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[[File:John Entwisle 1987.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Entwistle at the [[Manchester Apollo]] with [[The Who]] in a 1981 performance]]
[[File:John Entwisle 1987.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Entwistle at the [[Manchester Apollo]] with [[The Who]] in a 1981 performance]]


John Entwistle's technique ranged from using fingers, [[plectrum]] and [[tapping]] to using [[harmonics]] in his passages. He would change the style of play between songs and even during songs to change the sound he produced. His fingering technique would involve pressing down on the string hard and releasing in an attempt to reproduce a trebly, twangy sound. Note, however, that he would change his thumb position from [[pickup (music technology)|pick-up]] to the E string and occasionally even allowing his thumb to float near the pick-up. His plectrum technique would involve holding the plectrum between his thumb and forefinger, with the rest of his fingers outstretched for balance.
John Entwistle's playing technique incorporated fingers, [[plectrum]], [[tapping]], and the use of [[harmonics]. He would change his style between songs and even during songs to alter the sound he produced. His fingering technique involved pressing down on the string hard and releasing it in order to produce a trebly, twangy sound. Note, however, that he would change his thumb position from [[pickup (music technology)|pick-up]] to the E string and occasionally even positioning his thumb near the pick-up. His plectrum technique involved holding the plectrum between his thumb and forefinger, with the rest of his fingers outstretched for balance.


John Entwistle's playing style was rarely captured well in the studio. He was better heard in concert, where he and [[Pete Townshend]] frequently exchanged roles, with John Entwistle providing rapid melodic lines and [[Pete Townshend]] anchoring the song with rhythmic chord work. Indeed, [[Pete Townshend]] noted that John Entwistle did the rhythmic timekeeping in the band, fulfilling the role of the Drummer ([[Keith Moon]]), who, on the other hand, with all his flourishes around the kit, was like a keyboard player. In 1989, John Entwistle pointed out that, according to modern standards, "[[The Who]] haven't a proper bass player."<ref>Guitar Player's Chris Jisi in 1989</ref>
John Entwistle's playing style was rarely captured well in the studio. He was better heard in concert, where he and Pete Townshend frequently exchanged roles, with Entwistle providing rapid melodic lines and Townshend anchoring the song with rhythmic chord work. Indeed, [[Pete Townshend]] noted that Entwistle provided the rhythmic timekeeping in the band, fulfilling the role of the drummer. ([[Keith Moon]]), on the other hand, with all his flourishes around the kit, was more like a keyboard player. In 1989, John Entwistle pointed out that, according to modern standards, "[[The Who]] haven't got a proper bass player."<ref>Guitar Player's Chris Jisi in 1989</ref>


John Entwistle also developed what he called a "typewriter" approach to playing the bass. It involved positioning the right hand over the strings so all four fingers could be used to tap percussively on the strings, causing them to strike the fretboard with a distinctive twangy sound. This gives the player the ability to play three or four strings at once, or to use several fingers on a single string. It allowed him to create passages that were very percussive and melodic. He used this approach to mimic the fills used by his drummers in band situations, sometimes sending the fills back at the drummers faster than the drummers themselves could play them.
John Entwistle also developed what he called a "typewriter" approach to playing the bass. It involved positioning his right hand over the strings so all four fingers could be used to tap percussively on the strings, causing them to strike the fretboard with a distinctive twangy sound. This gave him the ability to play three or four strings at once, or to use several fingers on a single string. It allowed him to create passages that were both percussive and melodic.


This method is unique and should not be confused with the hammer-on tapping techniques of [[Eddie Van Halen]] and [[Stu Hamm]] or the [[slapping]] technique of [[Larry Graham]], and in fact pre-dates these other techniques. However, modern players such as [[Ryan Martinie]] use similar techniques. A demonstration of this approach to bass playing can be seen on a video called ''John Entwistle – Master Class'', part of Arlen Roth's Hot Licks instructional series, as well as [[Mike Gordon]]'s film, ''[[Rising Low]]'', where Entwistle can be seen frequently using his fore, middle, and ring fingers on his right hand when playing. This allowed him to create "clusters of notes" in his bass lines, as well as play triplets with relative simplicity. Notable in his left-handed technique is his use of slides, positioning the left hand for octaves and his use of the [[pentatonic]]Songs For The Who
This method is unique and should not be confused with the hammer-on tapping techniques of [[Eddie Van Halen]] and [[Stu Hamm]], or the [[slapping]] technique of [[Larry Graham]], and in fact pre-dates these other techniques. However, modern players such as [[Ryan Martinie]] use similar techniques. A demonstration of this approach to bass playing can be seen on a video called ''John Entwistle – Master Class'', part of Arlen Roth's Hot Licks instructional series, as well as [[Mike Gordon]]'s film, ''[[Rising Low]]'', where Entwistle can be seen frequently using his fore, middle, and ring fingers of his right hand when playing. This allowed him to create "clusters of notes" in his bass lines, as well as play triplets with relative simplicity. Notable in his left-hand technique was his use of slides, positioning his left hand for octaves, and his use of the [[pentatonic]] when playing with The Who.


While [[Pete Townshend]] emerged as [[The Who]]’s songwriter-in-chief, John Entwistle began making distinctive, macabre contributions to [[The Who]]’s catalogue, beginning with "[[A Quick One|Whiskey Man]]" and the imperishable "[[Boris The Spider]]" on the [[A Quick One]] album in 1966, continuing with "[[A Quick One|Doctor, Doctor]]" and "[[The Who Sell Out|Someone’s Coming]]" (1967), "[[The Who Sell Out|Silas Stingy]]" from 1967′s [[The Who Sell Out]], "[[Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde]]" (1968), "[[Heaven and Hell (The Who song)|Heaven And Hell]]" with which The Who opened their formidable live shows between 1968 and 1970. John Entwistle wrote "[[Cousin Kevin]]" and "[[Fiddle About]]" for [[The Who]]’s 1969 album [[The Who's Tommy|Tommy]] because [[Pete Townshend]] specifically requested John Entwistle to write 'Nasty songs' that he felt uncomfortable with. "[[My Wife]]", John Entwistle’s hilarious rocker about marital strife from 1971′s [[Who's Next]], also became a popular stage number. He also wrote "[[Success Story (song)|Success Story]]" for [[The Who By Numbers]] which he also drew the cover for, [[Had Enough]], [[905]], and [[Trick of the Light]] for their last album with [[Keith Moon]], [[The Quiet One]] and [[Face Dances|You]] for [[Face Dances]], he also wrote [[It's Hard|Dangerous]] and [[It's Hard|One at a Time]] for his final album with [[The Who]] [[It's Hard]] <ref>TheWebPlusMorehttp://www.thewho.com/history/john-entwistle/</ref>
While [[Pete Townshend]] emerged as The Who’s songwriter-in-chief, John Entwistle began making distinctive contributions to The Who’s catalogue, beginning with "[[A Quick One|Whiskey Man]]" and "[[Boris The Spider]]" on the ''[[A Quick One]]'' album in 1966, continuing with "[[A Quick One|Doctor, Doctor]]" and "[[The Who Sell Out|Someone’s Coming]]" (1967), "[[The Who Sell Out|Silas Stingy]]" from 1967′s ''[[The Who Sell Out]]'', "[[Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde]]" (1968), "[[Heaven and Hell (The Who song)|Heaven And Hell]]" with which The Who opened their formidable live shows between 1968 and 1970. John Entwistle wrote "[[Cousin Kevin]]" and "[[Fiddle About]]" for The Who’s 1969 album [[The Who's Tommy|Tommy]] because Pete Townshend specifically requested John Entwistle to write 'Nasty songs' that he felt uncomfortable with. "[[My Wife]]", John Entwistle’s hilarious rocker about marital strife from 1971′s [[Who's Next]], also became a popular stage number. He also wrote "[[Success Story (song)|Success Story]]" for [[The Who By Numbers]] which he also drew the cover for, [[Had Enough]], [[905]], and [[Trick of the Light]] for their last album with [[Keith Moon]], [[The Quiet One]] and [[Face Dances|You]] for [[Face Dances]], he also wrote [[It's Hard|Dangerous]] and [[It's Hard|One at a Time]] for his final album with [[The Who]] [[It's Hard]] <ref>TheWebPlusMorehttp://www.thewho.com/history/john-entwistle/</ref>


==Artistic Background==
==Artistic Background==

Revision as of 07:31, 10 September 2013

John Entwistle
Entwistle in 1976
Entwistle in 1976
Background information
Birth nameJohn Alec Entwistle
Also known asThe Ox, Thunderfingers, The Quiet One
Born9 October 1944 (1944-10-09)
Chiswick, London, England
Died27 June 2002 (2002-06-28) (aged 57)
Paradise, Nevada, United States
GenresRock, art rock, hard rock, power pop
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, record producer, musical arranger
Instrument(s)Bass guitar, french horn, vocals, keyboards, trumpet, double bass, guitar, harmonica, jaw harp, bugle
Years active1962–2002
LabelsPolydor, MCA

John Alec Entwistle (9 October 1944 – 27 June 2002) was an English musician, songwriter, singer, and film and record producer who is best known as the bass player for the English rock band The Who. He was the only member of the band to have formal musical training. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players.[1][2] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Who in 1990.

John Entwistle's instrumental approach used pentatonic lead lines, and a then-unusual trebly sound ("full treble, full volume") created by roundwound RotoSound steel bass strings. He was nicknamed "The Ox", as well as "Thunderfingers" – because his digits became a blur across the four-string fretboard.[3] He had a collection of over 200 instruments by the time of his death, reflecting the different brands he used over his career: Fender, Danelectro, and Rickenbacker basses in the 1960s, Gibson and Alembic basses in the 1970s, Warwick in the 1980s, and Status all-Carbon fibre basses in the 1990s. In 2011, a Rolling Stone reader poll selected him as the greatest bassist of all time.[4] The Biography Channel has declared that John Entwistle is considered by many to be the best bass guitarist that ever lived, and that it is often said that he did for the bass what Jimi Hendrix did for the guitar.[5]

Birth

John Alec Entwistle was born on 9 October 1944 into a musical family in Chiswick, a suburb of London. He was an only child. His father, Herbert, played trumpet and his mother, Queenie Maud (29 November 1922 – 4 March 2011), played piano. His parents' marriage failed soon after he was born, and John was mostly raised by his grandparents. He attended Acton County Grammar School and joined the Middlesex Youth Orchestra. His initial music training was on trumpet, French horn and piano (from ages six to twelve), all three of which would feature in his later rock compositions.

As the country was trying to rebuild itself following the devastation of World War II, necessities were a priority, but even amid the war-torn landscapes of working-class London, John Entwistle's creativity found a playground.

Entwistle said, "I found bombed out buildings that we would use to make castles out of. It was a lot of fun back then, 'cause we had, like, toys everywhere and there'd be an old warehouse on the other side of a rail track that was full of German helmets that we would like sneak out back of the window and put on a helmet and play Nazis or something. They were our toys. We accepted them."[6]

Pete Townshend also said, "You could find all kinds of things. You could find a teddy bear, and I was brought up into that world with John, Queenie Maud and his (Entwistle's) step-father were very welcoming into the home, and I think he had lots of problems with the fact that he couldn't see his real dad."[6]

John Entwistle did not know his father and Pete Townshend used to joke with John Entwistle by calling him "Grumpy Gordon".[6]

Early career

In the early 1960s, John Entwistle played in several traditional jazz and Dixieland outfits. He formed a duo called The Confederates with schoolmate Pete Townshend, and he later joined Roger Daltrey's band The Detours, playing a major role in encouraging Pete Townshend's budding talent on the guitar, and insisting that Townshend be admitted into the band as well. Eventually, Roger Daltrey fired all the members of his band with the exception of Entwistle, Townshend and the drummer, Doug Sandom, although in Sandom's case it was only because he had not yet found a drummer with sufficient talent to replace him. Upon the entry of Keith Moon to the band, Roger Daltrey relinquished the role of guitarist to Pete Townshend, instead becoming frontman and lead singer. The band considered several changes of name, temporarily performing as The High Numbers, and finally settling on the name The Who while Entwistle was still working as a tax clerk.[7] When the band decided that the blond Roger Daltrey needed to stand out more from the others, Entwistle dyed his naturally golden hair black, and it remained so until the early 1980s.

Around 1963, John Entwistle played in a London band called The Initials for a short while; the band split when a planned resident engagement in Spain fell through.

In 1967, Entwistle married his childhood sweetheart Alison Wise and bought a large semi-detached home in Acton, filling it with all sorts of extraordinary artefacts, ranging from suits of armour to a tarantula spider. His eccentricity and taste for the bizarre was to remain with him throughout his life, and when he finally moved out of the city in 1978, to Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire, his 17-bedroom mansion, Quarwood, resembled a museum. It also housed one of the largest guitar collections belonging to any rock musician.[8]

John Entwistle picked up two nicknames during his career as a musician. He was nicknamed "The Ox" because of his strong constitution and seeming ability to "Eat, drink or do more than the rest of them." He was also later nicknamed "Thunderfingers". Bill Wyman, bassist for the Rolling Stones, described him as "the quietest man in private but the loudest man on stage". Entwistle was one of the first to make use of Marshall stacks in an attempt to hear himself over the noise of his bandmates, who famously leapt and moved about on the stage, with Pete Townshend and Keith Moon smashing their instruments on numerous occasions. (Moon even employed explosives in his drum kit during one memorable TV performance.) Pete Townshend later remarked that Entwistle started using Marshall amplification in order to hear himself over drummer Keith Moon's rapid-fire drumming style, and Townshend himself also had to use them just to be heard over Entwistle. They both continued expanding and experimenting with their rigs, until they were both using twin stacks with new experimental prototype 200 watt amps, at a time when most bands used 50–100 watt amplifiers with single cabinets. The band had a strong influence at the time on their contemporaries' choice of equipment, with Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience both following suit. Although they pioneered and directly contributed to the development of the "classic" Marshall sound (at this point their equipment was being built/tweaked to their personal specifications), they would only use Marshall equipment for a couple of years. John Entwistle eventually switched to using a Sound City rig, with Pete Townshend following suit later as well. Pete Townshend points out that Jimi Hendrix, their new label mate, was influenced beyond just the band's volume. Both Entwistle and Townshend had begun experimenting with feedback from the amplifiers in the mid-1960s, and Hendrix did not begin destroying his instruments until after he had witnessed The Who's "auto-destructive art".

Entwistle backstage with The Who, 1967

John Entwistle's wry and sometimes dark sense of humour clashed at times with Pete Townshend's more introspective work. Though he continued to contribute material to all of The Who's albums, with the exception of Quadrophenia, he was frustrated by having to relinquish the position of vocalist to Roger Daltrey. As he said, "I got a couple (of songs) on per album but my problem was that I wanted to sing the songs and not let Roger sing them."[9] This was a large part of the reason [citation needed] that he became the first member of the band to release a solo record, Smash Your Head Against the Wall (1971) with help from Keith Moon, Jerry Shirley, Vivian Stanshall, Neil Innes amd The Who's Roadie Dave "Cyrano" Langston.

He was the only member of the band to have had formal musical training. In addition to bass guitar, he contributed backing vocals and performed on the French horn (heard on "Pictures of Lily"), trumpet, bugle, and jaw harp, and on some occasions lead vocalist on his compositions. He layered several horns to create the brass section as heard on songs such as "5:15", among others, while recording the Who's studio albums, and for concerts, arranged a horn section to perform with the band.

Entwistle playing at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto 1976 Photo: Jean-Luc Ourlin

John Entwistle also experimented throughout his career with "Bi-amping," where the high and low ends of the bass sound are sent through separate signal paths, allowing for more control over the output. At one point his rig became so loaded with speaker cabinets and processing gear that it was dubbed "Little Manhattan," in reference to the towering, skyscraper-like stacks, racks and blinking lights.

His "full treble, full volume" approach to his bass sound was originally supposed to be captured in the bass solo to "My Generation". According to John Entwistle, his original intention was to feature the distinctive Danelectro Longhorn bass, which had a very twangy sound, in the solo, but the strings kept breaking. Eventually, he recorded a simpler solo using a pick with a Fender Jazz Bass strung with LaBella tapewound strings. This solo bass break is important as it is one of the earliest bass solos (if not the first) captured on a rock record. A live recording of The Who exists from this period (c. 1965), with John Entwistle playing a Danelectro on "My Generation", giving an idea of what that solo would have sounded like.

Solo career

In 1971 he became the first member to release a solo album, Smash Your Head Against the Wall, which earned him a cult following in the US for fans of his brand of black humour. Other solo studio albums followed: Whistle Rymes (1972), Rigor Mortis Sets In (1973), Mad Dog (1975), Too Late the Hero (With Joe Walsh) (1981) and The Rock (1996). In 1974, he compiled Odds & Sods, a collection of unreleased Who material and, with The Who resting in 1975, went out on the road with his own band, Ox. He also fronted the John Entwistle Band on US club tours during the 1990s, and appeared with Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band in 1995. A talented artist, John Entwistle held exhibitions of his paintings, many of them featuring The Who, on a regular basis.[10]

Smash Your Head Against the Wall 1971

Untitled

Smash Your Head Against the Wall is the debut solo album by John Entwistle and the first by any member of The Who. The album was released on Track Records in the UK and Decca Records in the US. Its bizarre cover strangely resembles an Egyptian sarcophagus, but it is in fact John Entwistle wearing a death mask while looking through the chest X-ray of a lung cancer patient, a parody of anti-smoking advertisements of the era.

Whistle Rymes 1972

Untitled

Whistle Rymes is the second solo album by John Entwistle and has been described as "catchy, straightforward, pop-tinged rock with dark, often bitingly sarcastic lyrics."[11] It is regarded by many fans as his most successful solo output, and features work by a then lesser known Peter Frampton (who had recently split from Humble Pie) and Jimmy McCulloch who later joined Wings.

The album title is a play on how his last name was often misspelled.

It was the one of the first albums to feature the bass synthesizer.


Rigor Mortis Sets In 1973

Untitled

Rigor Mortis Sets In is the third solo album by John Entwistle. Co-produced with John Alcock, it consists of rock and roll classic covers, new versions of previous Entwistle songs, along with new tracks.

The album was recorded in less than three weeks, and cost about $14,000 to make (with nearly a third of the total cost spent on liquor).

The cover art for Rigor Mortis Sets In presents a grave for Rock & Roll with a tombstone that proclaims that it "didn't die, it just ran out of time."[12]

Mad Dog 1975

Untitled

Mad Dog is the fourth solo album by John Entwistle. It is often referred to by fans as "The Son of Rigor Mortis and has been described as "enjoyable in short bursts".[13]

The song "Cell Number 7" is about the The Who's arrest in Montreal in 1974.[14]

Too Late the Hero 1981

Untitled

Too Late the Hero is the fifth solo album by John Entwistle.

It was his only solo album of the 1980s and the last to chart. It reached number #71 on the US charts, which would later prove to be Entwistle's highest charting solo album release.[15]

The album features musicians Joe Walsh, Joe Vitale, and Billy Nicholls.

The Rock 1996

Untitled

The Rock is the sixth solo album by John Entwistle. This is the only solo album that John Entwistle did not sing on, vocals being performed instead by Canadian Henry Small. The album was originally recorded over an 18-month period at Entwistle's own Hammerhead Studios in England during 1985, and released as a private pressing by his label, WEA Records; however, it was not publicly released until 1996, 15 years after the poorly received Too Late the Hero.


Music from Van-Pires 2000

Untitled

Music From Van-Pires is a studio album recorded by the John Entwistle Band, in which Entwistle was joined by Godfrey Townsend on guitar and vocals, Alan St. Jon (Levi) on keyboards and vocals, and Steve Luongo on drums and vocals. It was a soundtrack for the computer animated children's television series "Van Pires", which aired over 13 episodes between 1997 and 1998, and which Entwistle had been involved with. The album was not officially released as a collection. Some of the tracks appear on his solo compilation album So Who's the Bass Player? The Ox Anthology, despite this.


The song Bogey Man was originally written by John Entwistle for The Who's 1978 album Who Are You, but was rejected by the band for being too humorous. A demo of the song was recorded by John Entwistle and Keith Moon but was largely forgotten, until Entwistle resorted to his old demos for material for the Van Pires soundtrack, to help him meet a contract that required him to write and record 13 new songs and a theme tune in three months. When the band's drummer, Steve Luongo, heard the demo, he recognised Keith Moon's drumming on the recording, and the band decided to record a new version of the song retaining Moon's original drum track.[16]

Late career

In 1990 he toured with The Best, a short-lived supergroup which included Keith Emerson, Joe Walsh, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Simon Phillips. Towards the end of his career, he formed "The John Entwistle Project" with longtime friend, drummer Steve Luongo, and guitarist Mark Hitt, both formerly of Rat Race Choir. This evolved into "The John Entwistle Band", with Godfrey Townsend replacing Mark Hitt on guitar and taking over lead vocals. In 1996, the band went on the "Left for Dead" tour with Alan St. Jon joining on keyboards. After Entwistle toured with The Who for Quadrophenia in 1996–97, the John Entwistle Band set off on the "Left for Dead – the Sequel" tour in late 1998, now with Gordon Cotten on keyboards. After this second venture, the band released an album of highlights from the tour, called Left for Live. In 1995 Entwistle also toured and recorded with Ringo Starr in one of the incarnations of Ringo's "All-Starr Band". This one also featured Billy Preston, Randy Bachman, and Mark Farner. In this ensemble, he played and sang "Boris the Spider" as his Who showpiece, along with "My Wife". Toward the end of his career he used a Status Graphite Buzzard Bass, which he designed. From 1999 to early 2002, he played as part of The Who. As a side project, he played bass in a country-rock album project of original songs called "The Pioneers", with Mickey Wynne on lead guitar, Ron Magness on rhythm guitar and keyboards, Roy Michaels, Andre Beeka on vocals and John Delgado playing drums. The album was released on Voiceprint Records. Shortly before his death, John Entwistle had agreed to play some US dates with the band including Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, following his final upcoming tour with The Who.

In 2001 he played in Alan Parsons' Beatles tribute show "A Walk Down Abbey Road". The show also featured Ann Wilson of Heart, Todd Rundgren, David Pack of Ambrosia, Godfrey Townsend, Steve Luongo, and John Beck. Between that tour and his prior tour with Ringo Starr, John Entwistle joked that he had played "Yellow Submarine" more often than Paul McCartney. That year he also played with The Who at The Concert for New York City. He also joined forces again with "The John Entwistle Band" for an 8-gig tour. This time Chris Clark played keyboards. In January – February 2002 John Entwistle played his last concerts with The Who in a handful of dates in England, the last being on 8 February at London's Royal Albert Hall. In late 2002, an expanded 2-CD Left for Live Deluxe was released, highlighting the John Entwistle Band performances.

Death

John Entwistle died in hotel room 658 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on 27 June 2002 one day before the scheduled first show of The Who's 2002 US tour. He had gone to bed that night with a stripper/groupie, Alycen Rowse, who woke at 10:00 am to find John Entwistle cold and unresponsive. The Clark County medical examiner determined that death was due to a heart attack induced by cocaine.[17] His funeral was held at St Edward's Church in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England, on 10 July 2002. He was cremated and his ashes were buried privately. A memorial service was held on 24 October at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London. Entwistle's enormous collection of guitars and basses was auctioned at Sotheby's in London by his son, Christopher, to meet anticipated duties on his father's estate.

On Pete Townshend's website, Townshend and Roger Daltrey published a tribute saying:

"The Ox has left the building – we've lost another great friend. Thanks for your support and love. Pete and Roger"[18]

His mansion in Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds and a number of his personal effects were later sold off to meet the demands of the Inland Revenue; ironically, John Entwistle worked for the agency in 1962–63 as a Tax Officer before being demoted to filing clerk, prior to joining The Who.

One aspect of John Entwistle's life emerged after his death that came as a surprise even to those closest to him, including the members of The Who. "It wasn't until the day of his funeral that I discovered that he'd spent most of his life as a freemason", said Pete Townshend.[19]

John Entwistle once said:

"I guess i would like to be remembered... As er... Someone who helped change the Ba er The Bass Guitar, And be probably the only Bass Guitarist that hasn't been copyable."[6]

Welsh-born bassist Pino Palladino, who had previously played on several of Pete Townshend's solo records, took over for John Entwistle on stage when The Who resumed their postponed US tour on 1 July 2002.[20] Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey spoke at length about their reaction to John Entwistle's death. Some of their comments can be found on The Who Live in Boston DVD. On the opening night of their Vapor Trails tour, which began in Hartford, Connecticut on 28 June 2002 (the night after Entwistle's death), Geddy Lee of Rush dedicated the band's performance of the song "Between Sun and Moon" to John Entwistle .[citation needed]

Oasis played a version of "My Generation" during their set at T in the Park on Saturday 13 July 2002 as a tribute to John Entwistle.

Technique

Entwistle at the Manchester Apollo with The Who in a 1981 performance

John Entwistle's playing technique incorporated fingers, plectrum, tapping, and the use of [[harmonics]. He would change his style between songs and even during songs to alter the sound he produced. His fingering technique involved pressing down on the string hard and releasing it in order to produce a trebly, twangy sound. Note, however, that he would change his thumb position from pick-up to the E string and occasionally even positioning his thumb near the pick-up. His plectrum technique involved holding the plectrum between his thumb and forefinger, with the rest of his fingers outstretched for balance.

John Entwistle's playing style was rarely captured well in the studio. He was better heard in concert, where he and Pete Townshend frequently exchanged roles, with Entwistle providing rapid melodic lines and Townshend anchoring the song with rhythmic chord work. Indeed, Pete Townshend noted that Entwistle provided the rhythmic timekeeping in the band, fulfilling the role of the drummer. (Keith Moon), on the other hand, with all his flourishes around the kit, was more like a keyboard player. In 1989, John Entwistle pointed out that, according to modern standards, "The Who haven't got a proper bass player."[21]

John Entwistle also developed what he called a "typewriter" approach to playing the bass. It involved positioning his right hand over the strings so all four fingers could be used to tap percussively on the strings, causing them to strike the fretboard with a distinctive twangy sound. This gave him the ability to play three or four strings at once, or to use several fingers on a single string. It allowed him to create passages that were both percussive and melodic.

This method is unique and should not be confused with the hammer-on tapping techniques of Eddie Van Halen and Stu Hamm, or the slapping technique of Larry Graham, and in fact pre-dates these other techniques. However, modern players such as Ryan Martinie use similar techniques. A demonstration of this approach to bass playing can be seen on a video called John Entwistle – Master Class, part of Arlen Roth's Hot Licks instructional series, as well as Mike Gordon's film, Rising Low, where Entwistle can be seen frequently using his fore, middle, and ring fingers of his right hand when playing. This allowed him to create "clusters of notes" in his bass lines, as well as play triplets with relative simplicity. Notable in his left-hand technique was his use of slides, positioning his left hand for octaves, and his use of the pentatonic when playing with The Who.

While Pete Townshend emerged as The Who’s songwriter-in-chief, John Entwistle began making distinctive contributions to The Who’s catalogue, beginning with "Whiskey Man" and "Boris The Spider" on the A Quick One album in 1966, continuing with "Doctor, Doctor" and "Someone’s Coming" (1967), "Silas Stingy" from 1967′s The Who Sell Out, "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" (1968), "Heaven And Hell" with which The Who opened their formidable live shows between 1968 and 1970. John Entwistle wrote "Cousin Kevin" and "Fiddle About" for The Who’s 1969 album Tommy because Pete Townshend specifically requested John Entwistle to write 'Nasty songs' that he felt uncomfortable with. "My Wife", John Entwistle’s hilarious rocker about marital strife from 1971′s Who's Next, also became a popular stage number. He also wrote "Success Story" for The Who By Numbers which he also drew the cover for, Had Enough, 905, and Trick of the Light for their last album with Keith Moon, The Quiet One and You for Face Dances, he also wrote Dangerous and One at a Time for his final album with The Who It's Hard [22]

Artistic Background

Between 1996 and 2002 John Entwistle attended dozens of art openings in his honor. Always gracious, he took the time to chat with each collector, personalizing their art with a quote and a sketch of “Boris”. In the spring of 2002 John Entwistle finished what would be his last drawing. “Eyes Wide Shut” represented a new style for Entwistle. Featuring Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, John Entwistle’s style had evolved from simple line drawings and caricatures to a more lifelike representation of his subjects. He was more confident and relaxed with his art and ready to share that with his collectors.[23]

John Entwistle wrote this on one of his pictures

“Now…! I’m still the Bass Guitarist. If you’re reading this Bio at a show – don’t forget to wave – I’m the one on the left. If you’re reading this at an Art Show – Help support a starving Artist BUY SOMETHING! “[24]

Influence

John Entwistle identified his influences as a combination of his school training on French horn, trumpet, and piano (giving his fingers strength and dexterity). Musicians who influenced him included rock & roll guitarists Duane Eddy and Gene Vincent, and American soul and R&B bassists such as James Jamerson.[25] In turn, Entwistle has been a massive influence on the playing styles and sounds used by generations of bass players that have followed him, including Geezer Butler,[26] Steve Harris, Matt Freeman, Krist Novoselic, Ian Hill, Geddy Lee,[27] Billy Sheehan,[28] Victor Wooten,[29] Tom Petersson,[30] Sam Rivers, and Chris Squire.[31] Entwistle continues to top 'best ever bass player' polls in musicians magazines. In 2000, Guitar magazine named him "Bassist of the Millennium" in a readers' poll.[32] J. D. Considine ranked Entwistle #9 on his list of "Top 50 Bass Players".[33] He was named the second best bassist on Creem Magazine's 1974 Reader Poll Results.[34] In 2011, a Rolling Stone reader poll selected him as the #1 bassist of all time.[4]

Equipment

See also: The Who's musical equipment

This is a list of Entwistle's amps and guitars in chronological order of which he used them:

  • Fender Precision Bass (sunburst, refinished to white in 1965)
  • Fender Precision Bass (slab body) in Olympic White, with maple neck
  • Fender Precision Bass Sunburst with rosewood fretboard and tortise shell pickguard
  • Fender Precision Bass with rosewood fingerboard (black)
  • Fender Jazz Bass (sunburst)
  • Fender Bass VI
  • Fender "Explorer-Bird" (studio only)
  • "Frankenstein" Fender Precision Bass with maple neck (made from several different Fender basses, and Entwistle's main stage and studio bass from 1967–71)
  • Custom "Axe" Jazz bass – seen using one with a thunderbird neck in Tommy
  • "Fenderbird" basses (consisted of Gibson Thunderbird bodies (mostly "non-reverse" styles) and maple Fender Precision bass necks)
  • Gibson EB-2 semi-acoustic bass (natural)
  • Gibson EB-3 bass
  • Gibson Thunderbird IV bass (both "Reverse" and "Non-Reverse"-styles)
  • Mosrite Ventures bass
  • Danelectro long-horn bass
  • Rickenbacker 4001S bass
  • Rickenbacker 4005 hollow body bass
  • Rickenbacker 4005LS "Lightshow" hollow body bass
  • Rickenbacker 4001 prototype 8-string bass (white)
  • Gretsch 6070 hollow body bass
  • Vox Cougar Sidewinder IV V272 bass in a burgundy-grain finish
  • Vox Violin bass
  • Alembic Series I basses
  • Alembic Series I Exploiter basses, 4 and 8-string
  • Alembic Spyder bass
  • Custom-made "Spider" bass
  • Custom Peter Cook "Lightning Bolt" bass
  • Modulus Buzzard graphite bass (with Warwick body, green)
  • Warwick custom Buzzard JE
  • Status Graphite JE Buzzard bass

Discography

Main article: John Entwistle discography

See also

References

  1. ^ infoplease.com
  2. ^ johnentwistle.com Bassist of the Millennium
  3. ^ The Who Websitehttp://www.thewho.com/history/john-entwistle/
  4. ^ a b Rolling Stone
  5. ^ http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/john-entwistle.html
  6. ^ a b c d http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YN6JzFLhI4
  7. ^ Taxhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1213203.stm
  8. ^ Movinandmarryinhttp://www.thewho.com/history/john-entwistle/
  9. ^ Rogerhttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_entwistle.html
  10. ^ Solocareerhttp://www.thewho.com/history/john-entwistle/
  11. ^ SarcRefhttp://www.allmusic.com/album/whistle-rymes-mw0000019808
  12. ^ R&Rneverdiedhttp://www.allmusic.com/album/rigor-mortis-sets-in-mw0000019803
  13. ^ Burstshttp://www.allmusic.com/album/mad-dog-mw0000020376
  14. ^ Arresthttp://www.allmusic.com/album/mad-dog-mw0000020376
  15. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Entwistle_discography
  16. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M98Lgnne9o0
  17. ^ Martin Hickman, Stripper found John Entwistle dead after a Heart Attack triggered by cocaine, The Independent, 12 December 2002, Accessed 6 February 2009.
  18. ^ LoveP&Dhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1213203.stm
  19. ^ Caesar Caruana (10 November 2011). "Quadrophenia was nearly "the end", says Pete Townshend". MusicRadar.com. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  20. ^ Official Band Gigography webpage
  21. ^ Guitar Player's Chris Jisi in 1989
  22. ^ TheWebPlusMorehttp://www.thewho.com/history/john-entwistle/
  23. ^ Artyfartyhttp://www.thewho.com/history/john-entwistle/
  24. ^ BuySommathttp://www.thewho.com/history/john-entwistle/
  25. ^ Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The James Jamerson Story
  26. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p61332 Geezer Butler: AllMusic Biography
  27. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p97364 Geddy Lee: AllMusic Biography
  28. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p26954 Billy Sheehan: AllMusic Biography
  29. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p139737 Victon Wooten: AllMusic Biography
  30. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p220712 Tom Petersson: AllMusic Biography
  31. ^ Soocher, Stan: "Squire's bass fire", Circus Weekly, 13 March 1979, 33.
  32. ^ Guitar – Bassist of the Millennium
  33. ^ J.D. Considine Picks the Top 50 Bass Players
  34. ^ "1974 Reader poll results". Creem. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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