Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Bass Players in the Late 60s


drTStingray

Recommended Posts

Back in the late 60s (well say post 67), I and a number of my mates had growing desires to become musicians - me and one other wanting to be bass players - we were about 15/16, broke and still at school. 

So what did we read and listen to - 

Melody Maker - was read by musicians and more serious non teeny bopper modern music lovers (NME and magazines like Jackie catered for them) - MM had ads for used instruments like Les Pauls etc, Amps, and seeking musicians - it also treated 'underground' or 'progressive' music (rock and blues) as an art form, alongside jazz, folk and other genres. Albums were beginning to be more significant than singles and there were lots of great players and groups.

Melody Maker ran singles and album charts and also readers voted for the top ten of lots of categories of musicians annually - if you seriously want to know who were thought of as best bass players of the era, research the Melody Maker polls.

We'd just started getting stereo vinyl albums with fantastic gate fold sleeves - and better still mum's and dads were investing in stereo record players to hear their Beethoven and Sound of Music soundtrack albums in all their glory - which could be appropriated when they went out for listening to newly recorded (on 16 track) rock music.....!!! 

So in 1968 and 69 who did the aspiring bass player look up to and want to emulate - one things for sure it wasn't Joe Osborme or Carol Kaye - even the Tamla bassists (though their style and interesting lines were noticed - fact is none of us were good enough to play it then). Seriously, these people were considered as orchestral style players and lacking the excitement created by the rock players. So who would be my top few of 68-69 in no specific order:-

John Paul Jones - Led Zep - albums Led Zep 1 and 2

Leo Lyons - Ten Years After - Stonedhenge; Schhhh

Glenn Cornick - Jethro Tull - This Was and Stand Up (plus the wonderful bass on the single Living in the Past)

Greg Lake - King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

Andy Fraser - Free - Tons of Sobs; Free

Paul McCartney - The Beatles - Abbey Road; Let It Be

Jack Bruce - Cream - Wheels of Fire; Goodbye

Shuggie Otis; Max Bennett - Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

Nick Semper (and Roger Glover - Joined with Ian Gillan 1969 to become the classic line up) - Deep Purple - Shades of Deep Purple and Deep Purple (the single Black Night and albums like Fireball were very early 70s -  heaviest single on TOTP of the time??!!)

Geezer Butler - Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (actually released Feb 70).

Larry Taylor - Canned Heat - Canned Heat

Louis Cennamo - Renassance

Peter Cettera - Chicago Transit Authority

Danny Thompson - Pentangle - Tge Pentangle

Noel Redding; Billy Cox - Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsies; Electric Ladyland; Band of Gypsies 

There are loads more!! In my view these guys are must listens for aspiring bass players - and most of the British one's wanted to emulate (I.e were influenced by) Jet Harris (he of The Shadows).

Who would be your favourite rock players of that era?? 

Edited by drTStingray
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My heroes started before 1967.

There was Bill Wyman, John Stax and Chas Chandler. John McVie is the guy I saw live the most times.  I used to see Jack Bruce a lot but never tried to play like him. Phil Chen with Jimmy James, John Roberts with Geno and the guy who played with Zoot Money.  Alex Dmochowski with the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Ronnie Wood with Jeff Beck and Binky McKenzie with Alexis Korner.

US favourites were Duck Dunn, Willie Dixon and the guy I now know is Tommy Cogbill. Then there was Rick Danko with the Band and Bernard Odum with James Brown.

Magic times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, but have to disagree about Motown bassists lacking excitement compared with rock bassists. As a young teenager at the time, the sound of ‘Bernadette’ and other Motown gems coming down the corridor from my older brother’s Fidelity record player was enough to convince me to give stuff like Black Sabbath and Led Zep etc the elbow for good. All my mates were into heavy rock at the time, and Motown wasn’t considered hip at all, which somehow made it even more special for me. Soon as I started playing bass I certainly didn’t want to be Geezer Butler that’s for sure. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, casapete said:

Sorry, but have to disagree about Motown bassists lacking excitement compared with rock bassists. As a young teenager at the time, the sound of ‘Bernadette’ and other Motown gems coming down the corridor from my older brother’s Fidelity record player was enough to convince me to give stuff like Black Sabbath and Led Zep etc the elbow for good. All my mates were into heavy rock at the time, and Motown wasn’t considered hip at all, which somehow made it even more special for me. Soon as I started playing bass I certainly didn’t want to be Geezer Butler that’s for sure. 

I suspect it depended where you were I guess - and older siblings would make a difference - my recollection of Motown (Tamla Motown in the Uk) and reggae was that white male teenagers listening to this would likely be latter day mods or skinheads - and more likely be into the finer points of football hooliganism and 'bovver' as it was known than doing such things as learning an instrument  - Motown Chartbusters Vol 2 and 3 and Tighten Up Volume 3 were big albums for those guys at the time. 

I don't even recall Bernadette and only heard it more recently - although the bass was a little more audible on Motown it certainly wasn't very audible on transistor radio or even a Dansette player - and picking out a Motown bass part would be partially guesswork at the time.

The first tracks of theirs which really made my ears prick up was Heard It Through The Grapevine - but that was quite different - and Tears of a Clown (Bob Babbitt on the Uk version). 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, bassace said:

Don’t forget Jim Fielder of Blood Sweat and Tears. And the bloke behind the Tops (Jameson? I’m no expert) was rated too. 

And yes, MM was the guvnor mag. NME was pretty rubbish in those days. Musos read Crescendo, I got a mention in 1967.

Yes definitely Blood Sweat and Tears - my first intro to in yer face walking bass lines!! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was an aspiring (as much as a 15 y/o can be said to aspire) singing drummer then.  We listened to albums and singles both,  because we were learning songs.  "Whole Lotta Love" was huge as was "Louie, Louie",  "House of the Rising Son" and anything by CCR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

Jack Casady

Ashley Hutchings

Danny Thompson

Phil Lesh

Mark Andes

I came on here to say exactly this but Dad beat me to it. Folk rock was such an emerging force in the late '60s and Ashley Hutchings was right at the forefront. Think about his work with Fairport,  Steeleye Span (their first album particularly), and the Albion Band. Plus his absolutely phenomenal bass playing. All round, probably my first bass hero.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, casapete said:

Around this time there was also Ronnie Lane, ex- Small Faces and member of the newly formed Faces. Their early albums had a big effect on my guitar and bass playing as a teenager. Taken from us far too soon as well.

Agreed, they must've been a supergroup before the idea of supergroups was formed. Kenny Jones on drums, & the other Ron on guitar, Ian McLagan on keys, and of course Rod, amazing bunch of musicians.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was born in 1961 and my brother in 57.....he had a great collection of Classic and Prog Rock lps …..growing up I would listen to nothing but Heavy Rock.....I didn't pick a Bass up till I was about 40 very late starter.....but prior to that I was a Frontman/Vocalist for quite a few local bands.....the reason I wanted to play Bass was Soul, Motown and 60s RnB so Jamerson, Cogbill, Jemmott, Porter, Weeks and Dunn ect……..but love Geezer, Lynott, Glover......but Neil Murray probs my favourite his busy melodic yet driving Bass lines are great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Huge Entwistle fan here, although to be honest I came to him very late. I was born '63, didn't start playing til '80, didn't really listen to Entwistle until I'd been playing a few years (The Who mostly bypassed me prior to that). As a kid most of the stuff I loved was harmony bands, The Mamas & The Papas, The Beatles etc, later ABBA, before discovering heavy & prog rock in my early/mid teens. Never really liked Motown, R&B, Reggae or Soul growing up; no-one I knew was into them either, except as above some of the thug contingent, which further put me off. I grew up in a mostly Jazz household though as my dad was a jazz trumpet player. In terms of bass, I guess Macca and Rutger Gunnarson were pre-playing subliminal influences. After starting, I was mainly into heavy rock /prog players, but to be honest, I really wanted to play guitar. ;-).    

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...