• 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.

MEGA THREAD:: Favorite/Best Punk Bassist

#721
Most of the ones I admire have already been mentioned, so here's my post for this thread:

Gaye Advert - I like the way she thumps
Jah Wobble - Maybe Sid sucked, but this guy really complemented Rotten's anger and weirdness
Kim Gordon - ear splitting bass
Mark Cunningham - No Wave at it's highest potential(IMO)

And going to extremes, I think Justin Pearson really does wacky stuff in all of his bands
 
#724
blindeddie said:
i would say, "i can't believe no one has mentioned...", but i forgot to mention him too in my original post.
but man... KARL ALVAREZ of the Descendents/ALL!:eek:
he's an incredible player. AND an even better songwriter. that dude has written some of the greatest "chick" songs of all time. and his playing on albums like The Descendents - All, and the first couple of ALL albums was just waaaaaay out there.
hats off to Karl! totally underrated and overlooked.
Click to expand...

Totally. If you look at the Descendents myspace page, he has another band called the Vultures which he plays in. They only have had 2 songs for the longest time, but they're awesome (it's not a punk band, the Vultures are soul).

Also, idk who said it, but Hunter from AFI is awesome. I still like their music even if everyone thinks they suck now. Hunter brings it all the damn time. Watch their newer DVD when they're all in white, they rock live!
 
#725
:hmm: Hmm, a lot of American "great punk bassists" on this thread. Still, why not? The bass guitar was an American invention (even if punk wasn't ;) :eek: :hiding: ).

No, I didn't come here to start a fight, just wanted to give my vote to Paul Gray (of The Damned circa 1980). He played a Rickenbacker 4001 into various valve stacks and his tone was just awesome (listen to the opening bar of "Billy Bad Breaks", if you want to know what I'm on about)!

Also, he played more different notes in each Damned song, than most punk bassists played on an entire album - he wasn't afraid to make punk rock more "melodic".

Paul Simonon also deserves a prize (IMHO), for "growing up in public", by coming form the "nowhere of bass playing" that was The Clash"'s first album, to being the groove machine behind the "London Calling" album experience! My favourite album, ever ... period!
 
#728
Not until response 49 for Dee Dee??!! Tsk tsk.... I guess we aren't talking about real old school punk. We seem to be talking from the Pistols forward. Man, those guys, as popular as they were, didn't even own instruments when the boys from Queens blitzed the UK.
 
#729
Fender32 said:
:hmm: Hmm, a lot of American "great punk bassists" on this thread. Still, why not? The bass guitar was an American invention (even if punk wasn't ;) :eek: :hiding: ).
Click to expand...

Just curious, if punk wasn't an American invention, what was the first punk act then? I know you don't want a fight, and neither do I. Of course, the first British punk band I can think of is The Damned, who were after Ramones and several other arguably punk American bands. :)

And another Rob Wright fan over here. Not overly incredible chops (who cares? he is very very good, though), but his sheer audacity, volume and his incredible ideas and tone put him near the top of my list.
 
#734
While not exactly punk, Robert Pope from the The Get Up Kids is pretty damn good. He's playing is very melodic and fits the songs very well.

Also, check out Dan Andriano from Alkaline Trio. He's definitely got some skill. The fills he does in between phrases are great.
 
#735
The List Part 2: This has got me feeling nostalgic so I've searched my memory banks and record collection for some more names. I don't represent this as a difinitive list of punk bassists, only some guys who made music that impacted me. If every band isn't exactly punk, they are all related or are important to the idiom. I've also included a few deserving names left off the first list because they had already been mentioned in the thread elsewhere. Maybe one or two of these people will see their names here. 1.Charles Dukowski 2. Will Shatter 3. Fred Smith 4. Dave Alexander 5. Peter Hook 6. Billy Talbot 7. Colin Moulding 8. Brian Ritchie 9. Adam Clayton 10. Michael Bradley 11. Louich Mayorga 12. Lee Rocker 13. Mike Watt 14. Kim Gordon 15. Jay Bentley. 16 Klaus Flouride 17. Charley Anderson 18. Nick Lowe 19. Michael Lachowski 20. Dave Allen 21. Jah Wobble 22. Tim Butler 23. Clint Conley 24. Aston Barret 25. Overend Watts 26. Randy Rampage 27. James Wilsey 28. Lorna Doom 29. Andy Shernoff 30. Andy Hummel 31. Rockette Morton
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back