Adam Clayton

Dee Dubya · #1 11-08-2006, 09:52 PM

Now, I know this man is no Claypool, but I wanna know your oppinions. What do you think of him? His tone? Style?

Depth_Charge · #2 11-08-2006, 10:26 PM

He plays for U2. Those guys are huge around the globe! I've also heard he has the noteriety of having set off a seismometer and registered on the Richter Scale during a concert in Italy...those 2 facts alone are impressive enough for me

To answer your question, I've always found his playing to be tasteful and helps set the mood for some great music by that band. Even though it seems simplistic to play I find there's a lot of feel in his basslines I often just can't emulate...

I completely love his work on Sunday ****** Sunday as well.

Cheers,

FaithNoMan · #3 11-08-2006, 10:42 PM

He does his job, and plays with feel..

I think some people would prefer a bass virtuoso to take his place, but I think U2 wouldn't be the same band if he wasn't around.

I love players like Chris Squire and Les Claypool, but I also like the things that Adam Clayton does, and apparently, so do many people who listen to their music, and not the bassline only, like most of us in the tiny world of TalkBass do..

Listen to any of his older works, or even the newer ones...Adam Clayton is....

..tasteful

btw..doing a search will yield many results - Adam Clayton is a HOT bass topic

MammaryVest · #4 11-08-2006, 10:55 PM

Sometimes the way he interacts harmonicly with the Edge is amazing. But other times, the entire song is just his basspart, and the Edge is basically just creating ambiant noise. Those are two things that I think make him a great player.

Sneckumhaw · #5 11-09-2006, 12:04 AM

I honestly hate Adam Clayton, and I dig Mike Anthony, Dusty Hill and Cliff Williams. In their cases, they sound cool and have fat tones. They play their simple lines with conviction. Maybe Adam does too, I don't know, but he sounds bored to me most of the time. It probably doesn't help that I hate U2, but I don't own any albums by ZZ Top or Van Halen and love the bass players.

bassicinstinct · #6 11-09-2006, 02:04 AM

Luckiest man of the planet.

remo · #7 11-09-2006, 02:13 AM

he is an integral part of the U2 sound.. while his lines may on the surface appear simple and boring, much though has been put into them and how they work holistically with the song. Yes, he is minimal, but thats a big part of the U2 sound.

Another thing that should be noted is U2 are huge because they write music for people, NOT musicians... and people understand his basslines so he gets a big tick in my book! and he has a fat tone and plays a p-bass (most of the time)..

check out early u2 albums like October and Boy for some more interesting Adam basslines.. nice raw punchy tone on those albums as well..

The bass is such a HUGE part of many of U2's hit's... New Years Day, With Or Without You, Where The Streets Have No Name.. I can go on..

in short.. he's no Marcus Miller but without him U2 would not be U2!!

Jazz Ad · #8 11-09-2006, 02:28 AM

Yep.
People who bring him down and don't understand his major role in the sound and ambience of the band need to open their ears.
I wish I was as expressive and tasteful as he is.

vindy500 · #9 11-09-2006, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remo

and he has a fat tone and plays a p-bass (most of the time)..

i saw a recent concert and he seemed to pull out a differnt colour of jazz bass for each song.. no p's..

remo · #10 11-09-2006, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vindy500

i saw a recent concert and he seemed to pull out a differnt colour of jazz bass for each song.. no p's..

true on recent tours... but the bulk of his recorded work is definitely a P!

vindy500 · #11 11-09-2006, 03:05 AM

ok then, i just know that other that concer t was on tv we sold alot of J's

Splanky · #12 11-09-2006, 03:06 AM

Check out the U2 "Go home" Live at Slane castle DVD.

Adam i nothing but huge. Unbelevible tone, spot on all the time. You can just lay back and enjoy the ride

"Bullet the blue sky" Amazing P-bass tone.
"New years day" and "Out of control" Grinding J-bass

And as said before. He has the best job in the business. And you can see it in his face. He knows it

SirCanealot · #13 11-09-2006, 06:00 AM

The best thing about Adam Clayton is he's THE COOLEST MAN ON THE PLANET. Seriously, in some of the DVDs I've seen, this guy has dressed like a complete hippy and he looks like the man, no matter WHAT HE'S WEARING.

But, yeah, I love Adam... He seems to spend as much time on his sound and phrasing as some people spend in putting more notes into their bassline. Best tone ever, probably. His basslines on stuff like New Year's day are pure sex, especially when it comes to the pure tone... *drools*

Eric Grossman · #14 11-09-2006, 07:33 AM

I can't add anything new. Great bass player.

clayton · #15 11-09-2006, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remo

true on recent tours... but the bulk of his recorded work is definitely a P!

Actually the bulk of his recordings were done with a white Gibson Les Paul Studio bass, even their latest album.

As for his playing I must admit I am a giant fan of his and U2's music. His lines are always tasteful and his tone is always spot-on. If you wanna hear some great bass lines by Clayton, check out POP. IMO that's their best work, just check out stuff like Mofo, Please and If you Wear that Velvet Dress. Thier latest album has some great stuff too, such as A Man and A Woman.

It's a shame I've never been able to see them live in a concert....

Headroom · #16 11-09-2006, 09:58 AM

Lillywhite and the band captured a great vibe on that first album...

twodinners · #17 11-09-2006, 10:37 AM

Great lifetime career gig, nicely done... and didn't he once get that Naomi Campbell back to his place? Lucky?

Jumbotron · #18 11-09-2006, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirCanealot

The best thing about Adam Clayton is he's THE COOLEST MAN ON THE PLANET. Seriously, in some of the DVDs I've seen, this guy has dressed like a complete hippy and he looks like the man, no matter WHAT HE'S WEARING.

My sarcasm detector is malfunctioning, so I don't know what to make of this.

Nonetheless, I think Adam Clayton isn't a great player, but he fits really well for that band, and that's what it's all about. Compare: Bill Dickens playing with U2. Not so good, eh?

Mojo-Man · #19 11-09-2006, 12:08 PM

Solid player, plays the song,
One cool dude too.

Good bassplayer, great band.

Sneckumhaw · #20 11-09-2006, 12:30 PM

So many people talking about him with all the terms I usually use to describe my favourite bass players. Maybe I'll have to give him another shot, but then I'd have to be able to stomach Bono's voice for more than 10 seconds.