What's so special about John Entwistle?

[PullThePlug]

John is like Eddie Van Halen, nobody was playing like that at the time. You didn't see bass players thrashing in the 60s.

I am not the biggest Who fan, but I understand a lot of my metal influences wouldn't be around if it wasn't for John.

 

[superdick2112]

Yes, he was a pioneer.
Yes, he is highly regarded by many.
Remember, just because someone can mimic his style of playing doesn't mean they can write enduring material of that caliber, or create their own instantly identifiable style & sound.

 

[dalkowski]

Someone once described the Who as four simultaneous soloists. If you want to understand JAE, start with that idea. While listening to "The Real Me."

 

[Fialka]

Listen to Live at Leeds for his live chops.
Listen to Quadrophenia for for his studio chops.
Then make your opinion.

 

[micguy]

He played bass in a different way than anyone before him. Kinda like what Hendrix did for guitar or something.

But beyond that, not all that special. ;-)

 

[Goatrope]

It's really not that complicated. Taste is subjective.

This.

I would add that context is very important. Look at what was going on in the world of bass-playing as JE’s style/ sound was emerging.

 

[Peteyboy]

I have more of a problem with Bill Wyman's place in the pantheon, and I've seen bassists on this forum defend him fiercely. I remain unconvinced. These things are annoyingly subjective. I love The Who and I love John's playing. Makes me unobjective.

If you listen to Townshend's demos maybe you'd hear what John normally brings to the table via it's absence. Not that his contributions are all that subtle in the first place...

 

[filmtex]

I suppose that's what I'm looking for.

I don't like rock music all that much, but I try to learn songs from different genres to become a better and more rounded musician. I don't like Black Sabbath or Metallica, but I have learned "Iron Man," "N.I.B.," and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" because the bass lines were interesting.

Entwistle is highly regarded, so I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. I listened to a few of The Who's songs on Spotify: "Baba O'Riley," "Behind Blue Eyes," and "My Generation," but I didn't exactly get it. Maybe they were the wrong songs? Maybe I'm not listening carefully enough?

It seems to me that you've hit the nail on the head about not listening enough. Have you seriously listened to Keith Moon's drumming. Can you keep up with that, or better yet, lead Keith along as the song requires? THere's much more to this than just playing the notes, you gotta know HOW and WHEN to play them. But you knew that...

 

[Spectrum]

Back in the 80s when I was starting out I remember this blowing me away. Skip ahead to 1:55

 

[micguy]

I have more of a problem with Bill Wyman's place in the pantheon, and I've seen bassists on this forum defend him fiercely. I remain unconvinced.

Bill was pretty good at coveriging Keith's bass lines (and Maybe a few of Ronnie's) when they played live.

 

[Silky Johnson]

Borris the spider is a good Entwistle bass-centric song too

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Ahhhh.... let's see......

 

[micguy]

If you listen to Townshend's demos maybe you'd hear what John normally brings to the table via it's absence. Not that his contributions are all that subtle in the first place...

The Who is pretty much the antithesis of "subtle".

 

[Biggbass]

Here's an idea....replace John's bass part on any Who song with your bass part.
Then you'll understand.

And, it might be time for you to turn in your bass player's card.

 

[callofcthulhu]

Don't bother with the Who's recorded material, it's mostly a snorefest.

Live is where it's at:

 

[Peteyboy]

Bill was pretty good at coveriging Keith's bass lines (and Maybe a few of Ronnie's) when they played live.

Sorta. Listen to Get Your Ya Yas Out. We could all do it better than that.

 

[arbiterusa]

The Real Me. Listen to that bass masterpiece, and after you've picked your jaw up off the floor, realize that Entwistle played all the horn tracks on it as well.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

I love their albums all the way through Tommy. After that, I think Townsend was done. The bass was fine but never something that makes or breaks a recording (except for My Generation) . It was all about attitude and more attitude at that moment in time.

John might be great, it just never struck me that way.

 

[JimmyM]

Entwistle was the very first lead bassist, and he did it before anyone else and did it insanely well considering he had no role models like we do.

 

[Jazz Ad]

It's not just the lead parts. He built very beautiful / challenging / groovy support lines.
This song has all these characteristics together.