Your opinion on Les Claypool

BassesOfDeath · #1 10-10-2003, 07:40 PM

Personally I think that Les IS the best and most original bassist in rock/alt music, maybe of all time. But does anyone think that he sucks/is overrated or whatever?

lamarjones · #2 10-10-2003, 08:00 PM

I have heard better and tighter, but he is a great player. And very inventive, which is a cool thing. Some of his lines are out of hand. Anybody got the main lick of tommy the cat transcribed well?

Joe Turski · #3 10-10-2003, 08:01 PM

Best?
I think he is a great bass player. I love his music. Very strange individual, cool guy to talk too. He has a different style of playing,sloppy at times, but I still love his playing!

The first time I heard Primus I hated them. They grow on you like a fungus!

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #4 10-10-2003, 08:56 PM

I enjoy his playing; he's inventive and takes a unique approach to the instrument. He's not the best at improv playing though, and he's nowhere near as great as most new bassists hold him to be. Generally they pick either Les, Flea, or Ryan Martine as their "hero," which I think may be because there just aren't many bassists in popular modern rock/metal that do more than follow the chords, so they naturally have a liking for the guys they can actually hear.

Jacob Bartfield · #5 10-10-2003, 09:03 PM

I haven't listend to that much Primus, but from what I've heard, his music and his bass playing are very unique. I don't think he's overrated so much in the bass playing community, but in the general public he definatey is. The reason for this is that with the exception of Flea, he's the only widely know bass player in the pop music world that displays a lot of obvious chops. Non-musicians will hear Flea and Les Claypool, and think they're the greatest bass players in the world. (I'm not saying that chops make someone a good player, or even that that's the reason why I think Flea and Les Claypool are good bass players, but it's just what a lot of non-musicians think).

72beetle · #6 10-10-2003, 09:25 PM

I think Claypool's very creative and has a lot of technical skill, but sometimes his ear can't tell the difference between art and noise. Given that, he's a blast to listen to and is very animated visually - which adds up to an excellent performer.

I've also heard that he smells slightly of bananas.

-72

Sonorous · #7 10-10-2003, 10:32 PM

i would just like to reciperacate all the previous posts... i think reciperacate is the word im looking for, hope i spelled it right

jenderfazz · #8 10-10-2003, 10:37 PM

I agree. Definitely very talented, very skilled, but probably a little overrated. There are better bassists out there. I love him just the same.

MyNameIsMUD · #9 10-10-2003, 10:50 PM

While he is an awsome bass player, I wouldnt consider him the best(when it comes to beats perminute/technicle mumbo jumbo).
I love his style and just all around sound. TBH, he kinda reminds me of Jimi Hendrix... but on bass. both players where had a somewhat "sloppy" style to them.
*shrugs

Inthepocket · #10 10-10-2003, 11:23 PM

Claypool certainly isnt in the same class as the Jaco's and Jeff andrews of this world ........But i reckon he deserves a hell of alot respect! Claypool almost single handedly brought bass back into the spotlight(flea aswell) of the younger generation, and i think he is the reason for THOUSANDS of people choosing bass as their instrument of choice! I know that if i hadnt heard primus back in the very early 90's i wouldnt be sitting here today! He may be slightly overated among people who dont really know about the monsters that lie within the jazz/fusion industry, but thats not his fault .....he's just doing his thing, and i lurve it

Wrong Robot · #11 10-10-2003, 11:30 PM

There is no "best".

That said, Claypool is a very unique player, that alone puts him on my A-list. he is unique AND he has some chops, AND his music is listened to by many many many fledgling bassists, so they(hopefully) will aspire to be like him, and they will try and be unique as well (in the sense that he is unique.)

that said, he does have a very sloppy style, and that is not so good for young basslings to be aspiring too.

Additionally: he has fantastic left hand slap technique.

Obsolex · #12 10-10-2003, 11:32 PM

Man, I think he is the sh*t... He is the reason for thousands of bass players/bassists now... I didn't hear them very much before I started, but he is one of the reasons I KEPT playing... I give him props for that...

Da_Niet · #13 10-11-2003, 12:01 AM

He's not exactly the cat I look up to or the bag I'm in.......but he certainly deserves the attention that he's gotten. I wonder if Frank Zappa had lived, would he have written something for Les to play.

..........food for thought, anyways.

Treena Foster · #14 10-11-2003, 01:42 AM

You gotta love his playing on the 'South Park" theme song!

Treena

Obsolex · #15 10-11-2003, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Treena Foster
You gotta love his playing on the 'South Park" theme song!

Treena

Oh hell yeah... Do you guys like that song about Beavis and Butthead, Poetry and Prose?? Download it on kazaa, awsome bassline there...

bryan bailey · #16 10-11-2003, 10:54 AM

Awesome player, awesome musician, funny guy.

Can't beat him.

Except maybe someone from the dead.

Viktor · #17 10-11-2003, 12:56 PM

He's a great player,very original.
I love his sence of humor,his style of singing(tommy the cat,the air is getin' slipery)

JMX · #18 10-11-2003, 01:01 PM

My impression is that he's (intentionally?) become more and more sloppy over the years.

Creative and courageous, but not my favorite bass sound.

Erlendur Már · #19 10-11-2003, 01:38 PM

He's one of my favourite bassists.

Obsolex · #20 10-11-2003, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Erlendur Már
He's one of my favourite bassists.

Yeah man, there is no dissin the Claypool... I'm getting the new Primus DVD/CD today too, i'll have a review up!!