Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Geddy Lee, best bass player.
- Thread starter BassismT20
- Start date
Yes, Geddy Lee is one of the Best Bassist out there, and Les Claypool, Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm, Flea, Ryan Martini, and so on and so on.
Not that I am particularly worldly, but I had honestly never heard of Geddy Lee or Rush before I joined TB about a year ago. And I am not young.
I figure that the hype is a Canadian thing.
I figure that the hype is a Canadian thing.
Can't argue with you about Geddy Lee being the best if he meets "your" criteria as the best. In making a statement like that you are opening the door for unfair criticism of Geddy Lee.
My favorite bass players are Marcus Miller and David Dyson.
I choose to say favorite because the term best is subjective and can't be measured.
Last edited:
Geddy Lee is a great one in the company of the best. The best dont need to be ranked.
With that said YYZ is an incredible song.
With that said YYZ is an incredible song.
I would love to say: "consistantly the best" ,but nowadays I can't really make out what he's playing most of the time.
I can say with no doubt that if I hadn't heard 2112 all them years ago I probably would have never picked up a bass.
So, not best, but pretty much up there near the top for me.
Love the quad necked axes. I've got the original pic as my facebook sig thing.
I can say with no doubt that if I hadn't heard 2112 all them years ago I probably would have never picked up a bass.
So, not best, but pretty much up there near the top for me.
Love the quad necked axes. I've got the original pic as my facebook sig thing.
Yes, and it's meaningless to talk about "statistically the best." Statistics have nothing to do with subjective judgments.
Indeed. He doesn't come across as arrogant.
I've seen many very adept bassists, even just locally, with chops of Geddy Lee's level, so best in terms of bassist? Unlikely. But being in Rush means not just being a bassist, singer, occasional guitarist, songwriter, or keyboard player, but also having the charisma to be a front man, being a team player, diplomat and business man. As can be seen from the wreckage of many a band, all of these qualities in one person is relatively rare.
There is no "Best".
There are no best musicians, there is no best music. Judgements like this are not just subjective and totally dependent on the individual, but within that individual opinion there exists a widely changing set of criteria.
An example? Well, there is no best food. One day I might want a fine dining experience prepared by classically trained French Chefs, the following day I might want some Chinese or Indian, perhaps I might crave the clean simplicity of Sushi, there are times when I want Barbecue, and sometimes only a simple big rare steak and fries will hit the spot. So who is the best chef?
As delicious as a big rare steak can be, I don't want it for every meal. So I'm just as likely to listen to a Mahler symphony, some world music, some Sibelius, some Rush, and there are times when only the raw simplicity of someone like AC/DC will do, so to be honest the best musicians in the world are the ones that are are meeting my listening needs at the time I'm listening to them.
There are no best musicians, there is no best music. Judgements like this are not just subjective and totally dependent on the individual, but within that individual opinion there exists a widely changing set of criteria.
An example? Well, there is no best food. One day I might want a fine dining experience prepared by classically trained French Chefs, the following day I might want some Chinese or Indian, perhaps I might crave the clean simplicity of Sushi, there are times when I want Barbecue, and sometimes only a simple big rare steak and fries will hit the spot. So who is the best chef?
As delicious as a big rare steak can be, I don't want it for every meal. So I'm just as likely to listen to a Mahler symphony, some world music, some Sibelius, some Rush, and there are times when only the raw simplicity of someone like AC/DC will do, so to be honest the best musicians in the world are the ones that are are meeting my listening needs at the time I'm listening to them.
Geddy Lee is no doubt a really talented player, personally I couldn't care less though as the music Rush play has nothing to say to me, although I like some prog. rock.
I'll bet there are people better than him at playing bass too, both within the rock genre but especially within the jazz genre.
My best bet on the greatest rock bassist is Trevor Dunn (one of my personal all time favorite bass players), he is a very vertible player, and could play any genre equally good. He even plays jazz and an upright too, and does a damn good job at that too.
Trevor Dunn is the Mike Patton of bass.
I'll bet there are people better than him at playing bass too, both within the rock genre but especially within the jazz genre.
My best bet on the greatest rock bassist is Trevor Dunn (one of my personal all time favorite bass players), he is a very vertible player, and could play any genre equally good. He even plays jazz and an upright too, and does a damn good job at that too.
Trevor Dunn is the Mike Patton of bass.
Last edited:
I'm a big Rush fan but nope. You need to look at other genres other than Rock & metal. For example, jazz bassists can smoke Geddy.
You say statistically speaking he's the best, but what actual statistics were you considering to label him the best?
He might very well be the best bassist ........in a successfull Canadian rock band. But PLEASE have a look around, there must thousands of Berklee graduates under 20 years old that can outplay him with one hand tied behind their back. Times have changed and the level of musicianship has risen tremendously.
If we are talking number of nodes played pr. $ earned I am pretty sure he fails pretty big at least to make the top of the statistics
Speaking strictly in terms of skills, yes. But we all know that musicality is not just about chops. It's about making music that impacts people. The thing that's true about Geddy's playing and not so much about, say, John Myung, is that people CARE about his playing. I'm sure Myung could play a circle around Geddy, but no one would care. I agree with everyone that's said it's subjective and there's no way to say who the "best" bassist is. That would be like asking who the better composer is, Bach, Mozart or Beethoven? But just because a modern composer could write a piece that's more complicated than Bach doesn't make them a "better" composer than Bach.
