Best bass guitarist

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A few more good ones not mentioned...

Peter Hook*
Dave Allen (Gang of Four)
David Wm. Sims (Jesus Lizard)
Joe Lally (Fugazi)

(*Somewhere around these parts is a thread with someone dropping some hate on Peter Hook's style...I think he is a cool and unique bassist.)

While not technically proficient...Kim Deal and the way the bass line was used in the Pixies definitely was copied by hundreds of bands.

As for technique, there are many jazz guys that could blow out lines.
Stanley Clarke etc, but they are all pretty much secondary to Jaco when it comes to the electric.

I love the way Jaco plays on "Coyote" by Joni Mitchell, which is a good song for someone that isn't into the jazz fusion to check out his playing.

This past summer saw this local guy at a new music night do an interesting set of ambient music using a fretless electric and a series of digital delay pedals. It was similar to some of the frippertronic tricks that Fripp uses, but using a fretless bass it was a much more warm, soft, deep trance enducing sound. Much more interesting than some of the noise and bizzaro improv groups at the same show.

― earlnash, Wednesday, 30 October 2002 23:14 (twenty-one years ago) link

Naomi Yang

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 23:39 (twenty-one years ago) link

The Bass Thing surely, that's what he was put on this earth to do.

― nebbesh, Thursday, 31 October 2002 00:28 (twenty-one years ago) link

Ah, bless. May Rob rest in peace.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 31 October 2002 01:30 (twenty-one years ago) link

Zak Sally

― A Nairn (moretap), Thursday, 31 October 2002 01:43 (twenty-one years ago) link

WOW LOOK! It's Dave Fischer! Amazing!

Um.. not mentioned: Jaco Pastorius

― Ian Johnson (orion), Thursday, 31 October 2002 02:43 (twenty-one years ago) link

the dude that played bass for The Field Mice was pretty good

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 31 October 2002 02:51 (twenty-one years ago) link

mick elborado, sean o'reilly, john christoffels

― unknown or illegal user (doorag), Thursday, 31 October 2002 03:56 (twenty-one years ago) link

As several above, mainly for apt contribution to band's style: Kev Hopper of Stump.

― OleM (OleM), Thursday, 31 October 2002 09:39 (twenty-one years ago) link

at the risk of opening myself to much ridicule, I quite like the guy from duran duran, although I can't remember his name...john taylor, mebbee? also the oft-mentioned barry adamson, and definitely gerald calhoun from the Kashmere Stage Band.

― webcrack (music=crack), Thursday, 31 October 2002 21:09 (twenty-one years ago) link

Two more: Martin Blunt. Will Carruthers.

― Chris Barrus (xibalba), Friday, 1 November 2002 02:31 (twenty-one years ago) link

I thought this thread asked for bass guitarists specifically to cut out all those upright players who I could go on about forever.

My favorite electric players are probably James Jamerson, the guy from Happy Apple, and Duff McKagan, whoooo!

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 1 November 2002 07:38 (twenty-one years ago) link

Jordan you ruler - a mention for Mr. Duff 'Rose' McKagan = a grey morning in London not so bad after all.

― Roger Fascist (Roger Fascist), Friday, 1 November 2002 09:53 (twenty-one years ago) link

Most of my favourites have already been mentioned except Verdine White. I heard David Liebman on "Private Passions" a couple of years ago and he chose EWF's "The Way of the World". I can still remember the incredulity in the voice of Michael Berkeley (plummy-toned, classical-buff BBC presenter) after they played the track: he simply said "the bass player's a genius". Word.

― ArfArf, Friday, 1 November 2002 10:33 (twenty-one years ago) link

The late Tracey Pew deserves a shout, nasty dirty bass-lines.

― stevo (stevo), Friday, 1 November 2002 10:58 (twenty-one years ago) link

I'm gonna have to go with:

Les Claypool
Larry Graham
Stanley Clarke
Jaco Pastorius
Victor Wooten
Jimmy Prall
Norwood Fisher
James Jamerson
Doug Wimbish
Chris Wood
Michael Henderson
and of course Bootsy Collins

― Nickalicious, Friday, 1 November 2002 21:57 (twenty-one years ago) link

eleven months pass...

The coolest bassist is Katie from "School Of Rock" HANDS DOWN.

― alex in montreal, Monday, 13 October 2003 03:45 (twenty years ago) link

A thread this long about bassists and only one mention of reggae? Good god, man.

Lloyd Brevett
Aston "Familyman" Barrett
Leroy Sibbles
Robbie Shakespeare
George "Fully" Fullwood
Earl "Flabba" Holt
Clinton Fearon
Boris Gardiner
Lloyd Parks

― oops (Oops), Monday, 13 October 2003 04:02 (twenty years ago) link

Holger Czukay!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 13 October 2003 11:14 (twenty years ago) link

Not mentioned enough:

Chris Squire
Tony Levin

Not mentioned at all:

Alex James (of Blur)

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:34 (twenty years ago) link

...add Tina Weymouth and Rick Danko

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:39 (twenty years ago) link

...and obviously Bootsy, Skeet Curtis, Larry Graham

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:42 (twenty years ago) link

Bob Weston, Ellie Erickson, Youth, Joe Lally, Robert Skakespeare (although he's just as often rubbish).

PJ Harvey, but she cheats and uses a keyboard.

Timbalan, Dr Dre and Aphex Twin also cheat, but sound great.
Goldfrapp too.

― mei (mei), Monday, 13 October 2003 15:49 (twenty years ago) link

I was going to say Pete Farndon. And then I thought: he played great bass parts, but nowhere near the talent of Stanley Clarke.. Which is what I would say about most of the bassists mentioned here.

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 13 October 2003 16:02 (twenty years ago) link

Doug McCombs in Eleventh Dream Day. Not nec in Tortoise. I like the way he plays rock.

― scott m (mcd), Monday, 13 October 2003 16:42 (twenty years ago) link

My favorite most-underrated-evah-bassist:
http://www.followmearound.com/images/colin/c009.jpg

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 13 October 2003 16:54 (twenty years ago) link

(also: wtf with that face he's making!?!)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 13 October 2003 16:55 (twenty years ago) link

hes always so happy and jumpin on stage i like him too. is gene simmons an awful player? i cant tell.

― Pablo Cruise (chaki), Monday, 13 October 2003 17:36 (twenty years ago) link

Gene Simmons is only awful when he's not playing bass.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 13 October 2003 17:52 (twenty years ago) link

Billy Sheehan, man, his chops are insane.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 13 October 2003 18:43 (twenty years ago) link

http://www.globalbass.com/archives/oct2001/billyreach.jpg

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 13 October 2003 18:45 (twenty years ago) link

God I hate the concept of "chops". Of course I love Les Claypool. WTF I ask myself?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 13 October 2003 18:58 (twenty years ago) link

http://www.hackers.demon.co.uk/hair.net/beards.gif/mutton.JPG

― oops (Oops), Monday, 13 October 2003 19:01 (twenty years ago) link

Nikolai Fraiture of the Strokes has the best basslines I've heard in a long time. I'd put him just above McCartney and just below Jamerson for holding down a pop song and busting out amazing, unexpected bits. Mike Watt has always been tops for me, but you can't really compare him to those guys because he just owns the songs he plays on. He's always in a trio taking up a sizable portion of the overall sound. Same goes for another one of my faves, Brian Ritche of the Violent Femmes.

― BrianB, Monday, 13 October 2003 19:17 (twenty years ago) link

I once saw this Japanese guy called Kato Hideki playing with Ikue Mori in Death Ambient. He managed to play a 45 minute set of unearthly, indescribable noise without actually plucking the strings at any point, so he gets my vote for the most original bassist I've ever seen.
No-one's mentioned Henry "King Thumb" Thomas from Rockschool yet.

― udu wudu (udu wudu), Monday, 13 October 2003 19:36 (twenty years ago) link

Victor fucking Wooten!

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 13 October 2003 19:43 (twenty years ago) link

As has been said, Rick motherfucking Danko.

Also, who's the dude who plays fretless on The Blue Mask? That's some sick shit.

Based on seeing Elvis Costello's band The Imposters, Davey Faragher is pretty damn good. I'm not familiar with his Cracker work.

― southern lights (southern lights), Monday, 13 October 2003 21:17 (twenty years ago) link

Mike Watt. Steve Digiorgio. Erick Sermon in hip hop.

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Monday, 13 October 2003 22:24 (twenty years ago) link

In the genre I love most: Steve DiGiorgio, Lemmy Kilmister, Steve Harris.

― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 13 October 2003 23:18 (twenty years ago) link

A mention for Mark Sandeman of Morphine.

And a second for Zak Sally.

― Ben Dot (1977), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 01:26 (twenty years ago) link

i have to stump for Bill Laswell here, since we are talking bass playing rather than group leading/album producing etc. the first Last Exit record ought to be testament enough.

Ellie from Erase Errata is pretty awesome as well.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 01:33 (twenty years ago) link

Whatt??? Nobody mentioned Kendra Smith? She of the fat basslines of Opal? Of the VU basslines of Dream Syndicate? Plus made Peter Hook's basslines better during the only non-embarrassing Joy Division cover EVER released (that being: Heart and Soul) ... what? Is it because she lives on a farm with no electricity? She is the indie Carole Kaye!

― st tremaine cool kid of death, Tuesday, 14 October 2003 07:34 (twenty years ago) link

Jaco Pastorius is my personal favourite, but more because of his compositions, although he was obviously a bass guitar genius.

I like Stanley Clarke's playing more than Jaco's, actually, but Clarke's solo recordings are mostly shite. I love his Return to Forever work, however.

Third favourite of mine is Jamaaladeen Tacuma, who used to work with Ornette Coleman. He's quite original both as a bassist and as a band leader/composer (though he obviously learned a lot from Coleman).

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 10:07 (twenty years ago) link

Gaye Advert.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 10:14 (twenty years ago) link

Hugh Hopper, John Cale and the guy in The Godz

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 10:17 (twenty years ago) link

You know who is the bassist laying down a lot of my favorite low-end lines these days? Pino Palladino. Pretty much any groove on any of this wave of "neo-soul" artist's records (as well as a great deal of hip-hop too) that you bob your head to that aren't 'featuring Raphael Saadiq', it was probably Pino playing bass on it.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 11:28 (twenty years ago) link

there is not enough lemmy luv on this thread. lemmy is great

dada - surely not as in "contact high with the...."?

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 11:31 (twenty years ago) link

You got it Pash. I don't know what it is about the bass playing on that record but I love it - maybe the fact that the guy obviously hasn't a clue what a bass guitar is, let alone the ability to play it

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 13:30 (twenty years ago) link

man, i used to own that rekkid - on esp-disc no less!! I remember going to this hippie party in thee 1980's, where all these stoners were sat in the living room w/acoustic guitars and flutes bumbling away - i should have taped it, the whole aesthetic/vibe was quite similar as you can probably imagine. I traded it for a copy of the lemon kittens album eventually. It's a great artifact (the song titles especially) but i didn't really get into it i must admit.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 14:14 (twenty years ago) link

good call on Pino, nza

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 15:17 (twenty years ago) link

Supposedly they've got a Soulquarians (Pino Palladino, ?uestlove, James Poysner) record in the works. I, personally, am stoked.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 15:45 (twenty years ago) link

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