If there's such a thing as Entwistle being underrated..

rob_d · #1 08-20-2010, 04:32 AM

I think You Better You Bet is one of his unheralded performances. Yeah, the album is almost universally hated among Who fans, and maybe rightfully so, but the Ox was on top form in this song as cheesy as it might have been. It wasn't his most technical line, but it just worked. Don't get me wrong, it shows chops too, but ya know..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HswgoJO5x88

tycobb73 · #2 08-20-2010, 07:48 AM

I don't like the song as a whole so to me the bassline didn't work.

Yerf Dog · #3 08-20-2010, 07:54 AM

IBTHookersandblow

Zooberwerx · #4 08-20-2010, 07:55 AM

Its a decent tune but the other cuts surpass. FWIW, listen to the keyboards on YBYB...that guy was having a good day.

Riis

Alex E · #5 08-20-2010, 08:49 AM

I know John Entwistle was a monster player, but the way he crafted his bass lines in much of The Who's catelog left me unmoved.

A drummer buddy, years ago, once commented to a group of us how he thought Keith Moon played very fast, but he felt, it was sometimes throwing extra notes in just to play extra notes. I didn't agree at the time, but now I tend to appreciate more what he was saying.

I feel that why about John. I wish I had his physical dexterity... and his musical brain to! It takes quite a lot to come up with all the notes in his phrasings. Having said that, there are many of his bass lines that I don't really like. To me, YBYB is like that. There are places, to my little brain, where he plays 5 notes, when 1 or 2 would have been better.

pbass2 · #6 08-20-2010, 09:00 AM

The Who were maybe the only huge rock band (that I can think of anyway) where quite significant overplaying by the "rhythm section"(I say that loosely in their case--they were more like the lead players) actually was an integral part of the band's sound---especially in the 70's. Townsend's guitar was large brush strokes for the most part, John and Keith supplied everything else. They pushed it so far that it steamrolled right past "overplaying" to being a signature sound. I'm a "less is more" guy too typically but in the case of The Who, well, it just wouldn't have been The Who without that element!

So Low Bass · #7 08-20-2010, 11:29 AM

The OX was a fine, fine player. One of his limitations was he couldn’t sing like Sting, Getty, or McCartney. His compositions can’t compare with theirs either. One of his crosses was dealing with a very shallow, erratic, and unpredictable drummer. Another one of his crosses was the Who’s tunes. While there are many great tunes, there are many more “B” type tunes.

Though it’s certainly subjective, I believe you can tell “how good” a band is not by their prime material, but by their ordinary stuff. For my taste-with all fringe, windmills, smashing, and exploding drums aside, the Who were ordinary with exceptions.

corinpills · #8 08-20-2010, 11:32 AM

Actually, John sang some very strong background vocals all through the 60s. All those falsetto backgrounds through "Who Sell uUt and A Quick One are John and Pete. He then smoked incessantly, drank like a fiend and did enough gak to kill a...well, a bass player, I suppose. Completely ruined his voice to the point where he could barely croak out "Boris The Spider" at the end.

hachi kid · #9 09-22-2010, 06:34 AM

for the people that said the Who was ordinary...Tommy and Quadrophenia...those were landmark albums. also, I felt I was one of the only ones that really liked You Better You Bet! this is actually one of my favorite recordings by Entwistle. that opening bass part was ridiculously creative! when I first heard it, I thought it was a synth line. kudos to John on this one. pure legend, for sure.

nysbob · #10 09-22-2010, 07:47 AM

Not one of my favorite Townshend tunes, fur sher. The little intro figure is cool, but if I had to guess where it came from I'd bet (sic) that it was originally a synth line that they replaced with a bass. At any rate, he's emulating a sequencer-type part.

One Drop · #11 09-22-2010, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yerf Dog

IBTHookersandblow

Looked at your profile- did you mean 4-5 years old?

Savage_Dreams · #12 09-23-2010, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by So Low Bass

One of his crosses was dealing with a very shallow, erratic, and unpredictable drummer.

i would think thats what helped make him a wild all over the place bass player. look at how he played with kenny jones, not very exciting bass stuff. i think moon inspired him to be more than the average bass player

One Drop · #13 09-24-2010, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Savage_Dreams

i would think thats what helped make him a wild all over the place bass player. look at how he played with kenny jones, not very exciting bass stuff. i think moon inspired him to be more than the average bass player

He also made the decision to fill up a lot of sonic space with The Who.

Like he used to say, he was a Bass Guitarist and not a Bassist. I love the guy and his playing but I would say he is quite unique in the role he played and the way he played bass, more's the better.

Moon was a great drummer, full stop. Also a unique individual with a unique style, amazing how the two developed a symbiotic if musically fraught symbiosis.

MysticMichael · #14 09-24-2010, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Savage_Dreams

i think moon inspired him to be more than the average bass player

That plus the fact that The Who was a power trio plus lead singer, with a guitarist who had his limitations as a performer - thus requiring a bassist and drummer who could really fill up some space.

MM

Rich L · #15 09-24-2010, 09:34 PM

I just don't get it....to each his own, I suppose....just listened to an isolated bass track and it was even worse than one of his solos I saw/heard.

One Drop · #16 09-25-2010, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich L

I just don't get it....to each his own, I suppose....just listened to an isolated bass track and it was even worse than one of his solos I saw/heard.

He's not a solo bassist (I get the impression he hated taking solos, and he rarely did), and what he does sure worked in the context of The Who, which is what counts, IMO. Listen to Live At Leeds or Quadrophenia and you might get a different idea of his playing than listening to a few youtube clips. But you have the right to not get it, of course!!

Savage_Dreams · #17 09-26-2010, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich L

I just don't get it....to each his own, I suppose....just listened to an isolated bass track and it was even worse than one of his solos I saw/heard.

you could listen to isolated tracks from a lot of great classic songs and get the same feeling. sometimes great parts in great songs are meaningless on their own. its how it all adds up that counts