I was lucky enough to be mentored by Carol back in the early 1980s. She kept journals of her sessions, and sometimes we would look though them (she was not only coaching my bass playing, but studio practicality, how to play well with others, etc). There were working titles of songs, sometimes no titles, but just who the session was for, etc. That's better than most of us have, but still can be misinterpreted even by Carol herself. A lot of people get pissed at Carol for making claims on songs she didn't play on, but we do know for a fact that she DID play on a lot of major stuff, so while she doesn't NEED to claim those disputed tracks, she was in the fray, and sometimes memory can be a funny thing. Plus, the nature of studio work back in the day was that you had a 2 or 3 hours max to create the track, then you moved on to the next gig. You didn't spend days or weeks doing something, it was just "play this", get paid, and leave. I played on a lot of tracks in the '80s that I have no idea which parts might be me, or not, just know I worked with that artist around that time and can't tell just by listening - wild as that may sound to some people, I just can't recognize my own playing from decades ago. Look at some of the Anthology interviews with the 3 surviving Beatles and George Martin going through old recordings - even when tracks are isolated, George H, George M, and Paul are constantly asking each other "Did you play that, or is it me?"

@billhare

6 жыл бұрын

Liner notes aren't always that accurate either. I got credit on a Brian Wilson album for something I definitely didn't do, while someone else got credit for what I DID do on that album. In the end, the history gets muddy, and over time, we doubt our own memories anyway.

@jazzman1954

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this comment. Someone who actually knows what he's talking about!

@bassbob42

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your post here. You took lessons from the best. She is a great person and down to earth.

@BassByTheBay

4 жыл бұрын

Hey Bill, it's Jay from +4db. Never knew you studied with Carol! Cool story, and your point about memory is totally valid. Hope you're doing well, buddy!

@billhare

4 жыл бұрын

BassByTheBay JQ! Great to hear from you! Wow, surprised I never told you, haha, usually one of the first things I mentioned to other bass players! ;-)

Hey guys, First of all, thanks so much for checking out the video and all the positive feedback. It’s truly humbling for me to play these iconic lines and know that people are enjoying them and finding them informative. Second, let me apologize for not being upfront about the controversy around I Was Made To Love Her. I truly love JJ’s AND CK’s playing and despite how it may appear in the video, my intention here was NOT to “pick a side”. Looking at the evidence I believe each has a good claim to it but the truth is that I wasn’t there and it’s not my call to make - so it’s really up to you who you choose to believe. I think we can all agree that it’s a great line regardless of who did it, and that JJ and CK have both contributed a ton to the music world. I know they both continue to inspire me! Peace, Love, and Basslines, Jeremy Kay

@cesarhernandez3861

7 жыл бұрын

the Stevie version was recorded in Detroit 1967. Can you guess who was the session bass player there? James Jamerson

@weeboy8

6 жыл бұрын

Jeremy Kay, but she also wore cat-eye glasses and painted her nails but you failed to mention that or replicate it. THANKS FOR NOTHING! You’re the man*

@dirkda2451

6 жыл бұрын

:-D

@rockcatinc.4505

6 жыл бұрын

Hey man. Thanks for a great video and for taking the time out to make this so others can enjoy.

@seanoxton5572

6 жыл бұрын

I sure wish someone had taught me the picking technique when I was a kid learning. Its pretty hard to unlearn the "wrong" way.

Carol IS a living legend, every one of her interviews is money.

Wow that is one beautiful Precision Bass

Despite the "controversial" song choice toward the end, you really captured the Kay sound here. Nicely done.

I was told she volunteered to play bass, rather than being given it, so she had no previous experience of it when it was given to her. The felt idea came from pianos that she had seen in studios with front or top removed - showing that the string still sounded with the felt contact so tried it out against the bass strings, loved the tone and kept it. Truly the top bass player of all time.

Carol is an unsung hero of music. Shes the musician your favorite musicians admired

Sonny Bono only had an E-minor guitar vamp for "The Beat Goes On" until Carol added that iconic walking line. Kaye, Joe Osborne, and Paul McCartney had such a distinctive, clearly defined mix space through cheap 3"-6" paper speakers; it defined the burgeoning Prog-Rock sound of bassists like John Lodge, Chris Squire, Greg Lake, and Jon Camp.

The thing that everybody forgets to mention is that I suspect she is a good reader as well. So many guys can't read. Limited options.

@_richardleon

3 жыл бұрын

terrible

@_richardleon

3 жыл бұрын

double bass players can read and learn electric bass easily

@jazzman1954

3 жыл бұрын

@@_richardleon Well that’s pretty obvious, so what’s your point? Most bass players these days are electric guitar bassists who can’t read and who were the target of my post. Upright players are a tiny minority.

Don't forget Joe Osborn. I bought so many records only to later discover that it was the same bass player - Joe Osborn! I think he actually had a more distinctive sound, and I certainly respect Carol and all the great bass players. Met Victor Wooten at NAMM a year ago and he is phenomenal too.

@raphaelmann

3 жыл бұрын

Same here. So many of my favourite bass parts I now know are Joe Osborn, that I might have assumed were Carole. Not to take anything away from Carole, but Joe has to be about the most underrated player...

@matthewlux9351

3 жыл бұрын

Not to mention Joe was pioneering that pick bass sound on records years before Carol ever got a bass.

Back in 2005, I was applying for music school in Los Angeles and thought I would contact Carol Kaye to see if she was available for lessons, so I wrote her an email asking her opinion. In that email I also asked about "I Was Made to Love Her" thinking she would just write it off with a comment about how no one kept track of things back then, the way they do now, as I've heard other people explain it. In her response, she began criticizing the school I was applying for, saying it's a scheme to take away people's money (I've since graduated from there, learning that while it did cost me some tuition, they weren't cheating anyone). She went on to express her annoyance - not so much with my question about the song, but that she believed that her valuable work had been accredited to Jamerson because that fit the story better. I then had the opportunity to ask Bob Babbit (R.I.P.) about "I Was Made to Love Her". He then referred to "Standing In the Shadows of Motown", stating that while some aspects of the movie are perhaps romanticized for the sake of film, the events described were all true and indeed, Jamerson played the bass track to "I Was Made to Love Her". What I conclude is that Jamerson played bass on "I Was Made to Love Her". When people defend their position with lashing out, they're usually trying to cover something up. Please don't misunderstand - I truly respect Carol Kaye for her work and especially with the Beach Boys, but I cannot imagine she went through life without some scrutiny about being "a woman in a man's world" back then. Also - ALL of the music coming out of Motown back in the 60s was recorded in Detroit. It wasn't until years later when they open up studios in California that other players than the Funk Brothers began appearing on the recordings - Carol Kaye wasn't even affiliated with Motown - She's from Washington (state) and played for The Wrecking Crew in California. It just doesn't add up. Also - listen to ALL the songs with her bass lines, then listen to I Was Made to Love Her. From an analytical perspective, the choices made in "I Was Made to Love Her" is not Carol Kaye. Also the sound is softer and muffled unlike the picked sound of Carols guitaresque style. But, what do I know?

@yoyalaborte

Жыл бұрын

Excuse me but Carol Kaye is from Long Beach CA …🚫NOT Washington state! And she was a white woman in a predominantly black man’s world! So, dear, what exactly do you know? Just sayin’….

@blainebauman572

Жыл бұрын

@@yoyalaborte It requires only one google search to confirm that what Martin said is true, quit talkin' out yer ass.

@nawll202

Жыл бұрын

It’s not true. Motown had offices in California since the early 60s. Kaye did work for Motown and Frank Wilson confirmed it along with other musicians. In fact, Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer said the same thing. Blaine also claimed Motown hits attributed to the Detroit musicians yet nobody discredit him. She wasn’t the only bass player hired by them in LA but Motown had to hide them due to their shenanigans. I know y’all like to think that JJ played on everything ever put out by Motown but that’s untrue and unrealistic. Anyway, Kaye played bass on a lot of songs for them and you can find a good article about it online. I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to believe that Motown would hire the best musicians in town. I’m sure being a white woman doesn’t help her credibility.

Carol Kaye was not only a MONSTER, but she's super NICE !! I ordered her lesson and she signed it to me.

@Reverb Jeremy- Hi, great video on Carol Kaye! Love her! My husband @Steve Dockendorf was lucky enough to have a few private lessons from Carol in 1973. One thing he told me could be added to the video was that Carol advised to tap your foot twice as fast when you get to the sixteenth notes. Thank you for creating this video and giving Carol well deserved acknowledgement. :-)

Jeremy you absolutely made my day. Terrific video. Informative and fun. And you NAIL her techniques!!

Hey, can anyone tell me if the bass line from "I Was Made To Love Her" is actually James Jamerson's? I've only read it in the comments a million times... And if I'm being honest, Kaye's bass on Mel Tormé's "Games People Play" is far more impressive and memorable to me than anything else being debated in these comments. Just enjoy the video, folks. It was very informative with regards to her style and technique.

This guy needs to come back, he always did great videos

Yeah! Thats an amazing precision sound! Thanks for sharing this Reverb!!! Now I'm going to look up everything by Carol kaye.

I just love your reviews!!! I can't get enough. I love the level of detail and that its all about bass. You're awesome!

I know her from taking lessons too. You got it! I buy Thomastik flatwounds wounds from her for my 68 P Bass and my 74 Jazz Bass. They last forever had she has the best price. Goes without saying she is the best and quite a task master to say the least. Truly blessed to know her.

She's the best, her playing and licks made me love bass, and play it since my 14 y.o. Then I started guitar at 15, and still play both.

This "Bass Tricks" series are awesome. Keep them coming! =D

It sucks when people make comments that are negative, he's just trying to help people. If you don't like it click on.

I can see that flatwounds & higher action combine to help eliminate string noise, but the bigger factor is your careful, accurate fretting & picking, which is probably a lot harder than it looks, and especially if a player is gonna do a five-hour-long gig or an all-day session. You really do it justice, and that's no small feat. I'm impressed by the wonderful audio capture in this video, too. It makes my Bluetooth sound like a real speaker. I take my P-bass to jams and use Dean Markley stainless in a very light gauge, with moderately-stiff action and I usually bring my Vibrolux Reverb. I palm-mute. A lot of the other players bug me to turn it up, and they may be on to something, as I feel that the bass shouldn't too often be strident or commanding, but just covering the low end in the perimeter of the musical landscape. I always set the amp on a padded riser to kill floor-coupling. I think the folks who want me to crank it are too habituated to working with bass players who are generally way too loud and who set their amp right on the floor. But I insist the music doesn't need all that throbbing & boominess, and that listeners tend to turn off to it. The bass isn't the star of the show, and shouldn't be competing for attention or drowning out the band. Carol is admired for her craftiness & her wicked-sharp musical intellect, not for being able to play circles around Stu Hamm. She knows when to lay out and when to lay it on, and she's never too busy in the mix. You made a gem of a video. Short & sweet & to the point, and very much fun to watch. Thank you. Great job!

She played on Good Vibrations but she played a line that Brian Wilson wrote out for her. There are several YT videos of talking about that. She respected that he knew what he wanted to be played.

Good video. I’ve played guitar for decades and used lots of Carol’s material for guitar. Now I’ve taken up the bass and will work w her bass books. Such a great and creative player.

One of my all time favorites. Thank you.

Woah, I was made to love her is defo Jamerson, it sounds like finger style on the record and the whole approach cries out in Jamerson's language. Great respect for Carol Kaye all the same, and some kool insights into her sound, thanks for the vid!

@Yellow_Magpie

7 жыл бұрын

I feel silly mentioning this again after seeing the comments, I guess all us Jamerson lovers flip out when Jamerson is in any way overlooked! To clarify, it seems Carol Kaye played on a beach boys cover of the song and her line very similar.

The key to her success was her jazz training.

@BrockBarr

3 жыл бұрын

And cool sunglasses 😎

@trolley4388

3 жыл бұрын

You mean the kaye of her success

@tita4ewaz

3 жыл бұрын

That’s true but I believe when she tackled bebop and esp latin music (samba, she was able to write these incredible parts that no one could come up with

@BrockBarr

2 жыл бұрын

You can have jazz training but you still need a good degree of creativity to come up with some of those very cool baselines.

@JapanoiseBreakfast

2 жыл бұрын

@@trolley4388 oh no not puns again. I couldn't carol less about these.

I love these bass videos. Great work!

another vote for Jamerson on "I was made to love her". it's a classic example of his style.

Thank you! More more is right. Hope to see many more vids like this. Beautiful Fender too! Nothing better than for us all to learn from the "greats".

YOU replicate Carol Kay with her Superlative tecnique and chordal under- standing. Thank You, Always, Dr

Great Vid, THX! Even though Carol is very familiar with music theory she says that playing and knowing the modal scales is overestimated: "You only have to play the notes that fit to the chords." Bam! You know... She's the living legend! Thank you for endless inspiration and great mentorship, Queen Kaye!

She is the absolute best session musician and awesome jazz player of her time, and our time

Excellent video! Thanks! I've ordered some of Carol's books. Looking forward to their arrival.

Just need to mention She also plays up near the neck like you were doing. A lot of pick players play down near the bridge or also rest there had on the bridge, you sounded just like her but you didn't mention it. She also holds the pick with a thumb over finder grip which is a little firmer than you were holing it. Great video loved that you featured her and your sound approach and attack was spot on. chordal tones

@snoopythedoge5639

4 жыл бұрын

When I play with with a pick I also play near the neck. It’s just so much more comfortable.

Great work. Very detailed research and teaching. 👍

Well done Jeremy. Thank you!

really great tone on the bass and really enjoying the playing here!

great video! she played nothing like most Rock bassists as her lines were built out of chords, not the usual runs. i've been playing bass for 42 years and i couldn't play like Carol if u put a gun to my head. she's just so amazing.

Fascinating with the upstrokes on the upbeats

Thanks for this post! Grateful for KZread! I took a few Bass Lessons from this Amazing Musician! She is Such A Cool Cat!

The beach boys did a version of I was made to love her as well, he is probably referring to that

@Agos226

4 жыл бұрын

Ron Brown played bass on that

yes! great player, and good to see a pick player who knows what's what. Kaye and Joe Osborn are huge heroes of mine.

awesome video thanks

Great tribute!!!

Nice very informative......good job

Great video!

Woof! Nice work!

Great vid!

I think a episode on Paul McCartney is in order!

@communitycollegegenius9684

6 жыл бұрын

Yes he was great, that is until he died in 1966.

@sanyatyr

6 жыл бұрын

Community College Genius Cool story bro =)))Lol

@lewisbons2503

6 жыл бұрын

Community College Genius xD

@NickSBailey

6 жыл бұрын

if that were the case his best work was done by the imposter lol

@brampratama8973

5 жыл бұрын

@Johnny Wheels had you heard wings ? like silly love song live 1976 at america, paul play very nicely

When I was trying to learn bass back in the 60s the only tutor book I could find was by Carole Kaye. Unable to read music it was way over my head. What on earth was a beguine anyway?! So I resorted to learning by ear and watching bass players in local bands. Now I am much more knowledgeable and realise what a great player and influence she was.

Loving these bass videos! Jeremy rules. Also had no idea bass could sound so great through a Super Reverb... *rethinks everything*

@pbrtaskforce116

5 жыл бұрын

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER

@abesdemise

4 жыл бұрын

Tommy Cogbill played Son of a Preacher Man through a Twin with 1 broken speaker.........or so the legend goes.

@MrSageXP

3 жыл бұрын

Joe Osborne played on many hit records playing a fender jazz bass through a super reverb. Listen to let the sunshine in by the fifth dimention

Thank you my good man. I’ve been trying to figure out the Carol Kaye/ The Byrds / The Animals type bass sound. I have a Fender Jazz Bass but I should be able to make it work. Thanks!

She was amazing the sounds the style and things she did that , man I would kill to play like her.

Thanks for doing this! Everyone really needs to hear more about the phenomenal Queen of the bass!!

she’s been cool for a long time. anyone that is irreplaceable to Phil Spector & Brian Wilson has to be the greatest.

Carol Kaye claims to have played on the Stevie Wonder session for "I Was Made to Love Her" - but Motown veterans present at the session tell a different story. Refuting Carol's claims is Allan Slutsky, author of "Standing In The Shadows of Motown." His research shows that James Jamerson, who was the bass player of the Motown house band The Funk Brothers, played the bass on this track. All Motown associates he contacted, including the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team, said it was Jamerson. Hank Crosby, who co-wrote and did production on this song, signed an affidavit saying that the bass line was performed by Jamerson. The only way Kaye's story is true is both somehow played sessions for the same number. The style of the bass-line is consistent with Jamerson, and not with Kaye. Also, it is not played with a pick, but instead features the warmer fatter tone characteristic of the playing finger(s) on the strings. The lines played in the song are utterly consistent with Jamerson, and have no antecedent in Kaye's style on other known recordings. The studio logs cannot be located or no longer survive, so the dispute isn't likely to be settled soon. Wrong-doing isn't necessarily involved, either - after the passage of so many years, memories can become garbled or grow dim. It is enough to know that both are giants of electric bass.

@flarfadelic5654

3 жыл бұрын

it was extremely common for session players to be "replaced" on the spot due to unforeseen circumstances and many session players get payouts vs royalties in which they don't always get credit. it's entirely possile CK did play on that session and that they told her they were going to use that and then comes in Jamerson......who know since the notes aren't available. I don't really think it fucking matters though, she's a beast and Jamerson is a beast. they both fucking kill it in the studio

@austinsangels12345

3 жыл бұрын

As they tried different songs with different singers - they could have tried it with different players. But yes I have heard this for many years.

@PeterPug

3 жыл бұрын

Often times a musician will track and then they use a different musician in the end. So she MAY have played on that studio session but her track wasn't the one used?

@juliuscaesar7448

2 жыл бұрын

Carol did play on The Beach Boys version of i was made to love her tho

We in the AV love carol and Peter.. Awesome people ...

Thanks great vid Nice playing, great technique as well! For info, Jamerson used the mute that was installed under the bell cover. He only muted un-sounded strings with his RH thumb. And, yes, IIWSM was Jamerson all the way, like the many other iconic Jamerson lines she erroneously claimed were hers.

Carol is one of the best to ever live. Thank you for putting up this video.

Great vid. I dig Carol.

Great Carole !! Cool Vid Bro!

One of the most prolific musicians ever. The beat goes on!

I love that tone

Excellent!

I’m a big John Entwistle fan. He really helped me to listen to music in a different way than had I never know of him. That said, I love Carol Kaye’s playing. Her focus was on recording obviously, and as far as I know, not so much live performance, so these are two different styles. But the notes that Carol Kaye chose in her recordings was, to my ear, always the perfect choice. I’m so glad that the Wrecking Crew is recognized. I love Glen Campbell too. 👍🏼

@johnhodgson5313

4 жыл бұрын

If I remember correctly, she said she could make far more money doing studio work. She could go to various studios a day. She mentioned doctor's pay.

AWESOME!

Great thank you 😀👍🏻

Only 8 minutes and 3 seconds! Great video!

Good video, man.

These are great, more please! Pino maybe?

More of these!

Great Video, I love that vintage P Bass you are playing. I have a 1963, and that one looks much older than mine. Yours is in gret shape. What year is it. I always loved Carol's work. Like Jamerson and McCartney, her bass defined much of rock music and the greatest hits of all times.

really wish Jeremy led lick of the week! props, dude! xo

Jeremy! Great sound, playing and presentation. You sound so great! Can you tell us what kind of flats are on that beautiful P bass?

I’m jealous of her she plays real good

add on to my previous post - she didn’t bother with sticking to down & up strokes when she played guitar - in her own words she said “I just made sure I got the note, it didn’t matter to me whether it was up or down stroke. Working on Good vibrations I got told the best advice I got, “play your way, it’s awesome” when asked about being a woman in music at that time she said “no one cared it was can you play or not”

more . . . more!

This and the Jamerson video were great introductions for me to start learning from some classic players. Would be cool to see some more, maybe a Bootsy Collins video? Or Jaco Pastorius?

Wow this is brilliant you are great

She's the type of player that Leo actually had in mind with the invention of the electric bass; a guitarist who could double on bass. I'm also pretty sure she mentioned many times about using Thomastik flatwounds, which are anything but big and beefy.

Your BASS is beautiful and sounds fantastic!

You got a great sound. Nailed CK!

Boy that Carol Kaye sound is so sweet, buttery and smooth. Like a fine after dinner port.

She’s the Greatest 👍👍👍❤️

Great video! I started out with Fender amps in the 60`s but they would distort bad at high volume. I never went back. Your sound was great here. Maybe an experiment is in order. Thx!

I was made to love her was jamerson!

@slimdudeDJC

5 жыл бұрын

magradygrind Ah, someone was listening!!

@RileyJE

4 жыл бұрын

That's one I don't get that she claims. To my ears it really doesn't at all sound like it was played with a pick and those chromatic runs are one of the most James Jamerson things I've ever heard.

@johncarver3453

4 жыл бұрын

I am certain she didn't play on the Stevie Wonder original, but there is a good chance she did play on the Beach Boys cover on their Wild Honey album.

@bpabustan

4 жыл бұрын

@@johncarver3453 although Ron Brown is credited on the Beach Boys cover as the bassist. So we still cannot totally ascertain.

@francescolauro2761

4 жыл бұрын

Right!

Milestone Bass Player. My top 5 favorite bass player ever.

Can't believe you didn't mention that she played bass on Witicha Lineman by Glen Campbell ❤️🎶

Awesome player

I wish I could take lessons from Carol!

She's a legend because she's a naturally hip person. She can figure out how to kick a song into the stratosphere.

Hey Reverb, do one on McCartney's bass playing.

Played on Frank Zappa's first two albums "Freak Out" & "Absolutely Free"

Carol Kaye is SO cool.

That’s not how Carol taught me to use a pick. Your thumb should be across the pick at a 90 degree angle with your index and middle fingertips pointing towards the point of the pick. It’s in her book “How to Play the Electric Bass”. Great video!

Carol played also in recordings with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Inventions (yes!), Cher, Beach Boys, and many many tv and cinema backtracks: The Adams, Agent 86 (don't know the english names), Impossible Misiion, Coppola road movie famous film about the truck chasing a car...

as Carol herself told me her strings are also key : Thomastik Infeld JF344 flats.

Very nice. I'd read somewhere that she eschewed the use of open strings (I don't.) I guess some of those licks would be pretty difficult to play otherwise...