Billy Sheehan

[MinistroRaven]

This guy has a book coming out in two days.
I am a fan of most of his work (IYKWIM) so i am spreading the word

From his FB:

New bass book! Available Feb 1 from Hal Leonard. Pre-orders available now.
😃😃😃

Best of Billy Sheehan https://www.amazon.com/dp/1495069818/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_p58BAb25H12JM

[max_security]

And he has a new amp ( or model patch at least ) .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yi2mw_pGRM

[Kwyjibo]

I liked him a lot with DLR and on the early Mr. Big records. I have two of his solo records, Compression and Cosmic Troubadour, I like them both but Troubadour is better imo. I like his work with Steve Vai and I love Niacin.

Ironically his projects with Portnoy are among his weaker outputs, PSMS is too much of a wank-fest, I can't really get into the Winery Dogs and Sons Of Apollo could have been better than it actually is, but there's another thread for this discussion. 

And I'm baffled that the man is already in his mid-60s, he sure doesn't look like it.

[ytserush]

I like his solo stuff a lot. Niacin, Winery Dogs, PSMS...

[MinistroRaven]

Cosmic Troubadour it’s just an stellar disc

[HOF]

I’ve been on a Billy Sheehan kick lately. Mr. Big was one of my first favorite bands of sorts, and still I go through these periods where I can just listen to them and smile. Spent a few hours listening to them  last night and again this morning. Just a great band and Billy’s playing is a huge part of it. I love how even on their ballads and acoustic songs he’s still playing these amazing melodic bass lines.

I’ve also been trying to get more into Niacin lately. Have had Time Crunch for a long time but recently picked up High Bias and Deep. Those are both fantastic, but his tone and playing on Deep are on another level (and Jon Novello and Dennis Chambers aren’t too shabby either). I’m not a huge fan of jazz and fusion, but I can sort of just get lost in the music (in a good way). It was also cool to find out that Pat Torpey plays on one of the tracks on High Bias. Miss that guy.

[devieira73]

I’ve been on a Billy Sheehan kick lately. Mr. Big was one of my first favorite bands of sorts, and still I go through these periods where I can just listen to them and smile. Spent a few hours listening to them  last night and again this morning. Just a great band and Billy’s playing is a huge part of it. I love how even on their ballads and acoustic songs he’s still playing these amazing melodic bass lines.

I’ve also been trying to get more into Niacin lately. Have had Time Crunch for a long time but recently picked up High Bias and Deep. Those are both fantastic, but his tone and playing on Deep are on another level (and Jon Novello and Dennis Chambers aren’t too shabby either). I’m not a huge fan of jazz and fusion, but I can sort of just get lost in the music (in a good way). It was also cool to find out that Pat Torpey plays on one of the tracks on High Bias. Miss that guy.

I agree with all that about Mr. Big! I also love Niacin and Deep is my favourite.
I follow RodrigoAltaf on Facebook. He just did an interview with Billy for Sonic Perspectives and he confirmed a new Mr. Big album is in the works!

[RodrigoAltaf]

I’ve been on a Billy Sheehan kick lately. Mr. Big was one of my first favorite bands of sorts, and still I go through these periods where I can just listen to them and smile. Spent a few hours listening to them  last night and again this morning. Just a great band and Billy’s playing is a huge part of it. I love how even on their ballads and acoustic songs he’s still playing these amazing melodic bass lines.

I’ve also been trying to get more into Niacin lately. Have had Time Crunch for a long time but recently picked up High Bias and Deep. Those are both fantastic, but his tone and playing on Deep are on another level (and Jon Novello and Dennis Chambers aren’t too shabby either). I’m not a huge fan of jazz and fusion, but I can sort of just get lost in the music (in a good way). It was also cool to find out that Pat Torpey plays on one of the tracks on High Bias. Miss that guy.

I agree with all that about Mr. Big! I also love Niacin and Deep is my favourite.
I follow RodrigoAltaf on Facebook. He just did an interview with Billy for Sonic Perspectives and he confirmed a new Mr. Big album is in the works!

It was actually Eric Martin, man!!!! But I do love Billy, and the one time I met him he was super friendly. I hope I get to interview him one day.

[TAC]

I liked the early Talas albums, especially the live one, and the DLR albums, but other than that I really don't pay attention to Billy Sheehan. I couldn't get into Mr. Big.

[HOF]

I’ve been on a Billy Sheehan kick lately. Mr. Big was one of my first favorite bands of sorts, and still I go through these periods where I can just listen to them and smile. Spent a few hours listening to them  last night and again this morning. Just a great band and Billy’s playing is a huge part of it. I love how even on their ballads and acoustic songs he’s still playing these amazing melodic bass lines.

I’ve also been trying to get more into Niacin lately. Have had Time Crunch for a long time but recently picked up High Bias and Deep. Those are both fantastic, but his tone and playing on Deep are on another level (and Jon Novello and Dennis Chambers aren’t too shabby either). I’m not a huge fan of jazz and fusion, but I can sort of just get lost in the music (in a good way). It was also cool to find out that Pat Torpey plays on one of the tracks on High Bias. Miss that guy.

I agree with all that about Mr. Big! I also love Niacin and Deep is my favourite.
I follow RodrigoAltaf on Facebook. He just did an interview with Billy for Sonic Perspectives and he confirmed a new Mr. Big album is in the works!

It was actually Eric Martin, man!!!! But I do love Billy, and the one time I met him he was super friendly. I hope I get to interview him one day.

Wait, a new album? I thought they had officially called it quits after Pat passed. To be honest, I didn’t even bother with the last two, especially when the band themselves admitted the last one was badly rushed and not up to standards. Would love for them to take some time and write some real songs again. What If... had a couple great tracks but also a lot of filler rock type songs. Their last great album was Actual Size, which I’ve never been able to track down on CD (not sure it was released outside of Asia).

[RodrigoAltaf]

I’ve been on a Billy Sheehan kick lately. Mr. Big was one of my first favorite bands of sorts, and still I go through these periods where I can just listen to them and smile. Spent a few hours listening to them  last night and again this morning. Just a great band and Billy’s playing is a huge part of it. I love how even on their ballads and acoustic songs he’s still playing these amazing melodic bass lines.

I’ve also been trying to get more into Niacin lately. Have had Time Crunch for a long time but recently picked up High Bias and Deep. Those are both fantastic, but his tone and playing on Deep are on another level (and Jon Novello and Dennis Chambers aren’t too shabby either). I’m not a huge fan of jazz and fusion, but I can sort of just get lost in the music (in a good way). It was also cool to find out that Pat Torpey plays on one of the tracks on High Bias. Miss that guy.

I agree with all that about Mr. Big! I also love Niacin and Deep is my favourite.
I follow RodrigoAltaf on Facebook. He just did an interview with Billy for Sonic Perspectives and he confirmed a new Mr. Big album is in the works!

It was actually Eric Martin, man!!!! But I do love Billy, and the one time I met him he was super friendly. I hope I get to interview him one day.

Wait, a new album? I thought they had officially called it quits after Pat passed. To be honest, I didn’t even bother with the last two, especially when the band themselves admitted the last one was badly rushed and not up to standards. Would love for them to take some time and write some real songs again. What If... had a couple great tracks but also a lot of filler rock type songs. Their last great album was Actual Size, which I’ve never been able to track down on CD (not sure it was released outside of Asia).

You have to listen to the interview to check out the details of the album, man...

[HOF]

I’ve been on a Billy Sheehan kick lately. Mr. Big was one of my first favorite bands of sorts, and still I go through these periods where I can just listen to them and smile. Spent a few hours listening to them  last night and again this morning. Just a great band and Billy’s playing is a huge part of it. I love how even on their ballads and acoustic songs he’s still playing these amazing melodic bass lines.

I’ve also been trying to get more into Niacin lately. Have had Time Crunch for a long time but recently picked up High Bias and Deep. Those are both fantastic, but his tone and playing on Deep are on another level (and Jon Novello and Dennis Chambers aren’t too shabby either). I’m not a huge fan of jazz and fusion, but I can sort of just get lost in the music (in a good way). It was also cool to find out that Pat Torpey plays on one of the tracks on High Bias. Miss that guy.

I agree with all that about Mr. Big! I also love Niacin and Deep is my favourite.
I follow RodrigoAltaf on Facebook. He just did an interview with Billy for Sonic Perspectives and he confirmed a new Mr. Big album is in the works!

It was actually Eric Martin, man!!!! But I do love Billy, and the one time I met him he was super friendly. I hope I get to interview him one day.

Wait, a new album? I thought they had officially called it quits after Pat passed. To be honest, I didn’t even bother with the last two, especially when the band themselves admitted the last one was badly rushed and not up to standards. Would love for them to take some time and write some real songs again. What If... had a couple great tracks but also a lot of filler rock type songs. Their last great album was Actual Size, which I’ve never been able to track down on CD (not sure it was released outside of Asia).

You have to listen to the interview to check out the details of the album, man...

Link? Or is it not ready yet.

[RodrigoAltaf]

 Not ready yet...we spoke yesterday, and it lasted more than an hour. We need to edit and publish it, and this should take a few weeks, because we only have one person in the site who edits audio. One cool thing about the interview is that Eric shared a few stories about Mr. Big opening for Rush. None of them are exactly new, but after we finished talking, he said he could send me a few pictures of the Rush guys with Mr. Big, from his personal files, to include in the interview. That was cool of him, and totally unexpected!

[HOF]

Not ready yet...we spoke yesterday, and it lasted more than an hour. We need to edit and publish it, and this should take a few weeks, because we only have one person in the site who edits audio. One cool thing about the interview is that Eric shared a few stories about Mr. Big opening for Rush. None of them are exactly new, but after we finished talking, he said he could send me a few pictures of the Rush guys with Mr. Big, from his personal files, to include in the interview. That was cool of him, and totally unexpected!

Awesome! I just remembered I follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, so I’m sure I’ll see it when it goes up. Looking forward to it!

[devieira73]

Sorry, Rodrigo! I confused Eric with Billy!
Honestly, What If. ..is my second fave Mr Big album, only behind Bump Ahead. But I agree that the last two, specially the last, weren't great.

[HOF]

Sorry, Rodrigo! I confused Eric with Billy!
Honestly, What If. ..is my second fave Mr Big album, only behind Bump Ahead. But I agree that the last two, specially the last, weren't great.

Bump Ahead is definitely my favorite Mr. Big album. Every track is killer, and it’s a great mix of hard rock, shred, and pop. Mr. Gone is probably my favorite track. Amazing bass line, amazing harmonies, Pat with a really tasteful groove. Just a great great song.

[Stadler]

I liked the early Talas albums, especially the live one, and the DLR albums, but other than that I really don't pay attention to Billy Sheehan. I couldn't get into Mr. Big.

I'm with you on that.   Though i'm not all that familiar with the Talas stuff (I guess I should be).  I like Sheehan, I LOVE Paul Gilbert, but Mr. Big was a big pass for me, and I'm not sure why.

[TAC]

I'm with you on that.   Though i'm not all that familiar with the Talas stuff (I guess I should be).  I like Sheehan, I LOVE Paul Gilbert, but Mr. Big was a big pass for me, and I'm not sure why.

No substance.

[HOF]

I'm with you on that.   Though i'm not all that familiar with the Talas stuff (I guess I should be).  I like Sheehan, I LOVE Paul Gilbert, but Mr. Big was a big pass for me, and I'm not sure why.

No substance.

Man, I couldn’t disagree more. Substance is pretty subjective to begin with, but in terms of that genre of hard rock/hair metal, the music had tons of substance. Billy, Pat, and Paul are just great players. But in terms of writing great songs, they had those too. The first album was pretty fluffy, but see songs like Green Tinted Sixties Mind, Mr. Gone, Ain’t Seen Love Like That, or Take Cover. It’s pop rock for sure, but they were really good at it.

[TAC]

Yeah it is subjective.

But when you put Billy Sheehan (Talas) and Paul Gilbert (Racer X) together, I was expecting an ass kicker. What I got was Winger Part 2.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Mr. Big was AWESOME!

 Also, To Be With You is my 6 year old's favorite song, so that's why I pursued an interview with Eric. She asked me to tell him she loves that song. Mission accomplished!

[TAC]

Mr. Big was AWESOME!

 Also, To Be With You is my 6 year old's favorite song, so that's why I pursued an interview with Eric. She asked me to tell him she loves that song. Mission accomplished!

Now that is awesome. 

[HOF]

Yeah it is subjective.

But when you put Billy Sheehan (Talas) and Paul Gilbert (Racer X) together, I was expecting an ass kicker. What I got was Winger Part 2.

Ah, that explains it! But truthfully, I’d say Mr. Big had more substance than Winger. To me, they are a bluesier Van Halen with a touch of The Beatles in the mix.

[Kwyjibo]

Yeah it is subjective.

But when you put Billy Sheehan (Talas) and Paul Gilbert (Racer X) together, I was expecting an ass kicker. What I got was Winger Part 2.

Do you know more than just To Be With You? There's some real ass-kickin' tunes on the first couple of records. Not crushing heavy metal, but that was never their goal.

[TAC]

Yeah it is subjective.

But when you put Billy Sheehan (Talas) and Paul Gilbert (Racer X) together, I was expecting an ass kicker. What I got was Winger Part 2.

Do you know more than just To Be With You? There's some real ass-kickin' tunes on the first couple of records. Not crushing heavy metal, but that was never their goal.

Hey, I bought the first album on cassette when it was released and I just remember being very disappointed. Addicted To That Rush was nice, but nothing else after that lived up to it. I saw them open for Rush and enjoyed them live. Unfortunately I was denied entry to see them in a club when they came to Providence so I missed that.

To Be With You never really bothered me. It was the (from memory, although I think I re-listened to the first album a couple of years ago during an exchange like this) boring music throughout. It was to me anyway. I realize now that they did not get together to make ass kicking music. They just wanted to write halfway decent tunes and that's that. Great. Who cares?


I never bothered with the second album. I'm not averse to any recommendations.

[HOF]

Yeah it is subjective.

But when you put Billy Sheehan (Talas) and Paul Gilbert (Racer X) together, I was expecting an ass kicker. What I got was Winger Part 2.

Do you know more than just To Be With You? There's some real ass-kickin' tunes on the first couple of records. Not crushing heavy metal, but that was never their goal.

Hey, I bought the first album on cassette when it was released and I just remember being very disappointed. Addicted To That Rush was nice, but nothing else after that lived up to it. I saw them open for Rush and enjoyed them live. Unfortunately I was denied entry to see them in a club when they came to Providence so I missed that.

To Be With You never really bothered me. It was the (from memory, although I think I re-listened to the first album a couple of years ago during an exchange like this) boring music throughout. It was to me anyway. I realize now that they did not get together to make ass kicking music. They just wanted to write halfway decent tunes and that's that. Great. Who cares?


I never bothered with the second album. I'm not averse to any recommendations.

Bump Ahead is the one to check out. It starts out with probably their most ass kicking song:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NIGaaimTZkI

I’d also add that I’m not all that fond of the first album either.

[Kwyjibo]

I saw Mr. Big two or three times in small clubs and they rocked hard. Tremendous musicians. 

The first Mr. Big is really good imo, but you can hear that they were still searching for chemistry. The second one is where it's at. The third one is almost as good but a bit too calculated and the fourth is still solid. After that they went even more pop and I lost interest. Still some good songs here and there but nothing really grabbed me.

[RodrigoAltaf]

How is this not considered a PERFECT song?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHGv5FCS2j8

[HOF]

How is this not considered a PERFECT song?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHGv5FCS2j8

That one is really good. Two lesser known tracks that I really love and that could have been hits in the right environment are Next Time Around (bonus track on Back to Budokan) and Stay Together (from their Big, Bigger, Biggest! compilation).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm9S-5QpO-k

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k06xf5tYavA

[Stadler]

I'm with you on that.   Though i'm not all that familiar with the Talas stuff (I guess I should be).  I like Sheehan, I LOVE Paul Gilbert, but Mr. Big was a big pass for me, and I'm not sure why.

No substance.

Man, I couldn’t disagree more. Substance is pretty subjective to begin with, but in terms of that genre of hard rock/hair metal, the music had tons of substance. Billy, Pat, and Paul are just great players. But in terms of writing great songs, they had those too. The first album was pretty fluffy, but see songs like Green Tinted Sixties Mind, Mr. Gone, Ain’t Seen Love Like That, or Take Cover. It’s pop rock for sure, but they were really good at it.

That's the thing; I don't mind pop rock.   I LOVE pop rock.    Cheap Trick, Night Ranger, The Cars...  something about it didn't click.

[TAC]

Pop rock is fine for The Cars. Not for a band with the Talas bassist and the Racer X guitarist.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Pop rock is fine for The Cars. Not for a band with the Talas bassist and the Racer X guitarist.

I think you should sue them.

[TAC]

Maybe I could get my $8.99 back. 

[RodrigoAltaf]

Maybe I could get my $8.99 back. 

 Geddy, Alex and Neil loved them so much that they brought them back to open for them on the Roll the Bones tour, after they did the same on Presto. But TAC knows best.

[TAC]

They also brought Candlebox on tour as well.


Rod, I'm only being semi serious. I mean, I'm just explaining why I was disappointed in them, but I'll follow up on the recs in the thread.