It's worked for me So far anyway! The Damned opened for T. Rex back in the day, and I even asked Captain why we never did this before. His eyebrows would go down, his brain would switch off, and the music sang through him. A fan of British blues-rock players like the Groundhogs Tony McPhee and Frees Paul Kossoff, and of Summer of Love psych-rock and the pomp of 60s orchestral pop music, the Captain has never relied merely on power chords and beeralthough those have often been a part of his recipe. Captain, please tell us a bit about who influenced your guitar playing? How long have you been playing bass guitar for, Paul, and why did you choose bass as your main instrument? Aqua Marine. It wasnt a million miles away from the sound John Entwistle got on Live at Leeds. "I was listening in on their conversation, eavesdropping, they were talking about doing covers of Slayer and Metallica - all these songs that I knew how to play on guitar. 19 years ago Wow, I'm getting old! You gotta find your pocket. As Slipknot put it in Skeptic, The world will never see another crazy motherfucker like you. I never took lessons or anything, I was always self-taught, listening to albums and just trying to figure stuff off of that.. Before his teenage years had even begun, his two greatest musical revelations had arrived in the form of Suicidal Tendencies 1983 debut and, not long after, experiencing Slayer live in the flesh. Its so easy to be generic or cheesy in metal, and Paul never was. I was just, I gotta get a real guitar and actually do it. Seeing them up there and the red lights and the smoke and it was all evil, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Really being up against the clock meant we were just going for it. staff present the albums that shaped their individual 2022s! Paul, what basses did you use on Evil Spirits? I had to get a real guitar and do it. Despite being less overtly punk than the typical Damned record, I managed to squeeze the odd solo in here and there. So I begged my mum for a guitar, and she finally got me one. The worlds biggest and best metal magazine, Every Slipknot album ranked from worst to best, Slipknots Mate. "He had the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known, and he had the greatest soul I've ever . And that goes for the records, too! Perfection is overrated! It's definitely a different thing compared to if I was playing in a punk band with only one guitar player and I could fucking, y'know, noodle around and do lots of stuff. "Finger stretches? The 77 I have has the toaster pickup, and that one is much filthier sounding. Feed. Other guitars at the studio were a StratI never got on with them as the volume knob is too close to bridge; a Rickenbacker 12-string, which I found to be lovely; and the studio acoustic, which had an almost unplayably high action. Strings 1 : Rotosound Swing Bass 66 (Roundwound) Gauges 1 : 46-63-80-102. "But then I ended up going to Ibanez on the last album because - I can't remember where we were - but I went to a pawn shop and picked up this Ibanez ATK that they've stopped making and I just loved the way it played and sounded, so I started playing it too and Ibanez approached me to offer me a deal. Although not as light as some other guys on this . For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Someone else can probably add more, or demonstrate that my memory is faulty. The two I mainly use are very different. Born in Los Angeles on April 8, 1972, Paul Dedrick Gray was in many ways the beating heart of Slipknot. Grays recorded output with the Damned includes two of the bands most revered and musically fibrous albums, Strawberries (1982) and The Black Album (1980). Incredibly, he was welcomed into the band, Vexx. Feb 11, 2014 #3. When you play, do you prefer to play with a pick or your fingers? I like to pick a patch out from the library and then heavily modify it for the song, and I really get in there and tweak them. 2,977 1,264. There was nothing funny going on with the studio desk: everything was flat. 1996 Fender Custom Shop Bonnie Raitt Signature Stratocaster (Atomic Studios) Recorded at Download 2009, Paul talked to TG about his solid playing style, his reason for being a bass player and his tips for making you play better. We have three drummers, theres a lot of low end, do you know what I mean? Genre politics and hyperbole aside, the Damned have always been the musicians band among the classic punks, and the group has always operated with a policy of lawlessness when it comes to the music they make. It was hard to comprehend. Gray: We turned everything up full! As one of the three founding members of Slipknot, Paul Gray fast became one of their key songwriters his name more often than not found in the credits for the tracks that werent assigned to the group as a whole. The Ibanez PGB1 electric bass guitar is the choice of Slipknot's Paul Gray. Edinboro, PA. There was just something huge coming through him.. The world would never be the same. They were the first company to give me a deal and Warwick basses are great - I'll never talk crap about Warwick because they're amazing basses and an amazing company too and super great guys. In 1975, Eventides Tony designed the first harmonizer, so it was nice to meet the bloke whose gear Id used so extensively over the years. Sensible: Tony and engineer Kevin Killen thought the material had a 60s garage vibe, so sought out less-saturated distortions, mainly from the studio Vox AC30 and an excellent Matrix VB800 amp that Id packed in my suitcase, which certainly packs a punch despite being on the dainty side. "I think I started playing bass in 1990, which is what? Slipknot had always seemed combustible yet invincible nine individual, larger-than-life characters who came together as a unit onstage. Theyre just magnificent! The bass fills he did, I really had to fucking rewind tapes and play them over and over to get it.". Bunch of new American psychos just dropped. One of my brothers friends had a weird right-handed bass, which I strung left-handed, and a practice amp. So I was like, I've moved to Iowa, I don't know anybody, so maybe I should jump in and say I play bass and try to meet some people? BA1 1UA. Their string of hits included Stimulation and I Could Make You Love Me. On Octobers behalf, the Gray family sued pain relief specialist Dr. Daniel Baldi and his former employers, alleging Paul hadnt been properly monitored during his drug addiction treatment. Scott D. Smith/Retna ./Retna Ltd./Corbis. One has a clanky sound and one has much more growl. He spent the several decades with Spirocore Mittels. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine. . . How did the Australian singer die? Back in the late 1960s the bass player in my band (who was left-handed) purchased a Hofner. John Paul Jones. Sadly, those close to Paul knew hed been battling demons for a while. Songs with JANGLE, let's display those electric 12 strings. String gauge. The day after it happened, we were all over the place, and we all kind of made our way to my house, he recalled. The Nova is great, combining analog distortions with digital delays and reverbsand despite being a bit long in the tooth these days, theres not a lot of similar alternatives. The first 5 strings often stayed the same string gauge throughout his career. BA1 1UA. Perfection is overrated! What was your philosophy about shaping the tones for this album? My mates at school and I would swap records and I got into Hawkwind with Lemmy and Machine Head by Deep Purple, and the bass was really prominent in both of those groups. So I switched the strings on it and it kind of looked OK, like a left-handed bass if they'd put the knobs on the top. It took me 15 years to figure out that all they were really playing was the pentatonic scale with some extra notes chucked in! 3: (The Subliminal Verses), 2004), Vermilion (Vol. Even if you're playing metal bass, listen to jazz, country, punk rock or whatever because you can always pick up tips from other players. Paul didnt know anyone in Iowa, so six months in, when he overheard some guys in a local record store talking about needing a bass player for Metallica and Slayer covers, he volunteered his services. We really textured it very heavily. Produced by the venerable Tony Visconti (best known as the helmsman of classic David Bowie and T. Rex albums), Evil Spirits sees the return of the Captains favored bass guitar sparring partner, Paul Gray, to the Damned for the first time in nearly a decade. Things like that made a big difference, and on some tracks, youre hearing five to six guitar takes all at once. What's Inside show To make it worth your while, you must consider how much sugar was added to their . I used to use those gray Hercos for years, even in Thin Lizzy. The Damned play their unofficial anthem, Smash It Up, from 1979s Machine Gun Etiquette, at BBC Radio 6s annual Christmas Punk Party. Whats your dual playing relationship like? However, first-generation punks the Damned dont care much about any of that. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Eleanor was promoted to the role of Editor at Metal Hammer magazine after over seven years with the company, having previously served as Deputy Editor and Features Editor. I really like the growl Tonys got on it and it really suits the songs perfectly. I still do the same shit, man. Peavey has been amazing to me and because they have worldwide distribution it makes it easier for me when touring. Gibson SG 60s Tribute models with EverTune bridges During the third Slipknot record I met Dave Ellefson from Megadeth and he said, 'Try this out man' so I played through his Peavey amp. Given an exclusive listen to the second full-length in the months ahead of release, Kerrang! Corey called him their secret weapon. I'm . Eventually, he managed to procure a replacement. I was lucky enough to see them all play club venues, where you could really watch what their fingers were doing. There is no definitive answer to this question as Paul McCartney has been known to use a variety of different strings on his Hofner bass over the years. Let's take a closer look at the strings Sir Paul used and continues to use, as well as how they helped to shape his tone. When Macca's Rickie was sent for an overhaul to Rickenbacker, they found that the bridge pickup was dead and had been dead for a long time, turns out that when Macca stripped his Rickie, he tried to get rid of the cover for the bridge pickup, so he sawed it open, which in a horse shoe is a big mistake, since that cover he wanted to get rid of is part of the pickup. I was cutting myself with a razor, bleeding all over the place. Growing up with little money, his family were living in shitty roach- infested apartments, and by age 14 Paul was out on his own, struggling with homelessness, bouncing between friends and locations. One has a very chunky neck, and thats a 74, and the 77 has a thinner neck than a Fender Jazz bass. Instead of sticking with the drop B tuning used on its other tracks, Paul used a drop A tuning with this thickest string another octave down which he described as a super low, almost sub-woofer kind of frequency. Although the Captain was stationed on bass for the Damneds first few recordings, he emerged on the groups third album, 1979s Machine Gun Etiquette, as a dexterous and melodic guitarist with a knack for penning killer hooks that draw on a surprisingly vast range of influences. Do you remember what your first bass guitar was? Theyre just magnificent!Paul Gray, Clairvoyant Chemistry: The Damneds Captain Sensible and Paul Gray, A Guide to Essential Effects Plugins for Your Home Studio, ESP Announces LTD Kirk Hammett Signature Series KH-V, Epiphone Introduces the 1958 Korina Flying V and Explorer, Building a Pro-Level Home-Studio Mic Closet, DAngelico Guitars Introduces Deluxe Eric Krasno Brighton Signature Model. Paul Dedrick Gray Born April 8, 1972 Died May 24, 2010 Country United States IPI 00344172381 21 works Affiliation ASCAP Member of Slipknot Bass (1995-2010) Meta. Its an attitude I share, and who cares if theres a few jazz notes in there. (Image credit: John McMurtrie) "Yesterday we lost our brother, and the world seems a little smaller because of it," began Corey Taylor. I loved anything with a galloping bass line that challenged the listener beyond widdly guitar stuff or a bloke shrieking his head off. And what about tunings, do you experiment when you're writing? Heavy gauge picks. Added by Bastien. The world will never know another man as amazing as you.. I go to the same fucking bar and hang out with the same fucking people, so I really havent changed that much. You've mentioned quite a few genres there, so what's your favourite bassline of all time? We had confidence in each other that it would work, and we hadnt played together [in the studio] for nearly 22 years! I'm able to leave gear at home, and that was the same with Ibanez. Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! The Johnson Viola is from the same plant as the Epi, even having the same control plate and pups. I will miss him with every fibre of my heart, as will everybody at this table and everyone who knew him he was the best of us.. The riff that appears two minutes into Eyeless could very well be the Knots finest. A Les Paul is easier to play than a Strat because a Les Paul has a far lower string tension compared to a Strat with the same gauge strings. The same was said of his personality, Corey often describing him as the glue of the band the one member who lived and breathed Slipknot all day every day, the worlds best cheerleader to bring them together no matter what challenge or hurdle lay ahead. I use .009-.048 now and I was using .010-.052 before. Originally posted by volumefiend. Has there ever been something that was just too far out for the Damned? The legendary Dan Erlewine, luthier Gene Imbody and Berklees Tomo Fujita have shot a 6-point lesson video to help, Producer Mura Masa says that PinkPantheresss Boys A Liar was made in a couple of hours, and that he didnt know about the Ice Spice 'Pt 2' remix until he saw the video, A-ha interview: "We were convinced that the record company would drop us and everything was over before it began" the story of Take On Me and their debut album Hunting High And Low. Most of the guys you cited developed their sounds around a Rickenbacker bass, and thats been your instrument of choice over the years. In tribute to Paul's indelible legacy and legend, we're going to look at a side of the man that was rarely seen, let alone written about. A guitar most often associated with him is the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard "Greeny".Now a famous guitar, once owned by Peter Green of the Fleetwood Mac, and now in the possession of Metallica's Kirk Hammett.Another one worth singling out is the Les Paul Standard nicknamed . The great thing about those basses is that theyre so individual to how you want them to sound. Ive been there from the beginning, when Paul recognised my ability as an artist and said, Just do it, man! I recall after releasing a self indulgent double album featuring quite a lot of trippy guitar noodling, one critic asked, Who does he think he is? It doesnt get thin at the top end and it keeps its clarity in the bottom end. The Damneds vision of punk has included liaisons with deep psychedelia, piano-driven pop, farfisa-dotted slam-dance anthems, and proto-gothall laced up with the anger and devil-may-care attitude that made punk punk. It's been 10 years since we lost Slipknot bassist Paul Gray. If you listen to Pauls note choices on Vermilion, he was all over the shop and it sounded great I wanted to try things like that.. Theres a reason why the low-end on the debut album closer feels extra rumbly, even ghostly, at points. We recorded at Atomic Sound in Brooklyn, which is a beautiful studio with a lovely, big wooden live room. When asked about the song which best summarised Pauls contributions to Slipknot, its interesting that Corey and Clown have singled out Vermilion as his magnum opus both admitting they were moved by the chillingly real sense of pain and struggle on the bass players original demo. This is the strings in Paul Simon's Guild F-30. I've tried that set but I couldn't hang with the .038 low E. Too loose. The words Fender, Telecaster, Stratocaster and the associated headstock designs are registered trademarks of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. I went into the local music store and heard some guys talking about needing a bass player for their band, they did covers of Slayer and Metallica songs, So, not knowing anybody and wanting to meet people, I told them I could play bass even though I had never played one in my life. Which isnt the end of the world, of course, but there seems to be no fix, according to chatter on gear forums anyway. I saved up and bought their album Thank Christ for the Bomb and I played it over and over. I use real thin gauges: .040.090. So all those prominent bass players really caught my ear and I thought it was so great, because it was such an important part of the song. Fans held t-shirts aloft, while Shawn and Corey stood at the back of the stage, arms around each others shoulders, faces crumpled with emotion. I was writing lyrics when Paul and Joey played this to me, Corey told Kerrang! I became slightly obsessed with the solos on Strange Town and the way the excitement builds in them, carrying the listener away on a tidal wave of excitement. I thought it was the coolest thing ever., By the age of 16, Paul was living in an apartment with his friends Frank and Chris, jamming Danzig songs in the living room under the moniker Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Gray: Yeah! Although the low E changed every now and then especially in the late 80's. He would typically use the .058 string gauge but has intermittently used .060's and even .074's. The first five strings are relatively light . We spend a lot of time thinking about Paul, Shawn told us in 2018. But in the beginning, after we got our record deal, I went to Warwick actually. We had to kick everything up a notch, and that required the Captain playing a bunch of different guitars in the studio. Bands rose and fall, members came and went.
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