Favorite Bass Player?

[Zuni]

My all time Bass Player is Donald "Duck" Dunn, the house bass player for Stax/Volt Records in Memphis. He was the Bass Player for Booker T. and the MGs (Green Onions, Time is Tight), played on most of Otis redding's songs, and even the Blues Brothers used him as their bass player, along with the Stax/MGs Guitarist Steve Cropper. (You can here them on many records, from "Soul Man" by Sam and Dave to Wilson pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" to "Born Under a Bad Sign" by Albert King)
As a bass player, I feel he is perhaps my greatest influence---never flashy, but always holding down a solid riff to keep the song moving.

http://www.history-of-rock.com/booker_t_and_the_mgs.htm

[Jara sang]

1. Geddy Lee n/t

[Crazy Guggenheim]

9. Mine too! He plays a good keyboard also.

[wtmusic]

2. Jimmy Johnson n/t

[MrScorpio]

3. Stanley Clarke

To me, before him the bass was just another stringed instrument

[enigmatic]

4. This guy:

And he died way too young..

[MajorFlaw]

7. Either Jaco or Jamie Jamerson. Both died way too soon.

[Zuni]

10. Jamie Jamerson---an extraordinary bass player

one of my favorites, all you need to hear is his bass work on "Bernadette". That is a boss bass line.

[freethought]

72. If memory serves me correctly

Jaco died an ugly death.

:scared: :scared: :scared:

[Tikki]

5. Mike Watt......

Tikki

[FourStarDemocrat]

57. I vote for Mike Watt too.

I also dig Flea, and Les Claypool. And John Entwhistle was one of the best.

[CanuckAmok]

6. Props for Les Claypool.

I really like his work; I don't know if he's my absolute fave, but no bass topic is complete without a nod to Les.

[Trajan]

8. I dont listen to RHCP much ...

and I dont own any of their CDs ...

But HOT damn: that Flea is fuckin amazin .... His treatement of Stevie Wonder's 'Higher Ground' is legendary ...



Gotta agree with a latter poster too: Entwistle was the bomb ...

(or was it Flea ??? )

[notadmblnd]

11. you meant bass guitar

My 12 year old plays the Bass (not the guitar) I was going to say he's the best.

[hickman1937]

12. I always kind of liked John Entwistle. In the old days he was a

steady island of calm in the midst of insanity.

[Zuni]

13. another of my all time faves

He really knew how to walk his bass and still have it fit in perfectly

[Fenris]

14. Entwistle

[Zuni]

15. one of the coolest things about John Entwhistle

is that he can do flashy bass solos and make them to the bass line of the song. He blows my mind

[Fenris]

17. Yeah.

If you don't really listen, you miss a lot of the more brilliant lines, because they fit in so well.

[DODI]

33. Entwistle

with honorable mention to Waters and, dare I say it, McCartney. (Yes, I love Duck Dunn too).

[Zuni]

50. why be ashamed of McCartney

he was a fantastic bass player

[iconoclastic cat]

16. The best is probably Sting.

[Zuni]

18. he is very good

I particularly like some of his work on the Police's earlier albums

He goes on the list simply for being able to sing while playing bass---something I find very difficult

[iconoclastic cat]

25. It does take practice. I could never play his more complex stuff and sing

at the same time. I can pull off "So Lonely" or "Sychronicity II," but nothing more difficult than that. I can, strangely enough, play my own material and sing with no problem.

Hey, Zuni, what kind of bass do you have? I currently own a 1991 fretless Fender Jazz Bass, plus a really cool Japanese model (Guyatone) that was only manufactured for a year.

[Zuni]

45. My current bass is a Fender P-Bass

I used to play a J-Bass, but sold it and bought a Thunderbird Bass but got sick of it and traded it for a practically brand new Precision bass.

on edit---I also have a Fender Squire P-Bass Special, my first bass, with both a P-Bass neck pickup and a Jazz Bass bridge pick up. It is slightly smaller than the normal P-Bass and I like the action on it, because it I can move faster on it.

[swag]

19. Steve Hanley

[jpgray]

27. One of the most distinctive bass styles out there

The first time I heard Ark, I thought the bassist was a big Steve Hanley ripoff artist.

:dunce:

[jpgray]

28. dupe

.

[madrchsod]

20. let`s see.....

jammie jamerson,duck dunn,and jack bruce are the ones i can think of now....

[Trajan]

21. 'The' List ....

Actually, just 'somebody's' list ...

1. John Entwistle (The Who)
2. Chris Squire (Yes)
3. Larry Graham (Sly & The Family Stone)
4. Jack Bruce (Cream)
5. James Jamerson (session man)
6. Tony Levin (King Crimson)
7. Paul McCartney (The Beatles)
8. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
9. Geddy Lee (Rush)
10. Les Claypool (Primus)
11. Bootsy Collins (Funkadelic)
12. Michael Manring (session player)
13. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
14. Billy Sheehan (Niacin)
15. Cliff Lee Burton (Metallica)
16. Stuart Hamm (Joe Satriani)
17. Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead)
18. Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane)
19. Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs)
20. John Myung (Dream Theater)
21. Donald "Duck" Dunn (The MG's)
22. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)
23. John Wetton (King Crimson)
24. Greg Lake (ELP)
25. Mark King (Level 42)
26. Trey Gunn (King Crimson)
27. Chuck Rainey (session man)
28. Mike Watt (Minutemen)
29. Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)
30. Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band)
31. Joe Osborn (session man)
32. Dave Schools (Widespread Panic)
33. Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge)
34. Carol Kaye (session man)
35. Bill Black (Elvis Presley)
36. Rocco Prestia (Tower Of Power)
37. Roger Glover (Deep Purple)
38. Nathan East (Eric Clapton)
39. Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers Band)
40. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
41. John Deacon (Queen)
42. Mike Gordon (Phish)
43. Billy Cox (Band Of Gypsys)
44. Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions)
45. Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne)
46. Gary "Mani" Mounfield (Stone Roses)
47. Felix Pappalardi (Mountain)
48. Andy Fraser (Free)
49. Mike Rutherford (Genesis)
50. Bill Gould (Faith No More)
51. John Aldrete (Racer X)
52. Bob Babbitt (session man)
53. Ray Pohlman (session man)
54. Willie Dixon (session man)
55. Doug Pinnick (King's X)
56. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)
57. Max Bennett (session man)
58. George Porter Jr. (session man)
59. Tommy Cogbill (session man)
60. Justin Chancellor (Tool)
61. Glen Cornick (Jethro Tull)
62. Tim Commerford (Rage Against The Machine)
63. Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
64. Duff McKagen (Guns N Roses)
65. Pino Palladino (session player)
66. Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies)
67. Andy West (Dixie Dregs)
68. Mick Karn (session man)
69. Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam)
70. Randy Coven (Steve Vai)
71. Matt Freeman (Rancid)
72. Ron Wood (Jeff Beck Group)
73. David Ellefson (Megadeth)
74. Michael Lepond (Symphony X)
75. Rex Brown (Pantera)
76. Mike Inez (Alice In Chains)
77. Sting (Police)
78. Leo Lyons (Ten Years After)
79. Timothy B Schmit (Eagles)
80. Bobby Sheehan (Blues Traveler)
81. Norwood Fisher (Fishbone)
82. Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones)
83. Tom Peterson (Cheap Trick)
84. Doug Wimbish (Living Color)
85. Tommy Shannon (Double Trouble)
86. Peter Cetera (Chicago)
87. James Dewar (Robin Trower)
88. Dave Hope (Kansas)
89. Jason Newsted (Metallica)
90. Steffan Lessard (Dave Matthews Band)
91. Thomas Miller (Symphony X)
92. Juan Nelson (Ben Harper)
93. Darryl Jones (The Rolling Stones)
94. Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden)
95. Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
96. Dirk Lance (Incubus)
97. Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith)
98. Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple)
99. Eric Wilson (Sublime)
100. Chris Hillman (The Byrds)


<edit: WTF is up with Sting at # 77 ? .. I mean CMON: ... Sting ? ... 77 ? ... the man is a bass GOD .... sheeeesh .... >

[Ann Arbor Dem]

22. Mark Sandman

from Morphine.

RIP Sandman

[Blue-Jay]

23. Wooten, Pastorius, Mingus, Bootsy....

There are others, but those are the best.

And Zuni - Duck is one of my favorites too. Like Steve Cropper, he tends to get overlooked by people who look for too much "flash".

[Redneck Socialist]

40. Second the Wooten vote...

simply amazing. :headbang:

[swag]

24. Oh, I forgot that I get two picks - Dave Allen (Gang of Four)

[Midnight Rambler]

26. John Paul Jones and Scott Reeder

Scott Reeder was the bassis for The Obsessed, Kyuss, and Unida. The guy is amazing, a god in the hard rock.metal underground. Shame he hasn't gotten the exposure he deserves.

[Zuni]

36. I am no big fan of Zeppelin

but Jones was an excellent bass player

[jpgray]

29. James Jamerson was a great player

I Was Made to Love Her, Bernadette, & much of Gaye's What's Going On were his lines. Larry Graham also played some great bass.

[Zuni]

37. In full agreement---He was fantastic

His bass lines made many of the classic Motown songs

[miss_kitty]

30. I like Will Lee a lot

and Bootsy

[KG]

31. and, in a special catagory - the luckiest bass player

[MrSlayer]

32. Cliff Burton, Bootsy Collins, JPJ, McCartney, Steve Harris

[Bluebear]

34. Jaco Pastorius

[Crazy Guggenheim]

35. Fang of Paul Revere and the Raiders.

:hide:

[hickman1937]

38. I liked that guy from Iron Butterfly too. No idea who he was.

Too long ago, but cool bass.

[LynneSin]

39. John Paul Jones

Would you expect me to suggest someone else

:shrug:

[Kat45]

41. Jack Bruce

[asthmaticeog]

42. Peter Hook and Jah Wobble

of Joy Divison and Public Image Limited, respectively. I've always been a sucker for the post-punk.

[swag]

46. My, what fine choices.

[d_b]

43. Peter Hook

[RetroLounge]

44. This Guy is the BEST!

:sarcasm:

RL

[Beware the Beast Man]

47. And buy "this guy," you mean:

1. Dozens of session musicians
2. Ace Frehley on the first couple Kiss records.
3. Dozens more session musicians.

I'm so glad I caught your :sarcasm: smiley before posting. I was about to tear you a new one. :D

[Zuni]

49. so you are saying...

Gene Simmons is nothing more than a dick with a long tongue and a bad attitude? :wow:

[Beware the Beast Man]

51. Ummm...yes.

He is an astute and cunning businessman who just happens to wear 8" spiked boots and mime makeup. And I used to be the world's biggest Kiss fan (at age 4).

[Maestro]

48. Jaco, Geddy, Les Claypool

The bass player for the 70's/80's group, Dixie Dregs, Entwistle, John Paul Jones. Those are the ones that first pop in my head.

[DemGa]

52. Berry Oakley --nt--

[Ferretherder]

53. Was always fond of Chris Squire.

Seemed to play bass as more of a 'lead' instrument, rather than a 'supporting' or 'rhythm section' instrument.

[Floogeldy]

66. Thank you.

Chris embodies all of the greatest characteristics of Paul McCartney and Jack Bruce, within the framework of FUCKING Yes.

The greatest ever, hands down. End of argument.

B-)

[PittPoliSci]

54. Jaco and Les.

[mark414]

55. mingus, or ron carter

do i really need to say why?

[ghostsofgiants]

56. Wel aside from myself, haha, I'd have to say Flea...

Especially his work on The Mars Volta's "Se-Loused in the Comatorium". His Chili Peppers work is amazing too.

[RandomKoolzip]

58. Here's my list, in order of preference:

Tina Weymouth
Mike Watt
Tom Petersson
Phil Lesh
Aston Barrett
Chris Squire
Joe Lally
Rick Price
Colin Moulding

[Zuni]

61. Aston Barrett---excellent choice

one of the many reasons why Bob Marley's records are the most well known reggae recordings

Mike Watt---I used to have a bunch of Minutemen stuff when I was younger--I am going to have to look for it and listen again

[RandomKoolzip]

62. Oooooh, and I forgot another underrated genius:

Clint Conley of Mission of Burma. Dude had a solo on their first single, fer crissakes.

As you can tell, I like bassists who use a pick, too (I hate finger-picking)

[Zuni]

63. I use a pick when I play bass

I was a guitarist first and I play better with a pick.

[RandomKoolzip]

64. I like the sound of a pick against strings.

I don't know why this art has been abandoned.

Lots of "pro" bassists think I'm some pervert or something for preferring to use a pick....maybe if I wanted to aurally masturbate on the bass like a Jaco or a Flea, I'd ditch the pick.

[BarbaRosa]

59. Jack Casady

There's alot of great bass players out there, but listening to Jack, Big JA fan here, got me off my butt, strap on a bass, and start an amazing adventure.

[gmoney]

60. Bruce Thomas and John Doe

Bruce Thomas' work on the Elvis Costello and the Attractions albums is awe-inspiring...

John Doe as leader of X played great bass and has the best voice in "modern rock"

[Ron Green]

65. Scott LaFaro. Defined the jazz trio when he was with Bill Evans.

Also died way too young (29, I think.) No one mentioned here could play what he played.

[progressoid]

67. Name a couple female bassists

need some inspiriation for my daughter.

[RandomKoolzip]

68. Tina Weymouth (my all-time fave, male or fem), Carol Kaye, Jackie Fox.....

Michael Steele, Gaye Advert, Donna Dresch, Laura Balance, Kim Colletta.....

[progressoid]

69. Yeah, Tina's a good one

And my daughter actually like the Talking Heads. The other day I could only think of Tina and Prince's latest bassist (my brain shut off - God I feel old).

Who do those others play for/with?

[RandomKoolzip]

70. Michael Steele, the Bangles...Kim Colletta, Jawbox.....

Jackie Fox, the Runaways....Carol Kaye played on just about every huge chartbusting pop song that came out of LA in the 60's. She did most of the bass work on Phil Spector's singles, for instance.

[progressoid]

71. Excellent - Thanks.

DUers ROCK!

:headbang:

[mitchum]

73. Paul Chambers