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Flea is not really that great is he??

#61
JimK said:
Art-
...have you ever seen Wooten live?
Believe me, he gets the point across. ;)
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Yes he does. I went to a weird little thing with just him, his brother, and a drummer. Mostly it was Vic jamming and talking about growing up, learning, etc. The thing lasted three hours! Three hours of mostly just him and his bass. A maximum of six songs when he had a, "band" behind him. Awesome.
 
#62
This thread reminds me of the bumper sticker that reads, "My Kid beat up your Honor Roll Student" :D

Seriously, the guy's good enough to get where he's at and that's what it really boils down to. Comparing him to anyone else is just a waste of time, because BP is like any other publisher, they sell magazines and a good whizzing match makes more sales.

All of the mentioned artists are good in their own right.

I happened to watch a video clip of another bass player in another popular band earlier this morning just to see what the guy's like. His solo was rather lame, I thought, it was all simple root notes and blues patterns, where at least 3 times he lost his way and stumbled back into the grove...this guys got his own signature bass?,,,,,But the audience was digging it and that's all that matters.
 
#63
Many players over the years have been seduced by the parlor trick of Flea's machine gun slapping. Anyone who has spent some time in the shed working on slapping knows you can get pretty good at the mechanics of it pretty quick.

HOWEVER the thing that has always set Flea apart is the musicality of his lines. Transcribe some of his lines, particularly the fingerstyle ones. They are solid lines that are super pocket and are heavily influenced by the Motown greats.
 
#64
JimK said:
I have all the RHCP albums...bought them as they came out, too.
My only real gripe is this-
It's gotten to the point of "Once you've heard Flea, you've heard him". Will he ever play anything besides Rap-Rock-Funk? In other words, isn't it about time to indulge himself in other projects?
(& no, NOT Alanis Morisette or Jane's Addiction).
Personally, I would like to hear how Flea handles himself with a 'better' Funk drummer(Chambers, Pheerroan Aklaff, Jo Jo Mayer, etc. Nuthin against Chad Smith, an "OK" Rock drummer).
Flea's supposed to be into Coltrane & Dolphy...I'd like to hear him in a "Free" environment(maybe with Cornell Rochester, David Fiuczynski, or Gene Lake, Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, etc).
Anybody venture a guess why he's staying solely in the comfort zone of the RHCP?
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Have you heard the mars Volta album deloused in the comatorium? He's all over that album. And he plays his ass off.
 
#66
He's great with RHCP. His soloing isn't that great but he has had his moments. Plenty of them. He's come up with and recorded some very memorable bass parts that I highly doubt many of us here would have designed if we were in that band and given the chance to try our best to support the song.
He is more of a player supporting the song as opposed to being a soloist.
I like Flea and his playing is just fine with me.

1:35 to 2:08.....nice little jam.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Coffee Shop (Album Version) - YouTube
 
#71
AtomicPunk said:
+1. Virtuousity for virtuousity's sake is kind of lost on me. Give me a sweet groove and I'm all good. Gimme a little Subway to Venus.
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saying wooten doesn't have groove is ignorant :rollno:

the guy always talks about the importance of groove and song, and was saying why everybody talks during bass solo, his workshops revolve around the "groove" and musicality, not mindless shredding, so it is really surprising to see people write that they rather hear some groove than wotten. is it the lack of interest (that is understandable) or just parrot talk about something one does not really know.

VICTOR WOOTEN - YouTube

that does not lacks groove and is not "Virtuousity for virtuousity's sake".

Groove - Victor Wooten [HD] - YouTube


Victor Wooten bass exercises # 2 - YouTube

so please, first listen to people you are going to bash before u really go on and start bashing
 
#72
I think Flea is a great player. I was checking out their new album about a week ago and was blown away at how fresh his playing still sounds compared to most other rock players out there. Plus, you can't deny the influence he has had on bassists. I would venture to say that he has had the biggest impact on the bass playing community out of any bassist.
 
#73
I am just getting back to the original post where a fellow bassist said flea isn't that great. greatness is subjective as some find someone great while another does not. its like you find a great picture in a garbage dump. "Another mans gold is another mans garbage". But all in all, No one can play you better than you. So you might as well be yourself and if you give it all and people really dig your playing you have accomplish alot.
 
#75
RS said:
I'm getting to a point where I feel it is silly to judge the relative "goodness" of a player. Some have better technique than others, but music isn't a contest. It's all about what music you dig.

I'd rather hear an average bass player in a great band than a great bass player in an average band.
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Nicely said, RS.

Are we musicians, or are we music critics?

As musicians we gravitate toward what we like and happily absorb the stimulation.

Lots of folks are/have been stimulated by Flea. Is it necessary to stamp a rating on him?

Like him, or like someone else. Find your own inspiration, let others find theirs.
 
#76
Since when does a bass solo qualify a bass player for anything? What mainstream fan of music ever went to a show to see a bass solo? I mean, if you did a show where all the greatest bass players of all time took their turns playing solos, only bass players would turn out to see it, and it wouldn't be a very large crowd. However, great bass players can make good music great music. ...and in my opinion, there aren't many who can make the grade. Flea makes my list of top four (with John Paul Jones, Aston Barrett, and Phil Lesh). Victor Wooten, while technically masterful, doesn't.
 
#77
I've never seen the RHCP live, but I recently picked up the Slane Castle DVD. Flea puts his soul into it.
I like the music, and no one else could be a better bassist for that band. He's a huge reason they are so successful.
Is he great? I think so.
 

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