Re: Origins of heavy metal/Melancholia

["L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com>]

I don't know about what was first, but I think you're right about the 
influence.  This sounds like a mixture of heavy metal bass lines to me.  The 
first part of it is 70ish, and the quick part at the end more 80ish--is that 
what you're calling the galloping bass?  What Pete's doing right there at 
the end sounds very 80ish, too.  Add Kenney Jones and you're got a big part 
of the Who early 80's sound which I've thought heavily influenced the speed 
metal bands.

BTW, has anybody watched JAE's Hot Licks video?  He does some of the 
standard 80's style heavy metal bass and gives some advice for making it 
less boring.

keets

>I was recently discussing about this subject on another mailing list
>some months ago. The main subject was the fact that what was known in
>the early seventies as heavy metal was different from what's called
>heavy metal now (since the eighties). Then a discussion about the first 
>aspects of "modern" heavy metal. Someone cited "Helter Skelter" from the 
>Beatles, which, as in modern heavy metal, had similar use of power chords, 
>square drum lines and linear guitar riffs (different from the bluesy riffs 
>which sometimes appeared in 70's heavy metal). In fact, the song can be 
>cited as one of the first ones to show important characteristics of modern 
>heavy metal (and it's probably the heaviest song of its time, i.e. 
>mid-60's). Much later I remembered one of the most exaustely used 
>characteristics of modern heavy metal in another song. I'm talking about 
>the "galloping bass", so famous for Steve Harris of Iron Maiden (which I 
>think is a Who fan) and a trademark of modern heavy metal (it's very hard 
>to find a metal band which never used it). Well, the galloping bass can be 
>found on Melancholia, a song from The 'Oo in 1968. This makes me think that 
>the who was the first band to use the galloping bass in rock music. Am I 
>right?
>

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