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What's so special about John Entwistle?

#82
To me, Entwistle was a freakin force of nature—a true monster of a player whose raw power was a big part of shaping the evolution of rock. However, if he doesn’t resonate for you as a player, I don’t imagine anything anyone else says is going to change how you experience him. I would just suggest that you not I’ve up on him yet. Dig into some of the material that has been suggested in previous posts beyond the radio standards and see if it changes your thinking. If it does, great! If not, you still get points in my book for being open to exploring music in a genre that isn’t typically your cup of tea. There are probably some death metal bassists out there who are seriously talented players, but I’ll never recognize that or get to appreciate them because death metal doesn’t blow my skirt up and I’m not putting in the effort to broaden my horizons like you are. I truly wish that I was more adventurous about exploring music outside the genres I’m naturally drawn to.
 
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#83
jallenbass said:
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I’m not that much of a Rock guy either these days, but The Who were my first concert, way back in 1968, and I came away from that a changed man. They were the first rock band to feature bass so prominently, so I guess he was a pioneer. At that time most people playing electric bass rolled off as much treble as possible, and as you can see, his conception was not that. I think he had something to do with the development of round wound strings, and that alone changed the standard for electric bass for a long time. Chops not bad, either.
 
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#86
Mr. Entwistle was a prolific solo artist as well (and yes, I do have the Who By Numbers album framed on my wall...) :)











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#87
FunkyYeti said:
I'm not the biggest rock fan out there, but I can see why people like John Paul Jones, John Deacon, Geezer Butler and the likes.

I can even see why people like Cliff Burton, although I think he's seriously overrated.

But I don't understand why John Entwistle is so highly regarded here on TalkBass and in the media. I listened to The Who's top songs on Spotify and watched a few videos on YouTube. Sure, he has that sort of tapping technique and a few fills on "My Generation," but is that it? I guess he did come before Jones et al., making him a pioneer?

I'm being serious here. I'm not trolling. What am I missing?
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I love this video and I once thought the same about Entwistle and really any bass player. I saw them as 100% interchangeable.

Unless you're a troll and just want to ruffle feathers...in which case you're a D-bag.

Cheers!

 
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#89
Yango said:
What's so special about John Entwistle?

Nothing, according to Pete Townsend. And I guess he should know.
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He’s shown that he just turned into a cranky old man with that interview, which I supposed was staged to get some attention. Maybe he’s angry that without that rhythm section, he’s merely playing in a Who tribute band(not to denigrate the hired help, they’re doing what they’re there for, but why are there so many people on that stage?).
 
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#93
FunkyYeti said:
I'm not the biggest rock fan out there, but I can see why people like John Paul Jones, John Deacon, Geezer Butler and the likes.

I can even see why people like Cliff Burton, although I think he's seriously overrated.

But I don't understand why John Entwistle is so highly regarded here on TalkBass and in the media. I listened to The Who's top songs on Spotify and watched a few videos on YouTube. Sure, he has that sort of tapping technique and a few fills on "My Generation," but is that it? I guess he did come before Jones et al., making him a pioneer?

I'm being serious here. I'm not trolling. What am I missing?
Click to expand...

Try live at Leads...for one...
 
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#96
Peteyboy said:
Townshend also said he's glad that Keith & John are dead. I love The Who but Pete has always been less than grateful to the dudes who shaped the sound for him.
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I will reiterate my post#90, and add that for many years, off and on, there was no love lost between him and Roger. I love The Who, loved their style, loved Pete’s songs(actually was fonder of the pre-Tommy stuff), Entwistle was a guiding light/inspiration, but Pete was always a bit full of himself.
 
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#97
I saw The Who in 1989 (I believe) at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. I EXPECTED to be blown away by John to a certain extent, but he was 2 or 3 levels above what I was prepared to see. UNBELIEVABLE.

A lot of guys took rock bass in new directions after him, but I think of him as the GOAT for rock bass. And I say that as a Geddy-head Rush fan boy. Geddy was my hero, but John was the GOAT and the first to do so many things on the instrument.
 
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