chris wolstenholme/ muse

[Charlatan_001]

I used to think Chris W was an incredible bassist... but then I changed my mind. I respect him for his tasteful basslines, and unique synthy/fuzzy bass tone, but by no means is he a godly bassist.

I mean, he's only got a few memorable basslines; the rest are pretty much root pounding with that fuzz tone of his.

 

[barbarbass]

There are at least two guys here who like him, myself and AllodoX. I think he's great, the line from Muscle Museum was one of the first I learned.

Wolstenholme is brilliant. Even his simple lines (like "Starlight") are well-played and fit right in the pocket.

 

[FreaqyFrequency]

Muse was the band that inspired me to pick up bass on February 19, 2007. They will always be one of my favorite bands because of that.

But let me say this about Wolstenholme: if you listened to the first album, particularly the song Uno, there was a very complex scale toward the end of that song. He stuck out in that and in a couple others. Hysteria obviously. But where his talent really lies, in my opinion, is in his ability to blend in and sound awesome. He doesn't need to stick out and solo to sound good. His technique is also very clean and virtually immaculate (not his tone, of course). In all of the tracks I have ever listened to, the videos I've watched, I have never seen Chris make a mistake. Never, period, with the hundreds of performances he's made. That alone makes him worthy of being inducted into the at least top 500 hall of fame.

But I must surrender my respects to him for the song New Born above all others. If you have tried to play this song, the actual line is easy, but if you try it from start to finish, your fingers are ready to go on strike by the end. It's just an incredibly difficult song to finish and it takes lots of stamina, and for that he receives my respects.

Thus are my few cents on the matter.

 

[SirCanealot]

I have never seen Chris make a mistake. Never, period, with the hundreds of performances he's made. That alone makes him worthy of being inducted into the at least top 500 hall of fame.

Off hand he made 2-3 (or more) mistakes playing Muscle Museum at Glastonbury (the show out on DVD).

Chris isn't a machine; he makes plenty of mistakes. But they're silly mistakes humans make and not train wrecks
He's still VERY solid though...

 

[FreaqyFrequency]

I have tickets to see them open for U2 in October.

Most of all, in the past year and four months since my original post here, it's safe to say that I've matured a fair bit musically. I started on bass with almost no further ambition than to be in a MUSE cover band one day, or to be in a band that wrote very similar music to theirs. Now, I play in a jazz band, have had to play and learn a lot of interesting music, and have been exposed to some fascinating musicians and groups.

I still would love to be in a good cover band for them one day. Especially with their more recent shows, I have heard them sound all-around, tighter, more cohesive, more musical, and have made just overall very impressive progress from shows even as recent as 2004. It's almost like I can hear them listening for each other now, and Matt's singing is generally easier to listen to (I've always been ambivalent about his voice. Chris is actually a far more listenable singer to me, seek out live performances of The Small Print to see what I mean.)

The level of communication between them surpasses most groups I have heard, let alone mainstream or popular rock groups. The rhythm section (yes, Dom and Chris) knows when to hold back and when to wind it up and let it go. It approaches dynamic impeccability.

Yes, everyone talks about his tone being "predictable", but you have to ask yourself, how many people session after session just pound away through that P or J and SVT? And you call Chris predictable? Also, just listen closely. He changes sounds more often than you think.

It bears repeating: They have a musical feel for each other that is frankly unmatched by a fair majority of groups I have heard in my life. I think I'll probably always enjoy listening to them, analyzing, playing along with, and just being absorbed by the atmosphere they present for me.

Also, on a trivial note, read or listen to some interviews with them. They're a pretty down to earth group of people when it comes to being able to appreciate music, and space.

For me, the group taken together approaches genius.