How do you feel about....

Emmaporkchop · #1 07-10-2009, 09:34 AM

How do you feel about bands without bass players like The White Stripes, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's and to a lesser extent the Doors (bass on recordings)? I'm personally a big White Stripes and YYY's fan, I've always hated the Doors. I think the bands have a unique sound without it, wouldn't really help to suddenly add someone.

jojobean39 · #2 07-10-2009, 09:48 AM

I think the bands sound weaker without it. I think Seven Nation Army would sound much better with some bottom to it. I think that solo section is awful live where it is just the guitarist play slide solo with the drummer trying to fill in. Just my opinion though.

Pilgrim · #3 07-10-2009, 09:49 AM

I'm indifferent to the White Stripes, but I'm a big Doors fan. They had bass in every recording, whether it was Manzarek's keyboard or a studio bass player like Scheff. In general, I'm not a fan of bass-less groups unless it's a folk group like the Kingston Trio or Peter, Paul & Mary.

tplyons · #4 07-10-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

...but I'm a big Doors fan. They had bass in every recording, whether it was Manzarek's keyboard or a studio bass player like Scheff.

+1

I love the Doors, and they had the low end covered.

Bands like the White Stripes, I'm indifferent to the fact that they don't have a bass player. I'm not a fan of their music, regardless of the fact that they lack a bassist.

TrooperFarva · #5 07-10-2009, 10:15 AM

IMHO, the White Stripes are a terrible band, and it has nothing to do with the fact that they don't have a bass player. It has more to do with the fact that Meg White is one of the worst drummers I've ever heard, and that Jack White plays a random sequence of shrill notes, and all the 14 year old fanboys cream their pants.

Sorry, I just prefer bands with talent.

Emmaporkchop · #6 07-10-2009, 10:41 AM

I guess a better way to ask is: How do you feel about bands who feel they don't need bass?
I personally think Jack White is a great guitarist, when it comes to annoying shrill notes then Zack Wylde out does everyone (it's like every other note is some stupid pinched harmonic).

tplyons · #7 07-10-2009, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmaporkchop

I guess a better way to ask is: How do you feel about bands who feel they don't need bass?

Not EVERYONE needs bass. Stylistically, one may feel that bass is unnecessary for the tone or style that an artist wants.

I think some people are forgetting music is an art... and while art has general rules, they're free to be broken.

I have no problem with any group or individual that doesn't feel bass is a necessity for what they're doing.

GregC · #8 07-10-2009, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tplyons

Not EVERYONE needs bass. Stylistically, one may feel that bass is unnecessary for the tone or style that an artist wants.

I think some people are forgetting music is an art... and while art has general rules, they're free to be broken.

I have no problem with any group or individual that doesn't feel bass is a necessity for what they're doing.

+1 to all this. It doesn't affect my opinion of a band, really. I like Jack White's other projects better than the White Stripes (particularly the Loretta Lynn album), but it has nothing to do with the presence of bass in them. The Doors don't do anything for me, but that's because I think Morrison's the most overrated frontman in history. The Black Keys, on the other hand, rock.

majortoby · #9 07-10-2009, 11:10 AM

I've always felt Jack did a fine job filling the gap himself. Granted, "Conquest" is dying to have some low end rippin through the mix.

varunkapahi · #10 07-10-2009, 11:13 AM

yep i am mad about the doors!! i love their bass lines! first time i heard them on a pair of headphones i went nuts! amazing bass line Ray wrote...... it made me so excited as a bass player

bmc · #11 07-10-2009, 11:14 AM

I saw Steve Winwood at the Montreux Jazz Festival last night and he had no bass player. Guitar, keyboards, percussion, drums and a horn player. Left hand on the keyboard.

The music didn't suffer. I missed watching a good bass player though.

mpm32 · #12 07-10-2009, 11:24 AM

Local H, unbelievable live.

MatticusMania · #13 07-10-2009, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpm32

Local H, unbelievable live.

+1 to that! Saw them at the Key Club, I was right up front. Scott covers the low end pretty well though, he plays a guitar that has a bass pickup routed into it. Two outputs. Each one goes to its own pedalboard, then into a guitar & bass amp, respectively. Effin' Awesome!

MJ5150 · #14 07-10-2009, 11:38 AM

The bands with two bass players help even it out.

-Mike

Absentia · #15 07-10-2009, 11:53 AM

the doors were great but they pretty much did have a bassist in the keyboards.

white stripe and YYY are terrible and adding a bassist wouldn't help them.

JimK · #16 07-10-2009, 11:58 AM

One of my favourite groups out there today has no 'bassist'...sax-guitar-drums-Fender Rhodes
The Chris Potter Underground

I am also a big fan of The Doors.
Manzarek's bass lines, to me, are pretty basic & hypnotic (were great for listening whilst staring at a lava lamp)

...the various bassists used (Harvey Brooks, Jerry Scheff, Leroy Vinegar, Doug Lubahn, etc) brought more to the table, IMO.
The old live recordings with only Manzarek's piano bass certainly had that mood, though.

warwick.hoy · #17 07-10-2009, 12:14 PM

I dig Soulive, and they do all pedal bass on a B-3 (AFAIK). It works. As far as bands that don't have any low end at all? No thanks. It's just week sounding IMO.

What about bands that only have drum and bass. DFA 1979. I've only seen live stuff that joeinsprings has introduced me to, but that band melt's faces.

I'd also like to see more bands use a tuba to provide a low end. And to that end I like a real tuba-ey sound on may bass sometimes.

EDIT: Oh and The Doors kick ***. IMO of course

mpm32 · #18 07-10-2009, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

+1 to that! Saw them at the Key Club, I was right up front. Scott covers the low end pretty well though, he plays a guitar that has a bass pickup routed into it. Two outputs. Each one goes to its own pedalboard, then into a guitar & bass amp, respectively. Effin' Awesome!

I liked them so much I went and bought a blonde SX tele guitar and routed half of a P pickup under the top three strings.

Sounds pretty good but never got to try it with a drummer.

DerHoggz · #19 07-10-2009, 12:30 PM

My friend's dad did studio bass for the Doors IIRC.

It all depends.

MatticusMania · #20 07-10-2009, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpm32

I liked them so much I went and bought a blonde SX tele guitar and routed half of a P pickup under the top three strings.

Sounds pretty good but never got to try it with a drummer.

Hell yeah! If I had an electric guitar at the time I probably would have done it too!