KNOW YOUR BASS PLAYER #102: Kids today, if they only knew how I had to conceal my then contemporary Bowie, Bolan and New York Dolls long-players inside Bachman Turner Overdrive album jackets lest the rowdy lads in school had yet another reason to kick my arse! When David Jo first flew solo he assembled a scorching, streetwise ensemble for his first two releases which featured a killer core band of drummer Frankie LaRocka, guitarists Johnny Rao and Thomas Trask, and ex-Doll Syl Sylvain along with brilliant cameos by Ian Hunter, Dan Hartman, Stan Bronstein, Nona Hendryx, Scarlet Rivera, Sara Dash, Joe Perry, Felix Cavaliere, and producer/guitarist Mick Ronson to cite a distinguished few. The bass player on those dates was the charismatic, pompadour coiffed Buz Verno; who laid the foundation pure, simple, and in-the-pocket to enhance David’s restlessly romantic character portraits set to three chords and a thundering backbeat. Dig Buz and his growling, grooving, gritty Fender P on such tracks including “Funky But Chic,” “Cool Metro,” “Melody,” and “Swaheto Woman.” Dear readers I was a witness: the David Johansen Group with bassist Buz Verno were among the best of their era, as documented on their archival live album recorded at the Bottom Line in 1978.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:35:16 +0000
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