In praise of Paul Simenon

[bassybass]

Just got the iPod shuffling through London Calling, Sandinista, and Good the Bad and The Queen too. Friggin' cool bass work----for a guy who I'm guessing wasn't a particularly fancy-pants, schooled musician, he nails every vibe with utter style and feel.

[mcm]

Paul is just really cool.
He has cool lines and killer tone.

[bassybass]

Originally Posted by mcm

Paul is just really cool.
He has cool lines and killer tone.

That's the thing--these are memorable, well-written bass lines that are hooks unto themselves, and a huge part of every track. Lotsa that prolly comes from his reggae influence--the big melodic bass riff factor. Too cool.

[bebop1]

I love playing Paul's "Police and Thieves" line with one of my bands. Sooo cool...the dancers always love the song...

[dangnewt]

You nailed it. He has great feel and tone and delivered exactly what each song needed - no more, no less.

Plus he was a great performer and talented visual artist who was responsible for The Clash's look.

I never tire of listening to any of his work.

[thecapm]

He's on my "Would Go Gay For" list.

[ducknturtle]

Saw them Live in NYC in the early eighties. Was an almost religious experience. Paul is one of my bass heroes.

[JimmyM]

He's OK.

[emblymouse]

Kicking myself for not seeing them when I had the chance. I watched a live DVD a few weeks ago and was really blown away by the whole band. Some Bond Theatre footage and other stuff. Lots of fire but very focused and well executed. No sloppy punk antics there.

[sarcastro83]

One of the reasons why I love the bass so much.

[Steve Clark]

I grew up listening to the Clash as a teen. Paul was certainly a hero of mine. Despite listening/playing mostly jazz/blues/roots these days I still love to throw in a Clash CD to relive my rebellious youth. My 14 year old son wear my Clash T shirt from the 82 Combat Rock tour on a regular basis.

[Rico_2212]

How can we have a thred about Paul and not mention "London Calling"? During my formative years it was one of the songs that definitively steered me towards bass. It still rocks!

[dangnewt]

I figure this is a good spot to mention some terrific transcriptions from our own Cowsgomoo



Clash tabs

[jojo99]

No one ever seems to spell his name right! SIMONON. (He at least deserves that.) He is one of those rock bass players who did everything right...notes, space, tone, attitude...he brought melody and style to the Clash which is exactly what they needed to stand out from the rest of the faux-punk stuff that was going on at the time that sneered at actual musicianship. I'd buy him a pint if he was nearby.

[jollygiantchris]

His playing on the good, the bad, and the queen is masterful especially his muting is really tasteful. And his tone makes me glad I have a P-bass clone.

[randyripoff]

Just discovered this thread...

When I was first learning to play, most of my experience was playing records and playing along with them, and the Clash records were great for a beginning bass player. Mostly simple bass lines, lots of genres, lots of feels and patterns, great for early education.

His work is solid and creative. Gotta love his stuff.

[thejrace]

Hes a great player. Perfect tone. Is no one going to mention that its Simonon? At least i think thats how its spelled, lol.

[Godbody]

There's a picture floating around the net (I can't find it...go figure) of Paul with his first bass. He painted all the notes at their positions on the fretboard. An interesting learning technique. Almost makes me wish I would've started out with a real beater!

[kugelspot]

He's one of the greatest punk bassists of all time, which is usually like saying one of the worlds tallest midgets, but, while his lines were pretty simple, he had some interesting melodic stuff and good hooks