Unsung bass albums

[bassbiscuits]

11 minutes ago, Musicman666 said:

yellow brick road is superb bass playing throughout and such a great tone ...

I play in an Elton tribute band and learning that album was a nice little adventure. Brilliant stuff. 

[SteveXFR]

Grade 2 - Grade 2

The fifth album by the young punk band from the Isle Of White. Bassist Sid Ryan is clearly heavily influenced by Matt Freeman but he's adding plenty of his own style. He also sings and is pretty lively on stage which is amazing. 

 

Monster - R.E.M

Mick Mills bass lines are absolute genius. Interesting rhythms and really complimenting the guitar and vocals. Absolutely brilliant bit of 90's alt rock. What The Frequency Kenneth and Orange Crush are favourites for me

 

Edited 1 hour ago by SteveXFR

[rushbo]

Be Bop Deluxe: 'Live in the Air Age'

Charlie Tumahai did an amazing job in supporting Bill Nelson's extravagant and complex material. He's surprisingly funky, too. He also contributed some outstanding harmony vocals and had a very cool stage presence. 

 

fIREHOSE: 'Ragin' Full-On'

There's nothing like a three-piece band to get a bassist to put the effort in. Mike Watt blazes all over this album, filling up the dead air in melodic and interesting ways.

 

Max Webster: 'Live Magnetic Air'

Max Webster were more than 'that band who hung about with Rush' - they made some great albums and Dave Myles was at the heart of them. This live album really showcases his superb playing - always forceful and driving. 'Paradise Skies' is a high point, but it's all good. (An honourable mention must go to the guy he replaced after their first two albums - Mike Tilka).

 

10cc: 'Deceptive Bends'

I've picked 'Deceptive Bends' but it could have been any 10cc album, really. Graham Gouldman is criminally underrated as a bassist. His composition skill carries over beautifully into how he writes his bass lines, and they are always superbly constructed. 'The Things We Do For Love' from this record is a great example of what he does.

 

 

[rushbo]

On 07/11/2025 at 22:04, peteb said:

My go-to in these types of threads is always the Pat Travers live album 'Go for What You Know'. The bass playing of Mars Cowling is nothing short of astounding - I'm still trying to nail some of his parts 46 years later! The rest of band aren't too shabby either, elevating what otherwise might be seen as pretty standard groove based blues rock! 

Mars Cowling was so good. I saw him play with Travers on the 'Crash and Burn' tour, and he was outstanding.