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Which Bassist "Made" a Band?

OldStrummer

OldStrummer

Dec 29, 2018
92
267
Ashburn, VA
www.mfna.org
#1
Having turned to bass only recently, and having been here just a short time, there are a lot of threads about who's your favorite, who's the most underrated (and probably who's the most overrated, but I haven't seen that one, yet). It got me to wondering:

Is there a bass player in your opinion who, without having been in a specific band, would have caused that band to be just mediocre?

Put another way, while there may be flashy guitar players and superstar singers, would there have been a band that wouldn't have succeeded without the solid playing of a talented bass player?
 
#7
OldStrummer said:
Having turned to bass only recently, and having been here just a short time, there are a lot of threads about who's your favorite, who's the most underrated (and probably who's the most overrated, but I haven't seen that one, yet). It got me to wondering:

Is there a bass player in your opinion who, without having been in a specific band, would have caused that band to be just mediocre?

Put another way, while there may be flashy guitar players and superstar singers, would there have been a band that wouldn't have succeeded without the solid playing of a talented bass player?
Click to expand...

Many.
The Police, The Who, The Beatles, Mr Big, Pearl Jam, Level 42, Flecktones, Cheap Trick, Motorhead, Guns n Roses, Violent Femmes, Black Sabbath, off the top of my head. Plus dozens more. Each absolutely made by a distinctive bass player.
 
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#10
I'm sure lots of successful bands have bassists that contribute a lot to the successful writing beyond just the bass lines, but that makes them valuable, not as bassists, but as writers/producers who also play bass in the band.

The dead would still have been the dead even if they never had any bassist at all and the low end were handled by a keys player. They might've even been more famous if, when not singing, Phil played ocarina and vuvuzela.

Oddly, I feel the total opposite about Phish with Mike.

Paul Young's music career might not have happened at all without Pino.

...but Mayer did not benefit from having Pino any more than he would have with Nate Mendel.

The Beatles definitely benefited from having Paul in the band, writing and singing, but they could have had Stu Cook playing bass in the studio and live and done just great with Paul just singing and playing keys.

Rush absolutely wouldn't have been what it was without Geddy. Likewise with Yes without Chris, and Primus without Les.

The Who's hits... Entwhistle is almost Newsteaded out of them. I can hear the songs in my head and all I hear is synth, guitar, cymbals, Daltry, occasional tom toms and some snare. They might've even been bigger if he'd gone on and became an actual mason and they'd gotten Suzi Quatro to play low notes and sing backup/harmony.

Sublime gets almost no love here, but try to imagine Santeria, April 26th, or Wrong Way with Michael Anthony or Cliff Williams holding it down. Not happening, IMO. Try to imagine them with Novoselic. Hilarious.

I think Nirvana would've still gone pretty far with any other bassist, but Krist did give a distinct flavor to the songs.
 
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#12
Picton said:
I can’t think of any. Other than Violent Femmes.

For bands who made it big, I feel the only really indispensable folks are the lead singer and, to a lesser extent, the lead guitarist. Why? Because the frontman’s voice is more distinct than any other single instrument in the band.

Big-name bands have a star. That’s almost always the singer.
Click to expand...

Generalizations like that are never right 100% of the time ;)

Can you imagine the Chili Peppers without Flea?

Most bass players don’t have kind of distinct voice, but there are certainly a handful that do.

Matt Freeman from Rancid is another prime example, as is Geddy Lee, as is Les Claypool, as is...
 
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#13
Who (unlike most rock bassists who just sit tight in the pocket... and there's nothing wrong with that, Entwistle took the instrument up a notch and stood out as the BASSIST playing killer stuff. he catapulted the instrument forward and should be on the Mount Rushmore of the instrument)

Primus (if you need an explanation, you probably shouldn't be on this site)

Red Hot Chili Peppers (back when Flea played great, his playing and his antics put the band on the map, no question)

Jane's Addiction (honorable mention for Eric Avery... this guy might not have as memorable as Perry or Navarro, but he had some killer lines while in that band)
 
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#16
MDBass said:
Generalizations like that are never right 100% of the time ;)

Can you imagine the Chili Peppers without Flea?

Most bass players don’t have kind of distinct voice, but there are certainly a handful that do.

Matt Freeman from Rancid is another prime example, as is Geddy Lee, as is Les Claypool, as is...
Click to expand...

I’ll respectfully disagree.

We feel that way because we’re bassists. 99% of Rancid’s fans, pogoing in the pit, had no idea who was on bass, and it’s doubtful they’d have noticed if someone subbed.

Not so for the vocalist. Flea? Maybe. But more people followed that band for Kiedis than for Flea.
 
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