You've Got A Friend Bass Cover
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- “You’ve Got A Friend” (written by Carol King) and performed by James Taylor off of his album, “Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon” which came out in 1971 and features the incomparable Leland Sklar on bass. I hold Leland Sklar with the same high regard I reserve for John McVie, in that he always manages to play just the right part, just the right notes, and just the right number of notes for every song. He got on the boat with James Taylor and was, soon after, swept away by the currents as the demand for his bass playing came in torrents. His resume is so prolific, it might be easier to list the people he has not recorded or performed with, than those that he has.
This song is a great representation of what Leland brings to a song and I tried to do justice to some of the nuance his playing has. I recorded this song as a one-off, meaning that, I’ll usually do songs in small batches of 4-6, but I’m going to be preparing for something over the next few weeks and won’t have the time to fill the roster. I’d been working on this one and didn’t want to let it sit. I was pretty well prepared for it, but wound up doing a bunch of takes and (as usual) settled on the first or second. When I finished, I went downstairs and Lynn asked, “How’d it go?” I told her that I struggled a bit, to which she responded, “That’s funny, it sounds like such a simple song.” And she’s right, it does come across as “simple”. My struggles were with the little details, some of which I may have captured, some I’m sure I did not, but I tried. I’m not certain if the bass should even be playing in the parts following, “All you got to do is call…” but I am. It was really hard to tell so I made a judgement call.
Speaking of friends, some may have noticed that I replaced the “Made in the US” sticker on the Ric with something else. My Friend, Roland Czili, of Tinderwet Studios made this awesome logo for me a short while back. It’s my Tor Johnson avatar that I’ve been using since the first day I went on line, along with the headstocks of two of my basses, Guild and Wal, in a quasi “skull and bones” arrangement. (He even went back and added a third, Ric, neck to it). I didn’t want to let it go to waste, so I took the liberty of having a few stickers made up…and a coffee mug, haha. This guy can do anything and the list of things he has helped me with is long and varied - / yoftermofter
Do I have any friends in the Wyomissing/Reading, PA area? Because on August 19th I will be in the Zero-Mod booth at the “Guitar and Bass Expo” all day (except for two bathroom breaks) doing some play-along stuff on my Zero-Mod equipped basses. Admission is free and I’m certainly not selling anything, so, if you’re in the neighborhood, come out and meet me…and a few of my basses.
www.guitarandba...
/ guitarandbassexpo
It's a long story about the Ric which I'll tell another time.
That is the cleanest sounding Rickenbacker i've ever heard. Great playing.
Thanks.
Awesome tone but beautiful touch. Absolutely spot on with the notes and the spirit of the song...
Thank you very much.
Wow I'm 62 and just took up bass last year. You are fantastic and I learn more every video!
That's great to hear. I hope you derive as much enjoyment from playing as I do. Thanks so much.
Its always fun to hear a relatively simple song with some great bass behind it. Its a beautiful song and you served it well, as always.
Thanks for playing!
Nice job, Troy! Lee is one of my favorite bassists + you captured his style well. Lee has said that playing with James was a huge influence on the way he plays. James, already being a great guitar player, was already playing "bass lines" with his thumb, so Lee could either double them or play something else that would stay out of the way. Glad he chose the latter.
Great avatar pic Marc! Thanks for the insight into Lee's approach. Very interesting.
Thank you again Troy. What a wonderful version of this song.
Thanks!
A perfect example of not just playing the notes,but feeling them in an expression of yourself or the artist your covering , Great job sir !
Aw, that was nice of you to say. Thank you.
Lee Sklar is an incredible bassist. One of the great things that came out of the Covid pandemic was that Lee started a RUclips channel. or maybe I just stumbled upon an existing channel. Either way watching his clips just shows how nice of a person he is. He’s a kind of guy that you wish you had as a friend. In fact, I knew a guy back in the 70s who was my nearest neighbor When I lived out in the boondocks. By nearest neighbor, that meant he was about a mile and a half from my house. Good people are hard to come by.
Oh, and you’re doing a fantastic job covering Lee’s baseline on this song .
Big truth! Yes, Leland does seem like a really nice fellow.
Thanks and take care!
My brother in law asked me to learn this for his 10 th annniversary bash. 1 Leland is a legend 2. Your cover is amazing and as enabled me to learn this song. Thanks so much
Awesome! I'm glad you found the video helpful. There's a lot of tiny details in there and, if I were to play it live, I'd pick and choose just a few of my favorites. I hope it's a great party.
From Italy, i love this channel and i watch all your videos...great bassman Troy!!...sei fortissimo!!
Thank you so much.
Such a nice tone from your bass cover and you play it like a pro. Thanks again for the high quality entertainment .
Thank you kindly!
Spot on as usual....Always appreciate what you do....
Thanks a lot.
How appropriate. I'm taking my dad to see James Taylor tonight in Pittsburgh. Nice work!
That's awesome. I'm guessing Jimmy Johnson will be playing if it's a full band show. He's a great player as well. Thanks. Have a great time.
That's Awesome! Same "Super Band" as when I saw him last, the great Steve Gadd, Luis Conti, Mike Landau Blue Lou Marini, and yes Jimmy Johnson.
Very nice. As a beginner (less than 2 years) I tend to be over active in my bass playing. This is a great example of playing just the right amount. Great job as always !
Thanks. As a young player, I was incredibly busy myself. I did not at all understand the concept of "less is more". If I could play fast and play more notes, then I was going to because "more is better" or so I thought. I don't think I'd change much about my evolution as a player but I will say, it was actually more difficult for me to learn how to "under-play" than it was to "over-play".
Leland Sklar is fantastic. In some fit of pure lunacy I undertook to play and sing "Your Smiling Face" one of Skalr's lines. It's so fun to play! I'm not terribly skilled at playing and singing especially with syncopation in the line and/or lyrics. It was so much fun to play and sing. Both my playing and the singing suffered for it (as well as the miserable souls in the crowd) but I had a LOT of fun doing it. Thanks for posting this. I love seeing the range you have in ALL style.
Nice Rick. Glad you brought it out.
Loved the cover too!
Thanks.
Great bass tone and perfect touch. I didn't realize how busy this bass line is. Keep up the fine work, my friend.🎯
Thanks a lot! Yeah, it's a great bass-line.
01:57 Formidable. Playing the double bass as it should be played. Fantastic friend. Big hug from Mooca - São Paulo - Brasil.
Thank you Amaral, but be sure to thank Leland as well. Big hug right back at you.
I had a chance to meet Lee Sklar when he was playing with Phil Collins 1990 - I told him Lee you are my hero on bass Haha! He signed an autograph to me: "You are my Hero - Leland Sklar " :) One of the nicest guys I ever met. I agree with you he always seems to play just the right notes and parts! I also was lucky enough to meet Jimmy Johnson who also played with JT and he is pretty darn good too! Thanks for sharing your videos and love the masks too ! Keep Rockin!
Very cool. Yes, Jimmy Johnson is great too. Is he still James Taylor's musical director? Thanks!
@@TJH3113 I believe so I know Jimmy is still touring with JT ! Thanks again for sharing :)
Asweome playing. Such a beautiful song with a tasty bass line.
Thank you very much. Leland Sklar at his best.
A lot more bass in that song than I ever thought. Excellent !
That's the stealthy greatness of Leland Sklar. Thanks Gary!
@@TJH3113 Unbelievable all the songs he has played on
You do Mr. Sklar justice. Well done. The Rick fits the mix exceptionally well.
Thanks!
When I was 15 in the small town where I live, 1968, everyone wanted to play guitar, drums, or lead vocal. I was fascinated by the bass guitar. I heard the bass line from "rescue me" from Fontella Bass and was hooked. Still am at 69.
My musical interest started and ended with the bass as well.
Thanks for being my friend with all the talent in the world. Thanks Troy. Beautifully played as ever. Marvine
It's always been my pleasure. Thank you Marvine.
The genius of Lee Sklar on display.
He really is a master at his craft.
Lovely! Excellent performance!!
Many thanks!
Reading PA is about 45 minutes from me. I wasn't planning on attending but I may make the journey. I have a fill-in gig later in the afternoon north of Allentown.
Great job on the song. As your wife stated, I thought it was a simple song. But now that I tuned out JT's wonderful singing, it is obvious how great a bassist Leland is. Well done.
I really neede this video of you today. You always lift my mood Mr. Music Coach!!!!!!!! :-)
Glad that you liked it Marvine.
@@TJH3113 i really did and needed it too. :-)
The Bass sounds great!. I just got a Mapleglo 4003s.. I had it Plek'd in LA. I've always been a Fender guy.. Never thought I would fall in love with a Ric.
Thanks. I've decided to allow this bass to sound how it wants to sound and not try to bend it to my will. What can you tell me about the Plek process? Is it that dramatic?
Yes!. It's wonderful.. I also have a 2017 Les Paul that has been Plek'd.. Both play extremely well. Very smooth with no fret noise at all. It should be a must have set up for one's favorite axes. With the Plek, there is now no need to compromise with any fret buzz at all. A Plek plus set up can be had for about 200 bucks US.
It was just beautiful and took me back so long ago! Great memories played so well :)
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Nancy.
This baseline absolutely made that song.
It really does, doesn't it?
Troy your touch on the strings is just incredible. You know how to play soft and when to play harder. That is something I am still trying to master after years of trying to teach myself how to play. Great job as always. I watch every new post in full even if I don't like or know the song. A lot of time you make me a fan of a song I really didn't like in the past.
Thank you very much for those nice things you said.
Beautiful rendition
Thanks a lot.
Thanks to you I was able to study this song perfectly, in every single note...thank you so much!
...I love the collection behind you! 😉
I'm glad you found the video helpful. DeathStudios.
Wunderschön gemacht ❣️ I love it
Vielen Dank, Doris!
You are a friend personified Troy!!!! Thanks for being a true friend!!!!!!!!!! :-) Marvine :-)
Thank you Marvine.
I consider you to be my music therapist. I told the medical team about you. Thanks Troy!!!@@TJH3113
Thank you Troy!!! Marvine :-)
Great Choice, perfect as usual, what a great bassline!
excellent job sir !! i loved it , nice Rickenbacker too AKA backenbreaker lol their so damn heavy lol
Thank you. I've got a few basses much heavier than the Ric.
Wow , lots of stuff in that simple laid back song. thx
what can I say TROY a beautiful bass line so calming, Brings back memories and one I am going to learn. Thanks my friend Keep it up
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
Yesss I've been waiting for a vid with this Ricky!!
Now what are you going to do?
TJH3113 lol idk I'm just jealous
Fantastic song, played fantastically. Please excuse the grammar, but myself and my wife were made redundant - jobless today! We are so lucky to have each other.
It is a great song, isn't it? I'm so sorry to hear about your job situations and please try not to worry too much. I really hope you both find better opportunities quickly but, like you said, whatever happens - you've got each other.
Amazing work bringing out that beautiful baseline that I've never really noticed on that song before. Also, as a Philly area guy I might make a trip up to Reading. Thanks for the great tunes as always.
Thanks so much. Lee's playing is so understated, it's easy to miss that he's doing some wonderful stuff in the background. I'm be pleased to meet you, should you make the journey.
Beautifully done!!
Thank you Tiny.
Great job once again. Leland seems like a good guy.
Thanks. Yes, he does. He's also very outspoken about his political beliefs...very outspoken.
TJH3113
Yeah.
I noticed that too.
Anyhow, GREAT cover.
Great job... Very cool getting asked to hangout and play at the ZERO-MOD booth at the Expo in PA. after seeing the one you put on your Guild bass I have installed one on my 1971 Fender P Bass because it has a tug bar and one on my MM Ray34... I absolutely love them.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Thanks a lot. Yeah, it's not my sort of thing but Tim was nice enough to ask me to do it, so we'll see what happens. As I said, I think the Zero-Mod stuff is great as well...very clever, simple, and functional. I'm glad to hear that you like yours as well
Awesome!
Thanks!
Fantastic
Thanks!
Such a soothing, pretty song. :)
It is, isn't it?
Fantástico, maravilloso
Thanks!
Love it Troy
I'm glad. Thank you.
Love your bass covers man... Keep it up.
Thanks a lot.
Great performance, as usual, Troy. Sklar is one of the masters of the instrument. Can't wait to hear the story on the Ricky!
Thanks. Yes, he is.
Nicely done! Lee Sklar really is the master!
Thanks. Yes, he is.
A wonderful tune, beautifully played. I must have heard the record dozens of times, but the bass part never caught my attention before.
Thanks a lot, that's great to hear.
Beautiful sound, beautiful bass lines
Thank you.
You should post a little bit of yourself at the expo...if i could afford the trip from OK to PA i would certainly come up and ask you many questions...i hope it is a fun experience for you as im sure fans of your work will show up...thank you for all the work you put into your channel...it has all been tremendously helpful for me as a bass player
We'll see. This is not something I would ever normally consider doing but I sort of promised Tim a while back and...here we are. I'm going to try and make the best of it. Thanks so much, I'm glad you find the channel helpful.
How does this video have only 15K views. Stunningly beautiful
15,001, now. Thanks.
so classy.. so classic.. beautifull
Thank you.
Good to see a Ricky again. The low end on those basses never disappoints in my opinion!
really like the sound of that Ric,maybe one day i can get one,,i thought Roland was a cool guy, not sure why he unfriended me but hope he doing good,, love your covers Troy and the history on the music,, your friend cindy :)
I think they look better than anything else, but cool basses nonetheless. I wouldn't read too much into it. I try not to when those things happen. Thanks Cindy. Congrats on your new Thunderbird.
TJH3113 yeah i understand,, hope i never lose you as my friend ,, i love you and Lynn,, you all are Awesome
As always, very well done!
Thanks.
Gracias amigo por compartir tus vídeos,son excelentes.
Un saludo cordial
Ease listening!! love it!
Thanks.
Great playing Troy. 👍as always! ✌🏻
Thank you kindly.
nice.... you are amazing man... play no more mr. nice guy... hugs..
Thank you, so are you. Hugs back at you.
Great tone there
Thank you.
There must be some transatlantic synchronicity going on because I've just unplugged my bass after playing for an hour or so to the Carol King version. I check YT and this appears...
Very cool. I haven't heard her version in a while, I'll have to check it out.
It's really difficult to put every single note on Lee's bassline, but you made it reaaly nice! Congrats!
Well done... (again). :)
Thanks.
Damn good 😀
Thanks.
I always thought Tim Drummond played this line. From the discussion looks like it was Lee Sklar. Nice organic sound you've captured here.
Sklar the Gandalf of bass. Only those in the know about what's what on bass are even aware of him! Fine work as always. Gotta get a ZM on that bad boy at the Expo.
You will have the opportunity to have it "factory installed " (^_^)
Yes, he is...and I like his politics. I just got the notice from PickGuardian that the guard shipped today, so looking forward to getting this bass Zero-Modded.
Have to tip the hat to you for expanding your range of songs these days. just please...No disco! Funk? Oh yeah - That be OK
Am puzzled what kind of troll would "thumbs down" this.
This song has more dislikes than most. I can bank on one or two and have a pretty good idea of where they are coming from, but, honestly, there's no rational reason at all to dislike this cover that I can see. Dislikers gonna dislike.
So "smoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooth!" You make it look so easy.
Haha...it's not...not for me anyway.
Troy, how do you manage basslines that are clearly improvised, such as this one? You always match exactly what is being played. Do you use a sheet, or do you just listen to them over and over, and by the time you record the video, you already know them by heart?
When I have to learn a song with an improvised arrangement, I feel free to build my own bassline. And it's not I don't like the original bassline, it's just a time saver for me.
Yeah, improvised lines like this are always a bit more of a challenge because some of the parts are spontaneous...not mistakes so much as a bit of randomness about them. Also, they tend to not play the same exact thing twice, which makes things interesting as well. As you said, it's just practice and repetition until I'm able to commit all the parts to memory. If I were learning the song for a live situation, I would take a much different approach and perhaps take a few signature parts from his line and go with that. Or take my favorite line and just repeat it throughout the song. But, for my covers, I try to play them as closely to the original material as I possibly can.
Exactly. I think that it's only with time that we learn what we can change and/or leave out, and what we must keep in the bassline.
Thanks for your words. Have a great week.
another gem! all your basses have that crystal clear holy grail tone. using an interface? im still making vids on my phone lol. I can still hear the difference in the different basses but def not as much as straight thru an amp? anyhow, i am just recording myself for fun and posterity. wondering how you possibly keep up with reading all the comments!! great job Troy. keeps me hungry to get better. and thanks for the whats your name by Skynyrd vid. ive spent about 4 hours dissecting your translation. my band will appreciate it :)
JP
Thanks a lot. Yes, I'm using an Apogee Jam...very small and simple but it's a step up from the way I used to record which is similar to the way you are currently recording. It just adds a bit of focus and clarity to the sound. I really struggle to keep up and often fail, but I try. You're welcome with the Skynyrd stuff...there's a lot more going on in those songs than meets the naked ear.
excellent job troy! whats your favorite bass in your collection?how many do you got?
Thanks. At this point, I'd have to say that the Mahogany Guild I've been playing in the last few videos is my favorite. How many? Too many.
Great cover, Troy. I'm also a bass player and I live about 50 minutes away from Reading. I'll try to see if I can make it down there.
Thanks a lot. It would be great to meet you if you can make it.
Perfect my good dude. One thing we have in common, Diversity in music. Life Is Good. \m/
Thanks.
Does anyone here have a transcription in standard notation of this bass part by Lee Skar? Excellent bass lines and playing here.
Sorry, no transcriptions or tabs from me. If I had them, you'd be most welcome to them. Thank you.
@@TJH3113 thanks, anyway. Great playing.
Hi TJH! I follow your channel and it has helped me a lot in my work. Often we are busy and we lack time to play a song perfectly as it was designed and your channel gives us that possibility to compare with what we are playing and see where we are going wrong. Thanks for your work, and I'm very curious to know what your bass setup is and if you use some kind of effect, when you play in studio or live?
Hello. I strive to get as many little details as I can into my covers. I'm not always 100% successful, but that's what I strive for.
Ah, I ended my response too quickly. I have a video, cleverly titled, "How I Record My Videos" that might give you a better idea of how I go about things. Start there and I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have after that.
Thank you, I'll watch and then I'll see if I'll have any more questions. Thank you so much!
Nice. I thought you were down on Rics after you got your Geddy Jazz a while back? How do you like the S model compared to the 4003?
Thanks. Yeah, I never really loved the bass, though I did like the way it looked and, to some extent, the attention it got. As I started accumulating more basses, it got to a point where I couldn't bring something new in without something going out and the choice to sell the Ric was easy. It was the last bass I'd even think about taking out and playing. It sold in a few hours, but I knew, in the back of my mind that I'd be wanting another one eventually. Didn't think it would be so soon, but this came up at a price I could't pass up. The S Model? I like it. The binding on my 4003 was detaching in spots as soon as I got it, so that's something I don't need to worry about. I actually like being able to see more of the neck without the big triangle inlays. The fretboard is a really nice piece of rosewood. I also like not having the dual outputs - I don't like having features on anything, that I'm not going to use.
Cool. I use the stereo on my 4003 and like the sharkfins personally, but I really dig the S models, especially the walnut ones.
What bezel did you use after you took the pickup horseshoe cover off?
Search this term on Google "pick of the ricks treble bezel"
This is amazing. May I request another Lee/Taylor collaboration such as "Woman's Got to Have It", "Money Machine" or "Nothin like a Hundred Miles"?
Thanks. I will check them out.
@@TJH3113 did you get a chance to check out Woman's Gotta Have It? Do you know if any other JT songs with amazing bass lines?
Do you use the Ric-o-sound jack when you play the Rickenbacker? I'm not that familiar with them.
No, I've never used that feature. I couldn't imagine going through the trouble of running two amps. This model, which is a 4003S does not come with the Ric-O-Sound feature.
TJH3113 Oh good to know, I thought they all had that feature. Great playing as always by the way.
I believe Leyland Sklar played on this track.. I've had the pleasure of taking his photo as he was flipping me off!
Yes, he did. He does that a lot.
Sheesh..... the Ric sounds cool for this number bro..
Nice job Man.
Troy, me thinks you need to add a Musicvox Spaceranger to your collection....I'm sure you've seen these things yes?
I'm gonna grab one in a few months......release my inner Ming Tea...
Anyways.....killing it as usual bro...great cover.
Cheers,
Kev
Fantastic bass line! Great job, once again! Are you still using the Sansamp?
Thanks. Yes, a Para-Driver with this bass.
You are so incredible! Do you have own songs? I'm a friend from Goiânia, Goiás, Brasil. Thanks for your great job!
Too kind. I have a playlist titled "originals" that contain some covers from one of my favorite bands that I was in. Cheers Brazil!
Great job on all your covers! Working on You’ve Got A Friend at the moment myself. Where did you find your version of this song published?
Thank you very much. I got it off of iTunes. It says it is from "Greatest Hits, Vol. 1".
TJH3113 Do you know where I can find the bass sheet music? I’m finding conflicting versions, thanks!
I'm sorry, I thought when you asked what "version" I had that you meant the recording, not the sheet music/tabs. Unfortunately, I don't have either. I play by ear and memory. If I had either, you would certainly be welcome to them.
TJH3113 Hey no problems, thanks anyway! I’ve watched your cover a million times figuring it out lol !
Hey, he´s sitting at Zagone Studios?
Death Studios!
Not gonna lie, thought u we're going to play the Toy Story song by Randy Newman.
Haha, I wouldn't have been surprised either.
Have you no Precision Bass? It's the basis of all basses.
Like the new Ric. No offense, but the old one was kinda ugly.