Who plays harder lines while singing: Les Claypool or Geddy Lee?

[Papazita]

Geddy.
Once you get the rhythm and left/right hand coordination worked out, most of Les' lines really aren't all that difficult, especially compared to Geddy.
I got to see Primus at one of their Tribute To Kings shows a couple week ago. It was on my birthday so I went VIP. This same question was asked during the Q&A session. Even Les says getting through a Rush song is "really ******g hard."

 

[morgansterne]

My friends have this painted on the wall at their jam space, so I know how they'd vote.

 

[TinyE]

Geddy once said he has to keep the bass lines simple enough he can sing over them. If those are simple lines, then Luke, I'm your father.

 

[dkelley]

Having played and sung both les and geddy, in their lives versions you can hear geddy simplifying some, while les is incredible at the complexity of his bass parts and singing at the same time.

So I easily give the vote to Les.

I didn't consider the last option in the poll though, since the subject of the thread was les versus geddy in bass playing complexity while singing.

Probably the last box of the four is most correct vote, to be honest.

But based on the criteria of les/geddy, I would easily state that primus bass parts are very complex while he sings completely unrelated rhythms and styles, live being just as complex as in the studio.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Trick question. As Jay Leonhart conclusively demonstrated, it's impossible to sing and play the bass:

 

[maxschrek]

Paul McCartney

 

[GreyBeard]

As a bass player who also sings lead and backup I have to pick Geddy mostly because I'm a big Rush fan and haven't listened to Les all that much. The Bobby McFerrin & Esperanza Spalding jam is on an entirely different level and I just watch in awe.

 

[fishdreams]

I went with Geddy, since his bass phrasing is so all over the map, and on top of that gets to wrestle those Ayn Rand tomes he didnt write into singing lines . Meanwhile to my ears Les operates on very cleanly executed grooves in both word and bass deed. And Les gets to write his own lyrics so that surely helps with plotting them out along the basslines in the writing process.

 

[john_g]

I went with Geddy, since his bass phrasing is so all over the map, and on top of that gets to wrestle those Ayn Rand tomes he didnt write into singing lines . ...

Yeah that one song in 1974 i remember that!

 

[Basslice]

A follow-up question is, "which bass player could play and sing the other's stuff better"?

My vote is Claypool.

 

[DJ Bebop]

(254) NO MEANS NO : Live at The Starfish Room. SOS! Subscribe to keep this channel available. - YouTube

Well, if you guys are going there...

 

[Spirit of Ox]

Well, if you guys are going there...

Yeah Mike is one of my biggest heroes. He can sing and play really well but I always look at him as a bassist first, vox second. I take that same route myself. I sign my songs because I want to keep my band a trio and not have a dedicated lead singer.

 

[Obese Chess]

I'm going to say Geddy. Les' parts, at least the ones that he sings over, are largely very percussive and all about economy of motion, playing in a rhythmic yet repetitive pattern. Geddy does not give himself that advantage.

 

[thunesBARROW]

Geddy.

 

[jnuts1]

Nope.

They also hang out. Les is still floored by him and his playing.

what do you mean? Les specifically sites Geddy as one of his main inspirations playing rush songs for days at a time. without Geddy the Les we know would not exist.

 

[jnuts1]

who are you people that like this Level 42 and mark king? he is a great player but those songs are cheeseball city

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

what do you mean? Les specifically sites Geddy as one of his main inspirations playing rush songs for days at a time. without Geddy the Les we know would not exist.

Yeah. That's what I said

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

who are you people that like this Level 42 and mark king? he is a great player but those songs are cheeseball city

Like your profile pic?

 

[Papazita]

Geddy.
Once you get the rhythm and left/right hand coordination worked out, most of Les' lines really aren't all that difficult, especially compared to Geddy.
I got to see Primus at one of their Tribute To Kings shows a couple week ago. It was on my birthday so I went VIP. This same question was asked during the Q&A session. Even Les says getting through a Rush song is "really ******g hard."

As an aside to my original post, the next question to Les was "are any of YOUR songs hard for you to play?" "DMV," said Les. "Somehow I thought writing a song that I needed 18 ***damn hands to play, and sing at the same time, was a great idea."

Ler laughed. "DMV is the easiest song for me!"

"Mine too," added Tim.

"So I pretty much *****d myself with that song is what you're saying?"

 

[Michael Segura]

So when I read "harder" I thought it meant intensity! It's a tough one, Les slaps the crap out of his bass but Ged is almost always digging into his like a rabid animal.

In terms of difficulty, Les has tunes like Tommy the Cat and Jerry Was a Racecar Driver. Then Ged has tunes like Circumstances, Show Don't Tell, and Hemispheres which is pretty intense.

My verdict is that Les probably plays harder/more difficult parts but it's harder to sing Ged's vocals.