Name your favorite Bass players and why.

[MindGoneHaywire]

So what's he, an "under-player"?

Take a listen to the Defectives song, 6th in the program, & decide for yrself.

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/9389

[Worf101]

First let me preface this by saying that I play bass guitar in a band and have been playing it for money since the Nixon administration. That being said my fave bassists are:

1. James Jamerson - He WAS the Funk Brother's. Body of work... untouchable. Style and tone, impecable. Showed that bass guitar in popular music can do more than just keep time. Amazing. Listen to his work on "What's Goin' On?" and the Four Tops "That's the Way Nature Planned It". And all with one finger!!!!!

2. Willie Weeks - Great tone, great style, excellent soloist. Check out "Donny Hathaway Live" and you'll know what I'm talking about.

3. Ron Carter - Perhaps the best Jazz bassist to make the transition from stand up to electric. Massive body of work, amazing results. He's right up there.

4. Larry Graham - Love him or hate him but he did invent a whole new style of playing bass. Listen to Sly Stone's "Thank You".

5. Carol Kaye - A shameless self promoter but one hell of a bass player.

6. Mingus - Because he was Mingus!!!!

7. Sting - Best singing bass player I've ever seen (besides me).

8. Robbie - Showed that reggae bass can be more than just a door stop.

Da Worfster

[Mr Peabody]

My favorite rock bassist would be Steve Harris of Iron Maiden fame. I like many of the others mentioned. Anyone heard Marcus Miller? He is a jazz bassist that would give Stan a run for his money. And in a different style of bass, acoustic, I like Christian McBride. And I also enjoy a good funk-i-fied slap bass. I'm old school, if it has mo than 4 strings, it ain't a bass.

[Hyfi]

My favorite rock bassist would be Steve Harris of Iron Maiden fame. I like many of the others mentioned. Anyone heard Marcus Miller? He is a jazz bassist that would give Stan a run for his money. And in a different style of bass, acoustic, I like Christian McBride. And I also enjoy a good funk-i-fied slap bass. I'm old school, if it has mo than 4 strings, it ain't a bass.

Isn't McBride from Philly? He is a good one. Marcus is also a great bassist. What about Bootsy Barnes.er does he play Keys? His Trio is always plays downtown on a regular basis. I like a funky bass too.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Thought I'd revive this five year old thread just to say...

Roger Waters. Because he's out there... waaaaaay out there.

He's coming to Dallas, but I can't afford the $99 cheap-seat ticket price. But another favorite, Geddy Lee, along with his co-horts WILL be here this Friday, and I WILL be there!

[Mr Peabody]

Good job, it's fun to see these old posts. There were a couple more brought back too. The one on work out music I started reading without noticing the date and started wondering after seeing some of the names.

We're like Hollywood now, if you can't come up with an original idea then resurrect what's already been done

[Jim Clark]

Glad this little thread was resurected from the abyss since somehow I missed it the first time around.

Imagine my surprise when there was no mention at all of my favorite bass player of all time - Peter Hook. Granted I'm a Joy Division, New Order, and even Monaco fanboy. Being decidely nonmusically inclined I'm left to wonder about the technical prowess. What I know with absolute certainty is that his playing style is distinctive and readily identifiable. That kinda flies in the face of Swish's argument that the bass is not a lead instrument but the melodies he pulls out of that instrument make it instantly enjoyable for me. The bass is just such a huge part of that music that if it took a back seat to anything else going on, we'd have no post punk movement that's still influencing bands and music lovers to this day, Being the post punk whore that I am, that would be tragic.

jc

[Rich-n-Texas]

While I might agree with Swish (yeah, okay ) that the bass guitar isn't really a *lead* instrument, it's an absolutely critical instrument for bands like Rush & ZZ Top.

OTOH, did you know The Doors didn't have a bass player?

[3-LockBox]

Lee Trevino oops, wrong kinda bass I likes Geddy Lee

[Jim Clark]

Lee Trevino oops, wrong kinda bass I likes Geddy Lee

Trevino? The golfer? Yeah, I'd say it's definitely wrong.

How about Roland Martin?

[Rich-n-Texas]

Roland Martin? Couldn't stand his laugh but he could sure land (boat) some big-azz bass!

Base? No, BASS!

[ForeverAutumn]

I couldn't resist.

[GMichael]

Another blast from the past huh? Tex, great job, but man, you must be bored!

Another vote for Geddy here. His base playing is an integral part of the band's sound.

[ForeverAutumn]

Geddy Lee, along with his co-horts WILL be here this Friday, and I WILL be there!

Rich, you are going to have such a great time! I'm looking forward to your review after the show.

[3-LockBox]

Trevino? The golfer?

Yeah...I fukced that up
I meant Bill Dance...I always mix up the two because they both where University of Tennessee ball caps.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

I'm surprised I missed this the first time around. I have four favorite rock bass players - not because of any technical proficency, (well maybe Ritchie and Thomas are pretty good) but just because I like their style...

Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes)
Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello)
Paul Simonon (The Clash)
Graham Lewis (Wire)

in Jazz...

Charles Mingus
Ray Brown
Scott LaFaro
Charlie Hayden

[Jim Clark]

No Gene Simmons from anyone. If I was still in elementary school I would be stunned.

jc

[Rich-n-Texas]

Rich, you are going to have such a great time! I'm looking forward to your review after the show.

Please do a *no-rain* dance for me. It's an outdoor venue, and I think we're just outside of the covered part of the amphitheatre. Forecast call for rain late Friday.

I'm hoping #1, they open with Armor and Sword, and #B, their playing helps provoke more memories of when I saw them for the first time back in the early 80's. Maybe it's just my age, but I'm recently really into watching old footage of the bands I grew up with.

[Rich-n-Texas]

That Youtube video

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! I knew what the words "All your base are belong to us" were all about but that's honestly the very first time I've seen the video. Good stuff.

Never did like those rolling papers though because you'd have to stick two together.

And yes GM I'm bored here, and that's because my boss is in.... you guessed it... Japan.

[Brett A]

I too am not terribly interested in busy bass players. The ability I appreciate most in a bass player is the ability to support the song without getting in the way.

...But the frets are there for a reason. I have nothing against skill. But my feeling is that a performer should be focused on what it is that they're playing, not the hoops they have to jump through to play it. What's the point? It's an unnecessary multitasking exercise that only players are going to truly appreciate in the first place. I noticed a long time ago that people who play such things never seem to make music that I think is any damn good.

You don't see frets on any of the instruments in classical music and there are thousands of twelve year-olds doing a great job without them.
I think to say that rock-n-rollers need frets in order to focus on the music is a little insulting.

[Davey]

Lately for me it's gotta be the Sandman with that two-string slide bass guitar. Really gets deep down and nasty sounding when Dana Colley gets cranking on that baritone sax, like in that Sounds Good thread ...

We used to meet every
Thursday Thursday Thursday in the afternoon
For a couple of beers and a game of pool
We used to go to a motel a motel a motel across the street
And the name of the motel
Was the Wagon Wheel

[Swish]

Lately for me it's gotta be the Sandman with that two-string slide bass guitar. Really gets deep down and nasty sounding when Dana Colley gets cranking on that baritone sax, like in that Sounds Good thread ...

We used to meet every
Thursday Thursday Thursday in the afternoon
For a couple of beers and a game of pool
We used to go to a motel a motel a motel across the street
And the name of the motel
Was the Wagon Wheel

My wife pulls out their cds more often than I do, but it's always pure bliss.

Swish

[MindGoneHaywire]

You don't see frets on any of the instruments in classical music and there are thousands of twelve year-olds doing a great job without them.
I think to say that rock-n-rollers need frets in order to focus on the music is a little insulting.

Insulting to who? If you train someone younger than 12 on something, it's far more likely they'll be adapt to a more difficult task, as opposed to someone who's older. There's a curve for learning that declines over time. Players are creatures of habit, for the most part, and they're going to be more comfortable with what they know.

If a rock'n'roller gets insulted because I think it'd be more challenging for them to move to a fretless instrument, that's their problem. Any such move requires an adjustment, and, no matter how minor, the better players will work through it easily, the lesser ones, less so. And the ones who'd want to do it, would find a way.

Most rock'n'rollers learn on fretted instruments & fretless ones are, in my experience, used mostly by musicians who, whether 'overplaying' or not, are working with music that is outside most blues-based pop and rock structures. Plenty of examples to the contrary, I'm sure, but it's not the point. Years after this thread began, I still think that frets are a guide that would loom larger if you put a fretless instrument in the hands of a player who's never played one. When faced with that sort of adjustment, I think a lot of players would find it more difficult to focus on the music. In time, of course, they'd get over the hump, if they wanted to.

But it'd be a skill they'd have to develop, and that's what I meant when I referred to jumping through hoops. And I used that term because, in my experience, most pop and rock music (that uses guitars and non-doghouse basses, rockabilly & retro-swing & -Western Swing being significant exceptions) is played by players using fretted instruments. If someone else's experience differs from mine in that they've seen more fretless players in bands that didn't lean towards fusion and/or jazz, then they'd probably have a different perspective. I do think we see far more fretted instruments in pop and rock music for a very good reason. And it has nothing to do with training younger people on far more difficult instruments.

[Swish]

Insulting to who? If you train someone younger than 12 on something, it's far more likely they'll be adapt to a more difficult task, as opposed to someone who's older. There's a curve for learning that declines over time. Players are creatures of habit, for the most part, and they're going to be more comfortable with what they know.

...take care of it quite nicely. Couldn't agree more.

So, are you going to get me some Echo tickets or what? Heck, you should go too J! Either way, we'll be staying in the city if we're lucky enough to get tickets, so I'll be sure to give you a holler so we can grab a pint or two. That was a blast the last time.

Swish

[Mr Peabody]

It would seem easier to get a clean note without frets. I don't see how playing with them would make one focus more. Anyone know what the real difference is between fret or no fret? I really haven't given this much thought. I always assumed it was just something different like the tuning keys by the butt instead of the end of the neck or a style like neck size or traditional versus the arrow shape etc.

In between threads I just happened to be reading this article, answers my question pretty well, http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A711802

and this, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fretless_guitar

What's coo about the Widipedia is the long list of fretless users which include a good showing of Rock musicians. It does take a bit more learning or skill to play a fretless but it seems the main reason is the difference is sound.