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Adam Clayton Does Not Suck.

#261
Adam Clayton's place in the musical universe is all about the fact that he works well within his band, and that he came up with the rest of the members of U2 while they were all kids. That musical and personal connection with his bandmates is why he continues to hold the bass chair in one of the biggest bands in the world.

Bands are very much about chemistry. And the chemistry in U2 seems to work. While the public perception may be that it's Bono & The Edge with U2, they are in fact a unit with personal bonds and history. It's this fact that bears repeating in the almost endless series of threads about guys like Adam Clayton.

A similar case of band chemistry is what happened during the past decade with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. When bassist Howie Epstein died, Petty came very close to calling it a day with the Heartbreakers. The band had endured the somewhat acrimonious departure of drummer Stan Lynch made his exit, and Steve Ferrone took over on drums. But Howie Epstein's contributions were significant not only for his bass playing, but because of his ability to sing great harmonies with Tom. Enter Ron Blair, who had played with the Heartbreakers in the late 70's. He could sing those harmony parts, play bass and had a good working rapport with the band already. And Tom Petty has said that if it hadn't been for Ron Blair stepping in, he may have very well broken up the Heartbreakers. Again, the chemistry seems to have been the great X-factor here.
 
#264
I guess I'll answer my own question. My point is that AC grew up with those guys and that's why he's there. He's not a great player. He's an adequate player. There are literally thousands of guys who could step into his place and meet or exceed expectations. Great players are irreplaceable.
 
#266
Clef_de_fa said:
I know U2 is big but I don't think it has something to do with the music, it has more to do with their message and Bono. Sometimes it looks like Bono take so much space ans his lyrics are so important that the music have just enough spaceto play 8th note power chords and 8th note on the root on a simple beat.

I may be wrong on this, just how I felt about them.
Click to expand...

I saw the film, It Might Get Loud. One of the quotes from The Edge was that they realized that not being able to actually play their instruments wouldn't be a problem after seeing the Ramones.
 
#269
I can't stand U2. Actually, that's not true. I can't stand Bono which means I can't standing listening to U2. But the one thing I respect about them is that they have had the same line-up for over 30 years. That's impressive.

Adam Clayton seems like a solid player. And the drummer hasn't aged or changed hairstyles since the early 80s.
 
#271
So I was going to create a new thread for this but then I remembered this one...

I just moved recently and while packing/unpacking I came across my stash of concert tickets and concert memorabilia. I found the tour book from U2's 1991 Zoo TV tour (saw them at Giants Stadium NJ) which features photos and a random Q & A with the band.

U2Tourbook.jpg


Larry (Mullen Jr., drummer) wishes he was as talented as Edge on guitar, Bono on lyrics or Adam on OTHER THINGS (not bass!).

This is ABSOLUTE PROOF that he does indeed suck!!!! :D
 
#273
Each night, I lay my head on the pillow, content in the knowledge that, while I will never be commercially successful as a bass player, I can at least execute every note ever plucked by one of the industry's most commercially successful players (Clayton). Thin gruel, I know. Yet, the man has every ounce of my respect because as we all know, "making it" and "keeping it" takes more than chops. Props to him for appearing on Fallon's new roof, even if he was shamelessly bass-syncing!
 
#276
If I was wishing I was as rich as someone, Clayton would be at the top of the list. If I was wishing I could play as well as somebody, he'd be considerably further down.

As for him playing what was called for, we only know that what he played worked. We'll never know if a more talented bass player could have improved the songs with more interesting bass lines.
 
#277
RobBottom69 said:
Adam Clayton is just but one cog in a giant wheel of suck known as U2.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's pretty harsh. I can think of many other bands which are popular/successful that truly suck (but which I shall not name because name calling is childish and pointless).

Now, while I don't care for anything U2 have done since 1993's Zooropa, they were a great band for me up until that point and hit more highs than many other bands. Their 1980 debut album sounds as focused and accomplished as many other bands' 3rd or 4th albums and they were barely out of their teens.

And Adam Clayton isn't the flashiest most technical bassist, not even close, but his playing ALWAYS fits the song and stands clearly apart from the Edge's guitar playing (which while also simple, was pretty unique especially in their early days).

But it's good to know the other replies after my necro are positive - mine was meant as a joke.
 
#280
I'm starting to see a lot of strong negative opinions about bassists held by people who don't actually play bass pop up in forums that just kind of mystify me, so I'm in the mood to chime in here even though we all play:

I never really gave a whole lot of thought towards Clayton one way or the other and don't love U2 (especially their post Joshua Tree stuff), but I've always really liked what he brought to One Tree Hill. To me, the rest of the instruments kind of orbit around the repetitive line he plays. When I try to think of a bassline that serves as an anchor and doesn't change with the chord changes, that bassline is something I have in mind.

Can I teach someone how to play it in 10 seconds? Sure, but it would be hard to teach them how to conceive of it.
 

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