Introduced bassist Peter Hook's blunt response to being asked to stick to the root note in punk music: "Simply put, 'Why don't you just go away?'" As he defied conventions, he developed an aversion to low frequencies in his music-making.
Peter Hook's Unconventional Bass Playing Shapes Joy Division's Sound
Peter Hook, co-founder and bassist of the iconic British punk-rock band Joy Division, has made a lasting impact on the music industry with his unique approach to bass guitar playing.
In the early days of Joy Division, Hook developed his distinctive high-note bass sound primarily using a bass guitar played higher up the neck and a Sound City 120 amp, despite its problematic sound quality. His melodic style involved plucking upper-register basslines similar to rhythm guitar parts, which made the bass stand out by cutting through the mix.
The Sound City 120 amp, though problematic, sounded decent when played high up on the D and G strings. Hook bought the amp for 60 quid, and it was his mother who signed the finance for it. He identifies Jean-Jacques Burnell's bass in The Stranglers as sounding amazing in songs like "Peaches" and "Five Minutes," which inspired his purchase.
Hook's bass playing style with Joy Division was a departure from conventional low-root bass playing. He attributes this unconventional approach to encouragement from his bandmates, particularly Ian Curtis, who encouraged him to keep playing high up on the D and G strings.
In the later years of Joy Division, Hook's son, Jack Bates, joined the band to augment and anchor the bass parts. Bates demonstrates a remarkable ability to emulate Hook's bass playing style, continuing the legacy of Joy Division's unique sound.
Joy Division's music, with its innovative bass lines and melodic structure, planted the seeds of what would later define the mid-1980s' 'Madchester' sound. The band's songs like "She's Lost Control," "Inside," "24 Hours," and "Love Will Tear Us Apart" were developed through a collaborative process that involved Hook, Bernard Sumner (guitarist), Stephen Morris (drummer), and Ian Curtis (vocalist).
Hook's later setup, contributing to his high and distinctive sound, included an Alembic F-2B preamp feeding into a Crown DC300A amplifier, noted for delivering loud, clear, and defined tone suitable for melodic bass lines. He also used a suite of effects for the high frequencies, including a Big Muff fuzz, Mu-tron III envelope filter, MXR digital delay, Morley Fuzz/Wah and Power Wah, and an Eventide Harmonizer for added harmony and texture.
Despite his success as a singing bass player, Hook expresses surprise at his role, referring to it as the "kiss of death." He struggles to sing and play simultaneously, a skill he admires in musicians like Phil Lynott and Sting. The quote "I used to think singing bass players were the kiss of death, and it's just my luck that I would bloody become one" is attributed to Hook.
In his later career, Hook founded the band Light to bring the music of Joy Division to new audiences, continuing to shape the music industry with his unique approach to bass guitar playing.
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