Favorite Bassists
Posted: June 13th, 2017, 12:08 am
We did the vocals and guitar - might as well give the rhythm section it's due, right? Going to limit myself to 20:
- Les Claypool (Primus): What explanation do you need?
- Lemmy: Very unique style - pretty much transformed the bass into a brutal rhythm guitar and it worked wonders.
- Chris Squire (Yes)
- Ben Shepard (Soundgarden): Not a flashy or overtly complex player, but he was always so good at adding new dimensions to songs and avoiding the obvious.
- Mike Watt (The Minutemen, Firehose, Dos, solo, etc.)
- Rob Wright (Nomeansno, The Hanson Brothers)
- Mike Dirnt (Green Day and others): Pretty much the first bass player to get my attention and make me want to play the instrument, specifically his playing on the first four Green Day albums (Dookie in particular). Unforunately, in the newer material that I've heard his playing seems to have been relegated to a more subordinate role. Loved the way he could hold the bottom-end while adding fills and counter-melodies.
- John Entwistle (The Who, solo)
- Mark Sandman (Morphine, Treat Her Right)
- Tracy Pew (The Birthday Party, The Saints, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
- Jah Wobble (Public Image Limited, solo)
- John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, solo
- Bootsy Collins (James Brown, Parliament, Funkadelic)
- James Jamerson (Motown Records bassist)
- Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order, etc.)
- Cliff Burton (Metallica): Overrated because of an early death, but I'd put him on this list if the only thing he ever recorded was "Orion" - not to mention that he was the source of the band's classical influences.
- Steve Di Giorgio (Death, Sadus, tons of others)
- Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, others)
- Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)
- Jaco Pastorius (Weather Report, Joni Mitchell, Al Di Meola, Pat Metheny, solo)
- Les Claypool (Primus): What explanation do you need?
- Lemmy: Very unique style - pretty much transformed the bass into a brutal rhythm guitar and it worked wonders.
- Chris Squire (Yes)
- Ben Shepard (Soundgarden): Not a flashy or overtly complex player, but he was always so good at adding new dimensions to songs and avoiding the obvious.
- Mike Watt (The Minutemen, Firehose, Dos, solo, etc.)
- Rob Wright (Nomeansno, The Hanson Brothers)
- Mike Dirnt (Green Day and others): Pretty much the first bass player to get my attention and make me want to play the instrument, specifically his playing on the first four Green Day albums (Dookie in particular). Unforunately, in the newer material that I've heard his playing seems to have been relegated to a more subordinate role. Loved the way he could hold the bottom-end while adding fills and counter-melodies.
- John Entwistle (The Who, solo)
- Mark Sandman (Morphine, Treat Her Right)
- Tracy Pew (The Birthday Party, The Saints, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
- Jah Wobble (Public Image Limited, solo)
- John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, solo
- Bootsy Collins (James Brown, Parliament, Funkadelic)
- James Jamerson (Motown Records bassist)
- Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order, etc.)
- Cliff Burton (Metallica): Overrated because of an early death, but I'd put him on this list if the only thing he ever recorded was "Orion" - not to mention that he was the source of the band's classical influences.
- Steve Di Giorgio (Death, Sadus, tons of others)
- Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, others)
- Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)
- Jaco Pastorius (Weather Report, Joni Mitchell, Al Di Meola, Pat Metheny, solo)