Englishman Guy Pratt has worked for some of the biggest music names in the industry. As an in-demand session player and bassist, his CV reads like a who’s who of the rock music industry. The list is endless and includes the likes of Pink Floyd, Echo & The Bunnymen, Gary Moore, The Smiths, Madonna, Robbie Robertson, Roxy Music, Michael Jackson and Coverdale & Page. Pratt first got his big break when he was chosen as the replacement bass player for Pink Floyd's post-Roger Waters Delicate Sound Of Thunder and P*U*L*S*E world tours in 1987 and 1994. He currently alternates bass playing duties between Bryan Ferry and David Gilmour and appears on the recently released, David Gilmour: Live In Gdañsk DVD. On a recent trip to Australia to perform his one-man music cum comedy show, My Bass & Other Animals, Joe Matera spoke to Guy Pratt about his illustrious bass playing career thus far.
UG: How, and in what ways, has your bass playing evolved over the years?
Guy Pratt: When you’re young you’re just trying to show how technically good you are all the time. But to be honest, that was very much the style of the times of the ‘80s. There were a lot of times where I used to be the last thing to go on the record after the vocals were done too. So the idea was to try and squeeze in as many notes, pops, slaps and fills as possible. But as I got older, I've got more relaxed about doing my job so preferred that to rather standing out.
When it comes to working for a particular artist, how do you go about approaching the particular session from a musical point of view and from the point of view that your bass playing is going to add something to their music?
I don't have a specific way of approaching anything, it is horses for courses. Most of the people I work for nowadays, and the ones that I've worked with for years have helped me develop the ability to approach it in a kind of shorthand way. The best example is the session I did for Michael Jackson’s Earth Song, where he had heard my bass playing on Madonna’s Like A Prayer, which was a very particular kind of bass playing, a fancy, mad over the top riffing with an Octave pedal. And so he specifically asked for that so I didn’t really prepare for that, I just played what he requested. Very rarely you’re given a song in advance to think about.
What do you think are the integral elements a bass player should look for?
See what the song needs. Think about harmony. There's a real dearth of arrangement these days, it seems bass players are either over the top muso flash or just root note dunderheads. There's nothing better than a well thought out bass line.
You’ve worked for a variety of artists, who have been the most demanding of your musicianship?
I would say Robert Palmer definitely. But not in being actually demanding but rather in the way he would employ a kind of interesting psychological approach with his musicians. For example, he would say, “play more” which as you know, as soon as someone says that, you can’t suddenly think of anything to play! And he would say things like, “just go for it, and don’t think about it. But don’t get into either” which was a contradictory statement. (laughs) Robbie Robertson was another who demanded quite a lot of orchestration from the bass if you will. The album I did, Storyville [1991], on some of the songs, there is like three or four bass parts. And also Pat Leonard who expected such a high standard from everyone he worked with. He would say, “You’re in this room because I think you’re best. So be the best”.
"I don't have a specific way of approaching anything, it is horses for courses."
Yes getting past your own ego is something that just comes with time I've found. It really depends on what your reasons for playing the bass are. I have to be pushed to show off these days, which listening to some of the over the top drivel I used to play seems hard to believe.
When it comes to adding bass parts to a song, what is your approach? Do you create something that will not distract from the song or find something that will make your part stick out a little more and form an integral part to the song?
It completely depends on the song. Something like On an Island any sort of overt bass work is just going to distract from the song, whereas something like Kiss and Tell needs a standout riff to give it a motor. And if you took that bass line away, I really don’t know what you’d be left with.
Do you work closely with the artist and producer in order to come up with the right bass line or part required for the song?
Sometimes, but more often, the producer than the artist! Sometimes they know what they want, but often you're there to bring what you have to the party. A producer like Trevor Horn who I love working with, he doesn’t like people being in their comfort zones.
Does your live rig differ much from say performing with David Gilmour or Roxy Music?
It depends on the gig. With Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music it's the same amp etc as Gilmour but just with a Boss Multi FX unit. But my full live rig includes, two Ashdown ABM 900 heads and two Ashdown 8 X 10 cabs, an Avalon DI, Ernie Ball Volume pedal, Demeter Compulator Compressor, Ashdown Bass Overdrive Plus, MXR Phase 90, Boss Bass Chorus, Boss Octave, Boss Digital Delay, Boss Compression Sustainer, Boss Tuner, Boss Pedal Controller and a Roland SDE 3000 Digital Delay.
How and what ways does the studio set-up differ from your live setup?
I don't use an amp in the studio, unless the artist or producer specifically wants an amp sound. I generally don’t like the sound of an amp unless I’m going for something particularly rocky. I think the really big difference between a bass and a guitar is that with a guitar, you basically want to hear the amp but with the bass, you want to hear the guitar essentially I think.
On Dave Gilmour's recent Live In Gdañsk DVD you’re alternating between Fender Jazz and Fender Precision basses. Do you prefer one over the other?
I really love Jazzes. I think it’s because it was the first type of bass I ever had. I still have my first bass sitting on my wall. It was an old Grant Jazz copy which I actually made fretless in 1980 by putting an ebony fingerboard on it. The bass is actually made out of plywood. Because I haven’t got the biggest hands in the world, the neck of a Jazz, especially the neck of a ’64 Jazz, is like the perfect width for me. And the two pickups are absolutely just perfect. You can use just the one pickup, the front pickup and basically it gives everything that the Precision does. And if you use the bridge pickup, you can get that nasty, toppy Eighties sound. All Floyd stuff was played on a Precision so I defer to that. But then again, it's impossible to play Arnold Layne on anything but a Rickenbacker.
"There's nothing better than a well thought out bass line."
Like I said, I love Jazzes...The Status is essentially an active Jazz, that I can make sound like a load of different Basses just through judicious use of pickup sweep and EQ.
How long do you spend in pre-tour rehearsals with a particular artist like for example Roxy Music or Pink Floyd?
Pink Floyd would be up to six weeks as there's so much production work, whereas Roxy Music is one or two days!
How do you view the popular opinion that the bassist, along with the drummer, are integral to any band as without a super tight rhythm section, all the other instruments will suffer.
It seems an irrelevant point as I, haven't heard, a decent rhythm section since The Stone Roses. And to be honest, it’s true. I think Blur had a couple interesting bass lines and I know that Damon wrote those. And there isn’t one single interesting bass line in the entire history of Oasis.
You are currently performing a one-man music cum comedy show, My Bass & Other Animals, [also title of Guy’s book]. How have the shows been and can we expect more in future as well as another book?
Shows have been good, essentially exploratory down under, hoping to come back with a tour of it next year. I would like to do another book as this one's been well received and sold a lot more than I thought it would, but not sure what it would be...
Your father-in-law Rick Wright tragically passed away in 2008, what are some of your fondest memories that you have of working with him?
Probably the best memory was the last tour we did with David Gilmour, the On An Island tour. It was extraordinary because he had just come along as a hired hand but it became so much about him that you also realized that in the whole history of Pink Floyd, the key thing was the musical relationship between David and Rick. And to hear them play Echoes every night, it was quite, extraordinary. I have to say it was a really great, last thing to have done with him as he was totally on fire.
Interview by Joe Matera
Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2009
/ my profile 
