Best musician is the bass player

[chriswareham]

Peter Steele of Type O Negative. Was also the lead vocalist and main songwriter.
Stuart Morrow of New Model Army. The other two band members subsequently became technically proficient musicians, but Morrow was something else.

[Foxx]

John Glascock, in particular with Carmen, the bass parts pretty much made those songs I think, and he was a bloody good singer too(check out High Time, which he wrote and sang lead on).

[pete.young]

I was thinking Nathan Watts.

[bassace]

Don't know about the notion of best, but way back Louis Armstrong said if you're forming a band get the right bass player before choosing the other musicians. Should give us a bit of a warm glow perhaps.

[sykilz]

Geddy Lee, because he's better than Alex and Neil doesn't count cos it says " musician" and he's a drummer......😬 no drummers read this, right? ( sorry Neil, we all know you're no 1 really!)

[Si600]

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1398599092' post='2435584']


John Entwistle i would agree with but i'm not sure about Steve Harris.....he is a great bass player but i don't know if musically he is above that of ay Dave Murray??

It is very subjective and difficult to define.
[/quote]

He has written nearly every Maiden song, co-written most of the others, plays the keyboards on the studio songs, produced a bunch of the albums and probably manages his daughters band as well.

Not sure whether that makes him the better musician, but he's more than just the bassist

[risingson]

John Paul Jones covered a lot of bases with Led Zep, doesn't make him a 'better' musician, just that he played a lot more instruments than anyone else. Same might be said of Macca. But I agree with everyone else saying that it's a bit of a daft question, bands are the sum of many parts regardless of one individual's technical or theoretical level.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1398618781' post='2435799']
. . . . bands are the sum of many parts regardless of one individual's technical or theoretical level.
[/quote]

Indeed, and what better proof than The Beatles?

[Number6]

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1398607318' post='2435662']


He has written nearly every Maiden song, co-written most of the others, plays the keyboards on the studio songs, produced a bunch of the albums and probably manages his daughters band as well.

Not sure whether that makes him the better musician, but he's more than just the bassist
[/quote]

Again its difficult because the whole of that particular band are very talented but yes certainly since around 1988 (Seventh Son of a Seventh Son) Harris has increased his input in musical contributions and certainly production.

IM is very much Harris's band without doubt ;-)

[skankdelvar]

I would agree with Mr Discreet that John Paul Jones was probably the best all-round musician in his band. His contributions both live and in the studio helped to make the band what it was, the roiling keyboards in Kashmir being one of many examples.

Yet he might also have been the most immediately replaceable. Zep without Page, Bonham or Plant is unthinkable. Jonesy, not so much.

And when Page became so smacked out that Jones was forced to step forward for song-writing and production duties many found the results somewhat disengaging. 'South Bound Saurez', anyone?

Anyway, what about Rutherford?

[SaxyBassist]

Jack Bruce gets my vote - love his walking bass lines and sultry voice

[Annoying Twit]

Yes, it's highly subjective. But any attempt to make the original question objective would quite likely stifle a whole lot of interpretations of the question that might be interesting discussions in themselves. E.g. do we give people votes for playing multiple instruments (e.g. John Paul Jones) or should it be for their bass playing. I prefer to hear a wider variety of interpretations of the question. As to whether or not the question is 'barking', I see that there is some interesting discussion on musicianship, so there may be some proof in the pudding.

On-topic: Bootsy Collins in any band he's ever played in?

Would Peter Hook be the bass player who has the least difficulty in out-classing his bandmates. Although it could be said that all of New Order rate as 'simple but effective'.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Annoying Twit

[discreet]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1398642244' post='2436193']
...do we give people votes for playing multiple instruments (e.g. John Paul Jones) or should it be for their bass playing.
[/quote]

I'm no big Zep fan (perhaps a small Zep fan...) but I'd give it to JPJ for his bass playing too.
Very underrated. Some of his lines are just astonishing.

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1398590077' post='2435454']
Greg Lake?
[/quote]
not saying he is not good but have you listened carefully to keith emerson's solo piano stuff?
[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1398591549' post='2435487']
Mark King???
[/quote]
sorry but allan holdsworth once played with L42

anybody care to make the call on weather report or queen or any of zappa's line ups?

and how about one of our basschat favourites, snarky puppy? - i would put my money on the keyboard players or the drummer or some of the brass section

and to take Skank's analogy one step further, surely Ringo was the best in the beatles? any other drummer and they would never have sounded the same

Edited April 28, 2014 by steve-bbb

[steve-bbb]

.

Edited April 28, 2014 by steve-bbb

[Panamonte]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1398642244' post='2436193']

On-topic: Bootsy Collins in any band he's ever played in?

[/quote]

'Better' than everyone else in the J.B.s? Really?????

[mrtcat]

Lemmy. He kinda is motorhead.

[KingBollock]

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1398671731' post='2436269']
Lemmy. He kinda is motorhead.
[/quote]
I know he writes the songs, lyrics and music. He used to be a guitarist but wasn't that good, and while he has his very own bass technique he's not that technically gifted. Where as Mickey Dee is utterly brilliant at his instrument. Granted Lemmy is the more rounded musician but the thing he excels at is being an icon. It's a difficult one.

This from a life long Motörhead fan.

[discreet]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1398669211' post='2436247']
...surely Ringo was the best in the beatles?
[/quote]

Famously when Lennon was asked if he thought Ringo was the best drummer in the world he replied, 'He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles.' McCartney played a fair number of the drum parts on various Beatles recordings.

[Colonel36]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1398672690' post='2436276']
Famously when Lennon was asked if he thought Ringo was the best drummer in the world he replied, 'He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles.' McCartney played a fair number of the drum parts on various Beatles recordings.
[/quote]

I'm not sure that's true about Lennon, as it may have been Jasper Carrott that invented that Ringo quote.

[discreet]

[quote name='Colonel36' timestamp='1398673906' post='2436292']
I'm not sure that's true about Lennon, as it may have been Jasper Carrott that invented that Ringo quote.
[/quote]

Google is unclear about it (as usual), but whoever said it, it's true - and McCartney did record drums on certain songs.

Edited April 28, 2014 by discreet

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='Panamonte' timestamp='1398670468' post='2436262']
'Better' than everyone else in the J.B.s? Really?????
[/quote]

I'm not too familiar with James Brown's music. But of what I've heard of BC era JBs sounded like most of the players were playing good stuff, but BC was a cut above. I personally am not including JB himself as I'm thinking of instrumental prowess, and hence aren't including vocalists. It could easily be that there are other tracks I haven't heard of where the other musicians get their chance to shine.

Jimmy Page is really rated as a guitarist, and so is John Bonham as a drummer. The bar is so high for that band, that JPJ could easily be doing truly outstanding work, but still be subjectively and unscientifically outclassed by his bandmates. But I'm not really a fan of Led Zep. Except for "Houses of the Holy" and to a lesser extent LZ4, which I think are great.

BTW: What prompted me to start this thread was hearing the age old joke 'What do you call a guy who hangs around with musicians? A (usually) drummer." retold as "What do you call a guy who hangs around with musicians? A bass guitarist." It got me thinking about how it's sometimes the bassist who is one of if not the most musical people in a band.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Annoying Twit

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='Colonel36' timestamp='1398673906' post='2436292']
I'm not sure that's true about Lennon, as it may have been Jasper Carrott that invented that Ringo quote.
[/quote]

It sounds like the kind of thing that Lennon would have said, but there's [url=http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=75;t=001306;p=1]no real evidence that he did say it[/url]. If it was said, it was much more likely to have been Lennon's snarky and often cruel humour than an honest evaluation. However, it was clearly untrue. Listen to McCartney's drumming on songs such as "Back in the USSR" and his first solo album "McCartney". IMHO he's nowhere near being as good as Ringo.

[chaypup]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1398669211' post='2436247']

and how about one of our basschat favourites, snarky puppy? - i would put my money on the keyboard players or the drummer or some of the brass section

[/quote]

They are all monster musicians in Snarky Puppy! Have you heard (keys player) Corey Henry's other work? Outstanding!

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l0xppLcgl4"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l0xppLcgl4[/url]

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1398672690' post='2436276']
Famously when Lennon was asked if he thought Ringo was the best drummer in the world he replied, 'He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles.' McCartney played a fair number of the drum parts on various Beatles recordings.
[/quote]
[quote name='Colonel36' timestamp='1398673906' post='2436292']
I'm not sure that's true about Lennon, as it may have been Jasper Carrott that invented that Ringo quote.
[/quote]

It was Ringo. Voted Best Drummer in a Melody Maker Poll he was asked if he thought he really was the best drummer in the world. His characteristically modest reply: 'I'm not even the best drummer in the Beatles'.

[i]And[/i] it was Lennon, who said the same thing in an interview with the Times. Perhaps it was an in-joke among the lovable Scouse-Tops.
[color=#ffffff].[/color]
Ringo disparaged his own drumming on a number of occasions, while Lennon considered himself the more rough'n'ready songwriter and 'chop it out' rhythm guitarist. Harrison was was modest about his gifts and retiring to the point of self-effacement. McCartney was prone to bouts of crippling insecurity and black self-doubt .

OK, I lied about the last one.

Edited April 28, 2014 by skankdelvar