Thoughts on Roger Waters as a Bass Player

[darkwasthenight]

Certainly not much of a technician but a significant majority of beginners who picked up a bass post-1973 will have had a crack at playing 'Money' as part of their journey, which I think qualifies him as Successful if not outright Influential. Smoke on the Water isn't exactly a Blackmore shredfest either, but y'know...

 

[Medicine Man]

He didn't play bass the whole time on this year's tour, but what he did play on sounded pretty good.

 

[tim gueguen]

The first Gilmour bass credit on a Floyd recording is on Ummagumma, where he played bass on his LP side. The next is on Meddle, playing with Rogers on "One of These Days." He's credited with "additional bass" on Wish You Were Here, so good luck figured out what he might have played on the album. (Waters is credited with "additional guitar.") He's credited for "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" and "Sheep" on Animals. (Interestingly Waters is credited with rhythm guitar on both those tracks.) On The Wall Waters played on 13 tracks and Gilmour on 11, including both on "Comfortably Numb." There were several tracks with no bass.

 

[macmanlou]

What I really admire Roger most for is his work with MusiCorps' Wounded Warrior Band.

 

[macmanlou]

 

[Pdaddy1978]

I read somewhere that everytime Rodger would win some poll as "best" bass player, he would laugh and say..." Thanks Dave!".

 

[micguy]

Roger was the 2nd best bass player in Pink Floyd ... right behind David Gilmour.

If we put Guy in there...3rd.

 

[tbz]

Super basic. He's admitted himself he doesn't enjoy playing bass much. Anytime the bass does anything remotely complicated in PF music it's probably not him playing.

Last time I saw him live 5 or so years ago the music suffered anytime he picked up a bass. As he's definitely either deteriorated physically to the point that he can't play, or just doesn't play enough. Probably a bit of both as he really only played bass for a song or two in the several hour set.

Love the guy as a songwriter but I don't really think he considers himself much of a bassist.

Also. Someone above mentioned that the bass line in Money was hard. I…just can't agree with that. Money is like the sloppiest interpretation of odd time. A good bassist would make that 7/4 sound less awkward.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

I always appreciated his use of effects.

 

[tbz]

I think he's an accomplished player, composer, and performer.

But with the never ending feud over Floyd, for me he's one more very rich and privileged famous musician for whom so much is never enough. These long festering disputes, like CSNY among others, just seems like school children. Successful, blessed men shouldn't act like pouting schoolboys. Grow up, settle your differences once and for all, and move on.

I lose patience with all the BS.

I think the Floyd situation is kinda complex.

Gilmour was hired as a sideman.

Then he later rebelled and kicked the main songwriter in the band out. Over a decade long Cold War.

That, by modern standards, is super sketchy. He at any time could have pulled his head out of his ass, and just gotten along with the band leader. Which is expected when you're brought into a successful working band, as a nobody.

But for some reason people generally don't frame it as "former side man, who then was allowed to have an oversized creative presence in the band, rebelled." Probably because Gilmour ended up with the band name. So all of the label's advertising money went to supporting his narrative.

From the side of Waters, I can see that being very hard to swallow. "We hired you as a replacement and you decided to take the whole thing over. Then spent decades bashing me via the media." Hard to move past that.

 

[Ric5]

here judge Roger for yourself



look at the body language of the other guys in Pink Floyd ... they don't seem to enjoy being on stage with Roger nearly as much as Roger seems to enjoy being on stage with them.

 

[bobba66]

I haven't listened to them in 40 years but I remember them being quite trippy and interesting. He must have done something right.

 

[HolmeBass]

I have come to learn that all of my favorite bass performances on Pink Floyd's recordings were performed by David Gilmour.

Roger Waters is a great song writer though.

 

[Jefenator]

He's exactly what was needed to make Pink Floyd what it is. Their artistic & commercial endurance speaks for itself.
I can disagree with his philosophy about the importance of the rhythm section and still appreciate his contributions.

 

[Jack Butler]

I'd say he's written some great bass lines, but I honestly don't even know how many of them he wrote/played on vs Gilmour. Live, Guy Pratt is way superior in every way.

 

[higain617]

I've got to admit that Piper at the Gates of Dawn is my favourite album of all time, I like the frenetic playing from all the members, Roger's bass is great on that album too. As the albums roll on though I think that he really gets better, just wanted to know if anyone else appreciated his bass skills as well as his obvious songwriting skills

I think his playing was "economized" a bit as the arrangements were reigned in. He would get out there on the Syd records. His tone was always cool. I imagine that Gilmour had a hand in dialing those in.

 

[thisheregiraffe]

I don't enjoy much of Pink Floyd's work without Barrett, but I guess I agree with the folks saying the Roger Waters' bass playing "gets the job done". His bass playing is not extraordinary, but it also doesn't stand out to me as bad. That'll do.

 

[Hot Rats]

It's funny, ya know, I've been listening to Roger play the bass line for Dogs since late 1974 when they called it "You've Got to be Crazy" on a lot the bootlegs I have. David played what Roger wrote.

 

[DeliriumTremens]

It's funny, ya know, I've been listening to Roger play the bass line for Dogs since late 1974 when they called it "You've Got to be Crazy" on a lot the bootlegs I have. David played what Roger wrote.

This is correct. Sheep aka Raving and Drooling has essentially the same bass part in the early live versions as was played by Dave on the album. I read somewhere that Dave could often track the parts faster than Roger so that's why he recorded them

 

[KidAmnesia]

I think the Floyd situation is kinda complex.

Gilmour was hired as a sideman.

Then he later rebelled and kicked the main songwriter in the band out. Over a decade long Cold War.

That, by modern standards, is super sketchy. He at any time could have pulled his head out of his ass, and just gotten along with the band leader. Which is expected when you're brought into a successful working band, as a nobody.

But for some reason people generally don't frame it as "former side man, who then was allowed to have an oversized creative presence in the band, rebelled." Probably because Gilmour ended up with the band name. So all of the label's advertising money went to supporting his narrative.

From the side of Waters, I can see that being very hard to swallow. "We hired you as a replacement and you decided to take the whole thing over. Then spent decades bashing me via the media." Hard to move past that.

Well, Waters did take Barretts place as band leader and took creative control of the band allowing the rest of the members, Gilmour included, each time less creative space to the point of the two last albums being practically solo records.

And Mason and Wright decided to stay with Gilmour rather than keep working with Waters, so there's that.