Rick's Fine '52 Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1356874348' post='1914527'] Rick , I think you are a little bit confused here . Firstly , I agree with you wholeheartedly that Adam Clayton is a perfectly good bass player within the context of U2 as a band , and went so far as to defend AC and his contribution to bass playing earlier in this thread . It was me who said that Adam was no Stanley Clarke , but I said he was all the better for that . The point was made as one of contrast , not comparison . However , when you start saying Adam isn't a bad bass player because he always looks cool ( not to me he doesn't ) , dates supermodels and earns lots of money then there we have to part company . None of those things make one iota of difference to how good or bad Adam Clayton is as a bass player . They are all a complete irrelevance . The only thing that has any bearing on how good a player he is is what he [b]plays [/b]and how he plays it -the rest is sophistry . Put another way , the only thing that separates a bass player from any other member of the general public who cannot is their ability to play the bass guitar , nothing else . Furthermore , when you start speculating about how much Stanley Clarke might envy Adam Claytons lifestyle , I can't see what bearing that would have on eithers [i]playing , [/i]or anything else that might be pertinant . Just for your information , Stanley Clarke is a millionaire and last I heard , had luxury homes in Long Island and LA ,( although his divorce a while back may have impacted on that slightly !) . Besides that , even if it's a question of image , who could be cooler than Stanley Clarke ? He took on the world armed only with an Alembic bass , his prodigious talent and a very impressive afro hairstyle . Looks like a stylish man to me . [/quote] I'm not confused at all, it's interesting that you pick on the non-serious points i made about adam, and not the bass related ones. I forgot it's difficult to get across any level of humour in a hastily written word. Of course i dont think having money, dating supermodels, or being cool has anything to do with someones ability, I'm not 4, and i assumed everyone else wasnt either. So I apologise. This whole topic is pointless anyway, and wholly subjective, which is why my only contribution was to defend someone, and not be critical. Its like asking if there are any sandwiches out there with bad fillings. Who is cool and who isnt?, again,pointless debate, as we both disagree entirely, and we're just 2 people, although that pic you posted of stanley did little to defend your point!!! Having only played in originals bands (No covers), the hardest thing about being a bass player in an original band, and writing your own lines, is what and when to play, and what and when [i]not[/i] to play. Personally I think Adam is fantastic at that. Anyway, I'm off to find a bass related thread, they tend to be more sensible, yet less serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krysh Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 [quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1356878602' post='1914599'] Well, wasn't it Keith Richards and a session guy, Willie Weeks, who played bass on a lot of tracks? So even the Stones didn't think he was that good. [/quote] he even wrote in his book, that bill was in the band because he had a bassamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnyboy Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 [quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1356683990' post='1912299'] [b] [size=4]are there any super bands with poor bass players?[/size][/b] id imagine they're all quite well off im here all week [/quote] I've just read through all of the contributions on this , some interesting discussion going on , but the above has got to be the best reply. Took me a minute to get it though - I'm a bit slow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Not sure if any bass player really made much out of playing with CSN who are surely a super group, good wages maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1356872273' post='1914486'] All those slagging offf Michael Anthony are wide of the mark . The guy is a very capable player . If you listen to the early VH albums [/quote] The thing is though, Michael Anthony is actually a pretty busy player when the mood takes him! I had a Van Halen DVD a while ago and he did a pretty decent bass solo on it too. I'd always thought of Michael as being the epitome of the rocksteady root noter, but when I actually watched and listened to him on that DVD I realised he could be pretty melodic and busy too. He is a rock player and never held any pretension to being anything more than that. But in terms of musicality, he is a level above hacks like Adam Clayton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfuExbhkA3c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 This is one of my favorite tunes, but based on the jist of some of this thread it includes poor bass playing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xwL-7fKKUE&feature=youtube_gdata_player Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Have to say that MA solo above should never have gotten off the cutting floor...esp when you get EVH's a few songs on. Really... as far as solos go... and I understand the showbizz thing...a little bit.. but know your limits. It is awful... and sounds like he had done a few bottles of the stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurhenry Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1356952553' post='1915429'] Have to say that MA solo above should never have gotten off the cutting floor...esp when you get EVH's a few songs on. Really... as far as solos go... and I understand the showbizz thing...a little bit.. but know your limits. It is awful... and sounds like he had done a few bottles of the stuff... [/quote] Agreed. As I said above, I'm a fan of MA's playing on early VH, but I fear the solo posted may well give more ammunition to the non-believers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1356952553' post='1915429'] Have to say that MA solo above should never have gotten off the cutting floor...esp when you get EVH's a few songs on. Really... as far as solos go... and I understand the showbizz thing...a little bit.. but know your limits. It is awful... and sounds like he had done a few bottles of the stuff... [/quote] Its just a rock n roll showbiz thing that was going down at the time. A poor solo though and nobody disagrees here. But its as an ensemble player the MA excels. Ballsy tone and right note selection. Also If he is good enough for Satriani and co............enough said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofio Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Lets be honest here most of the bass players mentioned here are very rich guys and probably dont give a hoot what anyone think's about their bass playing, and really who is anyone to judge another bass player's talent, as long as they fit in with and play what the band require for their particular style of music., yes there are outstanding bass players in the world and thats great , i dont see the point in slagging another player off, and how do you measure a great bass player?? financial status? sponsorship? oustanding technical ability? heck i say just play the bass and enjoy for what ever reason. have a good 2013 guys. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) I think this thread (and other similar threads) proves that most people on here who play pop and rock oriented musical instruments have absolutely no idea what it means to be a professional, or indeed amateur, songwriting, performing and recording musician in a pop or rock band. Maybe it's just bass player disease. The poor f***er at the back in his worn out Alain Caron t-shirt and stonewash jeans, the 'keep music live' sticker on the 8x10 they had to buy a new car for to get it to the Pig & Dipshit, the constant moaning that the guitard (sic) keeps dialling in too much 460khz so the nice Stingray with the hang tags and mint OHSC can't be heard properly, the lack of appreciation by the rest of the band of the sheer effort you put in getting that Chancellor line nailed ... This thread proves that if all you care about is bass, you are f***ed as a musician. You need to grow out of that sh*t Happy new year Edited December 31, 2012 by silddx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alstocko Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1356987492' post='1916186'] I think this thread (and other similar threads) proves that most people on here who play pop and rock oriented musical instruments have absolutely no idea what it means to be a professional, or indeed amateur, songwriting, performing and recording musician in a pop or rock band. Maybe it's just bass player disease. The poor f***er at the back in his worn out Alain Caron t-shirt and stonewash jeans, the 'keep music live' sticker on the 8x10 they had to buy a new car for to get it to the Pig & Dipshit, the constant moaning that the guitard (sic) keeps dialling in too much 460khz so the nice Stingray with the hang tags and mint OHSC can't be heard properly, the lack of appreciation by the rest of the band of the sheer effort you put in getting that Chancellor line nailed ... This thread proves that if all you care about is bass, you are f***ed as a musician. You need to grow out of that sh*t Happy new year [/quote] I agree to an extent (like with all your posts! ) that people on here can get too obsessed with bass, and I can be a culprit at times! Although, what I think the OP was getting at (or at least what I'm getting at!) is somebody no matter who it is, or how technical they are, how well they gel with a band. Off the top of my head, the only example I can think of is non-bass related. Dave Weckl. He is an incredible musician, but whenever he plays with anybody apart from his feature band, I feel the music doesn't sit right. I think this is due to the fact that he is used to "overplaying" as the main attraction of his own band, and his incredible technical skill gets in his own way, so people like Eric Hartland get the job instead (still a great player, but plays just what's needed). But hey ho, he still gets the gigs, and I don't, so what I can I say about it. Nothing. I can't think of any bass players who play like this. I would say that Mark Anthony and the others do their job well enough that they inspire players to pick up the instrument, or at least not to turn their music off. Rant over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick's Fine '52 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1356987492' post='1916186'] This thread proves that if all you care about is bass, you are f***ed as a musician. You need to grow out of that sh*t [/quote] I agree that this post has little point, as I've already mentioned, as its totally subjective, and the 8 pages so far confirm this. But regarding your final point, this is [i]basschat[/i], and the thread was [i]specifically[/i] asking for comments about bass players, I don't think anyone ever said all they care about is bass??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 [quote name='lojo' timestamp='1356939756' post='1915292'] This is one of my favorite tunes, but based on the jist of some of this thread it includes poor bass playing... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xwL-7fKKUE&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/media] [/quote] Great track - good call! But can you imagine it with a 'busier' line? Would ruin it completely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 [quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1357038701' post='1916527'] Great track - good call! But can you imagine it with a 'busier' line? Would ruin it completely! [/quote] +1. Perfectly good bass playing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 [quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1357039360' post='1916546'] +1. Perfectly good bass playing [/quote] Totally agree . Simple or straightforward bass playing is not neccesarily bad playing , nor is complex or busy playing . Bad playing is bad playing . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyquipment Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 [quote name='gjones' timestamp='1356706867' post='1912711'] Noel Redding was a guitarist who got lucky and joined Jimi Hendrix's band. His bass playing is duff. edit : and Mitch Mitchell was crap too. Supposedly Hendrix used to creep into the studio at 3 in the morning with other better musicians and record tracks - 'rainy day, dream away' being one of them where the bass is actually played on hammond organ by mike Finnigan and the drummer is Buddy Miles. [/quote] lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Anyone slagging Cliff Williams off doesn't know his past. They hired him because he was a better player than they had. The reason he plays simple lines is because he is told to. Listen to the drumming in AC/DC. No rolls or fancy patterns. It's all about the lead guitar. I would play simple lines all day if it meant the security of being in a band like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickD Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 [quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1356667034' post='1912257'] I also remember some band somewhere that had to re-record all the bass parts laid down by the original bass player because they were so bad. I think it might have been a Trevor Horn produced track...was it Frankie Goes To Hollywood? [/quote] It was FGTH, they'd got everything but didn't play too well & the Blockheads were his go to session guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 The guy out of Kings of Leon freely admits he was only asked to join because he was related to the others and it took him until their last album to actually start knowing what he was doing. Talk about being lucky! I suppose there's lots of famous musicians in big bands who are only there because they are mates with a great songwriter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1356809289' post='1913925'] I don't see how anyone could rate Adan Clayton as a poor bass player. OK he's not a soloist or slapper, but he's probably one of the most melodic bassists out there. [/quote] I've heard him slap on a few songs, also fretless on one song Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 [quote name='NickD' timestamp='1445325907' post='2890496'] It was FGTH, they'd got everything but didn't play too well & the Blockheads were his go to session guys. [/quote] At the risk of injecting yet more life into this zombie thread, let me lay this urban myth to rest. From interviews with Trevor Horn and other engineers who were working at SARM at the time of FGTH, they were unhappy with the playing on "Relax" so they got the Blockheads in to re-do the instrumental parts. While the results were better technically they didn't have the right feel - does that make NWR a poor bass player since he didn't play what was required for the song ;-) Eventually the track was assembled in Page R on the Fairlight. Some of the individual notes used create the bass line might have been sampled from the Blockheads session but that hardly makes it NWR's playing. The actual performance came from whoever did the programming - most likely one of The Art Of Noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHW Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Sorry cant resist resurrecting, but I've read some pretty derogatory remarks about playing and ability of the bass player from The Darkness (Frankie Poulain??) written by or attributed to the hawkins brothers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Ability, Skill and Understanding is a very broad spectrum of which only the degrees vary, but we are all on and spread out across that spectrum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4-string-thing Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Any super bands carrying their bass player? Yeah, mine! The other two are brilliant and provide the talent. I provide the glamour.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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