Power Station :John Taylor and Bernard Edwards

[pawnsacrifice1]

Anyone who says JT can't play bass is talking out of their arse. Bernard Edwards was of course an all time legend of bass playing

[Zakariah1971]

I knew it! Lilly white John Taylor did not write those funky bass lines like Rio! Black man did!

[djalsurdi67]

@Zakariah1971 lmao, you really are one ignorant brother!

[balinesa]

Divine

[themanfromutopia1]

John Taylor should be known as a bass guitar owner,cos he aint no player thats for sure.

[mattews91]

Proving again that fingers > picks in bass.

[RGGMtyMx]

Simon LeBon would say...."Play the f___ing bass John!!!"

[jtellez2]

Having seen Duran/Duran live a few times,John Taylor is a excellent bassist. His bass playing in "Planet Earth" and "Rio" were outstanding when I saw them.

[nitedrive]

I love how Bernard says, "that....will work"

[ericcraig5150]

on , so John didnt do the solo? interesting

[MrAmadaeus]

@qkyqky Thought BE used Musicman Stingray. Hope this helps

[afrosensuous]

Keep in mind that the drummer for PS (Tony Thompson) was the orignal drummer for Chic.

[poobomb]

@qkyqky you are close... that would be a G&L L-1000 - originally designed by Leo Fender himself...

[kolokidi]

i knew it!!!!! when this song came out in the 80's i thought "hmm, sounds like bernard edwards on bass" bet ya he recorded the whole album and little duran duran just faked it!!!

[NYCPaint]

I had the honor of being in the very last band he was producing. We were called Paint and were tracking in studio A at the Power Station with him. The album was never completed because of his untimely death. Working with Bernard is something that I will hold close to my heart forever.

[johnnybrannan]

The Power Station is a great group and is underrated in the history of rock/funk/pop music. thanks for posting this behind-the-scenes clip!

[Anon4this1]

@ALL - did you REALLY think there weren't studio musicians involved with PS?!

[Msliberaldem]

I met Benard in Biloxi, Ms in 1975/76.He went to NY to cut his first album and I went to Greece. The last thing I said to him was- I KNOW U WILL MAKE IT BIG. Not only was his music great but HE THE PERSON WAS GREATER THAN HIS MUSIC .R.I.P. ur friend FRENCHY

[plejarenway]

@Msliberaldem ive made a highlight video of his bass riffs as a tribute maybe you can tell me what you think

[Emakio000]

Bernard Edwards its inimitable!

[madisonRTbond]

bernard is da man!!!!!!!!

[sprintbass]

when i look at this...its obvious to me that JT is having a hard time tracking him. and when you hear that break is played exactly by BE.... I love JT and what he did for DD and i actually have an aria sb 1000 but as time has gone on and i got into bands like japan and so on DD really went down in my book..and all these people who want to argue thiswell unless your deaf and blind how can you argue? i mean look at rhodes look at sylvain? DD were very lucky, even carried at times, prove me wrrong?

[smooro]

Que se jodan, Taylor es muy buen bajista. No por nada estaría al lado de esa leyenda y además al tipo le han dado varias veces crédito por su trabajo.

[mrsjtay1975]

@smooro , toda la Razón,es puro Talento en el Bajo. que lindo verlos Juntos. JT y su maestro.

[heksje69]

Gosh, John must have been so honourd to play with THE man who got him to play bass in the first place.

Bernard Edwards you rule! Truly the most funky bassplayer that ever lived...may you rest in peace and keep JT inspired!!

[queenmagic1982]

RIP BERNARDS EDWARDS LOVE POWER STATION

[mrlee192]

how the hell do they come up with all these original and rockin basslines? I just dont know how the fuck to do it without it sounding like someone elses line!

[eyeballboob]

Yes! This rawks so hard!

[cabaddude]

i think i heard him call John Taylor "Jason." lol.

[maxixe]

@cabaddude Jason was the second engineer ... he was asking if he is ready to roll the tape.

[NineTails20]

@cabaddude Bernard was talking to the engineer, telling him to roll the tape. And that tidbit was brought to you by Mr. Nile Rogers himself. :D

[Silvioigor]

Good good.

I am from Brazil.

[mrsjtay1975]

ayy!! de lujo xd!!

[palmshb]

I was so privaleged to see PS in the early 80's in Denver at RR. And even more cool was seeing Robert P, Andy Taylor, and  John Talor all together.

[purplelynn35]

After all these years, I'd still like to be the gutiar on John Taylor's hip!

[boongg]

JT is not at the same class as Edwards but he is no slouch at the bass. Most DD songs have very catchy bass lines and are driven by JT's bass.

[boongg]

Notice that Bernard uses his thumb and index finger as a pick!

[kmichelle001]

What does that mean. Is it easier to play?

[LiberationArmy]

That's it's a technique called SLAP

[mtaffonso]

Bernard Edwards rules ! He is THE MASTER !!!! G&L L-1000 ... Great bass

[kax61]

On the right you witness a professional bass player....on the left you see a nitwitt who's only pretending to be a bass player.

[scootermojo]

dude, that was one of the funniest fucking sentences i've ever read in my life!!!!! HA HA!!!!!

[fenderrlee]

you are a first class MORON

[olgarikka]

john taylor knows how to rock!!!

[NelsonMuntzPhoto]

2 of the best bass players !!!

[waveterm]

That´s a shitload of filters in the background. Lang ? Pultec ?

[Whitchy67]

wat een heerlijke vette sound

[Sproutsaint]

the two reasons I learnt bass

[sarnedhiel]

me too ... :-)))

[dmgcat]

Well Jesus! No wonder John Taylor is hailed as a great bassist...all this time he's been tutored by Bernard Edwards of CHIC?! Pfff...

[DMCpro6944]

Bernard Edward is the genius and teacher for John Taylor!!!

[squireman72]

Listen to RIO, it is all JT. He is playing his WAL, and the tone and techique are just MASSIVE! Don't let the pretty boy image fool you.

[forkhead]

Wal, or Aria Pro II? Regardless, he was probably dying to be this close to his idol.

[Wefunkyou]

Aria Pro II. Solid bass. Great lutherie.

[megavega4]

According to a interview with JT... Rio is his Aria... he didn't get a Wal till later on. The Aria was his main bass up till the Power Station when he switched to his Kubicki Factor 4

[maxixe]

@squireman72 JT never played a fuckin Wal. Rio is the SB 1000. JT stated on the record his total dislike and disappointment when he first tried a Wal.

[sprintbass]

@maxixe i actually own an aria pro II sb 1000 and i own a musicman sterling and a musicman stingray fretless..when i look at BE's bass it has a precision neck and a stinngray body...or it could just be a wal..I know he played stingrays and a mokingbird bass..JT played aria up till 85 you can see him on SNL playing a factor bass, and he played a factor on bigthing..that bass is 10 miles away from in in the rocking roll hall of fame in cleveland..nick beggs played wal and MM bass's to..

[Tracymmo]

@sprintbass His Aria is in the Rock Hall? I haven't been there in a while but I don't remember it. Nice.

[sprintbass]

@Tracymmo ive got an aria sb 1000 JT edition sitting behind me...the bass that i know is in the rock hall is a kubiki FACTOR BASS..its the one that was painted like the cover of thier (big thing album)..took me years to get the aria..Wal bass's are superb..i know mick karn from japan used them and nick beggs from kjagoogoo used them but they are some of the mpost expensive bass's made..ive played for 25 years and thats one bass i never came across or touched..but i do live in usa.

[Tracymmo]

@sprintbass I'm not a musician, but I love JT's work (and BE's of course). I enjoy videos like this one, which give me a bit of insight into how things work. I remember John saying in an interview long ago that Bernard Edwards pushed him hard, or words to that effect, which he appreciated. Anyhow, I'm working on a job application for the Rock Hall, so maybe this will give me a little extra energy for it tonight!

[47fns]

@squireman72 you meant his Aria SB1000, right? He did not like his Wal.

[henny320]

@squireman72 JT recorded Rio with his Aria SB-1000 bass, not a Wal... John Taylor never liked Wal basses.

[PjRjHj]

@henny320 This, I don't know how JT didn't like the Wal's. What other basses have a bigger mid range bite, could have been an ergonomics thing. I'd have loved to have heard Bernard on a Wal though, would have ripped faces off.

[pawnsacrifice1]

@henny320 Mick Karn played WAL's...you are correct JT played Aria's

[temptmyfaith]

Ok , for ALL of you who didnt know, bernard cut the original tracks on the first PS album w/tony, the john overdubbed the tracks. Duran loved Chic! And john and the rest of Duran particularily warren c i=are all badass musicians who happen to be able to write 5 min pop hits like it was burger king sooo good it's sick. Do the homework

[pfunkky]

John Taylor started playing the bass because of Bernard Edwards! He even mentions this in a TV interview. G-MAG

[houseofthuan]

Holy sh*t! So did Bernard Edwards write that bass line on PS's "Some Like It Hot"? I know JT can pull it off, but it never occurred to me that the "funky break" in the studio recording was written AND performed by Mr. Edwards. Are they actually recording the bass solo in this video? Looks like they're overlapping two bass riffs here. Sweet! Thanks for the post.

[newyorktucker]

No...

According to Andy Taylor (in his recently released book, WILD BOYS) they had the basic arrangement for "Some Like It Hot" completed before they even knew there would be a Power Station, much less... work with Bernard.

John is one of the greats as well.

He might've lost his way for a year or two when he discovered cocaine but, he was monster before coke, and he's a monster now.

[garbeaj]

@houseofthuan This is "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" not "Some Like It Hot"...

[GeorgeJuisce]

@houseofthuan Bernard wrote much of the complex bass and played it. final

[garbeaj]

@houseofthuan This is obviously proven to be true by this video for the sessions for "Bang A Gong (Get It On)", which is what I think you meant to say...rather than "Some Like It Hot", a song which has no "funky break" for the bass...John is a good bass player, better now than he was then even. But it is Bernard Edwards who wrote and played the bass solo on The Power Station's hit cover of T. Rex's "Bang A Gong (Get It On)"...

[Roger8176]

I've heard John get slagged for this, but from my understanding John isn't really a slap player and that part added something special to the song. Don't think that John still doesn't kick ass on bass.

[CusterFlux]

Don't be too disillusioned kids, they're gunslingers trading riffs: sure Bernard is doing the main bass solo thing, but John is doing the semi-scat picking groove that weaves so well with Tony's drums and creates anticipation for Andy's solo: they where likely recorded at the same time, Andy simply learned 'Nards part later ...

Love that 80's SSL console!

[DMCpro6944]

this is where John got his lessons from ;a genius called Bernard Edwards!!!

[theleafs]

What is this footage from? Does anyone have any more of it?

[alexandernevermind]

This is a half hour special MTV did of the power station in germany.I recorded this back in the mid eighties on vhs.I did see at one time this special on the power station import cd.

[theleafs]

Thanks for the reply! You wouldn't happen to still have that tape, now would you?

[geobruf123]

john taylor doesnt really play here. I like him but I heard bernard edwards had played rio because taylor couldnt do it!

[WouterJ]

Not true, just check the live versions of that song, Taylor is more than able to play it.

[tyrrath]

Ridiculous. John wrote and performed all of his lines in Duran Duran. As far as I know, this bit in Bang a Gong was the only segment that Bernard performed solo - and if you watch the footage of Live Aid, you can see that John plays the same bit very well in concert. Bernard Edwards would not have wasted his time and energy on someone whose talent he didn't believe in.

[geobruf123]

well I heard that from a guy who used to be friends with nile rodgers in the 90's. he told me edwards played rio on the CD but wasnt credited. edwards saw the money, and was transfixed my the mullet. thats why he coached taylor

[megavega4]

OK.. Hold up. Rio was recorded WAY before Duran got with either Nile OR Bernard. JT absolutely played Rio.. there's even a transcription of it in Bass Player Magazine...

[musicalglenn]

well thats an illusion turned to disallusionment....always thought that was john taylor doing it...but who better than bernard edwards? the man produced a view to a kill too...pure class...pure musicianship

[antblue363]

Alot of talent right here.Thanks Mr. EDWARD for the great music,rest in peace.

[badassbasscat]

Bernard Edward is the funkiest motherfucker aliv.. eh.. dead. RIP Bernard

[udopampel]

So how does Guy Pratt figure into all this then?

[dollstar76]

I'm not saying it's a competition here but John Taylor did flounce when the OH who is not a bass player by trade (pianist/singer songwriter/studio manager) whooped his ass on bass!

[GhenghisKen]

Anyone know what type of bass BE is playing. Looks like a Fender Jazz, or copy of...I'd like to know.

[nemrac76]

Nile Rodgers once said that BE used a MusicMan bass and never bothered to change the original strings.

[newyorktucker]

Either Nile or Bernard actually gave Bernard's bass to JT.

Legend has it that it still had the same strings that recorded all the Sister Sledge stuff. Then, without knowing the sacredness of the instrument... JT's bass tech changed the strings and made some adjustments to it.

I think Bernie's bass is part of JT's live rig now.

[WouterJ]

It's a G&L bass. Similar to a Musicman

[amr0306]

It's a G&L L-1000 bass. A Leo Fender design, post Fender and Music Man.

[neonjunglejumper]

hey it is a G & L well done, to be honest i didnt think they came out till the 90's, great sound sort of between a stingray & fender jazz

[fishfan67]

it doesn't look like a G&L neck though. isn't the head on a G&L very curvy with more cuts then the fender bass?

[bassfeile]

These basses made short after the "original" musicman period by Mr. Leo Fender . The L 1000 Bass was the first new bassmodell under the name G&L. It cames out in 1980. The headstocks looks that way until the late mideighties...

[bassfeile]

It is ! I own one of this old beauties from1980. This here is a G&L L-1000 bass in custom colour. L-1000 was only passive mode electronics with one Humbucker and there was only sunburst and natural colours to order.

[GhenghisKen]

I think you are selling JT short if you don't think that as a musician he did the right thing and took advantage of a chance to study with a master. True talent wants to share, teach, and learn...like these two in this vid. No bullshit, just music.

[teaFFFFf]

I love both these guys. Funky as fuck, some of the best basslines I've ever heard.

[medbad5150]

I love the way BE leaves the hard bit for John Taylor to play...quality song

[zaksnaporaz]

this is a gem !! thank you for posting this diamond. Bernard Edwards is one of my bass heroes. And John Taylor is truly underrated, but soo funky too... oh thank you !!!

[megavega4]

Come on folks.. we all KNOW the Bernard was the man.. a legend. But there was no competition between the two. John Taylor is actually a VERY underrated funky player. That was simply a very special teacher/student moment. I always suspected that there were 2 bass tracks on that song. It's too damn funky for one. But don't create a competition vibe where one never existed. I actually got to talk to Bernard about that album, and he had nothing but praise for JT.

[dollstar76]

Bernard Edwards is a legend. RIP. Actually the OH (won't name him) once whooped JT's ass at playing bass!

[GrievanceStriker]

dammit, was bernard doing the notes to the guitar part near the end?

[maxixe]

jeeeeesus anymore of this footage???!!!!!

[grillman7170]

BE owns JT

[museumoftechno]

Very patient with the mulleted twat though, isn't he. Considering.

[boomfield]

plugin the fuck out. Man, Bernard Edwards was one of the three best players on the feekin globe. And a good sportsman too. As you had finally seen. That guy was a friggin GENT in the buiz. A friggin GENT. RIP Bernard Edwards.

[am2112rush]

You are 100% right. Benard had a gift.

[nivlek44]

THe late great Bernard E