RIP Andy Rourke

[Grinderman]

Andy Rourke, bassist for the Smiths, dies aged 59

Pancreatic cancer.

 

[thunesBARROW]

Andy Rourke: The Smiths bassist dies aged 59

 

[BassVibes]

Sad news today as the passing of Andy Rourke is annnounced.

Simply the most gifted bass player of my generation. Beautiful bass lines that will stand the test of time. There was no one better than him him at his craft.

RIP Andy Rourke

 

[ElectroVibe]

One of the greatest bass players in the history of rock.

 

[GregC]

Oh no! What a great player. He was such a critical part of their sound. And yet outside of fellow bass players, he rarely got his due because of the focus on Morrissey and Marr. RIP.

 

[May Cassidy]

Upon waking up this morning I learned that Andy Rourke of The Smiths passed away. It's the first time in a while I've cried at the loss of someone who isn't a family member. Andy was and still is a massive inspiration to me and the way I play the bass. There might already be a thread like this but I'd like to take some time to highlight some of his best work and give a space for people to talk about him. Best wishes to his family and friends, I know he's struggled with cancer for some time.

I'll be playing my P Bass with a pick for a while now. He was my absolute hero.

(Edit: Weird random pic of an issue I was having with my StingRay attached. I'll remove it once I'm at a computer.)

 

[erik_ghoulet]

He was the best. One of my favorites.

RIP.

 

[Eden Ray]

Just read of it a few minutes ago.
Listening for Reel Around the Fountain right now, in sadness.
Their music and his bass lines made me dream and will forever.

 

[knumbskull]

RIP, great player. those basslines were a huge part of the music.

 

[foal30]

A sad loss
Rourke was a critical part of one the most influential and important bands of all time

A lot of cool parts on a catalog of superb tunes.

This Charming Man
Reel Around the Fountain
Barbarism Begins at Home
The Queen is Dead
The Death of a Disco Dancer

 

[ewe2]

I woke up this morning with This Charming Man in my head so this news is pretty horrible. That bassline is particularly amazing for being played on a Precision which is super hard for me and the John Peel session version has attitude. He made the Smiths more original, complementing Marr in ways that made Marr's songs much better, and was paid tuppence for it. He left bass in a better place than where he found it.

 

[May Cassidy]

A sad loss
Rourke was a critical part of one the most influential and important bands of all time

A lot of cool parts on a catalog of superb tunes.

This Charming Man
Reel Around the Fountain
Barbarism Begins at Home
The Queen is Dead
The Death of a Disco Dancer

One of my high school history teachers plays bass and he had this late '60s P Bass he let me play. The first thing I played was Death of a Disco Dancer and he just nodded his head while I was playing.
When I check my bass sound live I always use Barbarism to test things out.

 

[herndonbassist]

A very sad loss, The Queen Is Dead album was given to me by a cousin when I was 13 and it changed my perspective on music. Very sad day indeed.

 

[foal30]

What Difference Does It Make?
Last of the Famous International Playboys
I Know It's Over
The Draize Train
Girlfriend In A Coma

Rourke had a lovely "bounce" to his rhythmic lines.

 

[May Cassidy]

What Difference Does It Make?
Last of the Famous International Playboys
I Know It's Over
The Draize Train
Girlfriend In A Coma

Rourke had a lovely "bounce" to his rhythmic lines.

The Peel Session version of What Difference Does it Make is a great performance from all members, but I love the attitude in Andy's playing there. It's also mixed nice and loud which is how I like it.

 

[instrumentlevel]

Wow. Very sad. His energetic, melodic bass lines and unique, coolly-kinda-off-kilter style made him one of my bass heroes when I first heard Hatful of Hollow. Huge influence, that band. We're doing There's a Light That Never Goes Out in one band right now and it's such fun to play.

 

[clayfiske]

I was a huge Smiths fan in the 80's. When I discovered them along with other "new" artists like Aztec Camera, Echo and the Bunneymen, and Chameleons UK on a cassette called Survival Sampler, I was taken aback by The Smiths. Andy's bass playing was always an inspiration. The opening lines on This Charming Man get me moving. Rest in power and F cancer.

 

[kobass]

Damn. RIP Andy...

Sitting in with Johnny Marr at MSG in 2022...

 

[May Cassidy]

Wow. Very sad. His energetic, melodic bass lines and unique, coolly-kinda-off-kilter style made him one of my bass heroes when I first heard Hatful of Hollow. Huge influence, that band. We're doing There's a Light That Never Goes Out in one band right now and it's such fun to play.

Bigmouth Strikes Again was in one of my band's setlists and it was always so much fun for me to be able to play that song with a band. All those hours playing along with Smiths' albums when I was just learning came full circle

 

[Michedelic]

An original bass voice with not technical, but tricky, lines.