Top 10 Whats the definition of a bass player?

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Tee hee.

1. Chris "Warwick Bassmonkey" Barker.
Seriously.

Not just cos he's one of my oldest friends - he is a properly amazing musician. Extremely inventive too, and a bit of a perfectionist. 4 String, 5-string, fretted or fretless, fingers or thumbs - he's the master of them all, and undoubtedly deserves to be in the number one spot.

He even does impressions. Mick Karn? Pino Palladino? Mark King? Bernard Edwards? He does the lot with considerable panache. If he fucks like he plays, I'll warrant his missus keeps an oxygen mask beside the marital bed.

Strangely though, he's physically incapable of going "Dum dum dum dumba dum" with a plectrum...

2. Norman Watt-Roy.

From Ian Dury and the Blockheads. So good he makes me want to cry. "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" anybody? "Clevor Trever"? "Sex and Drugs and Rock 'n Roll"?

Fuck a duck...!

3. Horace Panter. [Sir Horace Gentleman]

From The Specials. Check out "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" from the b-side of "Ghost Town". Or "Ghost Town" itself. In fact, everything he ever played on.

4. Robbie Shakespeare

Uh! No words.

5. Bernard Edwards

From Chic. Not so much what he played as what he didn't play. The gaps between the notes. Sublime.

6. Mark King.

Level 42. Yeah I know. But ignore the wimbly White-boy cod-funk soul and listen to what he's actually doing. Nobody ever got near him with the thumb stuff.

7. Mark "Bedders" Bedford.

Madness. Love em or hate em - go get your big brother's Madness records out of the loft and check out whats going on down the bottom end. Listen to "Bed and Breakfast Man" or "Baggy Trousers". Bloody miraculous. Sorely underrated.

8. Aston "Family Man" Barrett

Bob Marley and the Wailers. Smooth, economical and effortlessly musical. Just everything.

9. Errol "Flabba" Holt

Roots Radics Band legend. Never ventured above the 5th fret and rattled a million window-frames the world over. Made King Tubby's and Scientist's careers possible.

10. Bootsy Collins.

Stunning bass player, obviously, but had the shoes and sunglasses to go with it. Say no more.
 
Big up the man Flea and all that, and he is a superb musician, but since they released "By The Way" I have been trying to pretend the Chilli Peppers don't exist.

:no:
 
I'd have posted sooner, but I was drying my eyes. :sob:

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Monkey Do @ Feb 27 2004, 07:36 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Now I just need to think of the other 9[/quote:ecc58355e2]

Let me help you with the other nine....only the top three are in order.

1. Pino Palladino
This is the guy who is solely responsible for me taking up the bass. To be precise it was the 12" version of Paul Young's "I was in Chains" - bit of a dodgy song, but when the bass drops in - oh my. Now if that don't make you think that the bass is the coolest of all intruments, then you just don't get it. Instantly recognisable - which isn't easy when you occupy such a small part of the frequency range. Massive fingers. :crazy:

2. Bernard Edwards
Like Ott said. The gaps, it's all about gaps, and the way he stopped notes. Has anyone come up with more classic lines than this man? :no:

3. Jaco Pastorius
Utter genius. No words. If only he was still alive - can you imagine that? :unsure:

4. Lawrence Cottle
Not always my cup of tea, but has to be in this list. Just defies belief in terms of speed, accuracy, and ludicrousness. I don't believe there's any note this guy couldn't play at any give moment in time, regardless of the note that comes immediately before and after. Staggering. But ultimately, I find something lacking when people make it look and sound this easy.

5. Flea
Another big influence. Monkey Do said "seemingly takes no effort", but to me it always sounds like he's giving it 110%. Manages to make a bass say "fuck you" better than anyone else I can think of. Probably should be nearer the top. I haven't heard "By the Way", by the way. :P

6. Stuart Zender
Creative, technially brilliant. And groovy. I secretly hate him. :crazy:

7. Joe Hubbard
I've heard that this bloke isn't the nicest of people. So I was a bit gutted to find out that I thought he was brilliant. Played a lot of bass for Gary Numan which for years I thought was played by someone else. Damn!

8. Mick Karn
On a planet of his own. Bit weird. Should never have gone near a Sax. :no:

9. Robbie Shakespeare
First heard him on Grace Jones' "Walking in The Rain." He *must* have been tripping to be able to play like that. Hear how he seems to be late on every note, but not. Does my head in every time. :smokingrasta:

10. Sean [who played bass on the sabadub track on talisman]
Don't know his second name, but Nice one man!!! :D

If I could play half as well as any of these people, I would be pleased.

Oh, and if anyone mentions a wrinkly old Beatle in this topic, I will hunt them down, pull out both their arms, and beat them to death with the soggy ends.
 
Special mention to Ott...

Not a bass guitarist, but a fantastic bass person amongst his many other talents.

If you don't believe me, then you haven't heard "Somersettler".

If Pino's bassline was the one that started me off, Somersettler's bassline was the one that nearly made me pack it all in. They really don't come any better than that.

Respect! :speaker:
 
mike dean - the best bass player ive ever seen
never gets a mention on anything, never does interviews, never wants the limelgiht, but he plays the most mazing bass on the last few corrosion of conformity's albums,
just funky, groovy, fast, tight, slow, driven, warm and widdly all in one go

cant be arsed with thinking of another nine, not as if anyone pays any attention to what the bassist is doing :runsmile:
 
</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Red five @ Feb 28 2004, 04:32 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Les Claypool from primus? [/quote:f440f5c2a3]
useless info:

Did you know that Infected Mushroom sampled a Primus Tune on their first album?

It was Tommy the CAt from the Bill and Ted's bogus journey soundtrack (in which Primus also made a brief cameo during the battle of the bands) but IM changed the name to Tommy the Bat
 
</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Red five @ Feb 28 2004, 07:32 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Les Claypool from primus? [/quote:847300f0ab]
I second that. His bass playing is like a kick in the face of bad bass player jokes - not to mention those who tell them... :hehe: :lol1:
 
</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Paul Eye @ Feb 28 2004, 08:41 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> </div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Red five @ Feb 28 2004, 07:32 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Les Claypool from primus? [/quote:370d739d71]
I second that. His bass playing is like a kick in the face of bad bass player jokes - not to mention those who tell them... :hehe: :lol1: [/quote:370d739d71]
Thirded.

I only know the Freddie the Cat track though... I bought the Bill & Ted soundtrack just so I could find out who hell that was. Totally blew me away. Never could suss that one and I'm too scared to listen to any of their other stuff.

Ganks like an animal.
 
Primus, haven't heard them for years, Good Stuff, always funny.

Flea it class as well.
 
I've realised over the last couple of years that bass players ROCK!

Fair enough i'm biased (cause i am one)
I'd forgotten how much fun it was being neutral, while avoiding lead guitarist/singer tantrums. Anyoneone with me here?

If one day my kid asks for a guitar for their birthday, i'll hand them a bass and wheel in the ampeg 8x10.

Best bass players?

No.1 without a question ..... Victor Wooten (it's like he sold his soul to the devil to
play bass
the rest in no particular order.

Nathan East (no one but him could make phil collins funky)

Bootsy Collins (psychedelic funk! need i say more, my inspiration for trance!)

Les Claypool (he can sing at the same time?)

Mark King (God awful music, god given bass lines)

The guy who played with jimmy hendrix at woodstock (not noel redding)

Cliff Burton/Jason Newstedt
Cliff.... a talent cut short
Jason .... had a tough act to follow but made metallica into what they
are now (actually what they were before he left, ha!)

Anyone who's played for Zappa (would have liked to try)

Stu Hamm (the only guy who would want to play with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani)

So there you go.

Hands up bass players among us.........

Morgan

(Its got four strings but i only use two
i never worked out what the other ones do)
 
Oh by the way some respectable choices by mr. OTT.

I saw a great interview with niles rogers he said mr. edwards didn't have a clue about the basses... he just played whichever instrument they gave him (it just always happened to be stingrays!!)

And to mr. bassmonkey..... i've never been able to do that plectrum thing ...
i tried, oh god i tried. How are you supposed make people groove with a bit of plastic?

+ Les Claypool, the only bassist to my knowledge to be sampled in Psytrance....
Tommy the Bat anyone? First time I heard it I thought the DJ was mixing primus and infected mushroom!!!

Oh well i must try and restrain myself on the useless info

Morgan
 
My favs are:

1- Jaco Pastorius (Uber Alles!!!!)
2- Patrick Djivas (French bass player, played with Italian prog bands Area and Premiata Forneria Marconi in the 70's, check 'em out)
3- John Patitucci (seen him live at the Barbican, an octopus)
4- Jack Bruce
5- Sting (why not?)
6- Joe Lally (Fugazi)
7- Tony Levin (Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, King Crimson, John Lennon, Peter Gabriel)
8- Les Claypool
9- Flea
10- Aston "Family Man" Barrett (The Wailers)
 
5- Sting (why not?)
Click to expand...

Not sure where to start, but "because he's a ****" would be in there somewhere.

No.1 without a question ..... Victor Wooten (it's like he sold his soul to the devil to play bass
Click to expand...

Never 'eard of 'im. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Actually, that's a lie. I did hear one track by him.... it was *just* bass. On its own. Technically quite remarkable but I have to ask, "why?"
 
OK, I've always had a soft spot for Steve Harris' bass playing but I was reluctant to top ten him as I suspected my love of all things Maiden was clouding my judgement and the production on their later albums made him sound like he was clattering knitting needles half the time...

...BUT I was listening to Wasted Years the other day on the telly and I remembered that the bloke is in fact fantastic.

Now I just need the other 8 ;)
 
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