Really?

[TeeAre]

Muse Voted Best Bassline By Fans, Via MusicRadar | Fender Front Row Blog

[bassclef216]

I don't know if I'd say it's the "BEST" bassline, but it IS fun to play along to. I'm just a weekend hobbyist, but it's pretty challenging to play clean, at tempo, for the full duration of the song. JM2C.

[SoVeryTired]

What would be voted best bassline by music fans is not what would be voted as best bassline by bassists. There are a mass of the population (and probably a fair number of bassists) who've never heard of Jaco, Victor or whoever else you'd like to name. (Heck, short of one unimpressed listen to Portrait of Tracy on Youtube, that pretty much describes me. I'd never heard of most of the 'best bassists ever' until I came on TB, and I've been listening to and playing music for years.)

I like the bassline to Hysteria as a challenge (given my limited skills) and even more so to listen to.

[TeeAre]

I agree it's a really solid bassline, and I'll probably learn it this weekend ( ), but there are so many groovier grooves. Where are the motown mentions?

But I guess it could have been a lot worse.

[Menno]

Yes really, and why not.

[SoVeryTired]

It has another benefit over many great basslines - it's a solo for the introduction, and then is the most complex part througout the song, which makes it stand out in the non-bassist's mind. Many won't notice what a bass is doing when the guitar and vocals are in, but Hysteria keeps the bassline prominent throughout (see also 'Newborn' when the bass kicks in).

[Jinro]

You have to remember that the world isn't full of stuck-up music snobs who sneer at anything that's not Jaco or Vic

[TeeAre]

I don't know if that's a passive-aggressive way of telling me I'm a stuck-up snob, but regardless I wouldn't have Vic, Marcus, or any of those guys on my top ten list. Maybe Jaco, but definitely not him solo, but in a jazz band setting.

It's a good bassline, and belongs among the top, but just doesn't have the right ... I don't know.

Then again, I don't know why I feel a little disappointed, considering this list: The 25 greatest bassists of all time | John Myung | MusicRadar.com

Lesson learned: don't read Music Radar.

[Jinro]

Not telling you you're a stuck-up snob, just pointing out that the masses are ignorant, and what the masses want, we get.

[senp5f]

I think it's more reflective of the readership of music radar than anything else. It's read by kids who mostly listen to rock and not a lot else. Two thoughts:

1. Hey, that Muse bassline is pretty cool. I knew they were good musicians, but it's nice to see a song that really showcases the bass. Doesn't happen often these days.
2. I was impressed by the reader's other picks. Jamerson made the list (What's Goin On) and Jaco made this list, and there was the Lemon Song by Zepplin and Money by Pink Floyd. Given how young the audience is and how narrowly they tend to listen, they actually voted in a lot of good stuff.

[Jinro]

I think it's more reflective of the readership of music radar than anything else. It's read by kids who mostly listen to rock and not a lot else. Two thoughts:

That can be broken down further depending on where you live. I have to live with two pop stations, one "classic rock" station, and 100 rap/hip-hop stations. We had one decent alternative rock station that got pulled because the kids running it were too stupid with their money and caused the station to go kaput. Here's the kicker: it got replaced by ESPN "sports news" which already has a channel on AM here! So anyone living in this area probably doesn't even read Music Radar.

[fhm555]

Originally Posted by TeeAre

Muse Voted Best Bassline By Fans, Via MusicRadar | Fender Front Row Blog

Proof that the vast majority of those we play for have a totally different idea than we do of what bass SHOULD sound like.

Which begs the question...

Do we play what those listening think sounds best or do we play what we think sounds best?