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Which Bassist "Made" a Band?
- Thread starter OldStrummer
- Start date
For me, Bruce Thomas with Elvis Costello & the Attractions.
An argument can be made that it's more the Attractions as a whole than Bruce, but for me, once Elvis moved on without them, his music became really boring.
An argument can be made that it's more the Attractions as a whole than Bruce, but for me, once Elvis moved on without them, his music became really boring.
yea but phil lynott was cool thin lizzy my fave band of all time
Not really my cup of tea but.. no mention for Bernard Edwards??
Darryl may be the better instrumentalist (and i play drums as same as good as Charlie W.) but being a good musician is definitely never tied on its virtuosity but the trace he left in music history. And yeah, being not more than a clever copyist Ron Wood will never climb on Mick Taylor's level. Keef is way best riff composer ever with rather limited tec-spec.Darryl Jones is unquestionably a better musician than Wyman ever was, but the Stones' sound (IMO) was defined by its members' individual limitations and personalities. Keif and Ronnie together can barely string together 8 bars of lead guitar, but that's their sound. Charlie makes up for lack of flash by staying deep in the groove. Replace any of those guys with virtuoso players, and it's just not the Stones anymore. Mick's arguably the best musician in the band, and that's honestly not saying much.
Not only an excellent player, but an excellent songwriter/producer too, along with Nile Rodgers... (I'm not a disco person but how can someone THAT relevant for this thread be forgotten?yes bernard edwards was an excellent player a good choice
)
With his distinctive tone and style, I think this British gentleman should be number one on the list:
And this other British gentleman should come close second:
And this other British gentleman should come close second:
Even after Zender left, Jamiroquai never settled on mediocre players...each bassist after were all bad to the bone players.
Probably because most of us think of Nathan as a session/touring guy. But yes, he's a great player who gets far too little love!
Not only an excellent player, but an excellent songwriter/producer too, along with Nile Rodgers... (I'm not a disco person but how can someone THAT relevant for this thread be forgotten?
I added him a few pages back....as did others
The Who
Cream
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
Fleetwood Mac
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Sly and the Family Stone
The Jefferson Airplane
Black Sabbath
Motörhead
Iron Maiden
Public Image, Ltd.
Can
Joy Division
The Cure
Anything with Bootsy on it
The Funk Brothers
Booker T. and the MGs
The Wrecking Crew
Van Halen
The list could go on forever, but these come to mind on the first pass.
Cream
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
Fleetwood Mac
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Sly and the Family Stone
The Jefferson Airplane
Black Sabbath
Motörhead
Iron Maiden
Public Image, Ltd.
Can
Joy Division
The Cure
Anything with Bootsy on it
The Funk Brothers
Booker T. and the MGs
The Wrecking Crew
Van Halen
The list could go on forever, but these come to mind on the first pass.
Last edited:
Damn how could I forget about The Cure. you're absolutely right, without Simon we may never have heard of them. His groove and lines defined the songs, almost secretly in come cases. Love his work and the band doesn't exist without him IMO
I saw Booker T. last year in Portland with Melvin Brannon Jr. on bass. Booker T. is still putting on a show, and Melvin is a fantastic bassist and consummate performer.
Darryl may be the better instrumentalist (and i play drums as same as good as Charlie W.) but being a good musician is definitely never tied on its virtuosity but the trace he left in music history. And yeah, being not more than a clever copyist Ron Wood will never climb on Mick Taylor's level. Keef is way best riff composer ever with rather limited tec-spec.
Loved the Stones during Mick Taylor's era. Great songs, groove, albums.
Certainly a great example and I would say not just for his bass playing. The idea of Yes was conceived by Jon and Chris and both of them were key to the group's unique vocals. Until he passed away, there was no group lineup called Yes that didn't include him and he is the only one in every lineup.
Otto
