League of extraordinary music men

I am biased. Been playing the bass for thousands of years now, never got any better than the average plonk-man, so when I heard that Vernon Go and his buccaneering Pulp crew are bringing in Mr. Big, obviously I got to thinking: Must see Billy Sheehan.

I have this old Bass Day 97 Highlights DVD featuring some of the gods of the low-end instrument. John Patitucci is there. (His bass work on Chick Corea’s Elektric and Akoustic bands is flawless; the trio of John, Chick and drummer Dave Weckl could go toe-to-toe with ’70s fusion giants Return to Forever with the great Stanley Clarke and Lenny White.) Dave Pomeroy, Oteil Burbridge and Rufus Reid are also there. Tony Levin is there. (A lot of music geeks know what that guy could do with a Chapman Stick, especially with that King Crimson lineup that recorded the brainy aural porn of “Discipline.”) And Billy Sheehan, of course, is there.

In the obligatory all-star Bass Day jam where each musician soloed at the end of the musical clinics, I felt Billy outshone them all — his tapping, full-on chords, strumming, etc. Never imagined human hands could do what he did. And it’s not all technical flash; melody and harmony snake throughout Billy’s bass work. This is apparent on his solo excursions as well as stints with David Lee Roth (alongside the devil’s own guitarist, Steve Vai), Terry Bozzio (the dude of ostinato who played with Zappa and Missing Persons), Niacin (with the sublime Dennis Chambers) and Mr. Big.

A case in point: Mr. Big guitarist Paul Gilbert’s fretwork heralds one of the band’s biggest hits, Green-Tinted Sixties Mind. Admit it, you could still hum the taps and slides in your head. But there is a lovely counter-pointing bounce in Billy’s bass-playing — something that steps back then drives the song forward, and with tasteful bends in unison with the lead guitar before Eric Martin sings about hanging out with Janis. Most bassists who patiently undergo a bit of wood-shedding could play it, but can they come up with something like it? (As Living Colour’s Muzz Skillings asked his bass-playing brother who said he could play Jaco Pastorius’ lines in “Heavy Weather.” Hmm, Living Colour is another band Pulp should bring to the neck of our woes, I mean woods; and also — God, oh God — Faith No More.)

Pulp Live Productions presents Mr. Big — Pat Torpey, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Eric Martin — in concert at the Araneta Coliseum on May 10.

Same with the other hits: The Cat Stevens cover (Wild World), To Be With You, Addicted To That Rush, and Just Take My Heart. The bass playing is wicked, so is Gilbert’s guitar.

So you could just imagine when Mr. Big came out at the tail end of the ’80s with musical guns a-blazing like Clint Eastwood in those Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns or as the mysterious avenging gunslinger-angel in Pale Rider. Yes, I admit, Mr. Big sounded more poppy than most, and singer Eric Martin had a pop-rock-soul voice, but the Big guys put more emphasis on great musicianship (in contrast with the poodle-hair bands that are not GNR). Mr. Big as a unit was (and is still) big on chops. The guys were no man’s Poison. (You could cut-and-paste any of C.C. DeVille’s solos and you’d hardly miss a note). They were more animated than Cinderella. (Tom Kiefer and company were more bluesy, more Stonesy.) They were more arresting than Warrant. (I think it was one of the guys from Jani Lane’s band who said they knew the end was near when Warrant posters in their record label were replaced with Alice in Chains’). They flew higher than Winger.      

Vernon told me people have to be reminded how brilliant Mr. Big is. I agree. I mentioned to a young columnist in STAR (whose musical taste is impeccable) that the band is performing in Araneta Coliseum on May 10, and how, er, big those Mr. Big guys were. He just gave me this blank zombie stare straight out of George Romero. “Not in my generation,” was his curt reply. Maybe he’d have shown more interest if it were one of those “The” bands. The Planktons. The Armpits. The Rectums. The Shits.

Here’s an abbreviated history for the novice:

“Mr. Big was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988. The band’s self-titled debut album released in 1989 had more success in Japan than in the US, but the follow-up record, ‘Lean Into It,’ went platinum in the US and Japan, while debuting at no. 28 in the UK. That album boasts having the no. 1 single in 15 countries, To Be With You. Another huge hit for the band was Green-Tinted Sixties Mind. So was Just Take My Heart. They were staples on MTV. In 1993, ‘Bump Ahead’ went platinum in Japan and no. 61 in the UK. In 1996, ‘Hey Man’ went double platinum in Japan. The band has also released two compilation albums: ‘Big Bigger Biggest’ in 1996 and ‘Greatest Hits’ in 2004.”

Big in Japan: The Mr. Big discography

Several years, a farewell tour, and Richie Kotzen later, the band (with original members Sheehan, Gilbert, Martin and drummer Pat Torpey) has reunited, has come up with a new album, is touring, and is slated to play Manila — right after the recent Anthrax gig.

Mr. Big is like a democratic nation of a band. There is something for everyone.

For your girlfriend who swoons over the voice of the guy who sang I Love the Way You Love Me, which Boyzone also covered.

For the former guitarist in your band who’s forever f*cking up the intro to Green-Tinted Sixties Mind.

For them who’d like to hear the hits all over again.

For you who’d just like to get blown away by great musicianship.

For that bass fanatic in me who would like to tell Billy, “So, Mr. Sheehan, here’s my first question…” 

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Pulp Live Productions presents “Mr. Big Live in Manila” at the Araneta Coliseum on May 10, also featuring bands Lip Service and General Luna. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets — priced at P3,500 (Patron), P2,500 (Lower Box), P1,500 (Upper A), P750 (Upper B) — are now available at Ticketnet. Call 911-5555 for reservations. VIP Tickets are also available — call 687-1709 or visit www.pulpmagazinelive.com for information. There will be a meet-and-greet session with Mr. Big at SM North EDSA on May 9.