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Geddy Lee, best bass player.

#83
hrodbert696 said:
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.
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Absolutely.
DrayMiles said:
When you're young, you come up with statements like that... It's ok to have heroes, but as soon as you get some musical mileage, you hopefully will have a moment of clarity. There is no best anything in Art. There are people that move the bar or stand out, but best? I would hope not...
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Words of wisdom.
 
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#84
BIG Geddy Lee fan here.....

He's my favorite rock bassist. He along with Chris Squire are the reasons I decided to learn to play a bass.

BUT.....

He's not the best bassist. There is no "best" bassist.

Would Gary Willis fit in with Rush??? I highly doubt it. Would Geddy Lee be able to play in Tribal Tech?????



Maybe you mean he's your "favorite" bass player?
 
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#85
I think he's the best performing multi instrumentalist out there, not necessarily the best bassist. His ability to multi-task on stage, singing relatively challenging parts, complex aggressive basslines, bass pedals, keyboards, sound triggers, etc, is awe-inspiring. His voice is an acquired taste, I actually like it better now that its deepened and mellowed a little. Id put him in the top 10 of living rock bassists, parsing it any finer gets to be meaningless IMO.
 
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#86
He is great. Best Lead-Singer Bass player- for sure. (if there was a best)
Not a fan of his recent song output though. Regardless of what anyone says Rush hit there peak with Moving pictures then had two good follow ups with Grace Under pressure and Power Windows. Most everything after that has been meh and more or less dis-appointing.
I am also not a fan of his "flamenco" technique- would rather he used a pick for that type of playing.
 
#87
Geddy is definitely one of my favorite rock bass players, there are a few others like Steve Harris who was also a big early influence. Like others I don't believe the term "best" is applicable in the arts because it implies a finite defined comparative standard in which to judge players against. That aside, he could have easily stuck with one signature sound and milked it, but as a mark of a true artist, Geddy's tone, style and approach have change and evolved over the years.
 
#88
obimark said:
He is great. Best Lead-Singer Bass player- for sure. (if there was a best)
Not a fan of his recent song output though. Regardless of what anyone says Rush hit there peak with Moving pictures then had two good follow ups with Grace Under pressure and Power Windows. Most everything after that has been meh and more or less dis-appointing.
I am also not a fan of his "flamenco" technique- would rather he used a pick for that type of playing.
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Hey, I use that technique, don't be a hater :p

If it works, it works. ;)

Personally I used to be a pick player, but found that classical guitar style fingering to give me a lot more freedom of expression and in the end to fit my prefered style of making up bass lines better.

(I have to admit the kind of music Rush make doesn't seem to have anything to say to me either. I can appreciate their musicmanship and their talent, but their songs doesn't resonate in me as something profound and worth listening to for extended periods of time)
 
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#89
I've been a Rush fan since 1980 and Geddy is the main reason I stayed with the bass. Is he the best? I would not even set that up for a debate. There are too many amazing players with different styles. I would not hesitate to call him one of the greats. Like Chris Squire (Rest in peace God of the low end) he offered a new approach to bass playing.
 
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#92
Bodeanly said:
I'm a Geddy Lee fan, until he starts singing. And it's not that his voice is bad; it's just not for me. But it's dismissive to say that he's the best bass player, especially when you consider just how large of a pond you're fishing in.
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Agreed. "Statistically speaking", I'm confident Geddy's bass playing would have better statistics than his singing, whatever those statistics might be. But even his bass playing doesn't completely do it for me; I'm a huge Squire fan and the two are often regarded as similar, but for me Squire's lines tended to be melodic, while Geddy's often just strike me as busy. Of course, either are better than I am, no subjectivity involved.

And it really pained me to go back and edit that "tend" to be past tense.
 
#94
Yes, before posting a thread like this you should probably do some research on the vast pool of great bass players who have graced our planet ;) Rush may be your biggest influence right now, but as you grow as a bassist you will find out there are a LOT of great players many of whom can play circles around Geddy Lee(not taking anything away from him of course as he is a great player and is the "best" bassist for Rush). Look at some of the great studio players of the last 40-50 years... Jamerson, Will Lee, Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller, and a whole HOST more!
 
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#97
obimark said:
He is great. Best Lead-Singer Bass player- for sure. (if there was a best) ...
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Hmm ... I seem to remember a Brit who had a band with three other lads, played bass and sang lead (and harmony!). Rather an influential guy on bass, and sang ... well, better. There was also a fella who played bass and sang with some fella named Clapton, I seem to remember him being kinda influential ...

So, no, there is no "best". :bassist:
 
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#99
BassismT20 said:
View attachment 646339 I have no idea how much folks talk about Ged. Discuss?
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5 pages and counting!

Geddy is heavily discussed here.

I have to admit that while I like what little of his playing I have actually heard, I could never sit through an entire Rush album. I did like "Third World Man" enough to buy the 45 probably because it sounded like the Police ;)
 

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