Apologies if this has already been posted, but after listening and incessantly attempting to figure out the infectious bassline to "Night and Day" as performed by the lively ones I came across this gem:

http://stores.guitarcenter.com/experts/roland-g

I hope this guy knows how bad ass he is for ever even dreaming up that bass line. It says 2009, but can you imagine how awesome it would be if you brought your bass in to get set up and he delivered it up? Lively Ones IMHO the best first wave, other than Eddie of course.

Jeremy

Truly one of the best bass players in the genre. His bass lines really propelled that band into a higher gear.

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The Lively Ones, primarily because of Ron Griffith, is my favorite surf band, period. He has been a huge influence on my bass playing. There is not nearly enough appreciation of him.

The Exotics 1994-Current
The Chickenshack - www.wmse.org
www.thedoghouseflowers.com
www.uptownsavages.com

I will have to take a closer listen to ol' Bosco.

The Exotics 1994-Current
The Chickenshack - www.wmse.org
www.thedoghouseflowers.com
www.uptownsavages.com

I was at Tiki Oasis '09, but I'm not sure if that was Ron on bass or not?

Tim Fitzpatrick is a cool drummer too, great rhythm section!

Paul
Atomic Mosquitos
Bug music for bug people is here!
Killers from Space

Last edited: Jan 18, 2013 13:42:52

IvanP wrote:

Jon, Bosco was highly influenced by Jet Harris, so he incorporates a lot of the crazier, looping bass lines like The Savage, etc., but takes it all to another level. He even used the tape echo on some of his bass parts, and made them very prominent parts of songs, rather than just background. The guy was crazy good, and quite unorthodox (which is a good way to describe the Atlantics in general, I think). I think you will enjoy it quite a bit.

Now, back to Ron Griffiths.... When we played with the Exotics last summer, I paid special attention to Jon's truly expert bass playing. Afterwards I asked him, 'you're a fan of Ron Griffits, aren't you?" He was happy to confirm! Jon's playing is possibly the closest of any modern-day bassist to Ron's, IMHO, though of course there are many really wonderful bassists in the surf world. But Jon, you rule! Great stuff!

Thanks for the compliment, Ivan. That really means something coming from a player like you. Yeah, I wear my Ron Griffiths and general R&B influences on my sleeve. My motto is imitate if you cannot innovate. haha.

I love the Shadows and have spent some time studying the basslines on some of their records. If Bosco is the next step then I will be on that like white on rice. I do not believe that I have any of their records. What would you recommend as a good place to start with them, bass-wise?

The Exotics 1994-Current
The Chickenshack - www.wmse.org
www.thedoghouseflowers.com
www.uptownsavages.com

Last edited: Jan 18, 2013 16:18:08

Thanks, Jeremy! Very cool discovery! Now, Lewsville...looks like it's fairly close to Dallas/Ft. Worth airport. Who's gonna volunteer to go check it out in person and send him our praise?!

Insect Surfers
The Tikiyaki Orchestra
The Scimitars
Lords Of Atlantis
Fiberglass Jungle - Surf Radio

IvanP wrote:

jp wrote:

Thanks for the compliment, Ivan. That really means something coming from a player like you. Yeah, I wear my Ron Griffiths and general R&B influences on my sleeve. My motto is imitate if you cannot innovate. haha.

C'mon, now, that's not true at all! Your bass lines are very creative and imaginative! At no point when listening to you do I think that you're just copping Griffith's lines - the reference to him is due to the very musical and aggressive approach you have in your bass playing that is very much in Griffith's spirit without being just a slavish copy. So, kudos! You've really gotta be a heck of a musician to pull that off.

I love the Shadows and have spent some time studying the basslines on some of their records. If Bosco is the next step then I will be on that like white on rice. I do not believe that I have any of their records.

Wow, Jon! I'm quite surprised by that, I must say.

What would you recommend as a good place to start with them, bass-wise?

Well, I hate to hijack the thread, but I tried to find something on this topic from the past, but was unsuccessful (which doesn't mean it doesn't exist...). So, very briefly: the Atlantics had three instro albums and a handful of singles from '63 to '65. Their stuff has been reissued on CD a few times, but a lot of that stuff is now hard to find as it's been out of print for a long time. The best thing to do is to try to get "The Complete CBS Recordings '63-'65" Vol. 1 and 2 - which actually is complete! And almost all of it worthwhile, I think. I found this online and this, maybe that'll help.

Just a quick overview: their first album, Bombora, was very Shadows-influenced and maybe a bit derivative even, though it did feature their biggest hit, the title track, which is pretty epic. The second album, Now It's Stomping Time, is to me the work of pure genius, and one of my all-time top 5 surf/instro albums. They really hit their stride, fully developed their sound, and featured remarkable musicianship on this album. Their third and final '60s album was The Explosive Sound of the Atlantics, which sounded like a band that was a bit overworked and losing steam - all three albums were released in a period of something like a year or a year and a half, and each one featured mostly originals. But it was still an amazing album with a whole bunch of truly innovative and remarkable songs like War of the Worlds, Express to Bagdad, Dimitrius, etc. Bosco's bass playing is pretty much phenomenal on their entire catalog, always creative and highly musical with chops up the wazoo. Big '60s bass sound, too, and his parts were as key to the band's sound as any of the other three instruments. Hope you like it all and maybe even find it inspiring!

Thanks Ivan,
I will be checking this out next payday. Cool info on Ron Griffith too. Sorry about the thread hijack. I go a bit nutzo whenever there is anything out there regarding surf bass.

The Exotics 1994-Current
The Chickenshack - www.wmse.org
www.thedoghouseflowers.com
www.uptownsavages.com

To all the wonderful comments I appreciate it. I am Ron’s son Rob Griffith. My dad was fortunate to see all your gracious comments and I know he appreciated it. He loved his music and he loved the music community.

Unfortunately my dad passed away January 2, 2025. Besides being a Bass God he was the greatest father a son could ask for. I love you dad. Rest in Peace.

Wow thanks very much for letting us know. Your dad was truly amazing and greatly appreciated!

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea