Is there a most hated, yet famous bassist?

[CamiloDíaz]

I don't particularly like the guy from U2

and the guy in Linking Park

too easy a job...

but Hate?
and make it all about fieldy? naaah, too much...

[maxgrant]

Originally Posted by Zoidberg523

Lol, Manzerak wasn't exactly genius on that old jazzmaster, but then again, one hand playing the bass, and the other playing the melody of the piano(which sounded beautiful at times). He ought to be applauded. Let alone; has anyone seen the vid from when Morrison was too jacked up to some on, so Ray did keyboard bass, piano AND vocals.... Amazing!

Well, except I think for their first album, the Doors used a session bass player for real on almost all of their songs, and whoever it was they were using was very good. I found myself very into their music circa 1992 or so, around the time that movie with Val Kilmer came out. Then I had a student who was in a Doors cover band who used me to sub for him once on 6 hours' notice, and all of that doinking around with the Band with No Bass Player's bass lines came in very handy because I knew half their material right off.

And Ray's keyboard bass was not what I would call tight. He frequently let the groove slide in order to concentrate on his right hand technique, and you could tell. I don't know what their obsession with not having a real bass player was, but it was clearly obvious that it didn't hold up for very long in the studio. They may have gotten away with it in concert because live sound evidently sucked ass in the 1960's, but on record they clearly preferred a real bassist to hold down the groove.

Oh, and as regards bassplayer hate -- I don't particularly hate any one bass player, but the one I respect the least is Billy Sheehan. All wank, no groove. I saw him open for Rush with Mr. Big, and I have to say, a bigger bunch of painted poseurs I have never seen on stage.

[Funk 'N' Stein]

Originally Posted by maxgrant

Well, except I think for their first album, the Doors used a session bass player for real on almost all of their songs, and whoever it was they were using was very good. I found myself very into their music circa 1992 or so, around the time that movie with Val Kilmer came out. Then I had a student who was in a Doors cover band who used me to sub for him once on 6 hours' notice, and all of that doinking around with the Band with No Bass Player's bass lines came in very handy because I knew half their material right off.

And Ray's keyboard bass was not what I would call tight. He frequently let the groove slide in order to concentrate on his right hand technique, and you could tell. I don't know what their obsession with not having a real bass player was, but it was clearly obvious that it didn't hold up for very long in the studio. They may have gotten away with it in concert because live sound evidently sucked ass in the 1960's, but on record they clearly preferred a real bassist to hold down the groove.

Oh, and as regards bassplayer hate -- I don't particularly hate any one bass player, but the one I respect the least is Billy Sheehan. All wank, no groove. I saw him open for Rush with Mr. Big, and I have to say, a bigger bunch of painted poseurs I have never seen on stage.

Well what did you expect..."Giant steps" ??? they're a hair rock band for cryin out loud!!.

BTW on Billy sheehan...His style of playing is not my cup of tea, even though he's very good at what he does. The clincher for me though, is that he's a HECK of a nice guy. Billy went out of his way to e mail my son and give him encouragement when he (my son) was just starting out on bass. For me that FAR outweighs any subjective assessment of his (Billy's) playing. I'm not a fan of Billy's chosen genre, but his stature as a musician in encouraging my son, is beyond reproach. I have nothing BUT respect for him for what he did.

PS...the Doors sometimes used Jerry Scheff on bass. Jerry was Elvis's bass player. Enough said. (they used Carol Kaye too I'm lead to believe)

[69nites]

Originally Posted by heath_r_91

If you are saying fieldy has respect and whoever you were replying to doesn't, then how do you know that?

I mean honestly, have you ever met fieldy or spent more than a few minutes with him?

If you have then I feel you are able to talk like that, however, if you have only read interviews and such with him, I really don't think you can judge a person by that.

This thread is getting pretty hot about fieldy. eek.

it would be kind of funny if hitler was really a guitard.

what does a person's life outside of music have to do with their effect on music?

as that's all I've referred to is his effect on the music industry I don't see how I would have to know him or really anything about him personally to know...

I'm going to have to assume your reading skills are pretty bad here because "my respect" doesn't equate to "respect" in general.

isn't reading comprehension fun?

[mike.b]

got 2 i equally hate.les turdpole and cliff(lead guitar bassist)burton.

[jaywa]

Cliff Burton hated? Not anywhere I've ever seen.

Gene Simmons, definitely. But hey the guy took marginal ability and parlayed it into celebrity that has brought him literally everything this world can offer. As a bassist and songwriter he is very average, as a singer he's just plain bad. But as a marketer and businessman, he's a genius. Same deal for Nikki Sixx.

I would also say Adam Clayton is a hated but famous bassist but I personally give him a lot more credit than Gene Simmons. I actually kind of like Clayton's stuff and on every U2 concert I've ever seen he is just booming in the mix. The difference between the two as I see it is that Simmons used music to get to stardom whereas Clayton plays more just for the love of playing.

[Sneckumhaw]

Originally Posted by Thames153

how about cliff burton though

Who hates Cliff Burton?

[machine gewehr]

Aha monthly Fieldy bash thread!

[6stringninja]

The bass player to Nirvana pissed me off honestly. I love nirvana but I hated the way the dude would play with his pick. The way he played just pissed me off so some reason.

[GregC]

I agree, it's a waste of time to hate. That said, I had to comment on a couple of things.

Originally Posted by BassmanAd

No mention of Mark Hoppus yet?

It's funny how all the players people love to hate are the ones that have sold millions and millions of records. I wonder if Korn, KISS and Blink 182 were underground bands nobody had heard of would people have different opinions?

I'm not a fan of any of the above (OK maybe I have a weak spot for KISS) but I think they should only be applauded for not letting a lack of technical talent stand in the way. All just my humble opinion of course...

Well, if nobody had heard of them, I daresay people wouldn't have opinions about them.

Originally Posted by 69nites

you mean how he has a non-traditional sound that defined the sound of a band that is absolutely huge and has passed the test of time?

I seriously disagree with this.

[Pete C]

whats wrong with breaking the mold a little?

Les Claypool didn't break the mold, he vaporized it. That said, I love his playing.

got 2 i equally hate.les turdpole and cliff(lead guitar bassist)burton.

Why?

[69nites]

Originally Posted by GregC

I agree, it's a waste of time to hate. That said, I had to comment on a couple of things.

Well, if nobody had heard of them, I daresay people wouldn't have opinions about them.

I seriously disagree with this.

seriously disagree with what?

how many bands are still selling records after 20 years?

hell how many are headlining tours after 20 years?

if that's not passing the test of time I don't know what is....

[zenlowend]

I just love how many people bash players for nothing more than "making it". The blatantly obvious bond between these players, with the exception of Fieldly, is they are rhythm players and let me remind you that the bass IS part of the rhythm section. So they are hated players because they don't play like Jaco? Clayton, Simmons, McKagin, Anthony, are all phenomenal players who all realized one fact about bass playing that still escapes alot of you elitist types... it's not about how many notes you can play in a given measure...thats not talent. That is practice and diligence. It's about playing what is most needed to move the song...that is the job of the bass...and it's also where you find the "pocket". And let me just remind you of a few other players that subscribe to this exact approach of bass playing and lets see how hated they are for their palying, or according to many of you, their lack of... Paul McCartney, Stu Cook, Sting, Roger Watters, Tom Hamilton, Tim Commerford, John Paul Jones, Jack Bruce, Donnald Dunn, Tommy Shannon, Brian Wilson, Noel Redding and the undeniable James Jamerson. All rhythm players who were/are anything but flashy. Their bass lines are easier to play than the "hated" players you mentioned, why then are they not hated as well? Same criteria...same playing style. If you don't like them or their playing thats cool and totally your opinion and I can respect that. But to say these players are hacks or they can barely play is just not true and frankly benieth most of you. Please don't forget that alot of people hate Jaco and see his playing as nothing more than "bass masturbation"(to quote a fellow TB'er). Sorry for the rant.

[D.Don]

Originally Posted by Andy419

Duff actually had some really cool bass lines to songs on Appetite IMO. Sure he may not be able to solo, but that doesn't make him bad.

Oh, THAT was what those "lines" where called.. Miracle that he actually is alive today...



D.Don

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by MetroBass

This definitely ranks up there with:

Stupidest Post of the Year!

It's currently in the lead.

Originally Posted by zenlowend

I just love how many people bash players for nothing more than "making it". The blatantly obvious bond between these players, with the exception of Fieldly, is they are rhythm players and let me remind you that the bass IS part of the rhythm section. So they are hated players because they don't play like Jaco? Clayton, Simmons, McKagin, Anthony, are all phenomenal players who all realized one fact about bass playing that still escapes alot of you elitist types... it's not about how many notes you can play in a given measure...thats not talent. That is practice and diligence. It's about playing what is most needed to move the song...that is the job of the bass...and it's also where you find the "pocket". And let me just remind you of a few other players that subscribe to this exact approach of bass playing and lets see how hated they are for their palying, or according to many of you, their lack of... Paul McCartney, Stu Cook, Sting, Roger Watters, Tom Hamilton, Tim Commerford, John Paul Jones, Jack Bruce, Donnald Dunn, Tommy Shannon, Brian Wilson, Noel Redding and the undeniable James Jamerson. All rhythm players who were/are anything but flashy. Their bass lines are easier to play than the "hated" players you mentioned, why then are they not hated as well? Same criteria...same playing style. If you don't like them or their playing thats cool and totally your opinion and I can respect that. But to say these players are hacks or they can barely play is just not true and frankly benieth most of you. Please don't forget that alot of people hate Jaco and see his playing as nothing more than "bass masturbation"(to quote a fellow TB'er). Sorry for the rant.

Great post, but you're wasting your time dude. The children here have selective hearing (and reading, obviously).

[GregC]

Originally Posted by 69nites

seriously disagree with what?

how many bands are still selling records after 20 years?

hell how many are headlining tours after 20 years?

if that's not passing the test of time I don't know what is....

20 years? Their first record came out in '94; they didn't hit it big until '97-'98. Album sales have been up and down the past five years or so, and frankly, I hadn't heard a thing about their past couple records until I looked them up. They're associated with a genre (nu metal) that has become a punch line as much as anything. Maybe they're still headlining, but how big are these shows? I could be wrong on this last one, maybe they're filling arenas.

[fourstringdrums]

Jeff Berlin.

As for Gene Simmons, I don't care for him as a bassist, but the man IS an entertainer. Also I was listening to on Loveline the other night and I really do like some of his views on things. He's definitely a well read, educated guy.

[rarisgod]

Originally Posted by Andy419

I like Les and he amazes me, but I think alot of educated bassists don't like him because he never took lessons and didn't follow the standard rules of writing music. But hey being different is never a bad thing.

Oh no, it doesn't have anything to do with his lack of musical teaching, I just don't see what's so amazing about him. It's not because he's different, because where would this world be (especially in terms of bass playing) if it weren't for people experimenting beyond their limits? It has nothing to do with that, I just don't see what's so good about the music, to me it just sounds...I don't know a word for what I'm trying to describe that won't get me shot down by many people.

And another thing I've noticed, every time I say something SOMEWHAT negative about Les Claypool (not on this forum, mind you, your comment was much more mature than some I've received on YouTube), 20 people start flaming my comment, swearing left and right about how AMAZING Les Claypool is and how I couldn't play even close to as good as he could. It makes me laugh because I never even said I could play as good as Les Claypool, and I probably won't ever say that. They got all offended, as if I've insulted their mother. It's a little strange if you ask me.

[Rattman]

Originally Posted by jollygiantchris

Its obviously Gene Simmons theres no contest have you ever seen his show

He he he!! It's that "show" thats the actual 'waste of bandwidth'.. I forced myself to watch one complete episode .. It was the one where Gene and his daughter tried to endure an entire day with the U.S. Marines doing physical challenges.. I knew right then that Gene Simmons was a complete and utter facade..

[low-endz]

Originally Posted by rarisgod

Oh no, it doesn't have anything to do with his lack of musical teaching, I just don't see what's so amazing about him. It's not because he's different, because where would this world be (especially in terms of bass playing) if it weren't for people experimenting beyond their limits? It has nothing to do with that, I just don't see what's so good about the music, to me it just sounds...I don't know a word for what I'm trying to describe that won't get me shot down by many people.

I know what ja mean, sometimes @ a music store I find myself wanting to scream LESS Claypool & MORE Jamerson!

Of course one of the bands I additioned for asked if I can play Jerry was A race car driver & My reply was why do you want to sound like primus, does your rythum guitarist want to play bass behind me? Less claypool sounds like he does and thank GOD it did not spark the same movement that larry Graham did ( which I am one of the many fans of the style LG popularized). YEP LESS is original and I realy hope it stayes that way even long after he retires.