The Ox’s Jazz Bass

I’ve been reading Paul Rees’s John Entwistle bio, The Ox, so I’ve been paying close attention to Entwistle’s playing and sound. This is the My Generation bass on loan to The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.

He really loved that Jazz Bass growl. Often he got what I think of the JB sound with other basses too.

He was more than a bassist; he was a musical wiz. His horn playing and arrangements are often significantly featured but overlooked because of how well the fit the songs.

Of course, he was another sad example of the excesses of fame and wealth. A pity. He might have been The Ox to us, but he had a family whose hearts were broken.

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Entwistle was a monster player and his style was a perfect fit for The Who. The power of his playing complimented the percussive histrionics of drummer Keith Moon and Pete Townshend's unique rhythm and lead playing. We know he was also quite the gearhead, owning and playing a bunch of cool bass guitars throughout the years. The Who was one of my favorite bands while growing up in the '60s and I still love them to this day!

Thanks for posting this interesting article about Entwistle's Jazz Bass.

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Originally Posted by BobbyMac

The Who was one of my favorite bands while growing up in the '60s and I still love them to this day!

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+1!

Having seen them live a number of times I heartily agree.

"World's loudest rock and roll band".

That’s one of the bands I regret never having seen. Townshend does and Entwistle did have hearing problems because of the stage volumes. One interviewee talked about watching Entwistle’s trouser legs fluttering from the displacement of air coming from his bass stacks.

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Originally Posted by ch willie

That’s one of the bands I regret never having seen. Townshend does and Entwistle did have hearing problems because of the stage volumes. One interviewee talked about watching Entwistle’s trouser legs fluttering from the displacement of air coming from his bass stacks.

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I saw the Who in concert in 1969. They played the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland, an outdoor venue with a stage. The opening act was an unknown band named Led Zeppelin.

I remember watching The Who at the Mississippi River Festival in Edwardsville, Illinois as they performed their "Who's Next' tour. I think the Ox had about two kilowatts' worth of Sunn gear on the stage. Even outdoors it was a thunderous event.

"His bass sounded like a bleeding VC10, mate."