Your vote for the all time greatest performance on our instrument?

[yamaha]

Mine is live, and I was there. Stu Hamm doing a clinic in Montreal at Yellow bar. The place was almost empty, not much feel in the bar, but Stu was so very proffessionnal and energetic, he played like we were thousands of fans screaming.

[Eyeshot_Bassist]

Steve Harris-Phantom of the Opera

The middle part is pure bass genius, as is the rest of the song

[dchan]

I've never been more impressed by a bassist more than I was with Scot LaFaro with Bill Evans and Paul Motian at the Village Vanguard. Just stunning.....

[troyus]

Jamerson Bassline - You're My Everything (Temptations)

[afinalfantasy]

Basically any of Paul McCartney's work on the Beatles albums in my opinion, preferably the later material.

[ryco]

Stanley Clarke "Hello Jeff" off Journey To Love.

[harlon]

I would say, off the top of my head ...

The Beatles - "Rain" and "Something"

I also think the whole David Lee Roth "Eat 'Em And Smile" album - Sheehan was amazing, IMO

And, finally, I really like the work on Boston's "Don't Look Back" album. Very busy, but tasteful.

Ok - that's 3, I know. But picking one was impossible!!!!!! I'm sorry.

[capnsandwich]

Nate Watts on Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke"
Geddy Lee on Rush's "YYZ"
Chris Squire on Yes' "Siberian Khatru"

[deckard]

Manring's "Greetings, Earthlings!" on "Soliloquy".

Tied for 2nd place: Manring's "Helios" and "The Enormous Room".

JMHO

[Jim Nazium]

Jamerson on "Darling Dear" by the Jackson Five. As far as I'm concerned, it's never been done any better than that.

[JohnnyPustular]

Originally Posted by Ezbass

John Entwistle - The Real Me

Stanley Clarke - School Days

+1 (or is it +2?)

[baalroo]

It's an odd question to answer, but the first things that leap to mind for me would be:

Lemmy on "Ace of Spades"
Jaco on "Portrait of Tracy"
Claypool on "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver"

[Otso]

Ralphe Armstrong, Mahavishnu Orchestra's album Apocalypse, the playing on the last track "Hymn to Him".

[wildhorse]

Originally Posted by bassybill

Any genre you like.

Mine would still have to be Jaco on "Havona". Never fails to move me.

Ok no flaming: McCartney on Come Together
Then there's a really cool groove on his latest album but he doesn't play it.

[Stickk]

3 way tie.

Michael Manring - "The Enormous Room"
Stanley Clarke - "School Days"
Stanley Clarke - "Jerusalem"

[paul_wolfe]

3 way tie:

Jamerson: "You're My Everything" - but the version with everything stripped out but the vocals and the bass. Simply incredible.
Pino: "Shoot Down the Moon." I dislike Elton John- but I never tire of hearing this track. Pino is awesome.
Rocco: "Count On Me." The groove in the chorus is totally serious...I tried to transcribe it once and gave up an hour later, one day perhaps....

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by bassybill

Mine would still have to be Jaco on "Havona".

Originally Posted by bassybill

I'm still going to stick with Jaco though, on "Havona".

I don't really have an opinion on the original question -- it strikes me as more of a Zen koan, or a rhetorical thought experiment, than anything that really deserves an answer -- but I just have to ask (since on this topic I do have an opinion)

Why "Havona" and not one of the other equally (or, imho, more) brilliant tunes off of Heavy Weather?

Personaly I think Jaco's work on "Palladeum" kills what he did on "Havona", and "A Remark You Made" or "Teen Town" are also deservedly farther up the food chain in Bass Iconography.

Just sayin'...

[LM Bass]

Electric bass? Right now I really like Mike Pope's playing on "Cherokee". Great vocabulary and tons of great ideas on that.