Bassists few people talk about...

[Dave814]

Alan Spenner, bass player for Joe Cocker's Grease Band at Woodstock, some Roxy Music, Kokomo and others. Died of a heart attack quite a while ago at 43, but he recorded this when he was around 21, which still boggles my mind.

It's almost Easter. Listen to the Jesus Christ Superstar album. If Ian Gillen doesn't blow you away, Alan Spenner will.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Listen to the Jesus Christ Superstar album. If Ian Gillen doesn't blow you away, Alan Spenner will.

Wasn't Ben Vereen singing the part of Judas on that original cast album? Add him to the list of Things That'll Blow You Away On This Album.

 

[Tom Kinter]

I started playing bass at 14 (was already proficient on clarinet and some guitar), started a band in '64 and played with the same people through the end of HS. We covered a lot of Byrds and Animals songs, so Chris Hillman and Chas Chandler were both major influences. There's an interesting thread of events out there, of Chandler being responsible for both Hendrix and the Who doing the destruction thing, having recently witnessed Mingus, in a rage, dismantling a piano onstage in a London venue.

 

[Michedelic]

I started playing bass at 14 (was already proficient on clarinet and some guitar), started a band in '64 and played with the same people through the end of HS. We covered a lot of Byrds and Animals songs, so Chris Hillman and Chas Chandler were both major influences. There's an interesting thread of events out there, of Chandler being responsible for both Hendrix and the Who doing the destruction thing, having recently witnessed Mingus, in a rage, dismantling a piano onstage in a London venue.

I'm not sure what Chandler had to do with instigating The Who's gear smashing…the story that Townshend always tells is that they were on a club stage with a low ceiling, and during his guitar acrobatics the neck got stuck up in there. The audience started laughing, and in an enraged state, plus being impulsive, he started to throw the instrument around as a reaction to their reaction. Word spread among their fans about his outrageous behavior, and at the next gig they expected that kind of show.
Also, art student Pete was aware of a performance art conceptionalist named Metzger, who was into "auto destruction" as a statement; he added that aspect to the act, especially with the "My Generation" finale.

With Hendrix, as I understand it, it was Jimi's attempt to 'one up' The Who at the Monterey Festival, and going one step further with the lighter fluid(which had all sorts of sexual symbolism).

 

[T Bassman]

Darryl Johnson.....

 

[Bob_Ross]

having recently witnessed Mingus, in a rage, dismantling a piano onstage in a London venue.

There's a (perhaps apochryphal) story about Charlie Mingus coming to Berklee College in the early/mid-1970s to give a master class, and, after playing on a school-provided upright bass for a tune or two, he threw it across the room and spent the rest of the class playing piano.

Back on topic: I just discovered bassist Tobias Grenholm the other day, via a Jonah Nilsson video, and figured "wow, I guess I've been living under a rock; but TalkBass must be all over this guy!" Did a search and...nope. Found his name mentioned just twice, both times by the same TB member, and both ~3 years ago. But he can sure play:

 

[SeaDunk]

Tomohito Aoki (RIP) seems to slip under the radar quite a bit. Its interesting how I got to know about him, way before I got into playing bass. As a kid born in the 80's growing up in the 90's, Playstation was a big part of my life. Aoki-San was a bassist on the soundtrack for a Game on the PS1 called Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha. The sound track on this game is pretty mental. He did a fretless piece on a track called Under Tube. This was my introduction to him and he has been my favourite bassist ever since. One day I'll own one of his Atelier Z signature models.



He was also on Toshiki Kodamtsu's Album - Sea Is A Lady which is also awesome

 

[SheaNC]

He's probably already mentioned in here, but Dave Wintour, who played on the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack, is really great in opinion.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Richard Bona. Search for a few of his bass solos accompanied by massive scat vocal. He's a bass (and vocal) master.

 

[Big Fat O]

Mike Porcaro - he played on a bunch of albums in the 70s before he replaced Hungate in Toto

Ben Orr - he was the best singer in the Cars but was a very solid bass player also.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Dave Wintour, who played on the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack, is really great in opinion.

I know the name Dave Wintour, and I also know that I don't know it from the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack...so now I have to figure out how I know it! (Did he maybe play on Rick Wakeman's Six Wives Of Henry VIII?) But in any case, yeah, the bass playing on Rocky Horror is killer!

[edit: I was right, I'm familiar w/ his name from Wakeman's album.]

 

[MARVIN MECKLER]

Rick Haynes from Gordon Lightfoot

 

[nozkcb]

Pete Cetera

100% agree. Virtually everyone knows Peter from his voice, but some of his bass playing is excellent. The bass line in Saturday in the park is fantastic

Far more than just holding root, he had a very energetic style with Jamerson like rhythmic parts and Paul McCartney like sensibility with counter melodies on the bass.

 

[nozkcb]

Dean Dinning from Toad the Wet Sprocket

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I've admired Dean's work with Toad since their first album. His tone and timing on the parts he chooses to play are exactly what the songs need.
Sometimes very straightforward and other times moving the song and adding different dimensions to the rhythmical and melodic path of the songs.

His tone inspired me to hunt down a Warwick five string bass in the early 90s after seeing them live and hearing how wonderfully it sat in the mix and was still punchy enough to be present.

 

[ThudThudThud]

The late Rick Anderson. RIP.

 

[zombywoof5050]

I'd like to put in a good word for Mickey Feat.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Sonny T!!

 

[bearhart74]

Long story here:
I grew up in central Montana in the 90s' where their is really not much going on at night other than the occasional drunken gun fight and amateur sheep wrestling tournament...
Their was this guy in my high school who started on flute in the school band, heard his first Nirvana song and immediately switched to guitar. He had this strange birth defect to his left hand where his middle finger was kind of crooked and it made playing chords very difficult so he switched to bass.
Cut to the chase.
He practiced his ass off for a few years and became a stellar bass player who could easily play anything. He got involved with a band in a nearby city who mashed together klezmer with doom metal and techno. Believe it or not the singer was 6 foot 3 inch tall, bleach blond, female singer who didn't like to wear much clothing on stage. I went to a few of their shows and always left sweaty, satisfied and a bit turned on..
That guy on bass was someone never talked about anywhere but is a legend in the local scene even after 30 years.

 

[biggfigg]

Bob Glaub
Tom T-bone Wolk
Kyle Henderson (The Producers)
Michael Rhodes
Ray Schumann (Gentle Giant)

 

[crapusername]

Neil Murray
Jim smith
Leo smee