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Who's Overrated? Who's Underrated?

I often wonder how much time people actually invest in listening to a players work before they dismiss their abilities.
It so much easier to criticize something without really understanding it. The same goes for religions, race and cultures.

What do you listen to?







How large is your collection of music that you don't like?





Thought so... ;)
 
I often wonder how much time people actually invest in listening to a players work before they dismiss their abilities.
It so much easier to criticize something without really understanding it. The same goes for religions, race and cultures.

I wonder how many people consider that everyone just has different tastes and that it's perfectly possible for someone to not like something you do - and understand it just fine.
 
Looking at those Kiss videos, I thought of something. If most anybody does something long enough they'll get somewhat competent -- and then there are those, who year after year, show that they're astonishingly untalented.

Ooh...underrated (or at least not very recognized) Bruce Thomas with Elvis Costello. GREAT player.
 
I often wonder how much time people actually invest in listening to a players work before they dismiss their abilities.
It so much easier to criticize something without really understanding it. The same goes for religions, race and cultures.

I wonder how much time people actually invest in listening to another player's opinion before they dismiss their belief.
It's so much easier to criticize something without really believing it. The same goes for religions, race and cultures.
 
Ooh...underrated (or at least not very recognized) Bruce Thomas with Elvis Costello. GREAT player.

+ 1000000000! Bruce was one of the most influential bassists to me (more than Geddy) b/c he was so melodic without ripping modes, etc... He "over-played", especially in small -almost trio-like setting, but made the songs MOVE and I loved it.

Thanks for recognizing him, too bad he sounds like a tool in real life.
 
I don't think age has much to do with i. If that were the case, all older bass players would be better than all younger ones and that's just not the case. I've know dozens of people who start young, show tremendous promise and wind up quite ordinary.

Tai -- I think she's actually a little overrated. She's so cute you can't help but not like her. But if she were a 40 year old fat guy with a fuzzy beard she'd just be considered "pretty good."

What I meant by that innocuous comment is it will probably take me that long to get to her level of playing. Not that it's a rule of thumb. No one thinks bassists ripen with age man. Plus, what do her looks have to do with it? Is she less talented because she's an attractive woman? Get their name right if you're going to call someone overrated.
 
IMO, as long as you don' tplay roots your entire career, you at least deserve the title of good. If you actually move around the fretboard alot nad are musical and inventive, you're great. IMO, great is NOT wanking and playing super complex time signatures and playing 60 bajillion notes a second. Where's the musicality in that?? Sorry, I'd rather sit and hum to catchy basslines by Macca, Gene Simmons, Duff McKagan, Robert DeLeo, etc, any day before those jazz fuso wankist types.

:bassist:
 
Gene is seriously underrated. One of the best rock bassists of all time. Notice, I said ROCK. Let's stay within context here. Gene was not a jazz wanker. Never claimed to be. Most who bash the guy have never heard more than two KISS songs.
You really need to hear more rock bassists, I guess. I've heard more than my share of Kiss, having grown up in the '70s and early '80s. I'm not saying he was bad, by any means. In one band, we played a cover of Rock & Roll All Night, and it was fun with a nice little walking line. But one of the best rock bassists? I never imagined anyone would say that.
 
What I meant by that innocuous comment is it will probably take me that long to get to her level of playing. Not that it's a rule of thumb. No one thinks bassists ripen with age man. Plus, what do her looks have to do with it? Is she less talented because she's an attractive woman? Get their name right if you're going to call someone overrated.


Meant to say, "She's so cute you can't help but like her."
 
so I'll stop being polite. Gene Simmons is a superb marketer of himself. He's worked hard, and he's reaped riches. Smart businessman. Industrious. Cool costumes. Fun show - yes, I've seen them. Credit where it's due.

But as a bass player he's entirely ordinary, pedestrian, not distinctive in the least. At least his time is okay, and he doesn't detract from the songs.

Simply not playing the roots all the time doesn't make one a great bass player.
 
so I'll stop being polite. Gene Simmons is a superb marketer of himself. He's worked hard, and he's reaped riches. Smart businessman. Industrious. Cool costumes. Fun show - yes, I've seen them. Credit where it's due.

But as a bass player he's entirely ordinary, pedestrian, not distinctive in the least. At least his time is okay, and he doesn't detract from the songs.

Simply not playing the roots all the time doesn't make one a great bass player.

Then what does?

So, in other words, if you're not Jaco or don't play jazz and aren't pretentious, you are no good?? If that's the case, then nobody that has been mentioned in this thread is any good.

You're dismissing the work of TONS of bass players.
 
You really need to hear more rock bassists, I guess. I've heard more than my share of Kiss, having grown up in the '70s and early '80s. I'm not saying he was bad, by any means. In one band, we played a cover of Rock & Roll All Night, and it was fun with a nice little walking line. But one of the best rock bassists? I never imagined anyone would say that.

Maybe "one of the best" is too strong a description, but he isnt nearly as bad as everyone that bashes him makes him out to be.
 
Then what does?

So, in other words, if you're not Jaco or don't play jazz and aren't pretentious, you are no good?? If that's the case, then nobody that has been mentioned in this thread is any good.

You're dismissing the work of TONS of bass players.


No. Your creativity certainly helps. Arif Mirabdolbaghi is NOT creative (in some cases) In other cases he can be very creative. Well, in comparison to other bassists, he is. But he follows the guitar almost 100%. Sometimes he is creative with funky lines. He is nowhere near jazz. He does not play the roots but it takes decent skill to play his lines. They add to the song greatly.

Dan Briggs, is quite creative. often there are sections where he is playing without the guitar or he is playing something totally different from the guitar and it all adds to the song very well.

Justin Chancellor - While it doesn't take much skill to play his lines, he is the most creative bass player I know of.

Adam Nitti - While moderately creative, it takes insane ability to play his material. Think his song Skitzo. It's nothing but running modes and scales, which is what people practice after learning their modes, scales, and chord tones, which he obviously has. He is also Jazz so that lowers his ranking slightly based on your comment.

So my ranking for those four:

4.Arif
3.Justin
2.Adam
1.Dan

I picked these four as they represent the four kinds of bassists in my mind. Skilled, Creative, Soiled, and Essential.
 
Then what does?

So, in other words, if you're not Jaco or don't play jazz and aren't pretentious, you are no good?? If that's the case, then nobody that has been mentioned in this thread is any good.

You're dismissing the work of TONS of bass players.


Dude, you're showing yourself to be very immature -- not that young people aren't welcome. But when you call jazz and anything beyond you as "pretentious", it just makes you look silly.

Simmons is a very ordinary player and I think even he'd admit it. There are literally tens of thousands of people with his ability and more, so if you're not at that place yet, maybe you should listen more and learn more.

As for anybody who just doesn't play roots is great, that's an insult to those who are gifted artists.
 
Underated
Felix Pappalardi

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Yes! Great Train Robbery is my favorite Felix bass line!
 
You're just adding to what he just said.

I have never even heard anybody mention Gene Simmons until I got to talkbass, where everybody praised him. He falls under my severly over-rated.

Respectfully, from what I've seen around here, nobody praises him. He gets bashed quite fiercely. I read these forums before I joined and it seemed he got bashed every time someone so much as mentioned his name. He's not a very well liked person or bassist at all. I've only seen a handful defend him in the last 6 months I've followd this forum.