In the end, it's all personal taste. You really thought what he played on that video was bland? I really liked it, very simple, use of different octaves for emphasis. I mean other than the few fills he did he was only playing five notes, right?
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.
Here's some totally bland Lee Sklar, for sure.
No soul, no tone, no imagination. Just a "studio guy" with nothing to say.
No soul, no tone, no imagination. Just a "studio guy" with nothing to say.
Yes, watched this earlier. I agree with him fully!! Play what you love and use the right tools for you for the things you play.
I can think of one or two records where having the bassist use a 5-string just ruined it. Felix Cavaliere and Steve Cropper did a record together. The rhythm section should have gone old school. Nope. Super modern sounding drum kit and a 5-string. It was otherwise a decent record, but the rhythm section just sounds wrong on it. One bassist friend called it: it's like when a record has the wrong snare sound on it all the way through. It's all you can hear.
But other situations, modern R&B and Gospel, just come alive with a 5-string. It depends.
But other situations, modern R&B and Gospel, just come alive with a 5-string. It depends.
It's cool you have a different opinion than most, that's what makes these forums interesting.
Clearly though, it's pretty condescending and you come across as inexperienced.
I don't know any musician that has ever been in the studio that cannot respect what he does. Even today when sloppy playing and errors can be cleaned up in the DAW, multiple takes aren't an issue other than burning valuable studio time. He was doing this in a time when tape machines were rolling, cleaning up sloppy takes wasn't really an option, and studio musicians really had to lay it down at a higher level than what is required today. Come in, learn a track, create a bass line, all within an hour or less, then start the tape rolling.
Not just lay it down, but come in and create bass lines that complimented the song, fit in the mix right, and left the people booking him feeling good enough that he would be called back over and over again. You have to try this sometime to see just how difficult this can be.
To me, this guy is the epitome of a bass player. Not a wanna be attention seeking guitar player or lead singer stuck playing bass, looking to call attention to himself. Bass is not a lead instrument, and the mark of an immature and egoic player is a bassist that looks to make it about themselves. Your job is to support the singer and the song. He is a pro as it gets.
I don't agree with his politics either, but I don't see how you can't appreciate his bass playing. I love his intensity, and his lines are perfect for the stuff he does. He does throw some tasty fills and funky stuff in there too, but carefully chooses those places.
I find intensity is what he is lacking the most.
He comes across as if bass playing is merely a job...not a passion...25000 songs that he recorded and the majority he likely never played again nor would probably even recognize. Assembly-line songmaking.
He spits out basslines like an accountant spits out numbers.
Last edited:
A good bassist could have played the five and you would have never known it was a five. You do not always have to play the B any more than you always have to play the 20th fret (high D#) of the G.
Great, so we have a great player making a valid point, & folks are choosing to use it to attack his playing style or lack of passion, et al. This is the sort of thing the man was talking about.
The fact that he's played on over 25000 tracks over a 50-year career speaks for itself as for whether he's got a formula for success. My suggestion would be to listen to what he has to say, because he clearly knows something about this instrument and this business.
He sure does, if you want to be an invisible session sideman. If that's your goal he's definitely a source of information. His tone and note choice are milquetoast enough to satisfy most for such muzak.
One of the most successful, and best, session/live bassists of all history, still one of the most in demand session players in the world.
Joe Osborn is a session musician like Lee Sklar, just a little older. Osborn played on a lot of recordings, some of the major historic records, like Sklar. Osborn probably played on lots of forgettable songs, commercials, and soundtracks, like Sklar. No session musician always plays on profound and timeless project anymore than any other musician.
Joe Osborn is a session musician like Lee Sklar, just a little older. Osborn played on a lot of recordings, some of the major historic records, like Sklar. Osborn probably played on lots of forgettable songs, commercials, and soundtracks, like Sklar. No session musician always plays on profound and timeless project anymore than any other musician.
FYI - ignorance is not a virtue. Nor is jealousy.
Yes, but I can ALWAYS point out Joe's tone and style INSTANTLY on ANY recording. He is instantly identifiable yet still completely serves the song and doesn't overplay. He played with a passion even on the worst jingles and throwaway songs.
Joe's the opposite of Sklar who just blends in anonymously. There's just no style in it. Which, is the point of a session man. But, Joe transcended that. He injected style and an identifiable tone into a zillion songs both good and bad, but you always knew it was him. Everything Joe played it actually sounded like he thought it out and cared about it, even though that probably wasn't the case. Sklar just...kinda plays the song. Nothing more, nothing less. Especially tone-wise.
His era? The guy is in his 70's and probably played more gigs last year than you may do in a decade.
OK, I know when further discussion is pointless.
Lee Sklar is very cool, heard of him and his playing on the soundtrack of life itself, but who's Flying B?
More than that, though...
... attributing synths' takeover in any era to one player (or even several) is ... wow. Wow!
Bland is the spaghetti with no thought put in the sauce.
More than that, though...
... attributing synths' takeover in any era to one player (or even several) is ... wow. Wow!
Bland is the spaghetti with no thought put in the sauce.
I hate to say this , but he may not be old enough....
Seriously, your post was seriously funny.
