Is there a popular bass player, that you just don’t get?

[Baloney Balderdash]

1 hour ago, Rayman said:

I had a run in with Jeff once. He’s certainly a character, and you’re right, he really only sees his side of the argument.  Stunning player obviously (or maybe not to some people), but his personality has tripped him up a few times.

An argument I had with him on Talk Bass got us both banned (or rather the same argument got him banned, not my contribution in specific to that argument, though I suppose maybe that doesn't really tell much, since they seem quite generous with the ban hammer on that forum).

 

Edited March 26 by Baloney Balderdash

[No lust in Jazz]

John Entwistle

 

While they clearly had their moments, I never really got The Who, in later years, for me his playing seemed to be more like a special effect than crafted to work for a song.  

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 26/03/2024 at 10:47, No lust in Jazz said:

John Entwistle

 

While they clearly had their moments, I never really got The Who, in later years, for me his playing seemed to be more like a special effect than crafted to work for a song.  

I never really got The Who either, but I did like Entwistle's playing, and I for one actually think it suited the songs (as far as I am concerned the only thing interesting about their otherwise pretty boring bland generic rock songs, but in my opinion despite that his playing didn't sound out of place or forced in any possible way).

 

Edited March 29 by Baloney Balderdash

[Rayman]

Ok….. cat amongst the pigeons….

 

I’m a rock guy, and having seen him play live a couple of times, and listened to a lot of his recorded stuff, I have never been able to connect at all with Billy Sheehan. Too many distorted fireworks going off there for me.

[Geek99]

13 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

Just in case anyone else doesn’t notice, my post was written in jest! FWIW though I don’t think even Jamerson enjoyed the music he was playing on. It sounds like he was much happier in a jazz club after a days sessions.

You probably needed an emoticon there. judging by responses I’m not the only one to have read you as serious 
 

I do agree with your second statement 

Edited March 26 by Geek99

[tinyd]

3 hours ago, ubit said:

For me, the bass is the bridge between rhythm and melody. That's where it should stay to complement the song. When players come out of this pocket, that's what turns me off. I hate w***ing of any kind over a piece of music, be it bass, vocals or even gratuitous overly played guitar.

I completely agree. There's nothing wrong with a (small) bit of showmanship at the appropriate time, but in general though the best virtuosos show their abilities by working _with_ (rather than playing all over) their bandmates.

[Leonard Smalls]

4 hours ago, ubit said:

I hate w***ing of any kind over a piece of music

Depends on your definition.

What for one person is a bit of mild frottage is for others a full-blown bag-over-the-head-and-a-bottle-of-poppers-cuffed-to-a-radiator scenario!

What fills me with horror for any solo is where the band leave the stage, put on a bath and a baked potato leaving said muso (whether he/she/it are bass, guitar, drums, whatever) to fill the time with a cacophony of a-musical onanism. Like that Cliff bloke out of off of Metallica who seems to be so revered! It's only forgivable if it's completely amazing - frinstance I saw Sheila E do a percussion solo for about 10 minutes which had at least 2 minutes on the triangle, and it was awesome - or completely hilarious - like Nigel Tuffnell and his violin-guitar thang.

As for bass solos, I absolutely love a good funk-bass one... Like the one Big Tony does for Trouble Funk. It's there to complement the song, and it's groovy, entertaining and full of showmanship. 

 

[shoulderpet]

On 17/03/2024 at 20:14, Baloney Balderdash said:

 

And here is my counter argument:

 

I am not usually into solo bass but this is awesome

[Bluewine]

On 17/03/2024 at 12:32, binky_bass said:

Flea. Epically overrated. His performance playing the US national anthem at a Lakers game was unforgivably embarrassing. 

 

It doesn't seem like playing bass comes naturally to him. Flea always seems to be struggling when he's playing.

 

Daryl

[Skybone]

Flea

Billy Sheehan

Chris Squire

 

As has been said by quite a few people previously, they are all great bassist, Billy Sheehan comes across as a really nice bloke, but I just don't connect with their recorded output.

[Boodang]

10 minutes ago, Skybone said:

Flea

Billy Sheehan

Chris Squire

 

As has been said by quite a few people previously, they are all great bassist, Billy Sheehan comes across as a really nice bloke, but I just don't connect with their recorded output.

Well, what ever bass misdemeanors Chris Squire might have made, we can forgive all just for having created the bass lick to 'roundabout'.

[Leonard Smalls]

10 hours ago, Bluewine said:

It doesn't seem like playing bass comes naturally to him. Flea always seems to be struggling when he's playing.

Not sure I agree with this!

Having seen them on their first few gigs in the UK - the first of which was in a 200 capacity pub in Hammersmith - he was always awesome, and the backbone of the band. They wouldn't have been the Chillis without him! Not liking them is a different matter entirely., but I most certainly wouldn't call Flea's playing "struggling"!

I remember seeing them at the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden - their 2nd or 3rd UK gig and and perhaps 500 capacity - with Hillel Slovak on guitar. Hillel was in the depths of heroin addiction and he was definitely struggling for the first couple of songs. Then the struggle became too much for him and he left the stage, leaving the other three to finish the gig without him. And it was one of the most memorable gigs I've ever seen - Flea somehow managed to completely cover for him while leaping all around the stage like a dervish and doing his super-speedy slap thing at the same time. Hardly struggling!

However, the Superbowl thing was rather embarrassing and should probably be forgotten by anyone who ever saw it 😁

[wintoid]

Wooten's sound is awful, even if I respect his ability.

[Misdee]

23 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Depends on your definition.

What for one person is a bit of mild frottage is for others a full-blown bag-over-the-head-and-a-bottle-of-poppers-cuffed-to-a-radiator scenario!

What fills me with horror for any solo is where the band leave the stage, put on a bath and a baked potato leaving said muso (whether he/she/it are bass, guitar, drums, whatever) to fill the time with a cacophony of a-musical onanism. Like that Cliff bloke out of off of Metallica who seems to be so revered! It's only forgivable if it's completely amazing - frinstance I saw Sheila E do a percussion solo for about 10 minutes which had at least 2 minutes on the triangle, and it was awesome - or completely hilarious - like Nigel Tuffnell and his violin-guitar thang.

As for bass solos, I absolutely love a good funk-bass one... Like the one Big Tony does for Trouble Funk. It's there to complement the song, and it's groovy, entertaining and full of showmanship. 

 

Wow, Trouble Funk! I hadn't thought about them in years! I'm having an '80's flashback! I also remember seeing Chuck Brown And The Soul Searchers on The Tube about  that time and being really taken with the whole Go Go swing thing in general.

 

 

That PRS bass  Big Tony is playing sounds great, too. They ought to make them like that now. I remember playing a couple in shops at the time. Three pickups and a very gutsy tone. That Gary Grainger bass they make now is lovely but the overall  sound is a bit too scooped-out for my taste.

[Bluewine]

On 27/03/2024 at 04:00, Leonard Smalls said:

Not sure I agree with this!

Having seen them on their first few gigs in the UK - the first of which was in a 200 capacity pub in Hammersmith - he was always awesome, and the backbone of the band. They wouldn't have been the Chillis without him! Not liking them is a different matter entirely., but I most certainly wouldn't call Flea's playing "struggling"!

 

 

My comment was not entirely fair. I probably saw one of his weaker video clips.

 

Daryl 

[TheGreek]

Yep...Flea...there I've said it.

 

All these comparisons with MK, Geddy Lee, Les Claypool...

 

To me he sounds like a 19 year old kid with poor technique making noise in your local music shop on a Saturday afternoon. 

[Gasman]

....oh yes, and Charles Berthold!

[Carl_D]

Flea

Stu Hamm

Chris Squier

Wooten

Billy Sheehan

Les Claypool

Jaco (sorry,  but I just don't get the w**kery)

 

[Barking Spiders]

1 hour ago, Carl_D said:

Flea

Stu Hamm

Chris Squier

Wooten

Billy Sheehan

Les Claypool

Jaco (sorry,  but I just don't get the w**kery)

 

All very fine players in their way but I find it very hard to get past their music

[pst62]

Billy Sheehan. A nice enough bloke, but to me, he's just a ten a penny 80's guitarist arsing around on four strings.

[jonnybass]

The thing I dont understand on this thread is the people judging playing and players because someone's definition of bass doesn't fit with theirs.  Musicians who play music that requires or has solos (like jazz) should solo.  Musicians who play music that doesnt require or have solos dont need to solo.  One isn't more musically valid than the other.  Why pigeonhole bass as anything? 

 

Taste is a different thing, a fretless bebop solo in the middle of a country song is unlikely to get the crowd going..A heavily distorted shredding minor pentatonic bass solo will equally not go down well with an acoustic trad jazz band, or a basic root five breakdown over the chord changes in a djent song...

 

   jonny

[TimR]

1 hour ago, jonnybass said:

The thing I dont understand on this thread is the people judging playing and players because someone's definition of bass doesn't fit with theirs. 

 

That's specifically the point of the thread. 

 

Music is subjective and appeals to each of us differently. 

 

I went to see Richard Bona a few years ago with a group of bass players (in real life!).

 

They were raving about him, I hadn't even looked him up on YouTube. He didn't come on until 9:30 on a midweek gig (doors open at 7pm). Half the audience left before the second set to get their last train home. 😂

 

That kind of primadonna behaviour didn't impress me. He walked up and down the balcony for a half hour from 9pm.

 

I stayed to the end but really he didn't do anything different after the first 10 minutes. I still haven't listened to any of his recorded material.

[TimR]

1 hour ago, pst62 said:

Billy Sheehan. A nice enough bloke, but to me, he's just a ten a penny 80's guitarist arsing around on four strings.

 

In the mid 80s when he was playing with Steve Vai for Dave Lee Roth, it was ground breaking. They're still among my all time favourites. 

 

 'ten a Penny 80s guitarists' describes him quite well, but no kne was doing that on bass.

 

Now it is a bit tedious. 

[Belka]

 

Edited April 1 by Belka

[jonnybass]

Funnily enough I forget about Richard Bona, see him advertising stuff for years, seen clips on youtube heard him chatted about.  listened and have always been completely underwhelmed, doesnt seem to do or say anything that has made me think anything other than blimey thats fast.

 

Jonny