There are musicians who belong to the class of their own, and John Giblin, who passed away on May 14th at the age of 71, was one of those. Bass guitarist extraordinaire, he’s most famous for session work preserved for posterity on top artists’ platters, that should show how the British artist’s virtuosity, which elevated those performances to celestial heights, never got in the way of a classic and only used to make it better.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to maintain that everyone heard Giblin’s playing, because his bass anchors perennials like Chris de Burgh’s “The Lady In Red” and “Babooshka” by Kate Bush, as well as “In The Air Tonight” from Phil Collins’ run of hits, but Joe’s credits include such serious opuses as Peter Gabriel’s third self-titled LP, a couple of BRAND X albums and “Tilt” by Scott Walker. He can be heard on Bush’s “The Red Shoes” and “Dead Bees On A Cake” from David Sylvian, on Jon Anderson‘s "Song Of Seven" and “Grace And Danger” by John Martyn, Johnny Warman’s "Walking Into Mirrors" and "Electric Glide" by Gary Boyle – to name but a few records Giblin took part in. There were more sessions, of course, among them quite unexpected soul-stirring stints with Al Green and Roberta Flack, and live appearances with Paul McCartney and other legendary figures. John’s passing leaves a glaring emptiness on music scene – he will be missed and remembered by multitude who loved his elastic lines.
