Do you think Michael Anthony is underrated??

[James Flowers]

Anthony could have been a god among bass players and he would have been overshadowed by Eddie. That said, I think he was a really good bass player who played the part he needed to in that band which is a hallmark of a great bass player. In other groups he has been able to play other things whioch showcased his talents in other ways.

In the end, yes, I think Anothy is underrated.

 

[jimmydean]

Fantastic bassist , he played what the music demanded .There is a legion of players out there who say what they would have played , but I would bet you a million dollars ........they would not have been in VH .

 

[JazznFunk]

I think having a solid tone in later years gave Mikey even more of a chance and voice to show what he can do within the framework of VH. The years where he played StingRays you could really hear him well live and on record, and yeah man... Mike is solid. I credit him as one of my very early influences, showing how crucial it is to be that rock solid bottom in a band, with impeccable time. In other contexts like Chickenfoot and in The Circle, it's great to hear him have even more freedom.

 

[JazznFunk]

"Eddie’s beef was that Michael Anthony had never played bass on any Van Halen record except the first. [The other albums are] all Eddie."

'Eruption in the Canyon' Author Andrew Bennett on Eddie Van Halen Pointing a Gun at Him – Billboard

[just throwing this in there...]

And yet other accounts from engineers and producers (Ted Templeman and Donn Landee) contradict this to some degree. MA was also credited on the records, which Eddie would have had the power to veto totally if it were untrue. As always, there are 2 (or 3, or 4) sides to a story, and it's hard to really know where the gray areas overlap. Maybe one day Michael will clarify this himself. All I can say is that when I hear really well recorded live shows from the Sammy era and compare them to the records, I hear that same tone and inflection in what's being played which tells me that it's MA and not Eddie.... at least in some areas. On Van Halen III, there are some things which I think for sure might be more Eddie than Michael though... because that record REALLY was Eddie's baby, even though everyone hated it in the end. I personally thought there were brilliant moments all over it.... for those who were patient enough to listen.

 

[r_bnks]

Absolutely. He's a monster player.

 

[getrhythm]

I'll just leave this right here.

 

[lbbc]

I would love to be as "underrated" a bassist as Michael Anthony. I completely respect his musicianship and vocal abilities!!!

 

[Marc61]

I feel Michael’s bass playing is underrated because people see his value with his singing, which is tremendous. Let’s not kid ourselves, Eddie wouldn’t have wasted time with a so so bass player.

 

[Rib 13]

And yet other accounts from engineers and producers (Ted Templeman and Donn Landee) contradict this to some degree. MA was also credited on the records, which Eddie would have had the power to veto totally if it were untrue. As always, there are 2 (or 3, or 4) sides to a story, and it's hard to really know where the gray areas overlap. Maybe one day Michael will clarify this himself. All I can say is that when I hear really well recorded live shows from the Sammy era and compare them to the records, I hear that same tone and inflection in what's being played which tells me that it's MA and not Eddie.... at least in some areas. On Van Halen III, there are some things which I think for sure might be more Eddie than Michael though... because that record REALLY was Eddie's baby, even though everyone hated it in the end. I personally thought there were brilliant moments all over it.... for those who were patient enough to listen.

I have to agree (at least on the first several albums. Im not very knowledgable on any VH music after "1984"). Usually, any musician on any instrument plays their personality and approach. So, when a guitarist plays bass on songs, that personality/approach is captured. Some great examples of this are Tom Scholz, Jeff Lynne, and many bass parts on Rolling Stones records. I dont hear that on those earlier VH Records Im familiar with: it sounds like two different people. Plus, when there are bass chops, Im not hearing any of Eddie's magical alternating half step/whole step note approach that he made sound so musical that most musicians sound like BS if they apply it. That aspect would be there on the bass parts- and it isnt

 

[DrayMiles]

Yes. He is "underrated" by too many, and under appreciated by a select few. The man is a mature, humble, solid, musician. Just because you have technique doesn't mean you need to show it. After trying to play "Push comes to shove" when it came out, I understood he was perfect for Van Halen. I have nothing but respect for the man.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

Generally, yes.
Not by me. His lines were some of the 1st lines I learned when I started playing (electric) bass.
I think his lines worked a lot better for that band than the bass lines when he was not the bass player in VH.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

He has a signature bass, he has co-writing credits for almost all of the VanHalen albums, at least the good ones, he's in the RnR Hall of Fame, everyone knows who he is, I don't think he's underrated.

 

[Dave Siff]

He’s underrated by definition because he was EVH’s bass player. I saw them live in 1991 and he took a bass solo that left no doubt about his abilities beyond what Van Halen asked of him.

 

[MingusBass]

Appropriately rated.

 

[EriktheRed]

...the only two bass lines I can recall are the ploddy "Running With The Devil" and the awful disco-ish one in whatever song that was.

Could you mean "Dirty Movies" off of Fair Warning?

 

[Dincrest]

Eyewitness account:

+1 on this. Sammy Hagar says it best.

Michael Anthony is a solid bassist. In a band like Van Halen where Eddie is all over the fretboard, DLR is swinging from the rafters, and Alex is not the tightest drummer out there... Michael Anthony has to hold it down and he holds is DOWN!

He is a consummate professional. He is the bassist anyone would hire for their band. He can solo out and hold a solid groove without slipping. I'd put him in the camp of players like Jason Newsted. He's a bassist's bassist, and has a positive attitude that makes you want to work with him. I don't know about you, but I'd rather work with a "mediocre" musician with a professional attitude than an elite musician with a rotten attitude.

As someone mentioned, look at Chickenfoot or The Circle. Look at the monster musicians in their lineups. Michael Anthony is as much a monster musician as they are. They wouldn't be in a band with him if he were unprofessional and a lousy player. They want to be in a band with him because he's a good player and a good person. And, yes, Anthony does some nifty stuff in those bands.

It's very easy for bassists who worship at the altar of chops masters like Victor Wooten to think that Michael Anthony's "simple" playing is "basic" (in the contemporary colloquial vernacular sense). But Wooten himself even says something to the effect of being able to lay down a solid groove will get you hired more than rapid fire double thumbing.

 

[Hounddog409]

To be honest, I never gave it much thought because I never found his playing with that band all that interesting. If they had had to replace him would it have changed the bands sound all that much? Take for instance, Ringo Starr. While his playing with the Beatles was never all that technically difficult, his innovative style gave the band a certain sound that would be hard to replicate with a different drummer. Same could be said about Keith Richards with the Rolling stones. His playing is so unique that the Rolling Stones would never sound the same with a different guitar player. Can you say this about Michael? jmho

Yes. And the Beatles? You could through anyone in there. Hell, poll the world "blind" if you could. I would bet less that 5% could tell the Beatles apart from Wings by listening to songs.

 

[Jack Butler]

I'll just leave this right here.

I love Mike, but he should be deeply embarrassed by that lol.

 

[Tommy Sparks]

Wasn’t a VH fan when they appeared on the scene. When Sammy came along it got my attention. As it turns out.. I really liked Mike when I gave the songs a chance. His playing and backing vocals were killer. Now I even have Dave era albums.
Under rated to some I suppose, not to me and most of my musician friends.

 

[Hummergeist]

I love VH and he was an integral part of that. But no, I don't think he's underrated. He's appreciated by exactly the kind of people who WOULD appreciate somebody like him. He was in exactly the place he should've been, and was exactly the right guy to do it.