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favorite 80's pop bassplayer!

who's your favorite 80's pop bassplayer

  • John Taylor

    Votes: 29 29.6%

  • Mark King

    Votes: 22 22.4%

  • Pino Paladino

    Votes: 13 13.3%

  • Nick Beggs

    Votes: 3 3.1%

  • Tony Levin

    Votes: 15 15.3%

  • one of the many many many other bassists that had Pop success in the 80's

    Votes: 16 16.3%
  • Total voters
    98
#50
I was just about to start a thread on a similar topic, but this may work (and please, if it's too much to add, start another).

Why were the bassists in the 80s so good? Band for band, song for song in the 80s, whenever I hear something on a "Totally 80s Weekend" on the radio, the bass is out in front, doing something sick usually.
In the 90s... some flare, but for the most part, buried in the mix. In the 00s, nothing. Anyone making waves basswise is in a jazz band.
Was it strictly the 70s influencing players to PLAY? If so, the 80s should have spawned some better players (in theory) than it did.
If you think about the great bassists of the 90s, you can count them on one hand or they were actually in an 80s band. If you think of 80s bassists, I dare you to come up with less than 20 GOOD PLAYERS. Can't be done.

Also, the band The Breakfast Club... Right on Track... why did I only hear this song a few months ago for the first time? I was blown away and I had never even heard of these guys. Who played in that band?
 
#53
I could try to be hip and name some people I wasn't even listening to at the time, but to me in high school in the eighties it was all about:

John Taylor
Bruce Thomas
Geddy Lee

My bro tried to turn me on to Level 42, but I couldn't get into it. Then I saw Mark King's bass solo on a live vid and UGH!!! Whackeda Whackeda Whatthehell???

rojo412, I wonder about that myself, and so of addressed it in a thread called "No Compromise"....

L
 
#54
lo0ove Mark King....he's the king of funky slap....lo0ove playing his stuff...gives me lots of enjoyment...but...


i guess the two bassists are missing for me are

Flea....okay not the greatest player in the world but certaintly not bad either..and did start the ball rolling in the chill peppers world........and

John Deacon...Queen's bassist is so0 so0ooo so0o underated..his work on the 80's albums is outstanding.......he is the king of bass arrangements and lines...and really knows his stuff...and i love his tone on the inuendo album... :hyper:
 
#55
secretdonkey said:
I'd forgotten all about that band. Played in a cover band (circa '88) that covered "Me and the Farmer." Now I'm gonna have to try to get my ears on a copy of that tune... look at what you've gone and done now!

:D
Click to expand...
I have an mp3 of "Me And The Farmer" that I could send you by e-mail if you like (provided your account has enough space left). Just pm me! @ secretdonkey

I used to be in a band covering their song "Sheep" (great video to that one also), and I was quite surprised when finding out that Norman Cook is actually Fatboy Slim! :)
 
#56
The winner is...





...Nathan East.

I mean, c'mon, who played on more '80s Pop than East?
(Clapton, Jarreau, Manhatten Transfer, Eurhythmics, Loggins, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, Deniece Williams, etc)

Rock to Soul to R&B...didn't matter. East was the heir apparent to Rainey's '70s monopoly on Pop.
 
#57
ZenBass said:
John Deacon...Queen's bassist is so0 so0ooo so0o underated..his work on the 80's albums is outstanding.......he is the king of bass arrangements and lines...and really knows his stuff...and i love his tone on the inuendo album... :hyper:
Click to expand...

WOW! Someone who thinks like me! I try to explain to people that he wrote two of the most recognizable (I know I spelled that wrong) basslines in pop music... Another One Bites the Dust ... and Under Pressure. :bassist:
 

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