• 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.

Michael Anthony

#6
I had a bootleg of VH from 1976(?) or so before they were signed, playing mostly stuff from their first album and some covers.

Let me tell you, the bass was loud in the mix, and Michael Anthony played his ass off; way more progressive than anything recorded for VH. He sounded like Jack Bruce and John Paul Jones combined.

I think once they hit the studio, Eddie was a control freak and Michael got buried in the mix. Shame. But then, 1998 until now with VH has been a shame.
 
#9
"His attempts at soloing or playing more complex lines are superfluous to say the least."
i totally agree with this! his bass solos, if you can call them that, were a total joke. if he could have done more it's a shame he didn't. eddie got all the limelight so it was nice when michael got time for a solo. but he didn't make much of it. spitting jack daniels and kicking over his chair while punching the strings is what the crowd got. i think he was a pretty basic player. and i'm sure i'll get flamed for this, but he's got to be the LUCKIEST bass player in the universe to play in that band.
 
#10
I wasn't really impressed with Mike when I was younger, but I have grown to really appreciate him. He always supports the songs, and he hits all of those harmonies live. I also give him credit of not being a total drama queen like Ed or Alex - he gets along with everyone. Plus, any guy who can lay down those fast-ass 16s of Poundcake live that smoothly deserves some credit.
 
#11
MA is a smart bass-player who provides a solid foundation with the drums and doesn't get very fancy or overplay just to overplay. I don't know if the group dynamics forced him to be that way, or if he just has that innate ability to recognize that he was playing with a virtuouso who changed changed how rock guitar was played and humbly took a backseat.

Is he underrated or just under-appreciated? I am pretty sure that he doesn't have the chops of Geddy Lee and I think that's a safe assumption. However, Van Halen has been massively successful for 30 years now. Their music has held up and still sells, so one can't say the bass work has crippled it in anyway. Eddie's guitar work was so innovative that it was probably wise to stay in the background. That doesn't make for a bad bassist, or even a mediocre one. I think he's a good, unassuming guy and a good bassist who is enjoying his massive success all the way to the bank. His backing vocals are great, too.

I saw the young Van Halen of the eighties in concert three times and the bass solos were odd and laughable. How the heck would you compete with Eddie though? I think he was goofy by design.
 
#15
Uh, you guys do know that Ed played a lot of the later stuff, right? I went to visit them once, with a friend, and Ed ws laying bass tracks...I hate to be the one to be the bearer of "bad news" kids, but yeah; Mike didn't lay some of those bass tracks, Ed did (although I'm sure Mike got the album credits)...his BG vocals are tight, though...I'll give him that.

:hiding:
 
#16
Mike didn't lay some of those bass tracks, Ed did
Click to expand...
That doesn't suprise me at all.

I'm in the dislike club too. MA's playing does nothing for me, and I do not look for virtuoso in song playing, but I find him very boring, almost elementary. I think he's a much better singer than bassist, and if VH was smart they'd stop switching singers around and just let Mike sing em all, he's got a great voice.
 
#18
Basshole said:
Uh, you guys do know that Ed played a lot of the later stuff, right? I went to visit them once, with a friend, and Ed ws laying bass tracks...I hate to be the one to be the bearer of "bad news" kids, but yeah; Mike didn't lay some of those bass tracks, Ed did (although I'm sure Mike got the album credits)...his BG vocals are tight, though...I'll give him that.

:hiding:
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter - Ed didn't play 'em live, Michael did. Looking at it any other way would be like dissing Dusty Hill because of the synth bass used on the later ZZ Top records.... (And yeah, I think Dusty is a 'great' bass player - he might not have the technical prowess of some, but it doesn't matter - what he does, he does very, very well...)
 
#19
musicman5string said:
I had a bootleg of VH from 1976(?) or so before they were signed, playing mostly stuff from their first album and some covers.

Let me tell you, the bass was loud in the mix, and Michael Anthony played his ass off; way more progressive than anything recorded for VH. He sounded like Jack Bruce and John Paul Jones combined.

I think once they hit the studio, Eddie was a control freak and Michael got buried in the mix. Shame. But then, 1998 until now with VH has been a shame.
Click to expand...
I always got the impression he was capable of more than 8th notes on the root. I would have liked to hear more of this approach. "Mean Streets" is a pretty funky song though.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back