There was no click in those days. Was only used in film. Billy did a press roll, a downbeat and we were off. Took a couple of beats to lock in for we had no count off.
That was Billy Cobhams' best album. Why didn't the same musicians stay together for more of his music? What is the model and brand of the bass you used please?
All I can say is Thank You for being a part of something so special!!! The album "Spectrum" and especially hearing the tune "Stratus" in 1973 for the first time changed my life forever and that's no exaggeration, no lie. I believe "Stratus" to be one of the most incredible recordings to have ever been put on vinyl for mere mortals to hear. It is an immortal recording that at 50 years old will still be significant and relevant for decades to come. Well done, Sir!!!
It's a perfect groove because Leland knows this song is not about him. It's BECAUSE he doesn't do a fill that everyone else in the band is free to be themselves and do what they do. He's showing off by clearing the road for Billy. That's why everyone else wants him in their band. Play less, stay out of the way for the others. He's a model for how to play bass in a band. Amazing mindset and power of spirit.
Was such a great experience and pleasure to tour the Spectrum 30 with you! What a pleasure to hear this interview and to get to see “that” bass! Iconic! Stay well dear maestro Lee!
Gary Husband - I'm one of the many rockers whose switched was flipped by Spectrum. I saw the 5 piece Mahavishnu Orchestra in Baltimore, MD in April 1973. Little did I know that two weeks later Billy would record this record on a couple of off days from opening for Zappa. I saw you with Holdsworth in 1979 at Oddfellows Hall in Towson, MD. I saw the 30 year reunion tour at the Ram's Head, Annapolis, MD with you and Lee. I'll admit - I was disappointed that Jan Hammer wasn't on the gig. Until I heard you start playing. I knew you played keys too, but...oh wow...and you had a sore tooth to boot! Much respect!!!
You are not alone in that line of thinking. It's like The Leland Sklars show it's as exciting as the sing along with Mitch show back way back when I was a kid. I don't know about you but I am learning a thing or two.. Thank you Leland for sharing your time with us.
Leland, it was sept 1976 and you were on SNL with James Taylor. so my 2 best buddies were at an Indian restaurant having dinner before the show, and i was in the studio audience. my buddies spied you having dinner there. so they approach you to say hi, and you kindly invited them to dine with you. what a great guy you must be. thank you for being you, on and off stage.
Bassline looks easy but is quite hard stay on that path of 16th. This attitude of not overplaying but serving the song as a whole is just so great and humble. We need that attitude in this world! The spirit of Dumbledore, I mean Lee Sklar! 😊
Perhaps Lee didn't overplay because he couldn't hear himself. @19:18 "Had I had a better mix I could have dug deeper into the pocket." Maybe that was Billy's devious plan. Did he choose Lee because he just wanted a rock solid guy who would help him hold it the F down, while Jan and and Tommy took flight?
Wow...a trip down memory lane. I saw Zephyr on TV (Dick Clark maybe), and followed Tommy Bolin's career through the James Gang, Deep Purple, this album, his solo albums, and I had tickets to see him the day he died. He played his last gig in Miami, opening for Jeff Beck, playing in Tampa the next night. I had tickets for the Tampa show, but he OD'd. I truly appreciate the memories.
Thank you for your kind words for Tommy. He lives on in our hearts, and by your wonderful thoughts. He was lucky to have such a solid rock to fly from on this amazing album.
Had to pull out my copy of Spectrum and dive in. Such creativity! Man, Tommy Bolin was a master. Super playing by everybody of course, and Ron Carter fit so well. Thanks for the reminder of this great record.
I bought "Spectrum" when it was first released, what an album. I'm 65 now, and I have played both the album and especially "Stratus" countless times. It always takes me back to when I first bought it, and it still encourages my inner youth to come out to play. Like all great music, it never grows old. That bass line is the best driver of any tune I have heard. Many Thanks, Leland. Wonderful.
When I played this record in the bar I worked at in the 70's I couldn't have dreamed that all these years later I would see Mr. Sklar playing this on a video. I'm absolutely made up with this, thank you very much sir, you are a wonder!
Thank you Mr. Sklar! It was a great emotion to be able to see this song played live with the original Fender Jazz of the 1973 recording! I was born in 1979 and I tell you the love story with Stratus. As a child my father made me listen to this song, always saying to me: "listen, hear well, hear the bass, concentrate on that". So I grew up with that stubborn bass line always in the head, and with the groove of Billy and Tommy and Jan's solos. Now seeing this again thanks to you was really exciting, a great gift! Thanks again! I admire you very much, a great Master! 🙏🏻
This LP was so intensly satisfying , the pinnacle of higher conciousness musically , you’re recap as well as the track took me back to Tommy’s genius !RIP Tommy and jeff beck. Thank you leland
I'm not a bass player but I really enjoy your in-depth chat regarding how you put your thing together. Not only that, your interesting experiences with fellow musicians are fabulous to listen to. I'm gonna keep listening Leland. Much love and appreciation from locked down England.
Thanks for the memory, Lee. I met Lee when I was the tour manager for the Spectrum 30th anniversary tour that Lee speaks about. Truly an amazing group of musicians. Lee was so much fun on the road. He kept volunteering to drive if I got tired. I still have to remind myself that it really happened and I was actually a part of it. Thank you, Leland, Billy, Dean and Gary.
was one of my first jazz-fusion albums in the mid-seventies - absolutely classic and classic pioneering era of jazz-fusion. Had no idea - since the actual record is buried in the attic - that that was you on bass. WOW. Im more deeply enamored and appreciative of both your talent and your career. Thanks illuminating the hisory of those truly classic moments and times. Wow.
I used to think that the musician I've seen the most was James Taylor but after reading the list of musicians that Leland has toured with I realize he's the musician I've seen more than anyone else.
your right my friend..he's been all over the place ,and that means everywhere on earth, and with so many musicians and bands with so many different styles of music. high intelligence and a gift from above has made him the goat of all bass players along with Mr Jameson
You are so right Lee... That groove being constantly there drives the entire song. It is the foundation which enables Tommy and Jan to be able to build those fantastic solos upon. Without the constant drive, the song is lost. Thank you so much Lee.!...
Loved that album, still listen to it and share with younger generations. So you are the one on bass. Just driving and make the speakers move. I worked at a hospital during that time. I lost some of my co-workers.
Gotta add, in 1975 at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago when Jeff Beck was playing his new works, like "Blow by Blow", Mahavishnu Orchestra opened up for him (that's crazy). Jeff told the crowd (us) to not expect him to play his old works. This new work was of course very influenced by Tommy Bolin and jazz fusion in general. Fantastic show! When I saw John McLaughlin open up at that show I almost didn't know what I was looking at. Mind blowing...
Thank you so much. Both for the play through but even more for the back story. Spectrum -- that album changed my brain. I was 14 when that came out and I played my copy until it was unplayable. Hammer, Bolin, Cobham -- and you. I still have that unplayable LP. I keep it as a talisman from my youth. Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos during this difficult period. Hopefully you have some idea of the good you are doing for so many of us -- especially people like me who've been listening to you for decades. All the best to you and thanks again.
MyFavorite Flutes yep...I was a little younger. Got my copy at 12 yrs old... have dug on this for 40+ years... Billy was the man. He surrounded himself with the best.
A couple weeks ago when I spoke about you playing on Spectrum with Tommy, I kept wishing you’d play something off of that album. Thank you so much for talking about Tommy because that Man’s guitar work in the world of music especially Fusion was so pivotal.
Spectrum and especially the track Stratus changed the game for me and no doubt many others. That drop at the start is one of the greatest musical moments ever .
I don't often buy things on a whim but I went and bought this record immediately after hearing this belter! Great way to discover new music (well, new to me at any rate)!
I worked in a little independent record store on Saturdays while studying at art school. The week I heard Massive Attack's Safe From Harm I knew immediately what I would spend my credit note on come the weekend. At the end of the day I walked up to the counter, record in hand, beaming. My boss smiled back, came around front and pulled a copy of Spectrum down off the wall, he placed the disc on the turntable made available for customers to listen to stock and played me this track. Suffice to say I left that day with no cash wages but two very cool records. Thank you so, so much.
@@pillepalle3614 yep keeping lines like that together is a challenge .need to focus hard . there were a few spots he fell out ,some drum fills seem to throw him off probably a volume thing like he said . but still kicking my ass
Mr Sklar you’re a beast! This drummer appreciates you. As I get older, I’m seeing the intense value of ego-less, repetitious grooving and just committing to a pattern. Love that bass, by the way!
Fun fact: i watched this video just a few minutes after it was posted. While watching i noticed, that i was just wearing a Tommy Bolin shirt that day 😄👍 Thank you for sharing your memories with us, i really appreciate that!
Mr. Sklar, I just need to say that is such a massive privilege being able to watch how you cover your own hyper-iconic basslines and hear all the stories you are up to share with us!! Thanks, thanks and thanks a lot for doing this.
I love the way he alternates the E string note between fingered and there is no change in the groove which is just flawless and effortless (for him that is). 😁😁😁😁👍
Mum bought me Spectrum in 1976 as I was a budding young drummer and she asked the record store attendant,”Do you have any drumming albums?”lol. God bless the 70’s ,your bass line in Stratus,had me dancing in the room and Billy’s incredible drumming,what a lineup. Hammer and Bolin,a perfect chemistry for a perfect fusion album,I rate this the best fusion album of all time!
This is why you're the king! That focus while everyone else jams...wow every bass player ive played with would have improvised like a muppet. Thanks for making these videos.
I had never heard this track before...now I get our local barlady to play it in the pub...only when I feel the moment is there...and everyone always says "What is that?..It's brilliant!"...thank you Lee for sharing that😀
Yes!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you ! What you,and Tommy, Billy, and Jan, did together on Spectrum is my personal favorite of your career. I so wish that Tommy would have lived to produce more of his art. You are one of the all time greats!
Thank You Leland for the Tune and the History! Nothing Better than the Sharing of your Time on the Road, in the Studio, Tommy Bolin and All the other Musicians as well! Truly an Enjoyable Experience just to Listen 🎶🎸😀⚘
Who the hell gives this a thumbs down? Seriously - Lee is a national treasure and this bass line is about as true to the role as it gets. Solid, unflinching, and incessant - holding it DOWN. Brilliant, mate - thank you so much for doing these!
I love these videos. I love the stories. Thank you. A quick story. One perfect spring day in high school, many moons ago, me and a buddy cut school and went walking through Central Park. Walking through the Promenade toward the Bandshell we heard the faint sound of electric guitars. "That sounds like Carlos Santana," I said. "No," said my friend, "it's John McGlaughlin." We went back and forth like this. When we got to the Bandshell it was Carlos Santana and John McGlaughlin, just the two of them, no one else, two guitars, seated on stools opposite one another. There weren't a lot of people watching either. The whole thing was so low key. it was transcendental. I've been looking for recordings of some of the tunes I heard them play. Wow.
Hey Leland just recently found your youtube channel thanks to Rick Beato, Spectrum is on of my all time favorite albums!! Would love to see more play throughs of songs on that album and any other stories you have from around then, especially any stories involving Tommy Bolin (I don't think he gets brought up enough, he was a fantastic guitarist)!! Thanks for the great videos!
Pas facile a tenir ! Ligne de basse devenue LEGENDAIRE ! Quel groove Leland ! Immense bassiste avec TOTO ,Phil COLLINS and, and and , others artists !!!
I bought Spectrum at release, and that album was part of what turned me on to a whole new universe of music at the time (and to this day). I didn't realize that was YOU. You are one rock solid guy, Leland. Thanks.
Wow, you didn't know about Mahavishnu prior to hearing Spectrum? What a shame.. I wish I had gotten turned on to Mahavishnu 2 years prior, but I was able to catch their last concert in my area just before they split up and reformed..
It was Birds of Fire that made me buy Spectrum. After hearing that I went out and bought all the albums by the members of Mahavishnu (thus Spectrum), and then all the albums from the members of all THOSE bands, etc. I never did catch Mahavishnu, though I saw John McLaughlin play. Lucky you!
Oh - thank you for the story of the tune I must have heard and enjoyed 10.000 times over the decades!! Great to hear the stories behind - and what a sweet guy Mr Sklar is!
plays for 4 minutes, talks for 20 minutes and i enjoyed every single second of it! :) grandmaster lee's got more stories than the books at the library. looking forward to the next video
I'd been listening to Lee, Billy, Jan & Tommy for a couple of years already when Spectrum came out and I thought I died & went to heaven to have them all playing together on the same album. SInce its release there haven't been many months, maybe even weeks, when I didn't give it a listen and enjoyed it again as one of my favorite musical encounters. Thank you so much, Mr. Sklar, for the years of enjoyment this has brought to me, and for the chance to hear you tell about how it happened. Amazing music, absolutely masterful!
I saw Billy Cobham in Germany while touring with Wolfang Schmid, Peter Wölpl, Rick Keller and Nippy Noya. That was Wolfgang's "Jubilee" tour around 1990. (I still have the live album on vinyl, although I haven't had a record player for the last 25 years or so.) That was when I was seriously infected by the drumming virus by virtue of Pete York's "Super Drumming" series in German television. Ah, those were the days! I always liked this song and actually got myself "Spectrum" around that time. I got to "know" you via Phil Collins (remember that legendary "Seriously Live" Show in the Waldbühne in Berlin?). Anyway, I never knew that you played the legendary bass line on "Stratus" until I saw this video here. What a revelation! I couldn't wrap my head around that fact first. What a gift you and all these talented and true musicians are to all of us!
I first heard and fell in love with this bass line on Massive Attack's Safe From Harm (which I adore). One of the great challenges for me was to play the bass line all the way through without fumbling or my fingers cramping! It took a while, but I got there (although nothing like as tight or precise as Lee obviously). I only found out the genesis of Safe From Harm when I heard Jeff Beck "covering" it. I then searched and found the original track, by Cobham et al. Stunning work.
What a treat to get to see you repeat a cool, *seemingly* simple line. There's a lot to learn from your playing here. How to stay focused in the groove, having a right hand pattern that's engaging, being aware of where everyone else is in the song... Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this history and story on the creation of Spectrum. Very interesting. I am From Tommys home town, Sioux city, Iowa. Never missed seeing Tommy play every time he came back home. Just visited his gravesite last week and played this album while there. Peace and Good Health to you. Keep rockin.
From the age of 16-20 I was immersed deeply in BILLY, Billy is one of my Hero's. Leland thanks for making one of the best drum albums in History. I saw Billy do a show last night and he sounded Great.Musicians that are still sounding great in their late 70's RULE.
Simply fantastic. best. fusion.record.ever. The back-story you relate makes this video even better. When Spectrum came out in 1973, I'd already been a big fan of Billy Cobham and Jan Hammer from the Mahavishnu Orchestra (etc), along with Tommy Bolin from Zephyr and Energy...and then listed in the liner notes there's this bass player that had played with Carole King and James Taylor, and I go...Hmmmm....this guy's got some chops!! Been a fan ever since. Thanks. Be safe out there.
This is the song when I discovered Lee and Billy Cobham I was in a Garys stereo and music store in Richmond va back in 74 when a salesman was playing the Spectrum LP as a demo on a turntable I WAS TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY NOT ONLY FROM THE DRUMS BUT THIS BASS LINE, I went straight to the bin and bought this LP and wore its ass out then bought another and so on, Lee you have touched more people than you know with your great talent and after I heard this I have been a big fan of yours. Thank you brother.
One of my all time favourites - great !! Spectrum was one of the greatest albums ever made. The git/key/drums solos are absolutely fantastic and stands out of time. Your bassline has a driving, holding-it-all-together, almost meditative character - I could listen to it for hours. As a bass player I have played it many times with my bands. You are a great inspiration to me.
Mahavishnu Orchestra is so amazing. Jazz/Fusion on steroids with Indian meters thrown in. What musicians. Cobham is legendary. As is Ron Carter. Jan. To work with these people, you are blessed.
How wonderful to hear you play that mesmerizing bass part, and so intriguing to hear the story of the session. One of my all time favourite "fusion" albums. So kind of you to share these personal stories with us. Cheers from Vancouver. Geoffrey
Oh Mister Sklar,you are really creating the kind of flying Carpet a Musician can relax on!😀What a Groove!Thank you for all the great Music you gave us!😀🙏👍✌
I was a 13 year old kid beating on pots and pans wanting to be a drummer in 1981. A stoner friend of our family family saw my "drumkit" and got me a copy of Spectrum and told me it would change my life. It did. I remember trying to figure out how to say the bass player's name, being a Spanish speaking kid. A couple of years later I saw the name on a Phil Collins record and from there spent every penny on records that had this unpronounceable name on it. Thankfully I learned to say that name and to play drums. Thanks to Leland Sklar teaching me to groove I now make a living of it in Japan.
Wow, talk about timing!...Spectrum's been in my car's CD player for the last month or so (I do that with my fave albums), and I was just listening to it while looking at the (legally unrideable) surf this afternoon. Spectrum's been a milestone album for me since it was released, and as a player, the immediacy of the session was palpable by the 1st tune...I've always thought it was all live...you can hear it, and you can feel it. Thank you sir for sharing the story behind one of my all-time favorite albums, one that I see as a perfect storm of the right material, chemistry and timing of some of my favorite players.
Enjoyed this performance, and the story that followed. I should tell you about how I didn't get to see you in 75 with James Taylor. I was 16 yrs old, and camping up near Lake Lucerne, NY. with the extended Family at Fourth Lake State Park. I wanted to go, but didn't have tickets. Beside, the parents needing R&R, and were enjoying happy hour each evening. But, that summer I managed to acquire tickets in Latham, NY, and was able to see Stephen Stills perform. Blew me away. But, what is really killer, is I the night I arrived in Mechanicsville, NY, ( we had drivien from Miami, F), and before I get out of the back seat of the car my Cousin Tina says to me, " Hey do yo want to go see Eric Clapton, and Santana?" This was at the S.P.A.C. in Saratoga, NY. Both Stills, and Clapton would educate me in a wonderful way. Only a few years later I somehow would be allowed access to Criteria Studios, where a friend ended up after HS as an engineer. We locked the doors behind us, and spent all night there. Bless all you out there. Stand on the side of the road and give a thumbs up to first responders.
Great work Leland. To my shame, I only just discovered this track in its original form . That killer bass line I heard was on the Massive attack track that was sampled from Stratus. you have a great groove on you and that bass your playing has one of the nicest tones I've ever heard. God bless and stay safe
I was gonna bring this up also in a comment to Lee. He must know that he’s been sampled by the great Massive Attack. As a teen in high school I listened to the original BC album, and then years later I was exposed to the trip hop of Massive. It’s all great stuff.
OMG, it's been ages since I heard that album - and now, there you are, sir, playing it, as enthusiastically as 50+ yrs before! Love and respect from Germany!
I can remember when this album came out. I was sitting in a High School practice room telling my Bass player friend. You have to listen to this track. So I played it for him and he said. "The Bass Player is playing the same line over and over" I was shocked,, I thought he was going to go through the roof over this song. Then I listened and said - Oh my God he's right the Bass player is playing the same thing over and over. But guess what? That's is one of the exact keys of what makes this song so deep. It's a rock that never slips or leaves one child behind.
MY NEW NORMAL ,AN AFTERNOON WITH LEE SKLAR ,I'D HAVE NEVER THOUGHT. I'D SEE THE DAY THAT I WAS WATCHING LEE SKLAR HOW COOL AND HE'S SO REAL AND NOT "PLASTIC"!!.. YOU TAKE CARE OUT THERE MR. SKLAR THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRIGHTENING MY DAY. (DAY 30 MAYBE ,OF QUARANTINE IN THE HIGH DESERT OF CALIFORNIA)4/20/2020
One of my favourite bass lines of all time. Bought the album when it came out as a teenager. Have you heard the Jeff Beck version with Tal Wilkenfeld (in particular the Live at Ronnie Scotts version) here on UA-cam (OK posted this before I listened all the way through). Still Talk Wilkenfeld slays the groove.
Tommy Bolin Nailed It........!
Blessed his Soul...........!
Amen! 💪🏽💪🏽
Boy You Got That Right!!! 👍👍 ☃️🎄
There was no click in those days. Was only used in film. Billy did a press roll, a downbeat and we were off. Took a couple of beats to lock in for we had no count off.
The Click was the Dead from Musicfeeling!Without Click is "living".
Thanks for your answer. Stay safe.
Awesome and then some Lee iconic bass line.
That was Billy Cobhams' best album. Why didn't the same musicians stay together for more of his music?
What is the model and brand of the bass you used please?
Kevin Riddell 1962 Fender Jazz bass
All I can say is Thank You for being a part of something so special!!!
The album "Spectrum" and especially hearing the tune "Stratus" in 1973 for the first time changed my life forever and that's no exaggeration, no lie.
I believe "Stratus" to be one of the most incredible recordings to have ever been put on vinyl for mere mortals to hear. It is an immortal recording that at 50 years old will still be significant and relevant for decades to come.
Well done, Sir!!!
Zen and the art of the groove... Seriously, try to play a groove for 6 min without a fill. Thank you Mr. Sklar for showing how its done
He pretty much boring as fuck
@@markspark3360 ...says the guy who listens to the theme from Rocky at the gym & watches crocs attacking zebras...
@@markspark3360 Projection on your part.
This is brilliant
It's a perfect groove because Leland knows this song is not about him. It's BECAUSE he doesn't do a fill that everyone else in the band is free to be themselves and do what they do. He's showing off by clearing the road for Billy. That's why everyone else wants him in their band. Play less, stay out of the way for the others. He's a model for how to play bass in a band. Amazing mindset and power of spirit.
Was such a great experience and pleasure to tour the Spectrum 30 with you! What a pleasure to hear this interview and to get to see “that” bass! Iconic! Stay well dear maestro Lee!
Gary Husband - I'm one of the many rockers whose switched was flipped by Spectrum. I saw the 5 piece Mahavishnu Orchestra in Baltimore, MD in April 1973. Little did I know that two weeks later Billy would record this record on a couple of off days from opening for Zappa. I saw you with Holdsworth in 1979 at Oddfellows Hall in Towson, MD.
I saw the 30 year reunion tour at the Ram's Head, Annapolis, MD with you and Lee. I'll admit - I was disappointed that Jan Hammer wasn't on the gig. Until I heard you start playing. I knew you played keys too, but...oh wow...and you had a sore tooth to boot! Much respect!!!
Wow! One legend salutes another! You guys must have had a blast channeling Jan Hammer and the great Tommy Bolin.
I can't believe how much I look forward to these every day.
You are not alone in that line of thinking. It's like The Leland Sklars show it's as exciting as the sing along with Mitch show back way back when I was a kid. I don't know about you but I am learning a thing or two.. Thank you Leland for sharing your time with us.
Same here! I'm so glad he's doing these on UA-cam, since I wisely abandoned FB more than a year ago.
Gordon Abbott for real.
One of my favorite albums growing up in South Pasadena in the early 1970s. We saw him live at the Roxy, I think in 74 or 75. Great show!
Leland, it was sept 1976 and you were on SNL with James Taylor. so my 2 best buddies were at an Indian restaurant having dinner before the show, and i was in the studio audience. my buddies spied you having dinner there. so they approach you to say hi, and you kindly invited them to dine with you. what a great guy you must be. thank you for being you, on and off stage.
I was hoping they would pick up the tab!!!!!😵💫😵
@@lelandsklar6363 man, you are a trip. a good one.
@@lelandsklar6363 😄
@@lelandsklar6363lmao
Massive Attack are still thanking for this amazing groove!
Massive Attack - Safe From Harm
Indeed. Exactly my thoughts.
Also Björk in her "Army of Me" heavily influenced from Massive Attack's Safe from Harm and indirectly from this one.
Stratus is the song I always listened to if I needed a kick on inspiration. Been a life long fan of the late Tommy Bolin.
Bassline looks easy but is quite hard stay on that path of 16th.
This attitude of not overplaying but serving the song as a whole is just so great and humble. We need that attitude in this world! The spirit of Dumbledore, I mean Lee Sklar! 😊
Perhaps Lee didn't overplay because he couldn't hear himself. @19:18 "Had I had a better mix I could have dug deeper into the pocket." Maybe that was Billy's devious plan. Did he choose Lee because he just wanted a rock solid guy who would help him hold it the F down, while Jan and and Tommy took flight?
Dumbledore is nothing but a Leland Sklar imitator.
Wow...a trip down memory lane. I saw Zephyr on TV (Dick Clark maybe), and followed Tommy Bolin's career through the James Gang, Deep Purple, this album, his solo albums, and I had tickets to see him the day he died. He played his last gig in Miami, opening for Jeff Beck, playing in Tampa the next night. I had tickets for the Tampa show, but he OD'd. I truly appreciate the memories.
Thank you for your kind words for Tommy. He lives on in our hearts, and by your wonderful thoughts. He was lucky to have such a solid rock to fly from on this amazing album.
Thank you thank you thank you a thousand times THANK YOU
Had to pull out my copy of Spectrum and dive in. Such creativity! Man, Tommy Bolin was a master. Super playing by everybody of course, and Ron Carter fit so well. Thanks for the reminder of this great record.
I bought "Spectrum" when it was first released, what an album. I'm 65 now, and I have played both the album and especially "Stratus" countless times. It always takes me back to when I first bought it, and it still encourages my inner youth to come out to play. Like all great music, it never grows old. That bass line is the best driver of any tune I have heard.
Many Thanks, Leland. Wonderful.
ich war teenager, als ich diese fantastische platte gekauft hatte. auch die abmischung und dass fibes drum . ganz grosses kino.
When I played this record in the bar I worked at in the 70's I couldn't have dreamed that all these years later I would see Mr. Sklar playing this on a video. I'm absolutely made up with this, thank you very much sir, you are a wonder!
Spectrum opened so many minds!.. Thank you.
Just watched Immediate Family for the second time...wonderful documentary. Fans should all check it out.
Thank you Mr. Sklar! It was a great emotion to be able to see this song played live with the original Fender Jazz of the 1973 recording! I was born in 1979 and I tell you the love story with Stratus. As a child my father made me listen to this song, always saying to me: "listen, hear well, hear the bass, concentrate on that". So I grew up with that stubborn bass line always in the head, and with the groove of Billy and Tommy and Jan's solos. Now seeing this again thanks to you was really exciting, a great gift! Thanks again! I admire you very much, a great Master! 🙏🏻
This LP was so intensly satisfying , the pinnacle of higher conciousness musically , you’re recap as well as the track took me back to Tommy’s genius !RIP Tommy and jeff beck. Thank you leland
This was a test of endurance and accuracy!
You bet !!!
I would have f’d up many bars ago..
@@mickeyhernandez925 Sklar is like a drum machine. But in his case a "bass machine"!
@@AlexandreTasca He's like a sequencer which can also tell stories
I'm not a bass player but I really enjoy your in-depth chat regarding how you put your thing together. Not only that, your interesting experiences with fellow musicians are fabulous to listen to. I'm gonna keep listening Leland. Much love and appreciation from locked down England.
Thanks for the memory, Lee. I met Lee when I was the tour manager for the Spectrum 30th anniversary tour that Lee speaks about. Truly an amazing group of musicians. Lee was so much fun on the road. He kept volunteering to drive if I got tired. I still have to remind myself that it really happened and I was actually a part of it. Thank you, Leland, Billy, Dean and Gary.
Loved being on the road with you..
THE GREAT LELAND SKLAR IS THE ONLY ONE TO EVER GET THE BASS PART ON STRATUS RIGHT. PERIOD!!!!!!!!!
was one of my first jazz-fusion albums in the mid-seventies - absolutely classic and classic pioneering era of jazz-fusion. Had no idea - since the actual record is buried in the attic - that that was you on bass. WOW. Im more deeply enamored and appreciative of both your talent and your career. Thanks illuminating the hisory of those truly classic moments and times. Wow.
I used to think that the musician I've seen the most was James Taylor but after reading the list of musicians that Leland has toured with I realize he's the musician I've seen more than anyone else.
your right my friend..he's been all over the place ,and that means everywhere on earth, and with so many musicians and bands with so many different styles of music. high intelligence and a gift from above has made him the goat of all bass players along with Mr Jameson
You are so right Lee... That groove being constantly there drives the entire song. It is the foundation which enables Tommy and Jan to be able to build those fantastic solos upon. Without the constant drive, the song is lost. Thank you so much Lee.!...
Loved that album, still listen to it and share with younger generations. So you are the one on bass. Just driving and make the speakers move. I worked at a hospital during that time. I lost some of my co-workers.
Gotta add, in 1975 at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago when Jeff Beck was playing his new works, like "Blow by Blow", Mahavishnu Orchestra opened up for him (that's crazy). Jeff told the crowd (us) to not expect him to play his old works. This new work was of course very influenced by Tommy Bolin and jazz fusion in general. Fantastic show! When I saw John McLaughlin open up at that show I almost didn't know what I was looking at. Mind blowing...
Thank you so much. Both for the play through but even more for the back story.
Spectrum -- that album changed my brain. I was 14 when that came out and I played my copy until it was unplayable. Hammer, Bolin, Cobham -- and you. I still have that unplayable LP. I keep it as a talisman from my youth.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos during this difficult period. Hopefully you have some idea of the good you are doing for so many of us -- especially people like me who've been listening to you for decades. All the best to you and thanks again.
MyFavorite Flutes yep...I was a little younger. Got my copy at 12 yrs old... have dug on this for 40+ years... Billy was the man. He surrounded himself with the best.
I was 15 in 73 and got turned on to Billy . It stuck . Jazz fusion is where it's at.
There will never be another album like this! The capabilities of the musicians are extraordinary
That was absolutely outstanding Mr.Sklar. My condolences to your fingertips.
A couple weeks ago when I spoke about you playing on Spectrum with Tommy, I kept wishing you’d play something off of that album. Thank you so much for talking about Tommy because that Man’s guitar work in the world of music especially Fusion was so pivotal.
Spectrum and especially the track Stratus changed the game for me and no doubt many others. That drop at the start is one of the greatest musical moments ever .
This guy can play any genre. Outstanding
I don't often buy things on a whim but I went and bought this record immediately after hearing this belter! Great way to discover new music (well, new to me at any rate)!
Best part about new-to-me music.
it could be fifty sixty years old you discover it and you get into it and you can become a fan later in life.
I jam to this track almost every day. Thanks for making such great music!
I worked in a little independent record store on Saturdays while studying at art school. The week I heard Massive Attack's Safe From Harm I knew immediately what I would spend my credit note on come the weekend. At the end of the day I walked up to the counter, record in hand, beaming. My boss smiled back, came around front and pulled a copy of Spectrum down off the wall, he placed the disc on the turntable made available for customers to listen to stock and played me this track.
Suffice to say I left that day with no cash wages but two very cool records. Thank you so, so much.
I can't stop watching today Lee!
Lee is a walking music history book. What a gem.
Not just in a pocket, its like a pocket inside a pocket. You are the best Lee!
5chevin5 no it wasn‘t. Try to play in the pocket with a bassamp and a backing track over your computer speakers. Not gonna happen.
@@pillepalle3614 yep keeping lines like that together is a challenge .need to focus hard . there were a few spots he fell out ,some drum fills seem to throw him off probably a volume thing like he said . but still kicking my ass
I'm better...
@@fonkypluma2509 congratulations i'm glad you got over it :P
@@fonkypluma2509 lol you removed your video
Mr Sklar you’re a beast! This drummer appreciates you. As I get older, I’m seeing the intense value of ego-less, repetitious grooving and just committing to a pattern. Love that bass, by the way!
Fun fact: i watched this video just a few minutes after it was posted. While watching i noticed, that i was just wearing a Tommy Bolin shirt that day 😄👍
Thank you for sharing your memories with us, i really appreciate that!
I remember Tommy Bolin and Zephyr from the old 'Boulder' days...Tulagi's
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! It's an honor to see you as part of the UA-cam community, Leland! You're a legend!!!
Mr. Sklar, I just need to say that is such a massive privilege being able to watch how you cover your own hyper-iconic basslines and hear all the stories you are up to share with us!! Thanks, thanks and thanks a lot for doing this.
My fingers are tired just watching him play. Great growl!
you're right about that I even tried to airbass it while he was playing and after about 2 minutes my fingers got tired😱🤣🤣
I love the way he alternates the E string note between fingered and there is no change in the groove which is just flawless and effortless (for him that is). 😁😁😁😁👍
Mum bought me Spectrum in 1976 as I was a budding young drummer and she asked the record store attendant,”Do you have any drumming albums?”lol.
God bless the 70’s ,your bass line in Stratus,had me dancing in the room and Billy’s incredible drumming,what a lineup.
Hammer and Bolin,a perfect chemistry for a perfect fusion album,I rate this the best fusion album of all time!
This is why you're the king! That focus while everyone else jams...wow every bass player ive played with would have improvised like a muppet. Thanks for making these videos.
Could you really improvise that bass groove though?! Somehow I think not.
I had never heard this track before...now I get our local barlady to play it in the pub...only when I feel the moment is there...and everyone always says "What is that?..It's brilliant!"...thank you Lee for sharing that😀
Yes!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you ! What you,and Tommy, Billy, and Jan, did together on Spectrum is my personal favorite of your career. I so wish that Tommy would have lived to produce more of his art. You are one of the all time greats!
Watching this again. I saw that tour in Philly. Keswick Theatre. Met all ya'll after. Stunning. One of my top fav ever.
Thank You Leland for the Tune and the History! Nothing Better than the Sharing of your Time on the Road, in the Studio, Tommy Bolin and All the other Musicians as well! Truly an Enjoyable Experience just to Listen 🎶🎸😀⚘
Thanks lee from a Scotsman 🤩
Who the hell gives this a thumbs down? Seriously - Lee is a national treasure and this bass line is about as true to the role as it gets. Solid, unflinching, and incessant - holding it DOWN. Brilliant, mate - thank you so much for doing these!
I love these videos. I love the stories. Thank you. A quick story. One perfect spring day in high school, many moons ago, me and a buddy cut school and went walking through Central Park. Walking through the Promenade toward the Bandshell we heard the faint sound of electric guitars. "That sounds like Carlos Santana," I said. "No," said my friend, "it's John McGlaughlin." We went back and forth like this. When we got to the Bandshell it was Carlos Santana and John McGlaughlin, just the two of them, no one else, two guitars, seated on stools opposite one another. There weren't a lot of people watching either. The whole thing was so low key. it was transcendental. I've been looking for recordings of some of the tunes I heard them play. Wow.
Hey Leland just recently found your youtube channel thanks to Rick Beato, Spectrum is on of my all time favorite albums!! Would love to see more play throughs of songs on that album and any other stories you have from around then, especially any stories involving Tommy Bolin (I don't think he gets brought up enough, he was a fantastic guitarist)!! Thanks for the great videos!
Pas facile a tenir ! Ligne de basse devenue LEGENDAIRE ! Quel groove Leland ! Immense bassiste avec TOTO ,Phil COLLINS and, and and , others artists !!!
I bought Spectrum at release, and that album was part of what turned me on to a whole new universe of music at the time (and to this day). I didn't realize that was YOU. You are one rock solid guy, Leland. Thanks.
Wow, you didn't know about Mahavishnu prior to hearing Spectrum? What a shame.. I wish I had gotten turned on to Mahavishnu 2 years prior, but I was able to catch their last concert in my area just before they split up and reformed..
It was Birds of Fire that made me buy Spectrum. After hearing that I went out and bought all the albums by the members of Mahavishnu (thus Spectrum), and then all the albums from the members of all THOSE bands, etc. I never did catch Mahavishnu, though I saw John McLaughlin play. Lucky you!
@@universeconsciouscitizensc592 after hearing BOF, i knew BC was the greatest drummer ever.
Oh - thank you for the story of the tune I must have heard and enjoyed 10.000 times over the decades!! Great to hear the stories behind - and what a sweet guy Mr Sklar is!
plays for 4 minutes, talks for 20 minutes and i enjoyed every single second of it! :)
grandmaster lee's got more stories than the books at the library.
looking forward to the next video
I'd been listening to Lee, Billy, Jan & Tommy for a couple of years already when Spectrum came out and I thought I died & went to heaven to have them all playing together on the same album. SInce its release there haven't been many months, maybe even weeks, when I didn't give it a listen and enjoyed it again as one of my favorite musical encounters. Thank you so much, Mr. Sklar, for the years of enjoyment this has brought to me, and for the chance to hear you tell about how it happened. Amazing music, absolutely masterful!
Dude. Lee's stories are the *best*. Straight from the horse's mouth. He played on *everything*. Crazy.
I saw Billy Cobham in Germany while touring with Wolfang Schmid, Peter Wölpl, Rick Keller and Nippy Noya. That was Wolfgang's "Jubilee" tour around 1990. (I still have the live album on vinyl, although I haven't had a record player for the last 25 years or so.) That was when I was seriously infected by the drumming virus by virtue of Pete York's "Super Drumming" series in German television. Ah, those were the days! I always liked this song and actually got myself "Spectrum" around that time. I got to "know" you via Phil Collins (remember that legendary "Seriously Live" Show in the Waldbühne in Berlin?). Anyway, I never knew that you played the legendary bass line on "Stratus" until I saw this video here. What a revelation! I couldn't wrap my head around that fact first. What a gift you and all these talented and true musicians are to all of us!
Awesome, perfect end of a day is to watch your videos mr. Sklar
Nice guy and thrilling insights! I was listening to this album in the early 80s over and over again and still like it. Thanks a lot, Mr Sklar!
I first heard and fell in love with this bass line on Massive Attack's Safe From Harm (which I adore). One of the great challenges for me was to play the bass line all the way through without fumbling or my fingers cramping! It took a while, but I got there (although nothing like as tight or precise as Lee obviously).
I only found out the genesis of Safe From Harm when I heard Jeff Beck "covering" it. I then searched and found the original track, by Cobham et al. Stunning work.
Love the bass on this track....
SO moving...and fine❤
Your thing is so amazing!!!
What you know about billy tomo
What thing? His looks, his chops, his beard, his bass guitar, his penis??! 😳😀
I noticed that glitch in Taurian Matador I don't. I loved it! Tommy is playing his ass off on that & so glad it was left in! Quadrant 4 too!
What a treat to get to see you repeat a cool, *seemingly* simple line. There's a lot to learn from your playing here. How to stay focused in the groove, having a right hand pattern that's engaging, being aware of where everyone else is in the song... Thanks!
Love this! To stay snuggled in the pocket for so long is truly amazing and absolutely right on with groove!
So cool.. my Everyday vid. This get me trough Some rough time!
Thank you for sharing this history and story on the creation of Spectrum. Very interesting. I am From Tommys home town, Sioux city, Iowa. Never missed seeing Tommy play every time he came back home. Just visited his gravesite last week and played this album while there. Peace and Good Health to you. Keep rockin.
That bass line is indeed fire!
From the age of 16-20 I was immersed deeply in BILLY, Billy is one of my Hero's. Leland thanks for making one of the best drum albums in History. I saw Billy do a show last night and he sounded Great.Musicians that are still sounding great in their late 70's RULE.
That was so cool seeing you use the bass you used on the track. Really digging your videos Lee. The stories, the playing, the jokes, I love it all.
I listened to Stratus just yesterday morning. By Mr. Cobham.
What a machine!
Simply fantastic. best. fusion.record.ever. The back-story you relate makes this video even better. When Spectrum came out in 1973, I'd already been a big fan of Billy Cobham and Jan Hammer from the Mahavishnu Orchestra (etc), along with Tommy Bolin from Zephyr and Energy...and then listed in the liner notes there's this bass player that had played with Carole King and James Taylor, and I go...Hmmmm....this guy's got some chops!! Been a fan ever since. Thanks. Be safe out there.
I love this channel. My daily bass-joke-story-drug. ThanXXL for doing this. Stay tuned and take care of yourself! Greetings from Germany.
this is honestly one of my top fav jazz fusion songs thank you for existing
I just listened to Spectrum in its entirety on my walk this morning - what a coincidence! Love this tune and great playing as always Lee.
This is the song when I discovered Lee and Billy Cobham I was in a Garys stereo and music store in Richmond va back in 74 when a salesman was playing the Spectrum LP as a demo on a turntable I WAS TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY NOT ONLY FROM THE DRUMS BUT THIS BASS LINE, I went straight to the bin and bought this LP and wore its ass out then bought another and so on, Lee you have touched more people than you know with your great talent and after I heard this I have been a big fan of yours. Thank you brother.
One of my all time favourites - great !! Spectrum was one of the greatest albums ever made. The git/key/drums solos are absolutely fantastic and stands out of time. Your bassline has a driving, holding-it-all-together, almost meditative character - I could listen to it for hours. As a bass player I have played it many times with my bands. You are a great inspiration to me.
Mahavishnu Orchestra is so amazing. Jazz/Fusion on steroids with Indian meters thrown in. What musicians. Cobham is legendary. As is Ron Carter. Jan. To work with these people, you are blessed.
How wonderful to hear you play that mesmerizing bass part, and so intriguing to hear the story of the session. One of my all time favourite "fusion" albums. So kind of you to share these personal stories with us. Cheers from Vancouver. Geoffrey
Oh Mister Sklar,you are really creating the kind of flying Carpet a Musician can relax on!😀What a Groove!Thank you for all the great Music you gave us!😀🙏👍✌
I wasn't expecting this! Thank you for a terrific master class, Professor Sklar!
I was a 13 year old kid beating on pots and pans wanting to be a drummer in 1981. A stoner friend of our family family saw my "drumkit" and got me a copy of Spectrum and told me it would change my life. It did.
I remember trying to figure out how to say the bass player's name, being a Spanish speaking kid. A couple of years later I saw the name on a Phil Collins record and from there spent every penny on records that had this unpronounceable name on it.
Thankfully I learned to say that name and to play drums. Thanks to Leland Sklar teaching me to groove I now make a living of it in Japan.
Wow, talk about timing!...Spectrum's been in my car's CD player for the last month or so (I do that with my fave albums), and I was just listening to it while looking at the (legally unrideable) surf this afternoon.
Spectrum's been a milestone album for me since it was released, and as a player, the immediacy of the session was palpable by the 1st tune...I've always thought it was all live...you can hear it, and you can feel it.
Thank you sir for sharing the story behind one of my all-time favorite albums, one that I see as a perfect storm of the right material, chemistry and timing of some of my favorite players.
Enjoyed this performance, and the story that followed. I should tell you about how I didn't get to see you in 75 with James Taylor. I was 16 yrs old, and camping up near Lake Lucerne, NY. with the extended Family at Fourth Lake State Park. I wanted to go, but didn't have tickets. Beside, the parents needing R&R, and were enjoying happy hour each evening. But, that summer I managed to acquire tickets in Latham, NY, and was able to see Stephen Stills perform. Blew me away. But, what is really killer, is I the night I arrived in Mechanicsville, NY, ( we had drivien from Miami, F), and before I get out of the back seat of the car my Cousin Tina says to me, " Hey do yo want to go see Eric Clapton, and Santana?" This was at the S.P.A.C. in Saratoga, NY. Both Stills, and Clapton would educate me in a wonderful way. Only a few years later I somehow would be allowed access to Criteria Studios, where a friend ended up after HS as an engineer. We locked the doors behind us, and spent all night there. Bless all you out there. Stand on the side of the road and give a thumbs up to first responders.
Great work Leland. To my shame, I only just discovered this track in its original form . That killer bass line I heard was on the Massive attack track that was sampled from Stratus. you have a great groove on you and that bass your playing has one of the nicest tones I've ever heard. God bless and stay safe
I'm a bit behind you. When he started playing, I immediately recalled the Massive Attack track, and had never before realized it was a sample.
I was gonna bring this up also in a comment to Lee. He must know that he’s been sampled by the great Massive Attack. As a teen in high school I listened to the original BC album, and then years later I was exposed to the trip hop of Massive. It’s all great stuff.
OMG, it's been ages since I heard that album - and now, there you are, sir, playing it, as enthusiastically as 50+ yrs before! Love and respect from Germany!
Despite being your own worst critic, the mix and the feel sound great on our end!!❤❤🤘🎸🤘🎸
I can remember when this album came out. I was sitting in a High School practice room telling my Bass player friend. You have to listen to this track. So I played it for him and he said. "The Bass Player is playing the same line over and over" I was shocked,, I thought he was going to go through the roof over this song. Then I listened and said - Oh my God he's right the Bass player is playing the same thing over and over. But guess what? That's is one of the exact keys of what makes this song so deep. It's a rock that never slips or leaves one child behind.
His tone sounds so clear and the play is so hypnotic. wonderful.
MY NEW NORMAL ,AN AFTERNOON WITH LEE SKLAR ,I'D HAVE NEVER THOUGHT. I'D SEE THE DAY THAT I WAS WATCHING LEE SKLAR HOW COOL AND HE'S SO REAL AND NOT "PLASTIC"!!..
YOU TAKE CARE OUT THERE MR. SKLAR
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRIGHTENING MY DAY.
(DAY 30 MAYBE ,OF QUARANTINE IN THE HIGH DESERT OF CALIFORNIA)4/20/2020
Love it! That train is powering on! Would love to hear you somehow do a version of "Lobsterfoam" :D
this is my warm up every time I pick my bass up SICK!!!!!
One of my favourite bass lines of all time. Bought the album when it came out as a teenager. Have you heard the Jeff Beck version with Tal Wilkenfeld (in particular the Live at Ronnie Scotts version) here on UA-cam (OK posted this before I listened all the way through). Still Talk Wilkenfeld slays the groove.