Which Bassist "Made" a Band?

[StatesideRambler]

It’s a safe bet that the Melvins are not of this category. Sometimes I’ve had the impression that bassists last in that band nearly as long as a set. There isn’t terribly much rock bass that impresses me but I do feel that the Who wouldn’t have made it without Entwistle, nor Rush w/o Geddy, the Beatles w/o Paul on bass would’ve been less than they were even had he still done vocals, Squire’s bass with Jon Anderson’s voice defined Yes (to me) and John Lodge was indispensible in the Moody Blues. I’ll go along with Flea (RHCP), John Deacon (Queen), Lemmy (Motorhead), Les Claypool (Primus) and some others but with less enthusiasm than those I named above.

 

[Pings Bass]

The dude from The Doors

Leroy Vinnegar! Definitely the best thing that ever happened to that band!

Only joking.

But seriously, in the Latin world we have (had) Juan Formell (Los Van Van) and of course Cachao, who "made" every group he played with.​

 

[LordRyan]

May 1 is Leroy Vinnegar Day in Oregon.

 

[Thumpin6string]

All of them.

 

[Fxpmusic]

Leroy Vinnegar! Definitely the best thing that ever happened to that band!

Only joking.

But seriously, in the Latin world we have (had) Juan Formell (Los Van Van) and of course Cachao, who "made" every group he played with.​

Yeah!!!

In that case, Sal Cuevas did the same in Salsa. His work with Ruben Blades and Ismael Miranda was insane and his personality shined through every track he played in.

 

[Jokei]

Jimmy Fernandez - God Machine.
Bob Weston - Shellac
Mark Sandman - Morphine

I'll argue I'd prefer Flea not in RHCP, because then maybe he wouldn't be let down by Keidis and their horrible frat-rock... his work on Mars Volta is 10/10, but every time I hear Keidis I cringe.

 

[nilorius]

All solo bass artists now and early times. From early days most popular could be Flea from RHCP.

 

[GManfromOz]

Cake .

 

[pedroims]

Iron Maiden wont exist without Steve.
RHCP without Flea
Rush without Geddy
Motorhead without Lemmy
Yes without Chris
The Beatles without Paul
The Who without John
King’s X without Doug

And of course Kiss without Gene, maybe a not so talented musician but amazing business man.

 

[TheBassPreacher]

I’ll respectfully disagree.

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

Possibly, but I think a lot of people followed for Flea as well. When I first started listening to RHCP it was because of Flea, and I wasn't a bass player at the time.

 

[thebreakman]

Steve Harris is the backbone of Iron Maiden. John Entwistle but only when Moon was the drummer because the band's sound changed so much after he passed.

 

[jamro217]

Rocco Prestia. Tower Of Power would still be good, not great. Rocco and David Garibaldi make them much more than just another horn band.





I still can't believe no one's mentioned The Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious yet.

 

[dBChad]

Mike Dirnt of Green Day. While Green Day is known for lyrically clever songs, Dirnt's playing really makes it interesting.

Justin Chancellor of Tool. All the bass lines are crucial to the songs.

Emma Anzai of Sick Puppies. Not just someone's girlfriend they put on bass because it'll be easier to learn, she is a legitimately skilled bassist. She can pick, slap, finger style, and tap, seamlessly transitioning from one style to another.

Duff McKagen of Guns and Roses. Not satisfied with just following the root and throwing in a 5th here and there like many rock bassists, his baselines actually add to the songs.

Tim Commerford of RATM. To be fair, he shares the spotlight with Tom Morello's ingenuity, but if you're going to blend rock and hip hop while making people feel a certain kind of way about social injustice, you need someone to lay down a funk-fusion groove that hits you in the chest.

 

[Uncle Hanky]

I think from the heavier side of things, one can point to Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse, Jeff Walker of Carcass, and Glen Benton of Deicide.

I’m also sorta surprised that no one has mentioned Mike Dirnt. I’m not a fan of Green Day, but I grew up during their heyday, and I don’t think that band would sound remotely the same without him.

 

[brianrost]

would there have been a band that wouldn't have succeeded without the solid playing of a talented bass player?

Bon Jovi

 

[smtp4me]

Definitely Phil, and then Lemmy, of course. Guitarists could come and go, and it wouldn’t matter. Now, Yes would be an interesting discussion. I wouldn’t want to go there, but CS’s distinct style and contributions were monumental.

I agree and I'll go there - with any other bass player and equally as important, any other bass tone, Yes would not be Yes.

 

[PA-Trick]

Definitely James Jamerson, even if he didn't make the band, but rather the whole label or even genre/era ^^

 

[JohnPaulSmith]

John Paul Jones

 

[K2000]

Dee Dee Ramone—how else would they have known when to start every song?

Dee Dee Ramone wrote a lot of their material during their prime years. When Dee Dee left the band, that was the beginning of the end.

I agree with Mark Sandman (Morphine), Lemmy, Chris Squire, Steve Harris, Jaco, and basically every other comment. I am not a Kiss fan but Gene Simmons is IMO by far the single most important, most recognizable member of the band.

I wanted to add Pino Paldino (with Paul Young), Aston Barrett (Bob Marley & the Wailers), Tufty (Toxic Reasons), Chris Ballew (Presidents of the United States of America), Barry Adamson (Magazine), Jah Wobble (Public Image Limited), Peter Hook (New Order), Joe Preston (Thrones), Billy Sheehan (Talas, Mr. Big), Tony Levin (with Peter Gabriel), JJ Burnel (the Stranglers).

I'm pretty surprised that there's a bass player on here who can't think of any positive answers to the question. I feel bad for you.

 

[McBass18]

John Deacon from Queen. Not only did he write some of their big songs: Another One Bites the Dust, Your My Best Friend, I Want to Break Free, etc. He was also an electricial engineer and built the amp for Brian May that gives him that orchestral sound on many songs.