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Adam Clayton Does Not Suck.

#241
Never been an Adam Clayton fan. Never heard a U2 song that made me say "Damn! That was awesome! I have to listen to that again!"

Really can't stand Bono.
>I'm going to travel to a very poor country, tell them how badly it sucks to be poor, tell the world how, in that country, $2 will feed a family of 4 for a week, and then jump on my multimillion dollar private jet to travel to the next poor country and tell them how badly it sucks to be poor.

South Park portrayed Bono right.
 
#249
Kmonk said:
Adam Clayton may not be a great bass player but he does what is right for the song and there is nothing wrong with that.
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Mike M. said:
And THAT is the mark of a great player.
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Of course this completely misses the point that there may be more than one bass line that is right for a song.

Playing a simple bass line does not make you a great bass player any more than it makes you a bad bass player.
 
#250
David Hungate (Toto, millions of sessions, etc.) was once asked how he decides what to play on a given song.

His answer: "First I figure out the minimum number of notes it will take to make the tune work.... Then I play half those notes."

Different players, same approach. It's all about serving the song. If you think Adam Clayton sucks, you don't know much about music and ensemble playing.
 
#251
interp said:
David Hungate (Toto, millions of sessions, etc.) was once asked how he decides what to play on a given song.

His answer: "First I figure out the minimum number of notes it will take to make the tune work.... Then I play half those notes."

Different players, same approach. It's all about serving the song. If you think Adam Clayton sucks, you don't know much about music and ensemble playing.
Click to expand...

When you really understand music you understand that one size doesn't fit all. You also realize that 'serve the song' is really shorthand for 'do it my way.' You don't get to tell other people how to play, you just get to decide for yourself.
 
#252
deeptubes said:
Never been an Adam Clayton fan. Never heard a U2 song that made me say "Damn! That was awesome! I have to listen to that again!"

Really can't stand Bono.
>I'm going to travel to a very poor country, tell them how badly it sucks to be poor, tell the world how, in that country, $2 will feed a family of 4 for a week, and then jump on my multimillion dollar private jet to travel to the next poor country and tell them how badly it sucks to be poor.

South Park portrayed Bono right.
Click to expand...

This thread shouldn't become a trial of Bono but...

The thing is..yes..i think Bono is ****ing annoying, with his stupid glasses and all...but..... part of me can't help but think...ssoooo...... millionaires shouldn't get involved then? If you're a millionaire you can just shut up about trying to fix the world's poverty problems? Cause personally i DO want them to get involved. Yes i know, oh he could do it behind the scenes, he could give to charities, etc... But... sometimes there needs to be more than that. For better or worse he's decided to become a spokesman for this cause. I understand the oh its an ego thing criticism but....really...Bono doesn't need this to be talked about does he? He's the U2 frontman...... Also, as annoying s he is, he will often elf-deprecate in interviews and admit to have a sort of megalomania compex...so at least he's self aware. He knows people's perceptions of him and knows how he comes across i think. I can at least respect that much....even if he's still annoying. Maybe sometimes his way of taking action is misguided, but i believe his heart is actually in it. And this is coming from a guy who has wished for 20 years that U2 would just break up and go away (i don't think they've written anything musically relevant in that long)

I think also this fight against poverty is a very irish thing, a country that was maintained in misery for most of it's history. Irish people are per capita the biggest charity donors in the world. Or used to be anyway.
 
#253
StrangerDanger said:
Root notes always work perfectly. :hiding:
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I mentioned this in my long ass post no one read. If you think Clayton mainly only ever played root notes, you haven' t heard any U2 pre 2000. In the majority of U2's catalog he's NOT playing roots. The bass and guitar lines are very independent in most U2 songs,certainly pre 1990 (especially before joshua tree) because that's just how edge played. I suspect in the last decade and more he's just been phoning it in...like the rest of the band. I wouldn't really know, i try to avoid modern U2.
 
#254
Milk said:
I mentioned this in my long ass post no one read. If you think Clayton mainly only ever played root notes, you haven' t heard any U2 pre 2000. In the majority of U2's catalog he's NOT playing roots. The bass and guitar lines are very independent in most U2 songs,certainly pre 1990 (especially before joshua tree) because that's just how edge played. I suspect in the last decade and more he's just been phoning it in...like the rest of the band. I wouldn't really know, i try to avoid modern U2.
Click to expand...

IMO the bass parts on Boy and October are really cool, War and Unforgettable fire are ok:hmm:
pretty much anything after that sucks bass guitar-wise:hiding:
 
#255
I really shouldn't get involved but I gotta chime in!!

It turns out, "chops" do NOT equal "better". Ever. That is literally NEVER true. FUNCTION equals "better". This is why Sting is, and always will be, better than, say, a player like Hadrien Feraud.
Now I'm not criticizing Hadrien! I stinking love that guy! But I think even Hadrien would tell you that he's not as good as Sting.
Paradox...
Sting ain't got the chops that Hadrien does! So why is Sting actually better? Because being the best bassist isn't about technical prowess. He functions flawlessly as a BASS player. His taste for what the bass should be doing is right on. The same holds true for Adam Clayton.

Players like Hadrien or Matt Garrison will ALWAYS IMPRESS me and blow me away and inspire me. But players like AC AND sting are why bass exists.
 
#257
Jamie_Funk said:
I read a book about them recently (can't recall the title) and they (U2) all speak of Adam coming up with basslines that just WORK perfectly - THEY seem to think he is perfect for the band so really to me that says it all.

J
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Indeed. I've always gotten the impression that U2 are four guys who really like each other as friends and have great respect for one another. For a band to exist as long as they have and to have never, ever had a line-up change, even in their garage band/bar band/pre-mega star days, is quite an accomplishment and speaks a lot to the people in that project.
 
#260
adamsmatthewj said:
Sting ain't got the chops that Hadrien does! So why is Sting actually better? Because being the best bassist isn't about technical prowess. He functions flawlessly as a BASS player. His taste for what the bass should be doing is right on. The same holds true for Adam Clayton.

Players like Hadrien or Matt Garrison will ALWAYS IMPRESS me and blow me away and inspire me. But players like AC AND sting are why bass exists.
Click to expand...

It may be why the bass exists for you, but there are a lot of us on TB that like to see the envelope pushed. There is nothing wrong with the way Adam Clayton plays the bass, it's just not the ONLY way to play the bass.

If album sales had any correlation to talent, Ringo Starr would be the best drummer on the planet. Success is reaching your goals, whatever they may be.
 

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