Bands that made it WITHOUT bassists?

[Fassa Albrecht]

Anyone think of any major bands who made it WITHOUT bass players?


The only one I can think of is Depeche Mode (one guitar and a synthesizer)....

[Rattman]

Hmmmm... The Doors maybe? Didn't the keyboardist do all the low end stuff himself? Thats the only one I can remember of bands that made it without a bass player.

[Depth_Charge]

The White Stripes.

[soong]

could you count tenacious d?

[the_hook]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

The White Stripes.

True. Has anyone practiced to their songs with the bass? I initially thought the intro to Seven Nation Army was with a bass.

It would be interesting to hear (or see a youtube) of someone doing bass to some of the Stripes' songs.

[Depth_Charge]

Our band plays Seven Nation Army and yes I play the bassline when we cover it. I also jam a few other White Stripes songs (I love Ball and Biscuit, great cruisy line).

I may have a very rough recording of us rehearsing 7 Nation in the studio. I will have a listen to the rehearsal CD's to confirm we recorded it the night we were recording.

[GrooveWarrior]

Soulive. Neal Evans left hand is 10 times the bass player I will ever be!!

Some of Robert Walter's stuff is just him on hammond, and killing it!!!

I'm not sure what you consider "making it", but I know that whenever a CD comes out that has anything to do with either one of these guys, I run out and buy it. I'd call that making it!

[the_hook]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

Our band plays Seven Nation Army and yes I play the bassline when we cover it. I also jam a few other White Stripes songs (I love Ball and Biscuit, great cruisy line).

I may have a very rough recording of us rehearsing 7 Nation in the studio. I will have a listen to the rehearsal CD's to confirm we recorded it the night we were recording.

It would be interesting to hear how those songs sound with a bass layer. Sometimes I find their songs 'lacking' that bass sound.

I play drums and jam with a guy playing guitar/vocals. We've done a few session recordings and you can really feel the abscence of the bass layer. Once I get my bass and start learning I'd like to lay a bass track to those recordings, see how that turns out.

[WarThumb]

Metallica, during the "..and justice for all" period.

[acleex38]

The Black Keys.

[FretFree]

They Might Be Giants ("made it" without a bass player... but now have one)
Guster

[lefty007]

I think I saw this band "Keane" play without a bass player. Didn't like them much.

[Kgoodrich]

For the record, Jack White uses an octaver on all of his songs for that "bass" sound.

[dancehallclasher]

Originally Posted by Kgoodrich

For the record, Jack White uses an octaver on all of his songs for that "bass" sound.

if by "all" you mean "some" and by "octaver" you mean "Digitech Whammy" then yes...

[BillMason]

Originally Posted by Rattman

Hmmmm... The Doors maybe? Didn't the keyboardist do all the low end stuff himself? Thats the only one I can remember of bands that made it without a bass player.

The Doors actually used several session bass players on all of their albums. Ray Manzarek just did the left hand thing live.

[the_hook]

Originally Posted by Kgoodrich

For the record, Jack White uses an octaver on all of his songs for that "bass" sound.

Is that something that plays a bass tone while he's playing guitar? Or that makes a guitar have more of a bass tone?

[Depth_Charge]

It processes the note you are playing so it sounds an octave lower while retaining the note you play as well.

And I found an mp3 of us playing 7 Nation...just need to find somewhere to host it first

[ogrossman]

Emerson, Lake & Palmer did a lot of stuff without bass guitar but Greg Lake did play bass guitar on some of their songs.

[Marcury]

Not sure if they counts as "made it," but Suicide. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WqOMPakGCg

[DGbass70]

I saw a band that opened for STP a few years ago that had no bass player......
i think their name was Local H