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Honestly, Flea Is not overrated at all

#81
It Is good to see all of these replies!
Lots of very interesting points of view (both for and against my thought) and experiences, i really wish i was there when RHCP started their journey, like you lucky ones! ;)

It's also really Amazing to see that so many of you appreciated my post and shared my same view, in fact, we turned my humble opinion in a flea-appreciation section of talkbass :D

Keep groovin' :bassist:
 
#83
RickyT said:
He's not my favourite player but 14 year old me who had just started playing bass in 1991, was absolutely blown away by Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

Live is where I think he really shines. His live tone and energy is unmatched. I saw them in Feb this year and was in awe of his performance (the whole band were on fire).

He's creative, unique and there's only one Flea!
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BSSM has a really distinct tone yeah, i agree, i believe he used a WAL bass on most of the songs, for sure on "give It away" as my ears tell me
 
#84
nnnnnn said:
Isn't that because he sings out of tune? A lot.

I like some of Flea's work, sure, and Chad is great, but I would only listen to their work with other artists because I can't deal with the out of tune vocals on RHCP songs.
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I personally like how Anthony makes "mistakes", i really couldn't think of RHCP with a different vocalist, but i see your point, it's not everybody's Cup of tea :smug:
 
#86
dkelley said:
imho, as a trained musicians myself, technique is only wrong if it impedes what you are trying to accomplish as a musician or if it prevents you from continuing to play later in your life (due to physical damage to your body from doing it wrong for so many years).

I see none of that with Flea, so his technique is literally perfect for what he does. This is well demonstrated when considering how accomplished a musician he is, as opposed to someone playing simple lines all the time where we could presume maybe that visibly odd technique might actually impede progress.

Also, the thumb position/shape is extremely different for different people... my thumbs don't bend how many other people's thumbs bend... and I slap just fine (although much much less than I used to, although thanks to modern metal gradually embracing slap more, I may return to it some to see if I can master the more current slap techniques versus the techniques I did in the 80s and early 90s).

Flea knows more about theory and chords and harmony and jazz and musical theater than I bet most members of this bbs know, and has proven time and time again that he can play anything he wants to play.

And hell... he's the most entertaining bassist to watch in the entire world... my subjective opinion. How the hell he plays like that while moving like that completely escapes me.
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Flea to me Is like a benchmark for bass stage presence, he's such a great showman
 
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#87
HolmeBass said:
His autobiography is a work of art in my opinion.

I have not read the whole thread, but so far glad to see folks giving Flea his props. I have read detractors on here claiming he's good but not all that, and referring to his harmonic simplicity, or the fact that an accomplished bassist can cop his lines easily. What is missed in these criticisms, and in the accolades so far, is his pen.

Flea wrote all of those hits for the Chili Peppers. Sure they write collaboratively, but Flea does the monster share of the heavy lifting, and has assumed more of the composition duties as the band has matured. It's his pen that catapulted the band to its massive success. In this regard, even though he doesn't sing, he's more like Paul McCartney or Sting - it's his song writing and his star power that are his greatest attributes.
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This ^^ Is a very overlooked topic, thanks for bringing our attention to It! I totally agree! :thumbsup:
 
#88
Lowend65 said:
Flea - interesting character and great player. If you have a chance to check out his autobiography, especially as a book on tape, I suggest it.
Flea is one of those guys like Jaco, Johnson, and Wooten (etc) who changed how the instrument was approached. People had to learn his style. Flea does what he does, he has his persona and within that he's perfect. . He can be quite sloppy... that's also part of his vibe. Flea doesn't strike me as a particularly flexible player, I don't think he could sit in a Jazz trio or go out on the road with Peter Gabriel al-la Tony Levin. But I could be wrong all we hear is what the band 'sells' us.
I personally think most of the RHCP stuff since BSSM (with notable exceptions) has been, poor. But that's also not on Flea, that's on the band. It speaks a lot for just how influential Flea is, that people blame him for the quality of RHCP's albums. No other 'popular' bassist on earth carries that weight. Ie, No one craps on Mike Inez for an Ozzy Osborne record being weak.
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I really happen to like BSSM and post BSSM more than the previous records, maybe stadium arcadium being my overall favorite, i really like that unique pop-rock vibe that RHCP hard in that album, but i also see why you like the other ones more, It Is a matter of personal taste afterall!
 

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