Steven Hale
1 min readJun 24, 2024

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Going with Tallent for the win (95). He's not the most adventurous, but his playing keeps the momentum flying (he's almost playing a lead line, just lower in pitch). Low 90's for the rest--all are excellent.

A much neglected bass player is Richard Sinclair (Caravan, Hatfield and the North, Camel, et al.) Most bass players support the melodic line rhythmically, and thus almost invisibly), but Sinclair often plays a second or two in advance of where his note should fall. Check out his timing on this song, particularly when the final instrumental outro starts:

https://youtu.be/g4jWvFKkEmc?si=jlA3Q2efNr8vp48R

Sinclair's playing on Robert Wyatt's harrowing Sea Song is even more remarkable. After the words stop (somewhere around the 4 minute mark), Wyatt's vocalizing and synth playing go completely wild, but Sinclair simply plays the same note over and over, as if to hold on compulsively to what little sanity is possible.

https://youtu.be/KgE8qoH_x7s?si=Jbqwr7uXzDNkAwp-

Sinclair's fellow Canterbury musician Hugh Hopper is master of the fuzz bass.

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Steven Hale
Steven Hale

Written by Steven Hale

Music: Discovering the lost and forgotten. Politics: Exposing injustice. Screenwriting: Emotional storytelling.

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