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Rick Rubin calls Paul McCartney the number one bassist of all time


lidl e

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  • lidl e changed the title to Rick Rubin calls Paul McCartney the number one bassist of all time

Given Paul wrote half of the songs, he'd be better calling him one of the world's best popular music composers. That's sort of what Rick is saying (his example comes sitting at a piano, not with a bass around his neck) that would be more accurate. 

 

Anyway, music isn't a competition and he also wrote the Frog Chorus, which illustrates there are limits even to genius. 

 

 

Edited by Burns-bass
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23 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

Wow! Not Suzi Quattro, then?

 

i think a lot could be said for macca's influence in the bass world. he's not my favourite, but i would certainly rate him very highly.

Edited by lidl e
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50 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

Anyway, music isn't a competition and he also wrote the Frog Chorus, which illustrates there are limits even to genius. 

 

 

True the bit about not a competition but Frog Chorus was a great piece of music, way better than some of his old tut. 

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The Beatles bass lines also seemed to serve the song in a very similar way to Sting's bass lines served The Police songs. Very functional and effective and in some cases clever but not necessarily technical or outstanding. It was more about the song rather than the musicianship and that's where the talent is as song writers.

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I really like the way he plays bass and love his basslines. They are little compositions, not technically impossible, but hard to conceive if that makes sense.
I also read somewhere that The Beatles recorded the bass almost for last. And this makes me think they considered it "another voice" part of the composition, a bit like a voice in counterpoint.

 

Edited by mario_buoninfante
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Rubin is talking about McCartney being a unique songwriting talent and a great singer. It's a bit of a stretch to include the title, best bass player!

 

IMO the number one, the most significant bass player of all time, is the guy who changed the way that bass lines were created and changed bass playing for everyone.

 

The guy who didn't just open the door for the rest of us, but knocked it clean off it's hinges. The guy whose bass lines were unique and ranged from the simplest, Higher and Higher and My Girl to the most complicated, For Once In My Life and Darling Dear . . . James Jamerson.

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I think McCartney is amazing. In hindsight with the way bass playing has evolved in the past 50 years or whatever it might be, it could be easy to see his playing as comparatively rudimentary and especially in isolation. But he evolved so much as a bass player throughout the history of the band and clearly he was applying the lessons of Jamerson and Brian Wilson’s arrangement skills as best he could and in his own way. Sgt Peppers has some absolute standout bass tracks - Getting Better, Lovely Rita, Fixing a Hole. White Album the same, Dear Prudence is inspired. 
 

Rick clearly expressing an opinion here but I think McCartney totally deserving in a top spot of historic bass players

 

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I think there is no nr. one bassit existing. If You will make a top 100 of them - everybody has it's own unique technique and style. Let's say who is better - Gary willis or Marcus Miller - impossible. Their music differs so much and all of my respect to each of them.

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38 minutes ago, nilorius said:

I think there is no nr. one bassit existing. If You will make a top 100 of them - everybody has it's own unique technique and style. Let's say who is better - Gary willis or Marcus Miller - impossible. Their music differs so much and all of my respect to each of them.

Quite right. Hendrix knew who the nr. one guitarist was.

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1 hour ago, nilorius said:

I think there is no nr. one bassit existing. If You will make a top 100 of them - everybody has it's own unique technique and style. Let's say who is better - Gary willis or Marcus Miller - impossible. Their music differs so much and all of my respect to each of them.


Whaaaat? Marcus Miller of course, mate!
Just kidding. I think you're right, no way one can name THE universally acclaimed best bass player.

Edited by mario_buoninfante
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7 minutes ago, nilorius said:

Name at least one reason for that !!!

I think the way he brought the concept,  to my ears at least, of lead bass was a revelation. Definitely highly influenced by jamerson, who i would put at number 2.

 

He attacks the bass like none before and not many since. His lines are often counter to what Pete is playing so he is basically writing th me memorable bits of many of their songs.

 

And he had an amazing case of GAS. 

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5 minutes ago, nilorius said:

Explain that unique way. Gary Willis also plays the bass in his own superb way.

I did above. 

 

Gary willis. I mean he's a killer player, but to me, his greatest contribution to the bass world is the widespread acceptance of ramps. 

 

Edited by lidl e
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6 minutes ago, nilorius said:

Explain that unique way. Gary Willis also plays the bass in his own superb way.

Also Entwistle elevated the role of the bassist in a rock situation from unknown sideman to fuly fledged contributing member. I suppose Jack Bruce did as well but i prefer the Who to Cream

 

In my opinion.

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1 minute ago, lidl e said:

I did above. 

 

Gary willis. I mean he's a killer player, but to me, his greatest contribution to the bass world is the widespread acceptance of ramps. 

 

Gary Willis put his mind and hand in to ramps for other players for easier and more stable playing. His ability to play so unique could be made with or without ramps, but let's not continue this stinky slime. I already understood that all you know about Gary Willis is one youtube video, where he shows how to properly set up ramp on his gwb1005. Dream on !

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lol. i see you have a Iby GWB. I didn't knwo i was dealing with a fanboy!

 

Gary Willis is an excellent player. I do only really know him from his signature Ibanez, but i was aware of that long before YouTube even existed. 

 

I'll concede he's good, but he's no Entwistle. 👾

Edited by lidl e
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3 minutes ago, lidl e said:

lol. i see you have a Iby GWB. I didn't knwo i was dealing with a fanboy!

 

Gary Willis is an excellent player. I do only really know him from his signature Ibanez, but i was aware of that long before YouTube even existed. 

 

I'll concede he's good, but he's no Entwistle. 👾

Right, but Entwistle is not him. Do You even know what is ''Tribal tech''?

Edited by nilorius
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