Least favorite bassist?

[wade_b]

I dont think he dropped the bass. It sounds like the wireless unit on the strap hitting the body in mid air. If it dropped on the floor, it would have made much louder noise than just 'clang'.

No, he threw that bass up in the air and it broke in a many pieces when it hit.

It's well documented: this is the bass of doom that was recently un-earthed after years of MIA.

You're right about the sound you hear, but that's because the video stops while the bass is still in midair.

 

[wade_b]

We all have days when we are great (or think so) - and days when we all suck wind (or think so). The audience may not always agree, in either case.

Well, Jaco's audience clearly disagrees with your assessment that he had "terrible stage presence".

Jaco's own actions on the stage, as I have documented and shown, also clearly disagree with your assessment.

And it's also rather telling that you have not offered up any examples of bassists that have excellent stage presence.

As such, it seems pretty apparent that your opinion is un-informed and jive.

That's okay - you're free to say you dislike him.

But when you offer an opinion on a performance aspect, then you should expect to have that opinion challenged with observable facts.

 

[Thorsoundcore]

+1 for jaco.i don't give a flying f*** about that guy.and i don't really care what all the hype for him is all about.i know about 99.9% of the people on here love him.but i'm the 00.1% that doesn't.

 

[Bassgrinder77]

Geddy Lee, JP Jones, Jaco, Flea, Jack Bruce ...
All those egotists with the arrogance and temerity to play like that are an insult to the wisdom and taste of the collective bass playing masses.
Kroeger of Nickleback is a far more tasteful example of truly admirable bass playing.

I shy away from saying "worst" bassist, because thats objective. Who is your least favorite bassist? It can be someone from popular music or someone you know (if it's not someone in the popular conciousness, include a brief story containing reason you dislike this person from a personal or musical standpoint.

I'd like to nominate Pete Wentz, but that's almost cleche now. I'll go with the current "bassist" for a band I joined after I had been playing for 3 months. Needless to say, after another month, I realized these guys had no idea what they were doing, and left after they asked me to go on tour with a Christian rock festival in Tennessee (I live in Maine). This guy started as the singer, then moved to bass after I bounced.


*Note* The drummer was a friend of mine, and left for the same reasons at the same time I did. We jam about once a week, and just for laughs, one of us will break into the opening of the "signature" song we had. It always ends with him hammering the double bass pedals and me reverting to Fieldy-type click-clacking

 

[wade_b]

Geddy Lee, JP Jones, Jaco, Flea, Jack Bruce ...
All those egotists with the arrogance and temerity to play like that are an insult to the wisdom and taste of the collective bass playing masses.
Kroeger of Nickleback is a far more tasteful example of truly admirable bass playing.

Exactly!

Why pursue excellence through dedication to music, when you can embrace mediocrity and craft the most non-memorable basslines that slot in perfectly with the most non-memorable tunes?

 

[lowend1]

Well, Jaco's audience clearly disagrees with your assessment that he had "terrible stage presence".

Jaco's own actions on the stage, as I have documented and shown, also clearly disagree with your assessment.

And it's also rather telling that you have not offered up any examples of bassists that have excellent stage presence.

As such, it seems pretty apparent that your opinion is un-informed and jive.

That's okay - you're free to say you dislike him.

But when you offer an opinion on a performance aspect, then you should expect to have that opinion challenged with observable facts.

Alright, already - I'll talk!
Bassists whose stage presence I actually like(d), (if you can believe that)
Cliff Williams
Steve Harris
Gary Thain
Glenn Hughes
Phil Lynott
Geezer Butler, and (yeah)
John Entwistle
All of which means nothing, because they are mostly just "big dumb rock bassists".
What I found "telling" about the responses to my post is that none of you guys defended other bassists who were brought up repeatedly in the thread (none of my faves BTW), and who were dumped on alot worse than the way I criticized Jaco. This leads me to believe that some of y'all are about bolstering Jaco's legacy, and not really about being "bass altruistic".
...and keep in mind the title of the thread (which I didn't start). I came into the this expecting not only to voice an opinion, but to be prepared to hear those of others - including the ones I didn't agree with.

 

[wade_b]

Alright, already - I'll talk!
Bassists whose stage presence I actually like(d), (if you can believe that)
Cliff Williams
Steve Harris
Gary Thain
Glenn Hughes
Phil Lynott
Geezer Butler, and (yeah)
John Entwistle
All of which means nothing, because they are mostly just "big dumb rock bassists".
What I found "telling" about the responses to my post is that none of you guys defended other bassists who were brought up repeatedly in the thread (none of my faves BTW), and who were dumped on alot worse than the way I criticized Jaco. This leads me to believe that some of y'all are about bolstering Jaco's legacy, and not really about being "bass altruistic".
...and keep in mind the title of the thread (which I didn't start). I came into the this expecting not only to voice an opinion, but to be prepared to hear those of others - including the ones I didn't agree with.

I like all of those cats.
And it's okay for you to not like Jaco, or his stage presence.

But that's not what you said: you said he had "terrible" stage presence.

That's a statement of fact, not opinion.

I try to be as altruistic as I can: I listened to Jaco with an open mind and heard something really, really special there.

I've also listened to Vic Wooten with an open mind but I fail to get much from his playing, a lot of which quite frankly annoys me.

So I'd say I'm pretty altruistic: I don't dig a bassist just because it's cool to dig him.

I do think it's interesting you put Geezer in there - he didn't really do a whole lot on stage, nor did Phil Lynott, who was trapped in front of his microphone for the most part.

And John Entwistle? That guy was a statue man - great player but a STATUE.

I also think it's interesting that they are all rock bassists (nothing wrong with that, I love rock and roll. But different styles of music require a different stage presence and approach. Cliff Burton head-banging is great for metallica but would be laughable on a Weather Report or Joni Mitchell gig)

Do you really think that Jaco could have gotten away with putting his leg up on a floor monitor and rocking the front row the way Steve Harris does? (BTW, I saw Maiden on their "Somewhere In Time" tour - they were great)

I submit to you that the stage presence of any of those cats you listed (except Entwistle, who stood there like a statue) would not have been appropriate for Jaco for the gigs he was doing.

You gotta understand that Jaco was into Jazz and fusion. Most of those cats just stood there and stared at their instruments. He brought a new fire into that genre and got the attention of the audience at the same time: he called his approach "Punk Jazz".

 

[IbanezATK]

Sweet Jesus. Paul McCartney?

No kidding! SIR Paul McCartney?!

 

[wade_b]

No kidding! SIR Paul McCartney?!

Paul was born with a groove.

Tell me this doesn't groove. From 1963 after he'd only been playing bass for a few MONTHS.


If these 2 lines don't groove, I defy you to show me what DOES.

In fact, I defy YOU the critic to play that line from "Silly Love Songs" with the same touch, feel and note envelope that Paul cops.

I betcha can't do it - cuz if you COULD, you wouldn't be criticizing the man's abilities.

 

[Billy Low]

Least favorite bassist
Jaquo III-x
I will not detract from his immense playing abilities, he is skilled and talented. I don't like the man. When I spoke to him he was arrogant and could not take honest criticism. News flash, if you do not want my opinion, you shouldn't ask for it.
And of course Fieldy

Wow! Thats funny! I believe that I can say that I know Jauqo pretty well and I can say with utmost assurance that I have NEVER heard him ask me or any other person to critique his playing! Oddly enough, I haven't seen the arrogance either. He has been probably one of the most open and giving individuals I have met in life.

 

[afroman]

Gene Simmons and Fieldy for the worst tone in bass history.

IMO of course.

 

[Ric5]

There are some really good bassists who slap way too much and are quite unpleasant to listen to ...

 

[jwinton]

I just feel like, if you need to trash other players, especially people making huge $$ playing bass for a living, then you have too much time on your hands not perfecting your craft...Now Pete Wentz I do not care for, but he does not "suck", just not my cup o tea...As for those trashing Stu Hamm and Jaco, all I can say is you have no clue. They're both exceptional in technique, execution, vision and they're respected worldwide by anybody who has any musical clue.

 

[kamakiriad7]

Exactly!

Why pursue excellence through dedication to music, when you can embrace mediocrity and craft the most non-memorable basslines that slot in perfectly with the most non-memorable tunes?

Plus, this gets you to the masses! Finally, the key to success!! This should be moved to the instruction forum.

On the non-sarcastic topic, John Myung is both one of my favorite bassists and one of my least favorite bassists. Technically, he's very innovative, and his earlier style was very untraditional - often employing high double stops, subtle contrapuntal lines, and unusual inversions in progressive metal. (!) From 1997 onwards, however, his style has basically been to double whatever John Petrucci's playing (or vice-versa) to create a unison line. This seems to make up a good 80% of Dream Theater's material.

They're still one of my favorite bands, and nothing gets my hands going like warming up with some of his riffs, but I just wish he could be a little more creative in his bassline construction.

EDIT: another that comes to mind is Marcus Miller. LOVE the tone and production skills, but he's too one-dimensional. I mean, the guy has a lot of potential, but he slaps WAY too much and there isn't enough variance for my tastes. Victor Wooten slaps a lot as well, but his tone and writing varies a lot from song to song, album to album, making for a well-balanced listen.

 

[ronster91]

Pete Wentz

 

[backline112]

Pete Wentz

Is he a bassist?

 

[Korladis]

Jaco is a great player, I can't deny that. However, listening to his music is kind of an academic experience for me. It's more study than recreation.

And I have to second everyone who said Fieldy. I have no idea why some people go nuts over that guy. I can't stand his tone. There is no note definition at all.

 

[lowend1]

I like all of those cats.
And it's okay for you to not like Jaco, or his stage presence.

But that's not what you said: you said he had "terrible" stage presence.

That's a statement of fact, not opinion.

I try to be as altruistic as I can: I listened to Jaco with an open mind and heard something really, really special there.

I've also listened to Vic Wooten with an open mind but I fail to get much from his playing, a lot of which quite frankly annoys me.

So I'd say I'm pretty altruistic: I don't dig a bassist just because it's cool to dig him.

I do think it's interesting you put Geezer in there - he didn't really do a whole lot on stage, nor did Phil Lynott, who was trapped in front of his microphone for the most part.

And John Entwistle? That guy was a statue man - great player but a STATUE.

I also think it's interesting that they are all rock bassists (nothing wrong with that, I love rock and roll. But different styles of music require a different stage presence and approach. Cliff Burton head-banging is great for metallica but would be laughable on a Weather Report or Joni Mitchell gig)

Do you really think that Jaco could have gotten away with putting his leg up on a floor monitor and rocking the front row the way Steve Harris does? (BTW, I saw Maiden on their "Somewhere In Time" tour - they were great)

I submit to you that the stage presence of any of those cats you listed (except Entwistle, who stood there like a statue) would not have been appropriate for Jaco for the gigs he was doing.

You gotta understand that Jaco was into Jazz and fusion. Most of those cats just stood there and stared at their instruments. He brought a new fire into that genre and got the attention of the audience at the same time: he called his approach "Punk Jazz".

I never used the word "terrible" - although I may have implied as much. (so it's not fact)
Stage presence is not merely about moving around. It's about the image you project, even if you're standing still. Entwistle was like a monolith onstage. While Townshend, Daltrey and Moon flailed around him, Ox was, well, yeah, a statue - but so is Mount Rushmore, y'know what I mean? If he had been running around, he wouldn't have been The Ox.
Geezer actually moved alot in the old days - check some of the 70s clips on YouTube.
Lynott just "had it" - gaffed to the mic or not, he was a star. While I'm on the subject, singing bassists sometimes have the best stage presence. There was a local guy here in NJ years ago that was just 100% raw presence, and not in a goofy, corny way - just genuine and special. Never saw another guy look so natural singing AC/DC and Sabbath while playing an old Mockingbird bass.
I'm not implying that Cliff Burton's stage moves would have worked for Jaco - but there was a certain "clumsiness" to the way Jaco moved onstage, IMHO. So in the same way that his playing never spoke to me, Jaco's stage movements don't either.

 

[wade_b]

I'm not implying that Cliff Burton's stage moves would have worked for Jaco - but there was a certain "clumsiness" to the way Jaco moved onstage, IMHO. So in the same way that his playing never spoke to me, Jaco's stage movements don't either.

That makes sense.

He did have an odd way of moving about, that's for sure.

But that's exactly what I liked about him: it didn't come off as contrived - it was just Jaco, being his very quirky and unusual self.

In fact - maybe that's what I dug and still dig about him; his quirky moves contrasting with the smooth grooves and unpredictable lines that he would play.

Also the sense that sense of amazement and confidence that he radiated; some interpreted that as arrogance, but to me it always seemed more like he was channeling something beyond himself and being amazed by it.

 

[Jawsh!]

Mark Hoppus??? if he is even considered a bassist

he's actually pretty decent, he just plays a genre that doesn't necessarily require a lot of technical bass riffs. And i'd actually say that his personality makes up for any amount of mediocre bass playing he could dish out haha.