NationStates Jolt Archive

So who's your favorite Bass player? Poll coming, stay tuned kids.

Mark King - Level 42 - sometime in the eighties fairly boring and poppy songs but what a player.
Or the guy from the Stranglers (whoes name I forget) who just drove the whole band.

Roger Waters, no question.

Heck, he may absolutely suck at playing bass, but jeez. It's Pink Floyd man. Pink Floyd...

Seriously though, he's by no means a good bassist, but he could do what he was told to do on the instrument, and that's what matters. Besides, he more than makes up for it in songwriting ability. Woo.

Roger Waters, no question.

Heck, he may absolutely suck at playing bass, but jeez. It's Pink Floyd man. Pink Floyd...

Seriously though, he's by no means a good bassist, but he could do what he was told to do on the instrument, and that's what matters. Besides, he more than makes up for it in songwriting ability. Woo.
If I didn't add him to the poll I'd face the wrath of all the Floyd-heads.

Flea. Yup. Always and forever. Higher Ground being my favourite example.

If I didn't add him to the poll I'd face the wrath of all the Floyd-heads.

That you would :p

But Jack Bruce (Cream), Noel Redding (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) and Rory MacDonald (Runrig) all deserve a place on that poll.

And that's only to name a few :p.

John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
John Entwistle (The Who & The Yardbirds)

Either of them for me.

That you would :p

But Jack Bruce (Cream), Noel Redding (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) and Rory MacDonald (Runrig) all deserve a place on that poll.

And that's only to name a few :p.
I've never heard of Rory MacDonald or Runrig. As for the other three, they fall under the "other" category.

Ugh! Another "Impossible to choose One"! :eek:

Runrig are fantastic, you infidel.

Anyway, Pastorius was good, but I think it has to be Bruce.

XElegant_Egotistx']Ugh! Another "Impossible to choose One"! :eek:
I agree. I still haven't voted.

I can't pick a single one but I'm a huge fan of Victor Wooten, Jaco, Chris Squire, Jack Bruce, Geddy Lee (bass playing... not singing), Stanley Clarke, and Juan Alderete of the Mars Volta. Very different bassist but all really influential. Anyone here an actual bassist?

To an extent, I am, although it's not really my weapon of choice.

Me

To an extent, I am, although it's not really my weapon of choice.
Ah, nice. What bass are you using anyways? My newest acquisition is a Rickenbacker 4003 (in mapleglo) but I’ve got a Fender jazz and a Fretless MTD Kingston.

WTF!? where's Vic or Steve Bailey?

Roger Waters was an ass. He tried to control the entire band at the end, then they gave him a big "Fuck You" when they won the court case keeping rights over the band name.

(Second-hand) Fender Jazz. It's a bit scuffed up, but it sounds fine.

Roger Waters, no question.

Heck, he may absolutely suck at playing bass, but jeez. It's Pink Floyd man. Pink Floyd...

Seriously though, he's by no means a good bassist, but he could do what he was told to do on the instrument, and that's what matters. Besides, he more than makes up for it in songwriting ability. Woo.

I hope you're joking.
I'm not a Floyd head- I didn't vote for him
First, Roger Waters does not at all suck on Bass. He isn't flashy, but he plays EXACTLY the right thing in the right place, and very tastefully.
second, nobody told Roger Waters "what to do" in any band.

Justin Pearson of the Locust, Head Wound City, Crimson Curse, Some Girls, Holy Molar and The Swing Kids.

Victor Wooten isnt on that poll, he is the best by a good bit. Flea is class but you couldnt tell that from the octave slapping he does with RHCP, you have to hear the Mars Volta to see how good he really is. Vic is the best, but Phil Lynott is my favourit, Thin Lizzy!!!

Also Bootsy is the man! not only is he totay "fly" but he also is a really good bassist, bit strange... but what bassist isnt? :p

So who's your favorite Bass player? Poll coming, stay tuned kids.

Out of those choices, Cliff Burton.

Metallica rules. But not their new stuff.

Out of those choices, Cliff Burton.

Metallica rules. But not their new stuff.
You know you can't get enough of "unforgiven 2". :rolleyes:

I like Jaco Pastorious (voted for him), Sean Malone and Victor Wooten.

I like Jaco Pastorious (voted for him), Sean Malone and Victor Wooten.
I would like jaco, hes good, but his attitude is just so annoying.

You know you can't get enough of "unforgiven 2". :rolleyes:

*Vomits* :mad:

I hope you're joking.
I'm not a Floyd head- I didn't vote for him
First, Roger Waters does not at all suck on Bass. He isn't flashy, but he plays EXACTLY the right thing in the right place, and very tastefully.
second, nobody told Roger Waters "what to do" in any band.
Its interesting to note that David Gilmore played more than a handful of the bass lines over the years with Pink Floyd. For example, the fretless bass work on the record, "Animals" is in fact Gilmore playing bass. There was an article posted awhile back at another forum where Gilmore was revealed to have played the bass while they were in the recording studio because he could get the basslines down much faster than Waters.

I hope you're joking.
I'm not a Floyd head- I didn't vote for him
First, Roger Waters does not at all suck on Bass. He isn't flashy, but he plays EXACTLY the right thing in the right place, and very tastefully.
second, nobody told Roger Waters "what to do" in any band.

Roger Waters was a terrible bassist. His playing was far more aggressive and up-beat than the rest of the band, and oftentimes live, he played off the beat. It gave the music his own, personal touch, if you will, but from a musical viewpoint it was bad.
He's not flashy, because he couldn't be flashy. The slightly intricate basslines for Pink Floyd songs (Money, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Hey You, and (to some extent) Shine On You Crazy Diamond) were written by David Gilmour. Who then told and showed Roger how to play them.
Roger has said himself, he sees music as more of a vehicle for thoughts, and he would quite happy to reuse the same piece of music four times round with different lyrics.

As for the last comment, as far as the direction of the band and what they were doing went, you're right, nobody told Waters what to do. As far as playing his instrument was concerned, Gilmour told him what to do.

I've never heard of Rory MacDonald or Runrig. As for the other three, they fall under the "other" category.

I know the other three go into 'other', I just thought I'd mention some you missed out because I'm annoying like that :p.
As for Runrig, didn't think you'd've heard of them. Nobody has :rolleyes:. They're a Scottish folk/rock band, they've been going just over 30 years now, and have a large following in Scotland (duh) and Scandinavia.

Cliff Burton, RIP

Joe Satriani on guitar with Stu Hamm on bass... like peanut butter & jelly. I can't believe Stu didn't get into the poll!

http://www.stuarthamm.net/listen.php3

Steve Harris of Iron Maiden

Great bass player and he writes most of the songs and riffs. The guy is a genius.

personally, i think geddy lee of rush is a pretty damn good bassist. i mean the guy could go nuts on that thing, and sing, and play keyboard at the same time.

Your poll didn't mention Paul McCartney! He is probably my favorite. His bass lines are very melodic.

john hassall, formally from the libertines, now of yeti. even when all hell was breaking loose on the stage around him, he remained cool, and i met him when i saw yeti (who are awesome), and hes a nice guy, even if he did kiss my girlfreind.

John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
John Entwistle (The Who & The Yardbirds)

Either of them for me.

John Entwistle was NEVER in the Yardbirds, in any of their incarnations.
Paul Samwell-Smith was the Yardbirds' bass player for most of the 1960s (a founding member, too). Later, Jimmy Page briefly played bass for them before switching to lead guitar, and the group then slowly morphed into Led Zeppelin.

Perhaps you meant that John Paul Jones was in the New Yardbirds at the time they became Led Zeppelin. An interesting fact: both Jones and Page were studio musicians before joining the Yardbirds/New Yardbirds/Zep. They played on several of Herman's Hermits' records, amongst others. :eek:

Marvin Isley ... but only because he's the only bass player I've heard better than me.

So there.

All your bass player belong to ME! (and Marvin Isley)

Marvin Isley ... but only because he's the only bass player I've heard better than me.

So there.

All your bass player belong to ME! (and Marvin Isley)

Glen Matlock.

Glen Matlock.

Aha ... very underrated bassist. A great mod style. Personally, I'm glad he left the Sex Pistols. Anyone who doesn't know this guy, grab the album "Ghosts of Princes in Towers" by Rich Kids.

Punk pop at its finest. :)

Me?

HAH. Laughable.

I like Flea. I just do.

John Entwistle and Dee Dee Ramone.

Or the guy from the Stranglers (whoes name I forget) who just drove the whole band.

Jean-Jacques Burnell? A great chap for strange and angular bass lines - in retrospect he could now be reclaimed as a major influence on the whole post-rock movement in the same way that out of nowhere the Gang Of Four were suddenly lauded as ignored prophets in the last year or so.

I'm trying to figure out why Geddy Lee didn't get on the poll and why Paul D'amour was chosen over Justin Chancellor (who is clearly better!).

Geddy Lee is the best bassist since Jesus, no contest. My favorites on the poll are Jaco Pastorius and Chris Squire with Squire edging out Pastorius (Fish Out of Water > Pastorius's career). Michael James from Explosions in the Sky kicks ass. I say this because Explosions in the Sky kicks an unimaginable amount of ass, and if they kick that much ass then their bassist must also.



Roger Waters sucks. ;)

Edit: No one voted for Chris Squire. :( I should have voted for him instead of 'other'.

out of those listed..its easily Geezer Butler.

But ones who certainly should have been on the list are:

John Entwhistle

John Paul Jones.

Paul McCartney.

John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
John Entwistle (The Who & The Yardbirds)

Either of them for me.

I second the John Paul Jones nomination. An underrated bass player who was the most important member of one of rocks most influential bands.