Re: The legendary Carol Kaye

Let's face it. Carol Kaye is a crotchety old bitch whom I used to
love but got completely turned off by her bitchiness. I can
understand people getting turned off to her. But on the other hand,
she's one of the originators of electric bass playing, and whether you
believe her story about Motown or not, she is a fabulous bassist and
guitarist who played on some of the greatest songs in history. And no
amount of bitchiness nor claims of playing on songs she may not have
played on can take that away from her.

Her bass work on "Wichita Lineman" really set the standard for generations of bassists to come.

You know, the thing about her is that she played a lot of sessions, it's undeniable she was a very busy player, she was first-call, etc., etc. -- but she gives the impression of being touchy and defensive because her playing really was not innovative or ground-breaking in the least, and she knows it. She demands recognition, but the body of her work shows that she played mundane stuff -- which is probably exactly what the particular sessions demanded, or was exactly what the producer demanded. There are good reasons she was a first-call session bassist, but the reasons all had to do with her dependability and predictability, not that she was innovative or extraordinary in any musical way. Nowadays, though, she demands to be recognized as a great innovator, and she clearly was not.

Too bad, though -- she was a good player and she's got a long list of credits she ought to be very happy to look back on with pride -- instead, she's a megalomaniac that claims to have done things she didn't, and has detracted from her actual work.
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