Its safe to say that when Slipknot takes time off, Paul was the one person worst affected by the other side-bands. Rock n roll needs its rough edges. ", Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. While it might seem unusual that I like Mountain and Deep Purple, considering the music Im known for playing, Captain is into the really obscure progressive rock stuff and has that in his playing. We came in through the front and walked through the crowd, just dead-cold staring at people like we didnt know they were there, says Anders, who left the band later when Corey Taylor was recruited. 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. Search Ray Brown for details. What's Inside show I was speechless watching him write this song. And that goes for the records, too!Captain Sensible, We have built up a collection of Marshall EL84 20/20 20-watt stereo power amps, which might even have warmed up Mrs. Thatchers cold heart if someone had thought of it! Captain Sensible, You can coax many different sounds out of a Rickenbacker depending on your fingering technique, what gauge pick you use, what year it is. Luckily it all seems to work most of the time anyway. TDPRI, short for Telecaster Discussion Page Reissue, is the leading online community and marketplace for Telecaster guitars. It really fascinates me how basses that are essentially the same can still be so different. What was your philosophy about shaping the tones for this album? 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. Some of it I tap out, some of it is more simple and some of it I have to follow the guitars and do runs and leads and stuff like that. There's a heavy difference in style between the two basses, that's for sure. The lead guitar breaks on Evil Spirits sound very in-the-moment, but also precisely mapped.Sensible: They are pretty much first takes. As Slipknot were an anomaly with nine members, dominated by three drummers, he had to work out how to cut through and complement the ferocious noise. This prompted Jim to write the opening line of Til We Die: My friends are all hurting., There was a real fear that he wasnt doing well, said Shawn. The day after it happened, we were all over the place, and we all kind of made our way to my house, he recalled. Did you ever take lessons in bass guitar? If you think it's fucked up and weird, then that's cool because it's your thing. 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. PAUL GRAY, who was the lead singer of the 1980s pop band Wa Wa Nee, has died aged 54. Everything else has been me just experimenting.". He never returned home. Gray: We turned everything up full! The world will never know another man as amazing as you.. We really textured it very heavily. . Through gigging, they met future members of Slipknot: Shawn Crahan in Heads On The Wall, Jim Root in Atomic Opera, Joey Jordison in Modifidious. He had the biggest heart of anyone Ive ever known, and he had the greatest soul Ive ever had the privilege to know. Those killer riffs on Surfacing, which switch from propulsive to filthy, came from his death metal project, Body Pit. Bunch of new American psychos just dropped. Paul Gray: The Man Behind the Mask. So between that and jamming along with the records is how I got my fairly unorthodox guitar technique together. The guy I got it from says that it was a factory custom that had been requested to have the toaster pickup put on it. I used to use heavier strings, but a couple of years ago I injured my hand and I had to go down a gauge. Steve is an idol of mine and I actually got to meet him - I listened to him a lot because he's all over the bass when he plays.". Heres how it works. From triumph to tragedy, here is his story. Ampeg 8x10 cab While testifying in court against her late husband's physician, Brenna Gray revealed that Paul actually suffered a relapse around 2008 and later spent the last weeks of his life fighting a losing battle against his demons. Feed. Prior to joining Metal Hammer, El spent three years as Production Editor at Kerrang! Incredibly, he was welcomed into the band, Vexx. Just seeing them up there with the red lights and smoke it was all evil. http://www.bassstringsonline.com/Hofner-Beatle-Bass-Strings_c_101.html, First New Bass Day in decades for me: Yamaha BB350F, Fun with a Squier Bass VI and a AB165 1968 Bassman setup -. Freddie used .010, .011, and .012 on his top strings and light to medium strings on the bass (wound) strings. Which isnt the end of the world, of course, but there seems to be no fix, according to chatter on gear forums anyway. Im not just playing for Clown; Im playing for him, for his wife and daughter, his legacy, his love for the band, his love for music.. Or Maiden's Steve Harris, who does all kinds of amazing stuff and who is completely different to Cliff. That evening, the eight remaining members of the Knot, aided by early bandmember/stand-in bassist Donnie Steele, provided their own loud tribute. Apart from a regular open-G blues tuning [Editors note: Check out Silly Kids Games on The Black Album for an example. Actually, I did go on and try to compose something better, but we liked the skin-of-your-teeth excitement of the originals best. I was used to hearing the guitar in each song and the bass is there and you can hear it filling out the song, but I really had to listen to his parts. Which is a hard thing to do with nine people in the band!". His playing was informed by his early devotion to thrash, and that conversion to the bass. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Oh, and he didnt have a bass, either. Those Rickenbackers actually had built-in string mutes, as did Paul's later Fender Jazz. "In the beginning you will probably emulate your favourite players, but take that and make it your own and be yourself. I use real thin gauges: .040.090. On Slipknots off-time, Paul and Joey would hunker down to write in Pauls basement. Shawn speculated this had a detrimental effect on his mental wellbeing. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), 2004), in a heartfelt tribute to his old bandmate, The inside story of Vol. 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. Who cares if theres a few jazz notes in there. It was weird because when I started practising these songs on bass, I didnt know any of them, he said. But the first bass I used to try out for this band, because I didn't have a bass and I'm left-handed, was some no-name bass but kind of like a double cutaway so it kind of looked like an SG maybe? as for basses, I think Paul generally used flats on his Hofner and Rick, not sure about the Jazz bass he may have used later on (and no idea about the Fender 6 stringer that John and George sometimes used) tjmicsak Member Messages 5,690 Mar 24, 2010 #4 You can hear them on the older stuff. Once you get up to .100 or a .105, it just sounds kind of dull to me. One of my brothers friends had a weird right-handed bass, which I strung left-handed, and a practice amp. I loved guys like Jim Lea from Slade, who was doing more like lead bass and drove all those fantastic Slade songs. Although fairly light, I find the reduced-thickness picks weve moved over to hardly break any strings these days, which is good, because I hate changing guitars mid-gig. And that goes for the records, too! I named all of them after the Captain, and I think maybe there will be a Captain Sensible pack at some point for the H9. An autopsy revealed he had. Actually, none that I can think of. 1980 Rickenbacker 4001 Theyre really consistent. We got onstage and shocked the hell out of everybody. Like '1, 2, 3, 4' and '1, 3, 2, 4' to just try different finger patterns. I used to use those gray Hercos for years, even in Thin Lizzy. Given an exclusive listen to the second full-length in the months ahead of release, Kerrang! "You know what, some of my favourite basslines are the simplest ones ever. As Slipknot put it in Skeptic, The world will never see another crazy motherfucker like you. How long have you been playing bass guitar for, Paul, and why did you choose bass as your main instrument? Photo by Matt Condon. Tony Visconti is mates with Eventide designer Tony Agnello, who brought some interesting toys to Atomic to play with, and which got a lot of usethe H9 in particular. I saw Slayer on the Hell Awaits album and that changed my world, he once said. This was noticeable with all of the guitar-centric genres, most notably with hard rock and heavy metal. Premier Guitar sought an audience with Sensible and Gray to discuss the making of the Damneds triumphant return to studio recording, their philosophies and roots as players, the symbiosis that exists within their playing relationship, and even a bit of gear geekery. There was just something huge coming through him.. It looked pretty violent. Captain, what was it like working with Visconti from a guitarists perspective? Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Its very important that everybody on the outside of us understands that Paul Gray was the essence of the band Slipknot, he said. Louder is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Or why not treat yourself? Ive used them since I discovered them back in 1976, and Ive tried all the other makes and I always go back to Rotosound. They gave me a full deal and they treated me really good, which was great because we had no money at that time and I couldn't afford anything. 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. 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. You have to use D'Addario short scale bass strings, 080 for the 5th and 0.100 for the 6th It's not easy to do this because you have to have a bridge that you can hook the bass string to as they are a lot larger than a guitar string. And seeing as Eventide HQ was just across the Hudson, Tony V. invited Tony Agnello to the studio, where, despite working against the clock, everything stopped while we played around with some guitar effects or talent boosters according to Pinch. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases. The Damneds dynamic duo, Captain Sensible and Paul Gray, played together in the studio for the first time in 22 years while recording the bands new album. Bath Hellfest reveal 2023s line-up with headliners Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Mtley Cre and KISS. We have three drummers, theres a lot of low end, do you know what I mean? It may not display this or other websites correctly. Onstage, as it filled with sweat and snot and spit, he cut a forbidding, expressionless figure, often bent double as he sunk down into those low-end notes. What kind of tips can you give us for improving finger stretches when playing bass guitar? Later he sometimes used strings wrapped with black nylon to get more of a thumping sound. Total Guitar has not edited this interview, deciding instead to leave as much of Paul's personality and character in as possible RIP Paul. But my favorite was Tony McPhee of the Groundhogs. Here we go again motherfucker, indeed. It wasnt a million miles away from the sound John Entwistle got on Live at Leeds. These guitars come to Paul with pickups and volume and tone controls already installed. I'd just say, for people who are learning, try to keep changing things up and stay open minded to everything. How did you capture the albums live feel in the studio? Gibson SG 60s Tribute models with EverTune bridges 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. It would prove to be a life-changing decision, as was his switch from guitar to bass, Theres a funny story about how I got playing bass, he explained in his Behind The Player instructional DVD. Surprise! Someone else can probably add more, or demonstrate that my memory is faulty. But while other members had full-on side-projects, he considered Slipknot to be his everything. Stay up to date with in depth music reviews, exclusive interviews and widespread coverage of whats happening from your favourite music genre. Slipknot is more dangerous now than ever and I have the fuel known as Paul Dedrick Gray in my blood, he said, even more fired up than usual. Actually I played guitar first - hang on, my sunglasses are totally fucking up here - I played guitar first and never picked up a bass, wasn't interested in it at all. Doing that actually made me fall in love with bass guitar and that's why I became a bass player.". Its cheaper, too, and once youve smoothed the frets and boshed on a scratchplate, youve got yourself a cracking guitar for what it costs. Paul and Anders ended up forming a death metal band called Body Pit, with Anders on vocals. Unmasked, heads bowed and choked with emotion, they paid tribute to their friend and bandmate, Paul Gray. And none of us would be on the path that were on right now in life, or have the sorts of lives that we have, without him.. How do you get A Slipknot guitar tone? 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. 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. Permutations! Contact our experts for a recommendation of great alternatives. I try not to step on anybody's toes but try not to get lost either. As a standing tribute to the late Paul Gray, TG presents this never-before published interview with the Slipknot bassist. I really like the growl Tonys got on it and it really suits the songs perfectly. The best record they ever made! "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. Alter Bridge, Halestorm, Neck Deep, Bob Vylan, Hot Milk, Palaye Royale, Jinjer and more join this years Download Festival. He is honoured, but can never be replaced. With Slipknot, my bass playing is a little more laid back and subdued, like I get spots where I get to do some stuff I guess, but it's hard to kind of like We have three drummers, there's a lot of low end, you know what I mean? Scott D. Smith/Retna ./Retna Ltd./Corbis. What did you hope to get out of the Damned in the studio? He will never be forgotten. Hed listen to Cliff Burtons bass fills repeatedly, rewinding his tapes until he had figured them out. BA1 1UA. It's weird but I love the bassline in Van Halen's 'Running With The Devil' in open fucking E. Now, I appreciate any player who can lay down a solid bass groove, like Cliff Williams from AC/DC. But his music lives on, much like the band he was fundamental in creating. Tony McPhees Groundhogs performance of Cherry Red on Top of the Pops departed radically from the shows usual fare, and that was the moment I decided to get a guitar and only a Gibson SG would do. The only way I can sum up Paul Gray is love. 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. 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. . It isn't THAT different, I listened to the rest of the album with the exception of Bother it sounded like Slipknot with the proper amount of band members. Slipknot had arrived. The Damned opened for T. Rex back in the day, and I even asked Captain why we never did this before. Matrix VB800 How would you describe your playing style? Now42 years since they became the first of the British punk groups to put out a single, with 1976s New Rose, beating the Sex Pistols by a month, and 10 years since their last studio album, So, Whos Paranoid?the Damned have returned with Evil Spirits, an album that bristles with the vitality, immediacy, and irrepressible creativity thats earned them the distinction of being one of the most important punk bands of all time.