Underrated Bassists

[wishface]

Listening to Jimmy Bain with Dio/Rainbow. Fantastic.

 

[Signs]

jimmy johnson from JT to crazy fusion and his groove and choice of lines is sick

+1

The people who play bass with more than four strings have him to thank in no small part. He developed a 5 string with low B with Alembic in around 1976 or so, and is supposed to be one of the first to do so...

 

[SunnBass]

David Wm. Sims - The Jesus Lizard
Bob Weston - Shellac
Kim Gordon - Sonic Youth
Frederick T. Erskine - Hoover (from D.C.)
Joe Lally - Fugazi (these are some serious basslines people, talk about drummer/bassist synchronicity)

 

[peledog]

+1 on Joe Lally

 

[jbassmaniac]

Peter Cetera-old Chicago stuff

 

[jbassmaniac]

T-Bone Wolk 1990s SNL BAND

 

[rubbadubdub]

Can't believe that no one has mentioned Dusty Hill or Sarah Brown. Glad to hear Danny Thompson mentioned though.
What about the dude who played that awesome line in 'Horse With No Name'?
Half a million bass players who just get on with making their bands sound great.
All of us who ever heard that 'oh the bass only has four strings so it must be inferior / easier to play the guitar' grrrr.......

 

[bassdude51]

Man! There are many passed over bassist! Players that fullfill the job of being a real bass player!

Dusty Hill of ZZ Top

Stu Cook of CCR

Just a long, long list of fantastic bassists that are over looked!

It's the glitz bassists that get the attention. The "blue collar" bassists, nobody cares.

 

[FerK]

After 7 pages of underrated bassist, I wonder if John Taylor from Duran Duran can be considered underrated. His lines are full of technical finesse, they are powerful, drive the song and are very distinctive. His dead notes in "Rio" or the staccatos in "Girls on film" are worthwhile mentioning in every discussion about good bass lines in popular music. Underrated ? Not sure. Like John Paul Jones, mentioned a few pages back...don't know that he's really underrated.

What I'm sure of is that, as someone already said earlier, soon enough every bass player in history (outside Jaco, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten) will be in this list.

 

[rubbadubdub]

+1 on John Taylor
I still play the Rio line from time to time for my own pleasure and to show off my technique when I want to impress someone. Funny thing I read an interview with him somewhere once where when asked what strings he used he simply said that he didn't know or care!! I think he may have been trying to make the point that it didn't make a big enough difference in the scheme of things.
It didn't stop him writing one of my favourite b lines ever.
Not really relevant the thread but one of the members of Duran when asked at an unemployment benefit interview what job he wanted to secure replied 'pop star'. Those dudes knew where they were going and to a 17 year old wannabe bass player, like me at the time, that was truly inspiring.

 

[thunderstation]

Martin Turner (original wishbone ash)
Dennis Dunnaway (original alice cooper)
John Mcvie (fleetwood mac)
Guy Berryman (cold Play)
Kim Deal (the pixies)

 

[rubbadubdub]

Adam Clayton.

Running...............

 

[treekiller]

Bob Sheehan(R.I.P.) of Blues Traveler

Carl Radle is a big favorite of mine

 

[Ricksflynn]

David Wm. Sims - The Jesus Lizard
Bob Weston - Shellac
Kim Gordon - Sonic Youth
Frederick T. Erskine - Hoover (from D.C.)
Joe Lally - Fugazi (these are some serious basslines people, talk about drummer/bassist synchronicity)

+1 for Bob Weston and +100 for Joe Lally, brilliant player!

 

[michael_t]

The people who play bass with more than four strings have him to thank in no small part. He developed a 5 string with low B with Alembic in around 1976 or so, and is supposed to be one of the first to do so...

+1 Another vote for Jimmy Johnson! (...and I don't even play a 5-string.)

 

[Jack Butler]

Who's ever playing bass on the theme to "the People's Court."

The drummer on that Was pretty amazing also. Whoever that was could really work a hi hat like no other.

ha +1

 

[Meddle]

Bernard Paganotti

 

[Ric5]

I've always thought that there were some bassists who never got their due for putting out the work that they did. I'd say Roger Waters and Roger Glover never got enough talk even though they had some good bass work.

Roger Waters best skills are song writing and arranging. He is a good bass player but some of the best Pink Floyd bass lines were performed by David Gilmour.

Roger Glover is a very good bass player.

 

[Ric5]

All amazing players, frequently left off the best-of lists...

Noel Redding
Carl Radle
Jim Dewar
Johnny B Gayden
Bill Wyman
Chas Chandler
Willie Dixon

Noel Redding and Bill Wyman are both over rated.

Willie Dixon ... great song writer and great live and studio player.

 

[etoncrow]

Kenny Gradney of Little Feat
(Gradney, Richie Hayward and Sam Clayton were arguably the best rhythm section ever)