Rush's "Farewell to Kings" on bass - LRRG

[Geddylee405]

how do you get your monster tone amps? effects

[vtx1300dave]

Sounds great, man. I love the energy in the heavy parts and great recording balance. I'd give you 3 thumbs up but I only have 2.

[TheGrayRevolution]

we miss you rob.

[ROCKnROLL1406]

good job...Farewell is my fav Rush album

[hitopsful]

holy sh!t dude ur an awesome player! this is obvious but i love the bass and u are just rocking out man i love it

[RORYzRIGHT]

Sounds out to me!

[RushTabConner]

Great job. I like how you jam your way through the song. You have to have enough confidence to know the song "as is" in order to be able to pull off the improvising, which is the kind of stuff Geddy would do when playing it live.

[katjill52301]

This gent certainly did his best to keep these great songs alive by uploading them here.Thanks to his family for allowing them to stay here.God Bless:)

[rasberrysauce]

ARCH ENEMY SHIRT! *BOWS DOWN*

RIP Rob, we miss you. :(

[sbrushfan]

@rasberrysauce I was gonna say that too! The Arch Enemy shirt RAWKS!!! Well played!

[TheJacksfilms]

DUDE I LOVE UR RICK its awesome and dude nice video i love rush but dude u should totally try beatles music as well idk if u already did but dude the way u play bass u deserve to play beatles music nice work bro loved it

[noodwow]

He's slappin' his bass!!!

[edguyrocks]

That Rickenbacker sounds killer!

[SWG89]

I have to ask, what kind of stings and what gauge do you use on your Rick? It sounds absolutely beautiful!

[bassgomes]

Sort of... I have the money but not the talent yet.

[digitalman87]

I have never seen a bassist on American Idol BlueTunisia. However, if you were on that show zodiak you would definitely win it, you rock!

[TorqueTheRich]

Very awesome rendition of this tune man!!! 10 Stars!!! Farewell To Kings was the 1st Rush album that I listened to all the way through when it was released. That's when I learned that "Rush" was an appropriate name for the band. I too find myself wanting a Rick bass. The sound is so unique. Hey, check out my videos if you get a few minutes. Again, terrific job on that tune!!!!

[fcrim]

Always enjoy your Rush bass jams. Keep it up!

[SubaUba]

@fcrim He really cant keep it up, the man passed away in christmas. It was such a sad event, he was an inspiration for me, thousands of other bassists and any musician i could imagine. RIP Rob

[Schizophaith]

Blue, I've been a drummer for 21 years, I learned how to count when I was young and then everything became about feeling. Quite frankly, counting is boring and sucks the soul out of music. I rather enjoyed this video, good energy, tone, and feeling, so what he missed a few things, music is supposed to be fun, if you're just memorizing and counting then your an american idol contestant. Also, there is no such thing as an "off time signature" time is time. You mean odd time.

[davehartllc]

You are obviously a true musician! And not counting doesn't mean shit. I can count and play in 4/4, 7/8 whatever, but I play by ear! Unless your a studio musician thats all you need. Since this video is a few years old you probably have the song perfect by now, aside from the wrong notes in the beginning I noticed notes at 5:13 and 5:14. It's all good though, you improvised pretty damn good which is exciting to see as a bass player, since most bass players don't seem to do that!

[harrycrowemusic1]

WOOOW......I'm speechless!

[alanboro]

arch enemy?

[ElevenDestinys]

Dude, I bow before you and raise to you my goblet of rock. Seriously, that was effing awesome, GREAT JOB!

[BrutalBlood72]

dude, you must have been born with a bass in hand

[Cash2112]

Holy crap, you're channeling Ged himself! 5 Stars!

[GHman64]

lucky bastard you gotta a rickenbacker

[Syrinx56]

Wow your amazing! you're the next Geddy Lee

[ArthurBoz]

oh my god what was that!

[Rago2112]

were all those out of tune notes in the beginning on purpose??? made me cringe a little, nontheless pretty good cover

[jevuliss]

0:44 / 0:45 there's something strange.. maybe tuning? nice video anyway (i love ur bass!)

[NAHXANADUTOM]

Has Geedy seen you play? If something was to happen to him. Rush should hire you!

[Vaughnrush]

Hey, is that a 4001 or 4003? Pretty good playing overall though. 5/5

[supercool126]

4001

[HipHopRockGeneration]

when was the last time you answered rush freak!!! i seen them when they were a bar abnd in cochrane, ont.

[HipHopRockGeneration]

i thought that clioser tothe heart was nex i seen rush as a kid in cochrane , ont. so nold school

[borgesbacobass]

Man, you're the real Geddy Lee's cover. You right hand position it's totally his! Great sound though.

[phlip5150]

Great playing brother!! Don't listen to

BlueTunisia, he's an idiot!!

[lordmacrae]

Fuckin Jammed it man!

[twingats16]

WOW great job ..Hard to to play..nice bass also...TY for sharing

[TheNewWorldMan69]

that is a sick bass guitar.

[NR92CP]

You know I love the way you play and your tone dude, but there were quite a few times in the intro where you were about a half step off, and I couldn't help but cringe.

[Maeglin13]

Dude, your version slays. You bring an Entwistle rawness to the original line and I totally wish the studio version were a bit ballsier now.

[jcamp2112]

Dude, Monster tone on this one. Did i mention I love your Rick????

[zodiakironfist]

Why yes you have, a number of times...lol. You've got the Rick bug bad. The Rick was really the only bass I wanted to play after I came off of my starter bass. I am glad I made the investment, and that was 20 years ago or so.....cost me $450. It gets great tone on rock tunes, but falls short when it comes to slapping. It taps well, though. I played it almost exclusively up to a couple of years ago.

[BlueTunisia]

lol Very good!

You really "freak out" during the off time signature parts! lol Are you having trouble or trying to let everyone know it's difficult to count it?? lol

[zodiakironfist]

Believe it or not, I am not "counting" it, but feeling it. The movements are part and parcel to feeling it. I know I look like a spaz, but without my spazzines, I am afraid I have terrible rhythm. Watching me play is like watching sausage being made.

[BlueTunisia]

A true musician needs to know how to count.

Or you'll just be memorizing everything in life. Nothing more than an American Idol contestant.

[zodiakironfist]

So is the implication now that I am not a musician? And American Idol contestant?....those are fighting words.

You think counting is non-memorization and feeling is memorization?

Your comment makes no sense at all. Unless you are going to prove what a great musician you are to launch such a bullshit criticism, stick to your economics, pencil-neck.

[SuperiorSwagon1]

@BlueTunisia So, are you saying Jimi Hendrix wasn't a musician? He played everything by memory and feel...don't be such a pretentious douche.

[phlip5150]

Hey prick why don't you stop trying to pick fights. Eddie Van Halen says that his big weakness is not being a good counter so I guess he's just an American Idol contestant? Fucking moron....

[NR92CP]

Such a killer tone man. Is that with both pickups all the way up?

[salinger86]

Great tune and a great rendition. I love the power in your attack.

[pcorbs88]

excellent but u dont play it how geddy does i like alot though. good job

[santyrush]

3:25 to 4:20 los pelos de punta,el bajo genial......excelente,lo mejor de lo mejor...

[pancakekiller91]

The title track to this album has the unfortunate job of being the song right before Xanadu, and because of it, many of my friends would just fast-forward past this tune. Idiots.

HAHA!

[iloverush123]

What color is that Ric?

[mikie7227]

what do u think? lol

[supercool126]

probably Burgundyglo or red

[Edenbridge]

Monster tone ya got there, pal. I like how you improvise through the tune like Geddy would do it live, not playing the exact studio line.

[pianobass]

that way i can get a more versatile instrument than a jazz bass or a rick. it not that i dont like them, its just they come with outrageous price tags for what they do. so ill save alot of money by having a bass that can do both and more. at first i thought about using jazz bass pickups, but ricks use guitar pickups, so i figured id try to emulate that factor, plus the bass will sound different than the typical jazz bass so thats great. ill shield it very well as they will be single coils.

[pianobass]

im prolly gonna make a bass with a maple body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, bolt on neck, 3 vintage-wound stratocaster pickups (cuz RIC toasters are had to find and are way too expensive). have a 5 way switch and position the pickups to where i can get Rickenbacker and Jazz Bass tones, and prolly put a series/parallel switch on it, to get some phatter sounds if i want them. and of course a control bypass switch to brighten up the bass if i want to (although i think its bright enough already.)

[fanofthemusic1090]

dude, U GOTTA DO XANADU

[zodiakironfist]

Isn't Xanadu longer than ten minutes? I did Cygnus X-1, though.

[apassageto2112]

yup

[MeowKernel]

pity the video's out of sync. good job dude.

[barnysart]

Oh! started slowly then triggered the first and gave stick! fantastic!

[fanofthemusic1090]

yeah, do yyz.

[Brmlk]

This is great. Please do a YYZ cover next!

[jpj666]

wat an amazing sound from the ric! i play with the same style of plucking, the typewriter style like entwistle does with the hard playing of geddy, my jazz bass gets sorta the same tone, but the low end on that with the overdrive bite to it cannot be matched

[zodiakironfist]

Thank you very much. You know, that is probably the fifth or sixth time that my style has been compared to Entwistle. I really should study him in more detail.

[robsterino]

simply fierce, -fist! True fanatical worship of the Gedmeister!!

[nemesisteufel]

is this your own vertion or you taked from a live performance?

however.. I love this vertion and you and your rick are great!

[zodiakironfist]

It's my version. I am a notorious rules-breaker.

[MillionthUsername]

You definitely got the Ric tone from the album there when you start playing heavy. I had a circa '81 4003 and I couldn't quite get that tone back then. But I had a cheap crate amp at the time. My Ric (or my playing of it) was always a bit too trebly.

Another great Rush song. Good job.

[zodiakironfist]

The 4001 that I have is from the same year as Geddy's (1974), so the tone confluence is accidental on my part....I really think that Ricks differ a bit tone-wise from year to year.

[25liberty]

I have just realized somethin...Friggin Ric's are my favorite Basses...Been play guitar for 30 yrs!!!

[r1rjr]

another great job dude ,, cool ,,,

[serpentmdma]

hahahaha...now that you say that..i thaugh you where my age 20 something.....

[serpentmdma]

is that a new rickenbacker?.

[zodiakironfist]

It's a 1974 model 4001...old as th hills. I've had it for nearly 20 years.

[woloschuk123]

great job

[dfhtsr1]

Fantastic Bass playing. Nice Job

[FloydNIN]

haha everyone records themselves playing songs on there pjs

[zodiakironfist]

Yes they do. Jammies are comfortable and they do not scratch the surface of guitars. Between them and sweats, there is no need for jeans.

[MetalManiac666X]

dude ur rickenbacker bass iz awsome

[UPTHE1RON5]

rofl. go cry in the corner

[zodiakironfist]

Ah, once again thank you for the clarification. I am being raked thorugh the coals for my intonation on this video today on the basstalk forums (very amusing!), and so I am on heightened alert for asshattery in the comments. I apologize for interference.

[zodiakironfist]

Well, I'm confused as to why Irons offended you, but I appreciate the clarification. Sorry for the pithy snark, it has been removed. I can be a real stinker when I feel insulted.

[UPTHE1RON5]

don't worry dude, hes just angry coz i don't like bullet for my valentine ;)

[zodiakironfist]

Ahhh...saw them on headbanger's ball....not my cup of tea, either.

[SpiralEyes77]

sick tone brother,

that an elite-5 in the back right? i love that bass but it cant be as sweet as that rik

[UPTHE1RON5]

nice to see you getting into it and giving it some. nice playin

[LuckyBoness]

Very good. Great tone and sound. You get 5 stars.

[hithisisBYARD]

i love your bass

[Tensiveseth]

I Love It.

All Of It.

I Usually Improvise When Im Not Familiar With The Line Im Supposed To Play.

I Have A Question Tho.

Do You Play With The Drum When Or If You Forget A Part?

[zodiakironfist]

LOL...yes, you have discovered my much guarded secret. Curses!! When I listen to music, half of my mind is with the drums, so it is fairly easy to improvise something that goes along with the drum fills. It is a way to screw up and still remain tight.

[Tensiveseth]

Lol.

My Dad One Day Was Telling Me That In Primus They sound Good Because The Bass Roughtly Goes With The Drums.

And In Rush Its Kinda The Same.

So I Like Improvise When I Forget The Line.

[jellegroen]

this is one of my fav. Rush songs, got it on Lp(well, my dad has it)

[arglebarglefoofara]

that tone is unreal it sounds JUST like the album... great chops man

[mikerizzo42]

very nice job man

[andy432105]

during the beginning you dont play man listen to the synths thats geddy but other than that GREAT JOB!!!

[hask2112]

excellent!

[ahpinhed]

so did you learn this song by ear? Sounds really good. I love the moving tracks.

[zodiakironfist]

Yeah, it's all learned by ear. I don't really know how to learn any other way, to be honest. Tabs have always confused me, and forget about reading music...it's like Greek to me.

[ahpinhed]

I have learned songs by ear, tab, and music. The easiest way to learn I couldn't tell you. The you do man works well. Do you listen to Jaco?

[zodiakironfist]

A bit, but when it comes to fusion bass, I'm a Stanley Clarke man.

[ahpinhed]

Clarke is great, Silly Puddy, Letter To John. How about Chuck Rainy with Steely Dan?

[zodiakironfist]

I am embarassed to tell you I am not familiar with Rainy. I will look into it, though. Thanks.

[ahpinhed]

check out the Aja album, some smooth grooves

[wogboykon]

That was amazing. It was perfect.

[nathan7007]

that was amazingly good

[NIB127]

nice job. sounds like im listenin to the cd. what year is that ric?

[zodiakironfist]

1974. And thanks a lot for the compliment.

[edwinbrooks]

WOW! that was good, like teh ric. I think this song is definitely as good as xanadu.

[crimn]

some notes in the begining sounded off, but other than that it was awesome! great feel, and timing. plus you were into it unlike other bass videos youtube. great work! you should do more

rush tunes for us to see!! and if you are not in a band, get into one.

[zodiakironfist]

Thanks a ton, and yes I do have a few Rush videos lying around here somewheres (check my channel and click on "all videos".

[123soulpolice456]

Is the ric the best bass you have playeD?

[zodiakironfist]

Yes, it is. I have tried a zillion basses, some more expensive, but the one for me is the Ric. I play the Schecter, too because it feels sort of like the Ric does.  But each bas player has different taste and different fingers.

[grasscob]

that was practically flawless

how much do rickenbackers cpst?

[zodiakironfist]

A new one will run you about 2000 dollars.

Thanks a bundle for dropping by!

[CrossCuntryFranco]

Yeah, I know... Rickenbacker should get their heads out of their asses and lower the damned prices! They won't even let their copies breathe in the US! It's like, their fucking mentality is:

"Yeah, you can buy it, but you'll have to get on a waiting list, and don't even THINK about buying a copy!"

So, Either way you look at it, Rickenbacker's mentality is utterly FUCKED.

By the way, Liked the vid!!!! 5 Stars!

[zodiakironfist]

From all of the comments fromyoutube viewers who tell me how hard it is to get a Rick owadays, I cannot disagree with you. I bought mine used from a tiny little shop in my hometown in 1987.

[mrduckbutt]

I love Rush and Rickenbackers, and for the most part this sounds good (esp. the tone). But you ought to invest some time learning scales - all the off notes in this clip make it almost unlistenable.

[zodiakironfist]

Sorry I didn't appeal to your sense of perfection.

[fartknocker172]

wow ur a fuking retard he plays it fuking perfect, zodiak, you frikin rule dude, dont listen to this douce-nozzle

[tigernutt]

Thanks Zodiak for your continued video postings. I'm a huge Rush and Maiden fan. Currently trying to learn to play bass at my +40 age, lol. This is my favorite song from the record.

[slapnpopbass]

I noticed the Elite 5 in the background. I have one, in the Honey Sunburst color. Awesome basses

[MR4YOU]

YOU SHUOLD definitly try some beatles bass lines.

[turydragon]

that was pretty sweet man. i noticed you added some improve stuff but it sounded very good. maybe eternusdiablous doesnt know theres no bass in the intro? hehe

[zodiakironfist]

Everyone has different tastes. Some like their Rush in unadulterated Geddy-bourne form, and they give me hell. If that floats their boat, fine. For me, I enjoy expressing myself through a tune...keeping it the "same" but at the same time, different. I try not to over-indulge, but I fail at that sometimes and have to absorb a bit of criticism. A matter of taste. Thanks for the +ve comment.

[turydragon]

yeah man , as long as YOU anjoy it , it doesnt matter. rock on.

[eternusdiablous]

Still a bunch of wrong notes especially in the beg. of the tune. Need to work on your pitch Bro. All in all, not bad though. Killer sounding set up u got !!

[zodiakironfist]

I was jacking around in the beginning of the tune, as noted in the blurb. There is no bass during that part.

[sicmick112]

Your rick is killing me, your tone is awesome. Your schecter sounds great too! I'm getting a Stilleto Studio soon =D! I have 2 rush vids up on my account, it would be great if you checked them out. Rush rocks!

[bloobloos]

Well played mate! I have a ricky too, but kept playing it too hard, as you do when you want more volume from a weedy amp. so i detuned to BEAD...sounds sooperb now. Bucky

[zodiakironfist]

Wow...you should be playing the crap outta some death metal with that ala Arch Enemy. Get your sneer on.

[vldas]

good cover, rickenbacker rocks:)

[Munkybarz]

I commented about a month back, but totally forgot to do the rating thing 5/5 for sure.

[whatcolorisblue]

Ah, a lrrg. I gotta ask, just like everyone else, how much did it cost to get that bass refinished? It's a great color, and you got it for $450? That's unbelievably cheap.. Well, rock on.

[zodiakironfist]

I refinished it myself, and it is something I would never recommend to anyone. I did a really bad job, but it is sealed again. Get it done professionaly if you want it done right (my surface is kinda wavy and it yellowed my trim). The $450 was used in 1987....still cheap, but not so unbelievable...lol.

[iKayle]

I have that shirt, and not bad.

I'm seeing Rush when they come to Calgary July 18.

[Bitsforboats]

A ricky let loose....man wot a SICK sound! Makes me want go and order one!

[zodiakironfist]

Well...partially sick because as the viewer noted above, it is a little flat. Happens sometimes...especially because more than a few of my tunes are not recorded at perfect speed and when I switch tunes, sometimes the tuning changes on me and I fail to adjust.

The more Ricks the merrier.

[bluenote71]

With all due respect, your flat. Other than that, good show.

[GeddyLee67]

my favorite part of the song is the solo at 3:28 its the best part of the song i bet thats why u like this bassline. keep up the good work

[zodiakironfist]

You are correct...as simple as the solo is on its face, it is a wonderful groove that you have to pay attention to because of the nuances.

[canvoodoo]

one of the best on youtube and thats from a long time rush fan

[zodiakironfist]

You are way too kind, but I'll take it anyways (hands you a fiver under the table).

[Armageddon83]

Nice playin' bro and nice axe, How much did the rick cost

[zodiakironfist]

450 dollars....in 1988. Used. Thanks for the comment.

[Icephoenix2007]

oh yeah i forgot to mention how awesome ur rick sounds with that song seeing as geddy played a rick as well :P

[zodiakironfist]

What is tough about this one is Geddy's Rick is VERY loud in the studio version of this tune, which made me turn my bass even louder. But yeah, they are the same....I bought my Rick in the height of my Geddy fandom.

[Icephoenix2007]

lmao your face at the begining is like "how the hell am i supposed to play rush? :0" :P but u pulled it off like usual!! Keep it up! What about YYZ? :)

[kingofvwcosmos]

if you played "Show don't tell" it would be so great. Probably my favorite geddy solo in that one.

4/5 for this performance. very good

[zodiakironfist]

I know that tune....and will do my best. You may have to wait a few weeks, though.

[Munkybarz]

80's alert? Truth is, I bought this album in October of 1977. Having grown up in Toronto, there's a very special place in my memories for this album, and the number of times I was lucky enough to get to see them live at the Gardens etc back then, so I just wanted to thank you for doing your rendition of this classic song. This tune can be done on any bass you like, as long as it's a Ric!

[robass5]

pretty old

[zodiakironfist]

Hence why I call myself a chaotic slammer...it is really is style I am most comfortable with.

[LerxstTheAnalogKid]

HOLY COW MAN! You rule! If you lived in Knoxville, I'd ask you to be in my band. Holy cow! I am blown away. You are amazing!

[zodiakironfist]

I was similarly impressed with your guitar playing. As a bass player, I know how hard it is to play chords...and you just whip 'em out like nothing.

[zodiakironfist]

What do you want from me? To sit there....too hyper for that.

[robass5]

awesome , u are extremely solid, guess u get that after playing bass for a long time! Anyway yea this song is awesome don't know why your friends would skip it, losers! 5/5

[zodiakironfist]

Well, thanks, Rob.  I appreciate the vote of confidence.

[pizza01]

80's alert!!! XD.

Very nice played man, as always. Nice to see old girl Priscilla getting the job done.