What/Who Made Your Play Bass

[xilddx]

I used to be a guitarist, I needed to play bass to record my songs. I got a Jap Squier Jazz. I got asked to play bass in a couple of bands, one of which I'm still with. I ended up loving the bass and about two years ago my interest in guitar waned to an all time low, so I sold most of my guitars and my rig and invested in better basses. Never been happier! I still play a bit of guitar but very rarely.

Influences? I don't know really, Geddy was a big influence but Scott Thunes is my bass/musician hero. Don't want to sound like either but their approaches are very inspiring to me. I seem to remember it was dub and reggae that really made me want to play bass years ago, Vivian Weathers in particular.

[Clarky]

Peter Hook and Les Pattison (Echo & the Bunnymen)

[clauster]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='576460' date='Aug 21 2009, 10:44 AM']Great story.[/quote]
Great thread

[rasher80]

gotta be Andy Rourke for me.

I actually did a gig and he happened to be in the audience to see another band.

It was the most surreal, nervewracking experiece i've ever had on stage, and all i could think was "i bet he's thinking 'what a sh*t bassist!'"

[Linus27]

I was watching Live Aid, and U2 came on stage to play. I quite liked the music although I did not really know it but the bass player, Adam Clayton just looked so coool. He just strutted around with pixie boots, stuble, mean looking and a Fender precision. To me he just looked so coooooool and I wanted some of that. They did not look poofy like Duran Duran, Kagagoogoo, Spandau Ballet, they looked cool. So you can blame Adam Clayton.

[BigBeefChief]

[quote name='Linus27' post='576561' date='Aug 21 2009, 11:47 AM']They did not look poofy like Duran Duran, Kagagoogoo, Spandau Ballet, they looked cool.[/quote]


Racist.

[cytania]

Hi Rasher, check this out regards your sig;

[url="http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dubiousquotes/a/hunter_thompson.htm"]http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dubiousqu...er_thompson.htm[/url]

Interesting huh?

For me I wanted to play in a band but increasingly felt like my electric guitar playing was going nowhere. Electric guitar is like making shards of pretty broken glass, beautiful but not for me. Bass is more like strumming my acoustic, driving the music forward, making rhythmn.

[Rich]

A bit like the good Doc... a sunburst Fender in the hands of a big-band player back in 1970ish was the first to make me really notice the bass.
Horace Panter of The Specials and Dave Steele of The Beat made me want to play it, so I did.
And then Mark King made me want to really have fun with it.

[JPS]

My best mate had a bass that he didn't play and a guitar that he did. I picked up the bass and joined in (without having a clue what I was doing) and 25 years later I love it more than ever, although I still don't really know what I'm doing. I just loved the feel and huge sound that it made. I found myself naturally listening to the bass rather than the guitar or vocals.

Influence wise for me it was John Entwistle and John Paul Jones. Hearing tracks like My Generation, Won't Get Fooled Again and The Real Me just blew me away and made me realise that the bass could be so fluid and exciting, even in the context of good songs. JPJ's playing on Led Zepp II amazed me as well (and still does after trying to learn the Lemon Song and all it's little subtleties yesterday).

Great thread.

[yorick]

Some big feck off hells angel.. punched me in the throat and knackered my vocal chords for singing, back when i was a singer!!!

[burno70]

I was playing guitar for about 6 months and doing really well - and then Metallica released their first ever video - 'Cliff 'em All' and that was that - said guitar was sold and new bass purchased.

Cliff Burton was definately the greatest influence in me picking up a bass in the first place - but not the biggest influence on my style - if you know what I mean?

[Linus27]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='576563' date='Aug 21 2009, 11:48 AM']Racist.[/quote]

ok ok, how about this. U2 wore mens clothes which I was more attracted to doing. Where as Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Kagagoogoo looked more like my sisters who had girls hair, hairspray, skirts and makeup which did not appeal to me.

[Rich]

[quote name='Linus27' post='576607' date='Aug 21 2009, 12:31 PM']Where as Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Kagagoogoo looked more like my sisters who had girls hair, hairspray, skirts and makeup which did not appeal to me. [/quote]
True, they looked like big girls' blouses, but damn there was some fine bass going on in there! Too Shy and Rio, anybody?

[chrisba]

I used to watch a few friends in play in a local pub, and they kept encouraging me to join in, but as the only instrument I played was the flute, and I didn't even have one of those, I had to either learn guitar, bass or drums. Bass seemed like the easiest choice ( I still think that's right, at least to the standard I play ) , so I bought a Squier starter pack and taught myself to play. As well as these free-for-all pub sessions, the guys also have a more formal band, and I've been playing with them for 18 months now, after their previous bassist departed.

No inspiration, and I hadn't even heard of most of those mentioned in this thread. Funny how music sounds different now.

[rasher80]

[quote name='cytania' post='576584' date='Aug 21 2009, 12:01 PM']Hi Rasher, check this out regards your sig;

[url="http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dubiousquotes/a/hunter_thompson.htm"]http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dubiousqu...er_thompson.htm[/url]

Interesting huh?[/quote]

Hmm, indeed! i feel like a right t**t now. If i'm being honest, i lifted it off a Manc-based music site, as it's an accurate precis of what the local scene is like - so i'm going to blame them for the paraphrased quote. bar stewards!

[Veils]

I started off playing guitar - inspired to do so by Graham Coxon.

I then got asked to fill in on bass for a mates band.

Bass > Guitar.

Fin.

[skankdelvar]

1976. I bought the album 801 Live and heard Bill McCormick's intro to Tomorrow Never Knows. Cover Image + Music = Sold!

Edited August 21, 2009 by skankdelvar

[JTUK]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='576459' date='Aug 21 2009, 10:44 AM']But isn't this about what/who made you take up bass playing, not who influenced you after you'd started?

Two very different lists I suspect!

Alex[/quote]


The thread was about what/who and I made the additional point about influences....

[EntropicLqd]

I always wanted to play guitar and spent ages fooling around on my brothers semi-acoustic; but never really got on with it.

One day I was fiddling around on the guitar and a friend stuck his head round the door and said, "You are playing that guitar like a bass.". I mulled it over and bought myself a bass a couple of weeks later to try it out.

Never looked back etc etc.

Edited August 21, 2009 by EntropicLqd

[Bay Splayer]

Geezer Butler

[casapete]

MOTOWN! - My brothers Motown Chartbusters Vol.3 album (the one with the silver cover) was the main reason I became aware of the power of bass
and it's effect on the songs. This would be around 1969/70 at a rough guess. Everyone else at school was into rock/prog rock stuff which just did n't really seem to connect with me - ELP,King Crimson,Genesis etc. The bass playing/sounds didnt inspire me to play like the soul and pop music of the era did. 40 years later and I still feel the same-those early preferences stayed with me.

Prior to that of course it would be McCartney and upright sounds on early rock&roll stuff like Little Richard and Chuck Berry hits.

[alexclaber]

[quote name='JTUK' post='576666' date='Aug 21 2009, 01:58 PM']The thread was about what/who and I made the additional point about influences.... [/quote]

Yes but you never answered the original question! Who made you pick up a bass? Or was it just wanting to be in a band and play music and bass was needed? (I remember thinking that there were a lot more guitarists than bassists, so I wouldn't need to be as good to get in a band - plus the fewer strings and lack of chords made it look easier!)

One of my biggest influences nowadays is Willie Weeks, particularly what he did on Donny Hathaway - Live. I'd love to know of anyone who heard this album and noticed the bass playing before they were a bassist and thus took up the instrument. I think most of the 'unsung' heroes are revered by bassists but non-bassists don't notice they exist (which is arguably a good thing, they just enjoy the music that results).

Alex

[alexclaber]

[quote name='casapete' post='576742' date='Aug 21 2009, 02:59 PM']MOTOWN! - My brothers Motown Chartbusters Vol.3 album (the one with the silver cover) was the main reason I became aware of the power of bass and it's effect on the songs.[/quote]

A fine example of what I just mentioned re. Willie Weeks!

Alex

[KevinJazzBass]

What a great thread, it's really interesting to read about everyone's backgrounds and see how much they differ.

Unless I have missed something I am the first person to name Blink 182's Mark Hoppus as a major influence. His lines and are simple, effective and complement the bands songs and overall sound. They are also great basslines for a complete beginner to get their fingers round.

That was when I was 15 in 2001 and the reason I started to play bass was because me and my two best friends wanted to make our own pop punk band, one of my friends wanted to drum and other was already pretty good on guitar so we organised a sponsored run and raised almost £200 from friends and familiy... with which I bought myself a Westfield Precision copy in navy blue from the music center in Middlesbrough.

Since then I have been hooked and from my love of punk grew massive interest in the playing styles of Paul Simonon and Bruce Foxton and following The Clash's Reggae influence and The Jam's Soul influence I found my way to Aston 'Family Man' Barrett and James Jamerson.... That is pretty much where I am now. I also really enjoy playing Jazz, Blues and Funk.

Kev

[alexclaber]

[quote name='KevinJazzBass' post='576850' date='Aug 21 2009, 04:39 PM']...I found my way to Aston 'Family Man' Barrett[/quote]

Family Man is truly one of the greatest bass players ever. Every Wailers album is jammed full of hook heavy grooves with such a deep pulse and bounce. "I Shot The Sheriff" is a particular favourite of mine.

Alex