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Most Underrated Bassist of all time

#181
Lots of stunning bass players mentioned. I think the guy who introduced me to the percussive bass playing style first was Abraham Laboriel Sr. He doesnt seem to get a lot of mention, but was doing this stuff in the 70's and 80's. Check out Lee Ritenours "French Roast" for some crazy 4's being traded by Abe and Steve Gadd.
He also has a son, Abe Jr, who is one killer drummer AND singer. I have a dvd "Paul Mccartney, back in the usa" Abe Jr plays and sings on. When u get chose to hang with the "Mac" u must have something going on.
Here again, IMHO
 
#185
dWilshireCourt said:
Damn, I'm going in with mine anyway.

I think that Timothy B. Schmidt (Eagles) is very underrated.

Most people don't even know what the "Eagle's bassist" name is.

They refer to him as "The bass player from the Eagles"
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You could almost include Randy Meisner, in that case. Meisner left Poco for The Eagles. Schmidt took over. When Meisner left The Eagles, Schmidt again took over for him.
 
#188
Let's remember that the OP was asking for the MOST underrated of ALL time.

Something else to remember (or realize if you didn't know this) is that ALOT of the famous bass players that we know of in our "favorite" bands are NOT the bass players on the CDs. You can really suck hard when you play live and people can't really hear it in a live setting. Performing is about your stage show more than your sound quality (KISS is a great example). A great many of the famous bass players in bands are NOT good enough to record on a CD! :eek: Yup, it's true! That's why there are STUDIO MUSICIANS who record this stuff for them. Then the performing artists simply try to learn the great bass lines that the studio pros lay out. So remember that some of your favorite players are actually studio greats like T-Bone Wolk, Will Lee, Lee Sklar, Brian Bromberg, etc.
Before you get your panties in a knot about what I just said, you need to realize that the same is true for drummers, guitarists, and everyone else in a band (with the exception of lead singers).
For example: When you listen to a Beatles record, more often than not you are NOT hearing Ringo Starr on the drums. You are actually hearing Paul McCartney on the drums because early on Ringo wasn't good enough to record a decent drum track. John & Paul kept this a secret from Ringo for a very long time (Paul would return to the studio late at night and re-record the drum tracks). I ain't making this up! Anyway, that's just a cool story that I threw in for an example. I saw that on a documentary about the Beatles...so that's the way I understand it.

So your favorite "underrated" bass player may be underrated because he actually DOES suck!

Have a great day! :D
 
#191
semajniwdoog said:
John Paul Jones may be one of best musicians of all time! I don't Know he was underated though (maybe it's the small little world I live in in my own mind) He plays all that mandolin and lute and keys and . . . .
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i dunno i still think he's underrated, i mean nobody knows about him (obviously not helped by him dissapearing into obscurity after LZ broke up), ask any music officianado who the members of led zeppelin were and i guarentee that they name JPJ last, if at all.

hell i read a book about led zeppelin the other day and talk about giving someone the cold shoulder, jeez.. the book went on and on about how amazing jimmy was at guitar and how amazingly huge robert plants penis is, and how wildly insane john bonham was but mentioned next to nothing about jonesy. infact in the synopsis for the lemon song they accused jpj for overplaying!

so yea i'm still under the impression that he's not really rated at all.
 
#193
Number27 said:
i dunno i still think he's underrated, i mean nobody knows about him (obviously not helped by him dissapearing into obscurity after LZ broke up), ask any music officianado who the members of led zeppelin were and i guarentee that they name JPJ last, if at all.

hell i read a book about led zeppelin the other day and talk about giving someone the cold shoulder, jeez.. the book went on and on about how amazing jimmy was at guitar and how amazingly huge robert plants penis is, and how wildly insane john bonham was but mentioned next to nothing about jonesy. infact in the synopsis for the lemon song they accused jpj for overplaying!

so yea i'm still under the impression that he's not really rated at all.
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Jones is very underrated. How can anyone consider the Lemon Song as "overplaying"? That is still one of my favorite Led Zep songs.
 
#194
The fact that nobody has mentioned Guy Pratt in this thread pretty much indicates how underrated he is. He is a great musician, excellent bassist and one of the nicest persons I've ever met. His work can be heard and felt on many successful and memorable recordings, yet he very seldom gets the kudos he deserves.

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#195
kb9wyz said:
I would say Matt Freeman from Rancid. Particularly from "And Out Come the Wolves." Great bass on that album.
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mebusdriver said:
+1. For Shiflett. I'd give Matt Freeman from Rancid a mention too. Not many punk players get recognition.
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Luke S Mouse said:
:bassist:I'd have to think Matt Freeman of Rancid.
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What kind of crack have you guys been smoking?! Even I'd smoke some of that ****. Freeman gets bummed by pretty much everyone who listens to Rancid, underrated isn't really the right word. He might not get talked about much outside the punk circle but pretty much every punk bass player wants to be like him, which I certainly did until I listened to Dead Kennedys more and decided I preferred his tone and style a hell of alot more. Freeman has had a lasting effect on my playing though, cos of him and Flea I can be a bit OTT at times but I have toned it down a little recently, still play some pretty fast/wanky/technical stuff but much more in moderation now.

electracoyote said:
There's an interesting choice. I love the Clash, and I love the basslines, but when I read their biography, it seems Simonon hated his bass. He used to throw it and drop on purpose after gigs and sessions, do the relic thing with sharp objects. I think Mick Jones helped write a lot of the basslines. Still, Simonon belongs on the list for sure. He had a LOT to do with The Clash attitude and look.
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Wasn't expecting that, always thought he'd be well into his bass playing cos of his love of Reggae. To be honest I used to do stuff like that with my bass but that was in my stupid teenage punk days cos I thought it'd make my bass look cooler and stop me from having an opportunity to sell it, although I kinda managed to achieve that by having a massive route cut into it for a Jazz pickup by the neck :p
 
#196
Glad to see Colin Greenwood being mentioned here.
I have to add Georg Hólm of Sigur Rós as one of the best and least talked-about bassists I've ever heard. He doesn't show off any fancy techniques and always plays the best part for the song...and has the perfect tone for the band he's in.

 
#198
Phlatwounds said:
Prakash John

I prefer his stuff with Alice Cooper.
This was probably the tightest rock band ever assembled which also had the two most underrated guitarists of all-time. Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter.
Earlier in their careers they were brought in by record executives to play songs that original band members couldn't play.
"Train Kept a Rollin" and a couple of other songs from "Get Your Wings" are actually Wagner and Hunter. You can easily tell because the "Train" leads are far superior than anything Perry and Whitford could pull off at the time.
They also did this for "Kiss" and others.
And you know what's really funny (or sad) is that Rolling Stones Top 100 guitarists of alltime doesn't even mention these two but it put Lou Reed in there..Haha too funny.
(Wagner,Hunter and Prakash John performed with Lou reed for awhile) ever heard the intro to "Sweet Jane" live..that's them.
btw Rollin' Stone also put Lou Reed ahead of Eddie Van Halen,
Randy Rhoads and Tony Iommi, not to mention lots of others.
What is that a comedy magazine?
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Bob Ezrin's "Go to guys" along with TL
 
#199
RHFusillo said:
Slade from Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers

When they told him to play a walking bass line, he walked off the stage.
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I saw those guys in 1986. They were one of the best collections of talent and good music in the same band.

To top it all off, the opening act:

Allison Krause & Union Station. Her voice (yeah I know; OT).

No mention of Bruce Thomas from Elvis Costello's band?
 

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