Barking Spiders

Deffo one of my top ten all time fave players and between he and Pino the reason I took up fretless. While I could never quite get my ears round David Sylvian's sub Bowieisms, it was MK's bass that got me listening to Japan albums

The UK in the 80s was goldmine for great basslines.This is one of my faves, My Spine Is The Bassline played by ex Gang of Four-er Dave Allen. I've been trying to get that loose elastic tone but I'm still at a loss. Any ideas? [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrpzPKANbMA"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrpzPKANbMA[/url]

Sulk is one of the best bass albums I've ever heard. Also checkout the mental line to Skipping. Michael Dempsey had very distinctive style, Stuart Morrow in his New Model Army days being the only other player I've heard with a similar approach

Agree with Wham. Don't care for the music but the bassline on the awful Club Tropicana is excellent. Also of that time, Sade. The music is a snooze but there's nice fretless work on Smooth Operator and Paradise. I'm certainly no fan of Rush either but I do like basslines on New World Man, Fly By Night and The Big Money

Other than a friend's function band I stopped bothering with being in a gigging band, playing pubs, festival etc,long ago. Replying to musician wanted ads never worked for me. For me, it's most important I'm mates with other band members. I'm also much more into electronic stuff whereby a couple of you is enough.

Some more I'd briefly forgotten Paul Webb from Talk Talk -well tasty basslines across all the albums - check out Today from the debut album Horace Panter from The Specials- check out the first album esp Nite Club David Steele -The Beat and Fine Young Cannibals - check out Mirror In The Bathroom Mick Anker from the Blow Monkeys - anything from the debut album David Allen from Gang of Four and Shriekback - a great tone like no other I've heard My Spine Is The Bassline by Shriekback Paul Denman - Sade. Nice fretless work Derek Forbes - Simple Minds when they were good. New Gold Dream I chocka with cracking lines Big Tony Fisher - leader of the great Go-Go band Trouble Funk Neil Jason - top class sessioner and multi-instrumentalist. For me his best stuff was with jazz funkers The Brecker Brothers

These always come to mind when I see question Stuart Morrow on the first two New Model Army albums. Imagine a far more talented Peter Hook Deon Estus - made Wham's music half tolerable Michael Dempsey- ex Cure but it's his stuff with The Associates that's the biz esp on Sulk Julian Crampton - this bloke is seriously good. Check him out with jazzy soul funkers Incognito, Down To The Bone and Joey Negro's Sunburst Band. Also worked with M People, The Pasadenas, Paul Young Leigh Gorman - with Bow Wow Wow Armand Sabal Lecco and Bill Dickins - I can't abide jazz-fusion but make the effort to deal with it to hear these monster players

This is the nub. If I was properly minted I'd get an Alembic, Jaydee, Roscoe, MTD or Ken Smith. As I'm no Stanley Clarke I'd somehow feel 'wrong' owning such gear.

Another thread here prompted me to post this. I've never paid over £500 for a newbass. Come to think of it, make that £400. Stuff I've got includes an Aria Pro II Integra (about 20 years old), a Peavey Cirrus BXP, and Cort B4 fretted and fretless models. As I only play part-time in function bands I've never felt justified in having anything more expensive though I wouldn't say no to a Musicman Stingray if it came my way for a bargain. Thing is a bass at £1500 more than three times better than what I've got, if you get my drift? I know that most this price and more are handcrafted but does the price truly reflect greater quality?

what about F# Bflat 9 at the 8th fret?

Being primarily a drummer I can safely say the bottom 60 is pretty laughable. Many I rate highly are among the top 40 but the order is largely arse about tit while there are still too many baffling choices. To put Bonham, Moon, Watts and Starr above jazz greats like Rich and Krupa is taking the piss. I tend to prefer jazz, fusion and funk drummers but there are many non-listed metal/hard rock drummers who could kick the collective arse of most rock players on this list e.g. Simon Phillips, Scott Travis, Brann Dailor, Brian Downey, Mike Portnoy, Vinnie Paul, Charlie Benante and Stephen Perkins,

A few years back I tried to get such a band together in Gloucestershire via joinmyband.co.uk but there was no interest, sweet FA, nada. In my ads I mentioned bands like Japan, Heaven 17, Human League, Blancmange and less well known alt funk acts like Shriekback and 23 Skidoo. No end of people wanting to play metal.

Had a look a through the vids on the BBC site. Good stuff from Underworld, Chvrches and Roisin Murphy.

# 1 at least one of the others being a knob'ead # 2 not having fun #3 the music being sh*t - not as in badly played but as in dull, bland, tuneless etc

In my 20s - early 30s I tended to last 4-5 gigs. For me it was always more about the social side than trying to make it. I was a better drinking and pool buddy than band member

Haven't a clue tbh , as most non-playing peeps I know think my bass is a big ukulele. I've mostly been doing stuff with a function band when job and kids allow me to. The band don't drive off without me so maybe I'm ok

The bassist is top notch and the drummer is very decent too but the cod-operatic wailings and songs in general are meh to my ears. being like a modern day Rush isn't a good thing in my book

I'm first and not quite foremost a drummer and concur with the OP.

I checked in and out to have a butchers at what Adele, ELO, Coldplay, Muse, Madness, Squeeze, Wolf Alice, PJ Harvey, New Order, Last Shadow Puppets and Tame Impala were up to. Gave each around 5 to 10 minutes and then turned over to see the footie which was way more interesting. I don't get why Adele is so successful other than she's better than the likes of Ellie Goulding and Pixie Lott.

Some of the best bass playing to my ears has been on albums in genres not usually associated with the instrument. Some examples Singing Sands - by acoustic guitar whiz Tony McManus and French fretless master Alain Genty, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAscrNhKE5A Penthouse and Pavement by Heaven 17. Check out John Wilson's basswork on the first 4 tunes e.g. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33W3kMS2vp0"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33W3kMS2vp0[/url] Any other head ups?

I like to use a plastic thumbpick upside down i.e. the pick facing upwards. Gives a nice heavy attacking sound while not requiring much wrist action

few years a I tried using plastic thumbpicks but found I couldn't get the right attack. I prefer using a wooden pick plus index anfour fingers though I'm mostly a trad fingerstyle and slap player

I also have to nom funk maestros like Larry Graham, Louis Johnson, Paul Jackson, Marcus Miller, Bootsy and Rocco Prestia. All major sources of inspiration to me

Hi there Gary Mac. Stuart Morrow was the original bassist for New Model Army and Leigh Gorman was in Bow Wow Wow check out SM on this [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptWINyPBlk"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptWINyPBlk[/url] and LG on this [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzHyOctD72k"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzHyOctD72k[/url]

Could run off about 50 names off the top of me head but I might be biased towards Brit bassists who did a lot of their best stuff in the 80s - early 90s like Mick Karn, Pino Paladino, Leigh Gorman, Mark King, Stuart Morrow, Deon Estus...