80s pop bands with killer bassists

[Winston TK]

All you people are really on the ball here. Tons of great suggestions for a killer era of pop music. Also, glad to see the love being shown for Trevor Horn. Although more famous as a producer from that era (and beyond), his bass playing is stellar. The Buggles' "The Age Of Plastic" album, not just the hit "Video Killed The Radio Star", is a wealth of supreme bass playing. He is still one of my biggest influences to this day.

Someone still unmentioned here is Les Nemes of Haircut 100. A very tasty player indeed.

 

[retardedpossum]

Nick Beggs from Kajagoogoo!

 

[Gluvhand]

Chris Cross from Ultravox.

 

[mikeswals]

Three names come to mind during this era of music.
Deon Estus Bass player/producer for Wham

I likely fall into the camp of thousands of guys who didnt give Wham any seriuosness back in the 80's and avoided it like a plague. Nowadays when I hear it, the bass work is rather jaw dropping.

 

[4dog]

johnette napolitano-- concrete blonde...was more underground in the 80's but fairly solid simple basslines,and a helluva singer.

 

[mandohack]

Always loved Oingo Boingo. Crazy bass work!

+1

 

[mandohack]

Andy Rourke of The Smiths, "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is one of my favorites.

 

[pica]

Aimee Mann in Til Tuesday. Very popular solo artist these days.
Andy Cox - English Beat/Fine Young Cannibals.
Kim Gordon - Sonic Youth
Tim Butler - Psychedelic Furs
Janice Marie Johnson - Taste of Honey

 

[mandohack]

Does Geddy Lee count? Signals and Grace Under Pressure were pretty pop-y.

 

[Bipslapper]

Peter Gifford, Midnight Oil.

Great rhythm section : groove. I was heavily influenced by this band when I started learning the bass in the mid-1980's.

 

[Chirro]

matthew seligman! played around the brit scene alot. but my fave is the amazing Thomas Dolby "the Flat Earth".. lots of brilliant bass (killer fretless too) on this record. I think a must have..

Still today one of my favourite records of all times.

 

[Afc70]

Subscribed!

 

[LanEvo]

To this day, I still have nightmares about Khumalo's bass lick on "Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes"

Took me forever to figure that one out.

 

[Feral Feline]

Great thread. I wasn't playing bass back then, but lots of the bass players and certainly the band names mentioned here were on my radar.

Not the African or Cuban influences you're looking for, but check out ...

PAUL IVERSON – Strange Advance

I dug his (very common to the 80's) fretless mwahh sound on "Worlds Away".

He quit after the first album, but the band's next album had some good session players, such as on "We Run".

 

[aquamentus]

The guy from Kajagoogoo seemed quality.

 

[mandohack]

Michael Been of The Call. His phrasing and use of a fretless Ampeg scroll bass slay me to this day. Rest in peace, Michael.

Saw The Call in San Juan Capistrano, Michael played his Ampeg and quite a bit of guitar, a Telecaster if I remember correctly. I've never seen someone play with so much thumb over the neck and using their fist to hammer the strings.

 

[bassclef04]

Culture club

 

[Roscoe East]

good looking out for mentioning Terry Jackson
( rip ) for some of the stuff he did on the Aliens ate my Buick lp per
Thomas Dolby but props also should be giving to Rodney " skeet Curtis who also did some great playing on that same lp to.

Ah yes, the last track, "May The Cube Be With You" with George Clinton. Also has Dennis Chambers on drums and the Brecker Brothers on horns. That whole album is totally killer.

 

[ddhm]

I've not read through but has anyone mentioned Paul Young or Howard Jones? Pino played with Paul and some other awesome fretless player was with Jones.

 

[ewe2]

+1 Juju Music by King Sunni Ade, particularly "ja funni", very influential.
+1 Les Pattinson, particularly on Heaven Up Here (Echo and the Bunnymen)

Wilder, a brilliant album by Teardrop Explodes (best 80's band name!), where it's not known just who did the bass between Julian Cope and James Eller (who continued to work with Cope and a whole bunch of others), not counting the one song with Alfie Agius, but its all tasty.

And not African but definitely 80's pop, "Penthouse and Pavement" by those sons of fun Heaven 17. John Wilson plays simply insane bass on the Pavement side, listen to "Play To Win".

And also anti-African but cannot be left out, Andy Rourke's work with The Smiths.