Who is a truly awful bassist?

[risingson]

I don't think I've ever heard a really awful bass player who hasn't been right in a band situation. Sting springs to mind. Hugh Padgham who engineered a few of the Police's albums said that Sting was a really sloppy player (there was even a stage where he was recorded playing bass whilst jumping on a trampoline, much to the engineer's frustration). But still his bass lines were right for the stuff he played. Sloppy, yes. Awful? No way.

And I know it's an age old argument, but I'd sooner listen to Sting playing whilst jumping up and down on a trampoline than listen to more than 10 seconds of Michael Manring and an E-Bow. Technical proficiency isn't synonymous with musicianship, so it's too hard for me to say if someone was truly awful or not.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='924095' date='Aug 13 2010, 04:24 PM']My all time most awful bassist ever though is John Myung! How is it possible that someone so completely unoriginal and lacking in technique gets so much devotion and attention as being a 'special bassist!' Saw him live with Dream Theatre, and that has to be the worst gig I have ever seen - period. Talk about a band comprised of egos instead of musicians! sh*t![/quote]
Speaking as an unrepentant, dyed-in-the-wool prog rocker, I agree with you 100%. Dream Theater are a horrendous celebration of seemingly endless simultaneous instrumental masturbation, topped off with caricature 80s cheese-rock histrionic squealing. Never before in the course of musical history has any band quite so roundly failed to get the point of the "music" they endeavour to create. Unrelentingly wretched.

I'm sure they're all lovely people, though.

Jon.

[skej21]

[quote name='risingson' post='924143' date='Aug 13 2010, 05:03 PM']I don't think I've ever heard a really awful bass player who hasn't been right in a band situation. Sting springs to mind. Hugh Padgham who engineered a few of the Police's albums said that Sting was a really sloppy player (there was even a stage where he was recorded playing bass whilst jumping on a trampoline, much to the engineer's frustration). But still his bass lines were right for the stuff he played. Sloppy, yes. Awful? No way.

And I know it's an age old argument, but I'd sooner listen to Sting playing whilst jumping up and down on a trampoline than listen to more than 10 seconds of Michael Manring and an E-Bow. Technical proficiency isn't synonymous with musicianship, so it's too hard for me to say if someone was truly awful or not.[/quote]

+1

This is also true of Punk bassists. They (Punk acts) were employed and grouped together to enhance the D.I.Y, anyone-can-have-a-go mentality of Punk. This was a perfect way to rebel against the clean, technical, solo-orientated Rock that had come before Punk. Therefore, what some people may call "awful" playing (such as Sid Vicious' bass playing) is actually perfect in a certain context and can enhance the musicianship/quality of music within a specific genre. I would also prefer to listen to Sex Pistols or Buzzcocks or ANYTHING rather than listening to more than 10 seconds of Michael Manring and an E-Bow!

Edited August 13, 2010 by skej21

[JamieBenzies]

[quote name='Machines' post='924112' date='Aug 13 2010, 04:39 PM']*looks for ban button* .[/quote]
Hey, you are root admin! Make one! Quickly!

I still have great respect for the man, whilst he is not a unique solo voice or the like, the stuff he pulls off whilst remaining in the role of the bass player is just breath taking. He has more stamina then I have ever seen, very few Dream Theater songs are doable by your usual rocker and John keeps it up for hours, and NEVER falters.

I don't mind what you think really, but when I was younger he was a huge inspiration and with Patitucci he showed me the way to the 6 string. So hats off to Myung for me .

[thebeat]

[quote name='Rayman' post='923783' date='Aug 13 2010, 01:04 PM']Sid was so awful that Steve re-recorded all the crap Sid had put down. Sid was just a poster boy, planted by Malcolm McLaren to make them look the part.[/quote]

For proof of how bad Sid was, listen to Live At Winterland for the first few tracks, i'm sure that i read that the plug was pulled after the first few tracks and a roady then took over.

[JamieBenzies]

[quote name='bassbloke' post='924083' date='Aug 13 2010, 04:10 PM']Thank you for curing my writer's block.[/quote]

You should read about and listen to the Starwars Christmas album on there too then. Maybe then you'll write an instant classic... or some other oxymoron.

[risingson]

[quote name='skej21' post='924151' date='Aug 13 2010, 05:10 PM']+1

This is also true of Punk bassists. They (Punk acts) were employed and grouped together to enhance the D.I.Y, anyone-can-have-a-go mentality of Punk. This was a perfect way to rebel against the clean, technical, solo-orientated Rock that had come before Punk. Therefore, what some people may call "awful" playing (such as Sid Vicious' bass playing) is actually perfect in a certain context and can enhance the musicianship/quality of music within a specific genre. I would also prefer to listen to Sex Pistols or Buzzcocks or ANYTHING rather than listening to more than 10 seconds of Michael Manring and an E-Bow![/quote]

Precisely. I also appreciate that Michael Manring and an E-Bow might float some people's boat, just not mine. I vaguely remember Cliff Richard getting interviewed a while ago talking about how the Beatles sounded sloppy on record. As far as I'm concerned, that's what makes music timeless. Perfection is uninteresting to listen to, but it's the smallest of idiosyncrasies that make music brilliant. Lennon couldn't play piano that well, Keith Moon might not have been the greatest drummer, and Bowie DEFINITELY cannot play a saxophone to save his life, but that is what is brilliant about their music!

[skej21]

[quote name='risingson' post='924166' date='Aug 13 2010, 05:24 PM']Precisely. I also appreciate that Michael Manring and an E-Bow might float some people's boat, just not mine. I vaguely remember Cliff Richard getting interviewed a while ago talking about how the Beatles sounded sloppy on record. As far as I'm concerned, that's what makes music timeless. Perfection is uninteresting to listen to, but it's the smallest of idiosyncrasies that make music brilliant. Lennon couldn't play piano that well, Keith Moon might not have been the greatest drummer, and Bowie DEFINITELY cannot play a saxophone to save his life, but that is what is brilliant about their music![/quote]

It's the ying and yang of music. Without loose styles like Punk, slick styles like Hip Hop would not seem as opposing. Without bad bassists, the virtuosic players would just be average. It's the balance and range of styles that come as a result of varying standards of musicianship that makes the music industry such fun to be a part of!

[Machines]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='924148' date='Aug 13 2010, 05:08 PM']Speaking as an unrepentant, dyed-in-the-wool prog rocker, I agree with you 100%. Dream Theater are a horrendous celebration of seemingly endless simultaneous instrumental masturbation, topped off with caricature 80s cheese-rock histrionic squealing. Never before in the course of musical history has any band quite so roundly failed to get the point of the "music" they endeavour to create. Unrelentingly wretched.[/quote]
Argh, blasphemy ! It took me a lot of listening to 'get' Dream Theater, and I mean all of their albums about 3-4 times each. Their music is very contextual and mostly has to be listened to as an album rather than a collection of singles. This is definitely the case for Scenes From a Memory and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. John Myung is amazingly talented but alas does exhibit the personality of a cadaver, his playing is generally supportive rather than extravagant. p.s. I don't usually bite but this one struck a nerve . I'm sure dood will support me on this !

[leonshelley01]

Wolfgang Van Halen for stealing Michael Anthony's gig!

Or Nikki Sixx...

Edited August 13, 2010 by leonshelley01

[yanto]

There are some shockers out there but ones that spring to mind are the bloke out of the Stranglers,him from Rush and the bass "player" from Lead Zeppalin-all crap

[MB1]

[quote name='yanto' post='924194' date='Aug 13 2010, 05:50 PM']There are some shockers out there but ones that spring to mind are the bloke out of the Stranglers,him from Rush and the bass "player" from Lead Zeppalin-all crap[/quote]

MB1.

....Cuts to tumbleweed rolling down a dusty street

[risingson]

[quote name='yanto' post='924194' date='Aug 13 2010, 05:50 PM']There are some shockers out there but ones that spring to mind are the bloke out of the Stranglers,him from Rush and the bass "player" from Lead Zeppalin-all crap[/quote]

Eek. John Jacques-Burnell, Geddy Lee and John Paul Jones all panned in one sentence. Each to their own of course, but you couldn't have picked three more revered and highly emulated bassists if you'd even tried

[fingerz]

Don't judge

[Delberthot]

Wasn't Alec John Such from Bon Jovi in a similar position to Sid Vicious whereby they only wheeled him out to gigs out of his nut due to legal reasons as they couldn't give him the spanish archer? Wasn't it was Hugh MacDonald that played on the albums but they couldn't release that info until they got something sorted out with AJS?

Christ I've not even had a drink yet and I'm writing nonsensicle sentences.

Ah, well, it is my birthday

[leonshelley01]

[quote name='Delberthot' post='924219' date='Aug 13 2010, 06:13 PM']Ah, well, it is my birthday[/quote]

Happy Birthday!

[RhysP]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='924148' date='Aug 13 2010, 05:08 PM']Speaking as an unrepentant, dyed-in-the-wool prog rocker, I agree with you 100%. Dream Theater are a horrendous celebration of seemingly endless simultaneous instrumental masturbation, topped off with caricature 80s cheese-rock histrionic squealing. Never before in the course of musical history has any band quite so roundly failed to get the point of the "music" they endeavour to create. Unrelentingly wretched.[/quote]

I'm so glad somebody else thinks this. I absolutely f***ing DETEST Dream Theatre but because I listen to a lot of prog stuff people automatically think I'll like them.
You're totally correct - they completely fail to get the point. That's yank musicians for you - all f***ing technique & bluster with absolutely NONE of the qualities that I love about prog.

[derrenleepoole]

[quote name='Doddy' post='924131' date='Aug 13 2010, 04:53 PM']All I'll say about Steve Bailey,is that you don't get to tour and record with artists as diverse as Dizzy Gillespie and Jethro Tull if you are all flash and pyrotechnics. He's another player that had become know for the 'Bass Extremes' thing,but had paid his dues for years prior to it.[/quote]

Actually, that's a well made point. If you didn't know any better, you wouldn't realise that beyond the boring stuff he does now, there's a completely competent and capable player. I'll be honest and admit that I haven't heard the stuff will Gillespie, so I'll certainly go check it out. But Bailey is perhaps a good example of one of those musicians who doesn't know when to stop, especially in a solo context Don't get me wrong, I've seen some of his stuff and it's brilliant, but that only accounts for about 1% of it, the rest just seems to be technique over substance to me, and it just doesn't do anything for me.

[slacker42uk]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='923922' date='Aug 13 2010, 02:30 PM']Another vote for Tal Wilkenfield. Not the most dire of the lot (perhaps), but so ridiculously overrated you'd think the greats like Jaco, Wooten, Hamm [i]et al[/i] had never been around! I contend that if she was a bloke, she'd have been written off as a lacklustre wannabe! Nothing personal against her, she's just uninspired and uninspiring![/quote]
Errr... she is actually a very tallented bassist, who would probably give most bassist on this forum a run for their money. Jeff Beck also thinks she is brilliant too...

[yanto]

[quote name='risingson' post='924215' date='Aug 13 2010, 06:08 PM']Eek. John Jacques-Burnell, Geddy Lee and John Paul Jones all panned in one sentence. Each to their own of course, but you couldn't have picked three more revered and highly emulated bassists if you'd even tried[/quote]

No one's biting tonight-some of my faves

[derrenleepoole]

[quote name='slacker42uk' post='924241' date='Aug 13 2010, 06:47 PM']Errr... she is actually a very tallented bassist, who would probably give most bassist on this forum a run for their money. Jeff Beck also thinks she is brilliant too...[/quote]

I agree, i'm not sure where this anti Tal vibe is coming from. The stuff with Jeff is ace

[derrenleepoole]

[quote name='RhysP' post='924229' date='Aug 13 2010, 06:28 PM']I'm so glad somebody else thinks this. I absolutely f***ing DETEST Dream Theatre but because I listen to a lot of prog stuff people automatically think I'll like them.
You're totally correct - they completely fail to get the point. That's yank musicians for you - all f***ing technique & bluster with absolutely NONE of the qualities that I love about prog.[/quote]

We should start an anti DT club

[gjones]

[quote name='witterth' post='923799' date='Aug 13 2010, 01:12 PM']This could get interesting this,


Oh go on then, I'll chuck one that'll get hair and teeth flying,

Adam Clayton
(there, I've said it )

ok ok, not totally awful but a bit lucky inne?[/quote]

+1

The basslines he plays are p*sh and he can't even play them in time.

Of course I may just be jealous

[nash]

I'm going to say flea. But only in the last 10 years.

Not sure if he has been mentioned yet (on phone so haven't read full thread).

[budget bassist]

I'm going to be REALLY original and say, me. (however, i'm not well known)

Edited August 13, 2010 by budget bassist