Really enjoyed the article on bass players in this months issue particularly the stuff on JJ Burnel and his influence on others, Hooky etc. He`s one of my faves as I`ve mentioned countless times before, I just love his (early) sound and aggressive playing.

Interested to read about Tina Weymouth too, not someone i`d particularly been aware of from a bass playing view though she`s responsible for a great quote about bass lines (certainly from my point of view as a root note plodder)...She said "I guess eveybody has the same problem - you have blank tape, or empty space, and you fill it up to the best of your ability. Nobody tells you how to do it. You just do it."

I can work out bass lines pretty well but i`m hopeless at coming up with my own inventive lines myself. So, any tips for a root note plodder?

I know a little and I like a little of what I have. Four albums by Neu and a couple by Harmonia.

The tracks I like are the repetitive tracks that go and on, like travelling on, ahem, an autobahn. The noodling stuff I can well do without and that`s about half of the Neu albums ruled out.

Never heard anything by Can but i`ve made my mind up they`re a bit noodling, Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk always seemed too synthy.

So, bearing in mind my noodling constraints who should I be investigating?

Danke.

PS That Cope book, is it worth attempting to track down?

What`s the best way to open a gig?

Play your biggest hit?
Your new single/download?
Something short and punchy?
Or something with legs which builds and builds?

I`d go for this...

Thin Lizzy...."Are you ready?"

Two minutes and 47 seconds and it should get you revved up.

Are you ready to hit the floor?

....but I do have 10 which are always in my top ten.

Adopts Dermot O`leary voice..."In no particular order....."

New Order - Technique
The Church - Starfish
It`s Immaterial - Life`s hard and then you die
Icicle Works - The small price of a bicycle
The Chameleons - Strange Times
The Stranglers - Black and White
Rush - Signals
Supertramp - Crime of the Century
10CC - Live and let live
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

So there we have it, nothing since 1989, but i have loved all these for some time and continue to do so.

Anyones elses favourites set in stone?

Common story. Need more space for sprogs/office etc.

It`s taken me a while to get here but now I am I`m not that bothered. It`s hardly ever played and at least in years to come i`ll be able to re-discover it.

How did you feel when your`s went upstairs?

A cracking song this....saw them on tour at The Lowry in Salford..it was ace.

Perfume by Sparks

Yeah, that ringroad.

I live in Manchester but have to be in Woking, Surrey for 11am Thursday morning for a funeral.

I`m thinking of staying at friends in St Albans (Snorbans?) weds night and travelling from there.

But, oh! Everyone i`ve talked do has narrowed their eyes and thinned their lips...."you don`t wanna be travelling round the M25 in the morning....gridlock"

Now I don`t really want to be late and would like to meet up with my family for breakfast first but is it really that bad? I`m just a simple boy from oop north so be gentle with me.

Thanks etc

Edit. 90 mins as a lot of you thought. No probs. Thanks.

I have a rare night to myself(apart from the mutt). No kids, no FPO.
I have a curry and two large bottles of very chilled Bitburger.
I have my Rush "Behind the lighted stage" dvd that I got at Christmas.
And i`ve watched Dads Army.

Apart from a lack of pickled onions and vintage cheddar I couldn`t be happier.

How`s your Saturday night?

I know there a few fellow 4-string manglers out there so this is for them.

The fretless bass. Much maligned and often rightly so.But i quite like this in a gentle sort of way , quite nice to play along to and it helps that its uber-jangly.

(The Church.."Now I wonder why" youtube)

But we all know how wrong it can be.....

(Paul Young..I`m gonna tear your playhouse down youtube live)

God bless Pino, he starts to motor about 4.40 into the performance, and secretly I quite like it.

So come on then, share your fave four string fret work with The Massive.

Prompted by hearing Propoganda`s very fine "Duel/Jewel" followed by "Working for the Yankee dollar" by Dunfermlines finest new wavers The Skids....

Who would out-arse the other in a televised late night Late Show debate?

Opening a new coffee jar.

A satisfying "ttttttthwck" as I pierce the tin foil and then a loverly coffee smell.

What`s yours?

I wasn`t watching it you understand...just had two texts from friends telling me so. Second Skin apparently.

Haven`t told the FPO, she would think it unimportant.

My wife is very very very organised, bless her. Everything gets planned to the nth degree. Which is good, obviously.

For example,she has a permanent collection of cards for all occasions so we don`t miss anyones birthday, anniversary, whatever.

But in that collection is a couple of "With sympathy" cards.

Is this weird? Or just being very very very organised?

Heard this today for the first time in yonks so had a furtle round on U tube and thought i`d share it. Bit of a stalkerish song if you listen to the lyrics but the audience seem to go nuts for it......

Edit. see comments below

We`ve covered in much depth everyones fave songs, tracks, albums but i`ve been thinking recently about stuff that somehow affected you in a much more direct way so by this I mean the music that changed the direction of your life.

For me it was Technique by New Order.

1989, I`m in the R.A.F. (Those lovely boys in blue, not that mid-seventies German bunch). I`m kind of enjoying it, plenty of travel, the work is actually ok, the people tolerable if you ignore the fact that you`re considerd strange not to like Wet Wet Wet or to actually enjoy that "weird indie shite".

I`m on detachment in Akrotiri, Cyprus (live Missile firing should you be interested) and we are getting plenty of r and r. In the clubs in downtown Ayia Napa the music is getting my attention...and it gets me thinking. I`ve signed up for 7 years but...I want to grow my hair into a floppy fringe and gurn stupidly.

A year later, I`ve bought myself out and thanks to an old school friend who is finishing a course at Salford University i`m now sharing a house with 2 of his friends (Now 2 of my best friends)in a desirable part of Langworthy Road.(Thanks to that nice man who poured acid over my car beacause I parked in front of his house)

I`m skint but happy and land a job with Our Price which morphs in to a 15 year career with Virgin covering the arse end of Madchester, Grunge, Britpop and whatever came next. Those days finally came to end of course but I still live up here in the North of England and can`t imagine being anywhere else. Married now (to my old school friends ex-girlfriend...but that`s all ok) but I often wonder how my life would gone had Hooky and co not got loved up.

What`s your story?