I think I know what a bass sounds like, I just don't know if I can differentiate a good player from a bad player. Does a bass player have to sound like Les Claypool to be considered "good"?
I'd be interested to know what criteria people here are using to judge the quality of a bass player.
_________________ "The cat is the most ruthless, most terrifying of animals." - Spock in the "Catspaw" episode of ToS Season 2.
I judge based on how well the player fits the music of the band. A bass player doesn't have to be flashy if the music doesn't warrant it. Not every band needs a Chris Squire.
However, I'm a firm believer that the bass part should be interesting on it's own, if I removed the guitar from the mix and just heard the bass and drums would it still have impact?
I'm not crazy about bassists that just follow the guitar parts, I prefer if they are weaving their own melodic statements underneath, creating a complimentary part that gels with the rest of the band.
Listen to Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler together during the Ozzy era, that's textbook excellent bass playing in my book. Geezer always has really cool stuff going on, but it never conflicts with the arrangement, it enhances it.
You would be surprised how many people I've met that really didn't understand the role of the bass guitar.
He's the guy on stage with the thing that's shaped like a guitar but doesn't play solos. Is that right?
I think a lot of those people you refer to might be able to notice if the bass were missing, even if if they couldn't necessarily articulate what was wrong with what they were hearing.
Subject: Re: Metalhammer Names World's Greatest Bassist. Thoughts? Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:17 am
S.D. wrote:
Geezer always has really cool stuff going on, but it never conflicts with the arrangement, it enhances it.
I took notice of that when I saw Sabbath live last year. Geezer's hands never stop the entire time he's on stage. He doesn't just pluck one sting and let it ring out. BUT, he's not "flashy" like a Billy Sheehan-type player.
I was always interested in bass since I got into my very first band, Huey Lewis and the News. The bass player, Mario Cipollina looked the coolest.
I always liked Lee Rocker's big upright bass slapping in the Stray Cats too. And later when I discovered Lemmy, my love affair with the bass guitar really took hold. So much so that I bought a used one in college and tried my hand at it. I sucked.
_________________ I used to be with it, but then they changed what "it" was. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what's it seems weird and scary to me, and it'll happen to you, too.
Most "metal" bassists that I know--and there are way too many of them here in Fresno--always mention Jaco when it comes to their influences. Yet they haven't a clue of who Stanley Clarke or John Patitucci are.
I would think Phil Lynott belongs here. Definitely not Cliff. Sorry Metallica fanboys.
I haven't been that much of a Metallica fan since AJFA, but I disagree with anyone that says that Cliff wasn't a great player. Like I said before, he introduced the melody parts to Metallica's music (just listen to RtL and MoP) and he was one of the first guys that could solo on a bass like a guitar. He's definitely not overrated... he barely was around long enough to show his full potential. Personally, I don't see the big deal with Phil Lynott as a bass player. Sure he was a good stage performer and wrote some classic songs, but he was a bit ordinary in his bass playing.
When I lived in South Florida, I was siting at work with a book about rock musicians, my boss came up to me and said, "Is my brother Jaco in there?" I kind of smiled at him thinking it was a joke. We looked in the back, and yep, there was Jaco listed. At the time I was just learning bass, and he tried to get me into him. I didn't really care. Years later I started listening, and realized that he was a monster bass player. Listen to some of his fast stuff. He is hitting the notes perfectly, on a fretless bass. He was great, but like a lot of great musicians, had a rough go with drugs and bi-polar. His son is not bad either. I also used to run into his daughter a lot at parties, we are about the same age.
John Paul Jones, Randy Coven, Tal Wilkenfeld, Victor Wooten, Stanley Clarke, Larry Graham, Jack Bruce along with many of the folks already mentioned.
Very surprised to see Jaco on this list. His work was far beyond my comprehension. The crazy thing is Jaco hated hard rock, so a metal poll is perfect.
Subject: Re: Metalhammer Names World's Greatest Bassist. Thoughts? 
Fri Jan 30, 2015 9:46 pm
