Bands led by the Bassist

[jmac]

Riverside, polish prog.

 

[Lefty Geek]

The funny part about Rush is that I don't listen to them precisely because of Geddy Lee.

 

[4-string]

+ 1 - this is what I was thinking.

How about Level 42?

Definitely Level 42, even though since Gary Husband joined Mark King has had some serious competition. GH is not only a world class drummer, he's also the keyboard player in John McLaughlin band. Talented guy.

 

[MattAT]

Weather report, are you serious.
Zawinul and Shorter are by no means 2nd to jaco, far from it dude.
Learn your jazz before you state something like that dude.

Yeah, but who is more well known for their instrument?

Fallout Boy, of course :scowl:

Dude, why?

 

[nightcityburn]

The Starting Line.

 

[DreadRaver]

I can't believe we're on page 3 of this thread and no one has mentioned Mike Watt and Firehose or any of his later incarnations (Flying Saucer, Secondmen, etc.). I think he could be considered the leader of all of his bands except the Minutemen which was a collaboration with D. Boon. I saw Watt in 1995 with Eddie Vedder playing guitar and Dave Grohl playing drums to back him up on his solo tour that's fronting a band with some pretty big guns in it.

Cheers!

+1 for Mike Watt (especially with fIREHOSE) !!!!

Great thing about Watt is he leads by example. He is the kind of "leader" who attracts talented people and encourages their talent and individual expression.

I think he remains terribly under appreciated, in part because it is against his nature to ever claim to be "The Greatest Bass Player in the World."
But to me, he is!

 

[Godbody]

type o negative.

That's the band I first thought of when I read the first post.

I just listened to Bloody Kisses again, and Peter Steele is an amazing vocalist and bass player.

 

[StanFan]

Alex Webster- easily the driving force behind Cannibal Corpse.

 

[RexNFX79]

I think that the Police are the best example of this. Sting's bass playing in those songs is what drives them and gives them their signature sound IMO. Plus the bassist is the singer but the bass playing made those songs.

 

[Armacielli]

I think what the OP meant by "lead by the bassist" was musically lead, for example there's no doubt that The Who is Townshend's band, but the music is driven much more by Entwistle's bass than Pete's guitar. Any Who song has a much greater "survival rate" if you omit Pete rather than John.
Having said that my submission is Parliment/Funkadelic
Now, George leads the band, but Bootsy leads the music. He contributes more to the music than any other single member.

 

[Bassgrinder77]

Yeah, Cream didn't really have a leader though I'd say Jack Bruce was the engine. Jack once said he was the leader in the studio but Eric was the leader live. That was probably generous because they ALL bogarted live. Eric was the fine finish on that band. His guitar playing in that period set a very high bar for rock guitar that lasted a decade and spurred on many other fine guitarists. After Cream and Hendrix, rock guitarists couldn't just go out there and jangle anymore.

Yes Jack Bruce was better than Clapton. Hell, Clapton couldn't even read music. When Baker and Bruce left the Graham Bond Organization jazz band (along with John McLaughlin, must a been a very bad day for Graham!) they went where the money was: Hard Rock > Clapton.
Still will argue that Bruce's bass and vocals are what drove the songs.
Remember the scene in Full Metal Jacket where the S.A.W. was hanging out the barndoor shooting everything that moved. It was the helo pilot who did the driving (Bruce) while the grunt on the M-60 got all the glory (Clapton).

 

[Buster666]

I think what the OP meant by "lead by the bassist" was musically lead, for example there's no doubt that The Who is Townshend's band, but the music is driven much more by Entwistle's bass than Pete's guitar. Any Who song has a much greater "survival rate" if you omit Pete rather than John.
Having said that my submission is Parliment/Funkadelic
Now, George leads the band, but Bootsy leads the music. He contributes more to the music than any other single member.

Couldn't agree more. And was it Pete's guitar playing or gymnastics?

 

[heath_r_91]

MXPX, NOFX

 

[Elmo Oxygen]

Oh, the dissapointment.... 4 pages, bassists from around the world and nobody's mentioned these bands:
Floater. (local around here, huge following over the last 14 or 15 years, lead by the bassist/vocalist, and a great band)
and one of my favorites....
Puya. another really great band fronted by the bassist/vox. If you've not heard them, check 'em out!

 

[Holy War]

havent read the whole thread, but what comes first to my mind is

Tom Araya
Al Cisneros

 

[Eric Perry]

...Geddy Lee's the singer and bassist of Rush, but Peart's the principal lyricist. And is Geddy technically the "best" musician? I dunno. ...

I'm a HUGE Rush and Geddy Lee fan, but Neil Peart is way more of a drummer than Geddy is a bass player, IMO... And I think Geddy is great.

 

[ProfGumby]

Chili Peppers, Primus?

+100

 

[Bassgrinder77]

Who in rock is more of a bass player than Geddy Lee????
I'd put him in the top 5. I'd probably put him in the top 1.

I'm a HUGE Rush and Geddy Lee fan, but Neil Peart is way more of a drummer than Geddy is a bass player, IMO... And I think Geddy is great.

 

[Kyon`]

Yeah, but who is more well known for their instrument?



Dude, why?

Wayne Shorter is probably the most well known of any of the members at any time of the Weather Reports. Not just for his composition, many of which are standards, but who's he backed on the sax. Zawinul to me is second in terms of general mass public, though it seemed like he was a bit more of leader then Shorter was. Really outside of many bass circles, even within in music I don't think Jaco is that well known or would be considered the frontman of The Weather Reports.

And I did hear that Pete Wentz writes much of the Fall Out Boy music.

I also have heard that the bassist in Maroon 5 is actually responsible for most of their songs.

 

[Eric Perry]

Who in rock is more of a bass player than Geddy Lee????
I'd put him in the top 5. I'd probably put him in the top 1.

I probably would too. That wasn't the topic of the thread, however.

I'm thinking about Bands in which, from a technical standpoint, the bassist was superior to the other musicians...