, 2022 at 08:01Oh christ, what a stunning tune!
RJD is in the Metal Hall of Fame, which does at least seem to have some connection with reality.
October 20th, 2022 at 09:22As is Bob Daisly, in fact all four members of the classic Ozzy band has been inducted, Don, Randy, Bob and Lee.
Though, only two members of Purple have been inducted – Satch being the other one.
@1 Yo, it is a great tune first off, & one of Rainbows finest…The beat certainly reminds one of a march, & heading for war…So the music & lyrics combine magically to create the mood & imagery imo…It “is” an anthem & fits well on a Rainbow record of-the-day with RJD & Cozy. But you’re not going to play it at a party, or disco, or anywhere to get people’s asses moving lol ! It’s a sit-back, close-your-eyes, crank-it-up & drift away with the music tune.
As for Bob Daisley, there’s a great interview with him on the “Rainbow Live in Munich 1977″ DVD, & all is revealed to the best of his knowledge about this line-up, & its demise, though it’s only his perspective, & no one will really know why except for RB & his management.
Watching the ” RB story ” DVD, RB indicates that he didn’t want to work with RJD anymore, since he complained over a non-inclusion of a magazine article, or similar, & RB didn’t want to work with someone like that anymore, & likely decided to swap everyone out, though he kept Cozy…Bob Daisley by contrast suggested that at the end-of-that-tour, nothing was forthcoming from anyone about the future, except that RJD offered him a position as a bass player, with a new band he was considering forming, should Rainbow fold, & Bob said “Yeah, I’m in”, only to realize later by chance, that on the front cover of some magazine, RJD joined Black Sabbath lol !!! So there’s a lot of grey-area in the demise of this line-up…But using a “spy-vs-spy” way of thinking, I’d guess that management & RB learned of the possible movements of the others, & decided to wish-them-all-the-best, & let-them-go !
Peace !
October 20th, 2022 at 11:44When I first heard GoB, I was immediately reminded of this here …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvnUmyaBxlE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_JNZEZQoT8
… it sounded like a companion piece. Both numbers use similar scales for that Mideastern tinge, that diminished fifth thing.
I believe Ritchie could have provided a nice solo over Jon’s work, don’t you?
October 20th, 2022 at 13:19I must be the only person who doesn’t care much for this song. The LLRNR album is one of my least favorite Rainbow Albums.
October 20th, 2022 at 18:58@ 6 – thanks for those Jon Lord Bouree clips, I have seen the second one before but not the first one, which is great. Poor Blackers, he just doesn’t have the patience to perform serious music it seems. It reminds me of that comment he made in frustration back at the start of MK 2. Regarding Lord being into classic composition & performing it at the time, ‘ Look Jon, If this new thing doesn’t work, I will play classical music for the rest of my days’, something along those lines. He has only ever dipped his toes into other forms of music, enough for little variations on the rock themes. What is that comment he made in regards to ‘borrowing ideas’ ”the trick is to steal” classic Blackmore. He has always said he doesn’t have the patience etc. Not to worry as it has all worked out ok. @ 5 – yes in many ways Blackmore was definitely looking at the commercial AOR thing at that time, we can hear it creeping in on the third Dio era Rainbow album. Dio was having none of that & Cozy left the band after DTE for that same reason. Cheers.
October 20th, 2022 at 21:59My memory is foggy here.
I read a lot about the production of the L L R and R album and even ON STAGE.
It was confusing who played what on several albums.
I recall Ritchie playing bass a lot on the LLRandR album and both Carey and Stone saying they played on the album and DS even claimed to have played parts of ON STAGE.
Craig Gruber was involved in the basics of HEAVEN AND HEll, the album….
And so on…
October 20th, 2022 at 22:19@ do you have any idea who is the in the RRHOF and decides the hall of fame selections? some nobody ignorants journalists that go with the trends not with music. It is embarrassing to even talk about that forum really.So fuck Hall of Shame.It took until 2016 to induct Deep Purple so enough said.Ommission are glaring.Iron Maiden/Whitesnake/Dio etc etc
October 20th, 2022 at 23:05Message to …Jimmy Kashmir Page….. And I have a horse to race ….four eastern aces Mr R B : “Stargazer”,”Gates of Babylon”, “Perfect Strangers” and “”Strangways”. Great songs , wonderful time.
October 21st, 2022 at 06:58Don’t feel bad, Leslie, @7, one man’s LLRnR is another man’s Rainbow Rising (RR)! That is where I am the odd man out, I think that RR is the weakest of the three Rainbow studio offerings. Underproduced, undermixed, underwritten (lots of fillers) and performance-wise underdeveloped.
I’m serious: Stargazer sounds like a (promising) demo/rough take to me, so much more could have been done with that song, if only RR hadn’t been such a rush job. To me the only fully developed songwriting-wise noteworthy number on RR is the indeed excellent opener Tarot Woman. Run With The Wolf is just ok, Lady Starstruck is a failed attempt to be poppy, Do You Close Your Eyes a barrage of sheer noise reminiscent of and as bad as Sweet’s Turn It Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU-Z5wgsmY8
while A Light In The Black serves as physical evidence of how many record grooves you can fill by repeating one and the same riff over ..
and over …
and over …
and over.
No wonder how hardly anything of Rainbow’s allegedly strongest work was ever played live – for much of the Dio era, Rainbow stuck live to playing songs from the debut (which suffers from a dull mix, but has strong material).
There I said it. Besides the classic opener, RR’s main redeeming quality is the indeed iconic cover sleeve.
I will now without further demur accept your collective wrath, you Rainbow Rising fetishists! Get your pitch forks and torches out …
https://i.imgur.com/w39lExI.gif?noredirect
Time standing still, there will be blood on the sand no doubt … ; – )
In comparison, I rate LLRnR as a really strong album (with a great sound) and consistently good songs, the silly Sensitive To Light being the only exception. Hell, I even like the cartoonish “hairball with assorted faces” cover drawing. Using Rush fans for the inner gatefold pic was a cheap shot though.
October 21st, 2022 at 10:49The good thing with RR is that the aficionado’s lapped it up, no doubt craving a harder rock album after the slick & groovier debut album & also the Stormbringer ‘funk’ thing. Blackmore & Dio would have been gunning at the prospect of going all out on RR, it does have that all or nothing approach to it. No doubt both musicians were frustrated & needed to rock harder & tour with a band behind them. By the time LLR&R was being developed they both seemed to be going separate ways & the need for additional musicians was evident. The wheels were starting to fall off, hence that albums half finished approach. As I have stated previously we can make one great disc out of both those albums glorious pieces. The debut ‘Blackmore solo’ album is best left standing alone as it is too different to mix in with the harder Rainbow that followed it. Side one = Tarot Woman, Run With the Wolf, Stargazer & A Light In the Black. Side Two = Kill the King, Lady of the Lake, Gates of Babylon & Rainbow Eyes . Cheers.
October 21st, 2022 at 21:19Ivica @ 11 – a good selection indeed. I would add that Rainbow song Eyes of Fire to that list. Plenty of Eastern & orchestral & Blackmore soloing on that classic. The only slight & almost irrelevant issue I have with it is JLT’ not shutting up at the end of each verse & chorus. He must think he is on Top of the Pops or something. Otherwise an epic track it is. Cheers.
October 21st, 2022 at 21:29@12 What an interesting post to say the least ! But I have to admit that all 3 x Rainbow albums featuring RJD are vastly different to one-another, & I actually like the debut the best, as there’s a strong hint of “funk” within some of the tunes that weaves its way through, whilst being the easiest to get along with from start-to-finish. ( Strange to think RB left DP to get away from “funk”, & here it is lol ) ! And using a photo of RUSH fans is a crack-up, maybe some of RB’s dry humor creeping-in ???
Rainbow Rising is too short…You just get engaged with the whole thing & it’s over !!! LLR&R is probably the heaviest of the three overall, but if you’re like me, I play them-out, one-after-the other, & find that the whole experience is over quite quickly lol !
I never was a huge Rainbow fan, having bought their albums or Video’s/ DVD’s from there being no new DP on-the-shelf, though “Finyl Vinyl” was the first one I grabbed back in 1984(?), & it’s a great record…In fact Rainbow are one of those bands that have most excellent compilation albums, rather than individual stand-out recordings imo…I also grabbed the first 3 x recording out of respect to RJD, & his death. ( My friends had everything back-in-the-day, so I got to hear it all ).
I acquired “Live between the Eye’s” on video at its release, & remain to-this-day, blown away by the performances, but that wasn’t captured or released on record officially. I most certainly like Rainbow more today, than in years past for some reason, so I hope that continues !
Peace !
October 22nd, 2022 at 00:51You can super analyze every thing in details but the bottom line is you just need to listen to what your ears are telling you musically without taking into account what happened before or after.
October 22nd, 2022 at 07:00All RJD Rainbow Albums are great purely because vocally he sounds great on all of them and that’s a fact.
That’s similar to the two albums he did with BS That’s why his popularity is gaining momentum even after his death.
If I had magic wand I would put Freddie Mercury and RJD in one studio and ask for a duet.
RJD needs to get lots of credit for the success of Rainbow even if commercially did sell as much as the later albums of Rainbow in the 80s
Peace ✌️
@11
Hey, what about “Eyes of Fire”? To me, this is Blackers’ definitive Eastern composition.
October 22nd, 2022 at 13:58Dio era Rainbow is my fav by far: that said take your best shots LOL
October 22nd, 2022 at 15:421 Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow
2 Rising
3 Long Live RnR
On Stage is superb….nowhere near MIJ but what is?
original thread……..GOB is a fantastic tune always been the highlight of LLRnR for me!
October 22nd, 2022 at 15:44Ronnie was a character and an excellent singer, that controlled roar of his. And it‘s true, he sang well on all three Rainbow albums featuring him. No let-up there.
I believe Blackmore grew disenchanted with Dio in the long run because he felt that the early Rainbow sound had painted itself into a corner where musical respectability was high, but commercial success outside of a niche market out of reach. Rainbow was a lads’ band with hardly any appeal to a female audience and Ronnie‘s voice – distinctive as it was – lacked both a pop sheen and – how shall I put this … – male allure and machismo? Ronnie wasn‘t handsome and he was neither sexy-androgynous nor chest-beatingly testosterone-male like Paul Rodgers or David Coverdale. I‘m sure he could have sung Since You‘ve Been Gone (had he been prepared to do so), but I doubt it would have then been the hit it was with Graham Bonnet, whose voice was ferocious, but also radio-friendly. Ronnie‘s one of a kind voice just did not offer that commercial gold dust kick and the fact that his excellent pipes never really graced a substantial single hit seems to confirm that …
Or not! What do I know … Certainly someone in Cartier‘s (yup, the posh jewelry and watch maker) advertising team must be a closet Dio fan and have little doubt that the diminutive man with the big voice can even in 2021 help shift product …
https://youtu.be/GH9fT1jlJPU
I hope Roger‘s wife got at least a nice watch for it! Or Wendy.
October 22nd, 2022 at 18:31Oh dear that advert. I don’t watch or happen upon many advertising scenarios as I loathe it & avoid them like the plague. But that one there is probably the worst
October 22nd, 2022 at 22:20I have seen for a misrepresentation of what it should be, or could be. You have excelled yourself Uwe, well done indeed. And I repeat, where do you get those clips from? Ha ha ha, all good fun of course. Yes as you queried, did Glover get any royalties etc for that, good question. Maybe next time you see DP in concert keep an eye out to see what sort of jewellery & watch he is wearing. He might surprise you. Cheers.
Graham Bonnet was a ‘top 40’ choice & as I said a while ago that single Warm Ride & his penchant for other known cover songs would have been a catalyst for some recognition, perhaps? Well it was a big hit here in Oz land around that late 70’s time. Bonnet is not my favourite vocalist, he is powerful & melodic however he doesn’t do a lot for me vocally. Blackmore was stabbing in the dark there but it worked for him, in the sense of attaining a hit or two with that AOR influenced Rainbow. While on the subject of the DTE album, that wonderful instrumental Weiss Heim that was only ever a ‘b’ side to the single All Night Long is wonderful. It should have been on the original album, I can think of many songs that it could have easily replaced. Not to worry, it is available to listen to & it stands the test of time for Blackmore aficionados. Cheers.
October 22nd, 2022 at 22:45@22 Good review & information right there. Graham Bonnet also helped steer the band from “dungeons & dragons” themes into pop-music, & it was likely the last time proper, raw, “hard rock” made it into the charts imo…Lot’s of “sex themes” in the promo-videos helped too no doubt ( have you ever seen the “All-night-long” promo ? ), but Rainbow was the last band of an era that was raw & powerful, that still made it into world-wide top-20 ranks, with the only exception being say AC/DC that still delivered “that” kind of music & made it by the turn of the decade.
The 1980’s saw a number of bands change their sound dramatically on record, Rainbow included, with JLT to suit-the-times. KISS, Queen, & RUSH as examples, clearly show how they surprisingly found incredible success in the early 1980’s, ( which to me is surprising, as I prefer the older 1970’s material hands-down ), with such dramatic changes in their recorded sound, so it’s a no-brainer as to why Rainbow wanted a slice of that pie too, & JLT helped in that manner imo.
Thankfully, all the bands mentioned, still kicked major ass in the live arena, regardless of the lesser & “stale” studio efforts recorded…And then something truly glorious occurred, Mk-II Deep Purple reformed…
Peace !
October 23rd, 2022 at 11:42Let’s not forget Mrs Hardin, her late husband co-wrote the song with Roger – and you can certainly hear that, Eddie Hardin always had a strong Beatles influence in his writing. I always loved his You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks album (which, inter alia, featured a whole bunch of usual suspects such as Ian Paice, Roger Glover, Ray Fenwick, Dee Murray, Mo Foster, Henry Spinetti, Doris Troy, Liza Strike and Helen Chapelle), which I would describe as quintessentially english pastoral Beatles music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq_MWfrCsvY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXDUP2etets
And there can never ever be anything wrong with that. If you like that type of thinking man’s pop à la Beatles, Badfinger, 10cc, Pilot, John Miles etc that only Brits do well (unlike, uhum, sustaing even a semblance of good reason with their Prime Minsters …) then that album is for you.
October 23rd, 2022 at 15:39Its always hard to choose between your darlings or albums if you wish.
I started my journey into music when I was 12.
And not much later we were playing Rainbow Rising on the turntable of my uncle.
I very clearly remember how it felt, on which couch we sat, where the turntable stood……we being exposed to it for the first time.
Ow man, those thunderous drums, the Godlike vocals….
Long Live Rock And Roll , I know , got a lot of criticism, I think partly because a lot of people were so emotionally attached to that ON STAGE line up.
I did not care Carey and Bain were not longer there and seeing ROCKPALAST 77 on the WDR channel proved I wasnt wrong.
All those twists and bends the band undertook after that were in the moment, fresh and exiting.
I do understand that the DIO era has been so popular and still is…..
But I cherish my first ever show with Bonnet in 1980, Just after being thrilled to hear the intro of EYES OF THE WORLD on the radio at home, hearing I surrender for the first time tru a distorted AM transistorradio, sailing across the North Atlantic.
Witnessing the great LIVE BETWEEN THE EYES show, trabelling abroad in a bus with a bunch of heezers to see RB and JLT walking outside of the hotel,RB fleeing back inside, dressed in his STONE COLD white leatherjacket, JLT being cool and waving back from a corner……That night RB left the stage during SPOTLIGHT KID because idiots kept throwing garbage at him and on stage…..Rosenthal playing Ritchies solo on the keyboard……being impressed by the 1981 show where I was in front of the stage, and so on.
And ofcourse GOB is one of the best classics in heavyrock ever made. 🙂
October 23rd, 2022 at 23:24I did think of Eddie Hardin & his influence on the Butterfly Ball music. Definitely a big Beatles style & influence there. The 3 stand out tracks from that album for me are Little Chalk Blue, Sitting In a Dream & Homeward. There are some other nice pieces of music here & there, but those 3 songs are a step higher than anything else on that album. Pilot were a good band & their hit songs January & Magic are good songs & Ian Bairnson on lead guitar, say no more, well I had better say it ‘up the Scots’! Badfinger before their unfortunate & terrible demise had the correct formula also. We have to love the Brits, well musically speaking of course, not dare I say it ‘politically’. Although Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister & Rik Mayall as Alan Bastard were very good. Cheers.
October 24th, 2022 at 08:10@ 23- yes indeed the 1980’s & MTV. It hasn’t aged well for me and a few others I know. Although there are plenty of great songs still & as you said the live performances were what mattered the most. Don’t forget Yes with Trevor Rabin & those new musical & hair styles & Rush. Sheeesh, we were devastated when we first set eyes on our favourite rock bands from the golden 70’s era. At least it wasn’t noticeable with Kiss, they still looked the same. Rush & Grace Under Pressure, talk about a ‘boy’ band look! And DP don’t get off scot free either. Gillan cut his hair short, didn’t Glover play a Steinberger bass at one stage, Lord had some forgettable keyboard sounds & Blackmore was playing with a Rainbow AOR influence in many ways. The 1980’s, almost forgettable in many ways but all was not lost it seems. No one was safe from the scourge of the 1980’s. Not to worry we sort of forgive them, sort of, he he he! Cheers.
October 24th, 2022 at 08:30We know what is to follow these comments, Uwe is going to dig up a few clips from God knows where & haunt us till no end. Does he have any compassion or empathy? It seems not, well I had better get ready for something, anything from anywhere no matter how dastardly. Cheers.
October 24th, 2022 at 08:35I didn’t like the 80ies much when they happened, but absence makes the heart grow fonder. There was good music then too and I’ve always had a soft spot for good AOR – I’m the man who owns EVERY Rick Springfield (yes, him!) CD ever released, and I’m not even gay notwithstanding my platonic love for Rob Halford. Some music from MacGregor’s arid neck of the woods is actually good. (That was mean and untrue, a lot of Aussie bands are.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65RhoLlbw1s
(Who had the brilliant idea to have the lead guitarist dress up like one of Alex’ Clockwork Orange Droogs at a gig populated by a 90% female audience?)
What was good about the 80ies you ask? Femme Fatale!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBu5lL9i5n4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZn9gZ3npsY
If you don’t like those vids, please have – out of sheer medical precaution – your testosterone levels checked, it’s an issue with men our age you know. (For the uninitiated, easily confused and/or farsighted: the singer is the – only – girl.)
And Simon McBride isn’t the only good thing to come out of Northern Ireland, he had predecessors, Billy Idol meets U2/Simple Minds/Duran Duran …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcXnebH_muA
Finally, you can’t get more 80ies than these two guys, I’m happy the 80ies happened just for them, sheer AOR bliss …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lo4uMEq5iw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BEqF0JVoJ4
October 24th, 2022 at 20:57LOL !!! Some funny replies here, that’s for sure…Yes, for some-of-us the 1980’s was a big change musically in many ways with our faves, but it was really not as bad as we think imo. It always seems that the arrival of a new decade means new things in the making plus change, & pressure to keep-up…Probably the “filthy press” has a lot to do with that hype.
And here we are in 2022, discussing great music fast approaching its 50th anniversary lol ! Once again, for all the ups & downs, RB & Rainbow certainly helped start the careers of many players, that went on to become quite successful, though we don’t hear too much about them. You only need to search on Wiki to learn what happened to folks like Mr.Rosenthal & Mr.Stone & you find yourself being quite surprised. And most have only good things to say about the Rainbow experience. All the bad-press RB used to the bands advantage where possible I’d suggest, but then again, was there ever any good news that came from the press lol ?…Time flies indeed…
Peace !
October 25th, 2022 at 00:16True: Blackmore excels at digging out new talent, he’s a real truffle pig. What he’s not so good at is nurturing and developing it – he doesn’t have the patience/confidence to let people evolve from how he initially perceivd them. That often made him lose talent prematurely.
But it is telling that among the legions of people that played in the various line-ups of Rainbow, hardly anyone regrets having played with Ritchie. The only “somewhat lukewarm”-exceptions I can think of are David Stone (he said he was often plainly bored because the music wasn’t demanding enough for him; he was a prog player as his input to GoB evidenced) and the initial Elf instrumentalists from the first album to whom Blackmore must have been some kind of Elf-nemesis, poaching their singer and killing their band as he did.
October 25th, 2022 at 12:20@1
Uwe, Bob Daisley did not play bass on Gates Of Babylon Ritchie did. On the record it says
October 25th, 2022 at 23:46Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar / Bass. I remember in interviews people asked why does it say Guitar / Bass? He never had a bass credit before. The answer he gave was he wasn’t happy with the way Bob played bass on the Gates of Babylon it so he did it himself. That’s probably why they never played it live. But yes Bob is a very good bass player.
George, Bob did indeed just play on a few songs on LLRnR, but last I heard GoB had moved from the “Blackmore played it“ to the “Bob did“ basket (this was for many years reported differently).
GoB was the last song finished for LLRnR and Bob was already there to work on it. Something about the way it is played also tells me that it should be Bob: He has a very authoritative and precise style, he even “marches“ a bit (and was thus a better fit to Cozy than the looser Jimmy Bain who tended to get lost under the powerful drumming). If you listen to the bass on GoB and on Ozzy‘s Crazy Train you‘ll hear a similar “stomp factor“ that is very Daisley.
But I have no doubt that Bob was very much under instructions when he played that bass line – the very Eastern scales used for it are very likely something Ritchie thought up. Still, the execution sounds Daisley‘ish to me. This is getting into “only whales and bassists hear that“, but you hear the strength in the fingers of the player, typically a sign of someone who has played bass a lot for a long time. Ritchie would have been more delicate as a guitarist.
In a 2012 interview,
https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2012/05/31/stories-behind-the-songs-bob-daisley/
Bob has named the track as one he especially enjoyed doing. But you‘re right, conventional wisdom and the (crap) credits on official LLRnR releases indicated for decades that it was Ritchie.
Case solved!
October 26th, 2022 at 11:05Which reminds me of something Bob wrote in his bio along the lines of “Ritchie is an excellent lead guitarist when he plays guitar and when he plays bass … he‘s still an excellent lead guitarist!“. 😂
Leopards don‘t change their spots either. But for the record: I always enjoy it when Ritchie picks up a bass, he has an inquisitive nature on the instrument and comes up with nice ideas. The jamming outtakes on the WDWTWA Anniversary release are fun to hear, he plays bass with Jon and Little Ian there because Roger wasn‘t around.
October 26th, 2022 at 11:21“The answer he gave was he wasn’t happy with the way Bob played bass on the Gates of Babylon it so he did it himself.”
I believe that applies to Kill the King and Daisley’s short-lived predecessor Mark Clarke: Ritchie didn’t like how Mark Clarke (ex-Colosseum and Uriah Heep – he co-wrote The Wizard with Ken Hensley), a finger player, sounded on KtK, he wanted a pick sound. So he did it himself for the initial recording (= the “Rough Mix” version on the bonus disc to the 2012 LLRnR Deluxe double CD edition)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCzq4tdBw30
Once Bob had joined, he re-recorded the bass part and that is what you hear on the regular studio version, his part is less busy than what Ritchie played on the Rough Mix version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83qBRmM00R4
In the live rehearsals (= the “L.A. Rehearsal, 1977” version on the bonus disc to the 2012 LLRnR Deluxe double CD edition) though, Daisley followed Ritchie’s original lines more closely and even embellished them – his pick attack is more forceful than Ritchie’s too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q420KDw2kj4
I think the nowadays generally accepted “music historians’ established finding” is that Bob played on three LLRnR tracks: KtK, GoB and Sensitive to Light, the rest is Blackers (except on Rainbow Eyes which is of course bass-free).
And the fact that there is no rough mix version of GoB (unlike for all the other LLRnR tracks) seems to confirm how that song materialized only late in the protracted recording sessions and at a point when Bob had already joined and could therefore play on it without Ritchie being forced to have a go at it first.
October 26th, 2022 at 16:23I don’t mind a guitarist playing bass guitar at times, it can be inventive & different & add something else to an arrangement or jam session. That Blackmore jam session with Paice & Lord is a favourite of mine also. Is that the one where Roger Glover didn’t arrive until later because he missed a turn off on the highway, or something along those lines. David Gilmour played the bass guitar on a few Pink Floyd songs here & there. Sometimes it works out ok for all concerned. Cheers.
October 26th, 2022 at 20:59@33
I stand corrected but I do remember an interview where Ritchie said he did play bass on that track but maybe that was before Bob came along. At least we both still have a good memory after all these years.
October 26th, 2022 at 21:09Any sophisticated bass playing on Floyd records you can bet always stems fron Gilmour, Herr MacGregor, Roger W often just couldn’t be bothered! For someone as cerebral as him (never mind some more astray leading views of his), Waters is actually a very heavy-handed bassist, but I have to admit that I like his “workman-like” bass playing for exactly that aspecct. Kept Floyd grounded.
October 27th, 2022 at 14:34I do enjoy Roger Water’s bass playing, he just has that correct feel down so well with Nick Mason’s drumming. They were both pretty inexperienced players back in the day, but I like that, it worked. Cheers.
October 27th, 2022 at 20:59