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Words from Adam Clayton….

#3
FRoss6788 said:
He seems to have his ego in check and does not take himself too seriously. :thumbsup:
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It’s interesting, considering there are those who defend his playing against the criticisms that he’s a simplistic player(and doesn’t deserve the fame or whatever), that he expressed the wish to have been a ‘virtuoso’. Personally, I have no strong opinion, it seemed that what he did worked in the context of the band. I never heard anyone complain about Dusty Hill.
Out of context, he did well sitting in with Celtic music mainstay Sharon Shannon…

 
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#5
Spidey2112 said:
I used to poke fun at Ross Vallory, for his simplistic bass lines for Journey.

Then, I saw a live version on YouTube of Ross doing a bass solo.

I no longer poke fun at Ross Vallory.
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I’ve done a bunch of Journey Tribute gigs and his stuff can be pretty inventive! Had no idea until I had to actually learn them.
 
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#9
I read an interview with Clayton many years ago in Bass Player Magazine. He said that he barely knew how to play his instrument when they started U2 & Larry Mullen was about the same on the drums. Apparently Edge had a little more experience because AC didn’t include him in the comment, best I recall.

I know AC’s bass lines aren’t very complex, but they work with U2 songs and have progressed as U2 songs progressed. We all know there were less experienced bassists in grunge bands and their bass lines also fit the music of their band, so it all works.
 
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#12
Clayton plays to the form of their songs and songwriting, and it fits: These guys have been breathing each other's air since they were kids. Busy would not work as a regular part of their vocabulary.

And you know what? SIMPLE will kill you fast. Say you're blasting really fast, busy lines in the appropriate tune, and you just miss one eighth or sixteenth note? Who's gonna catch that? Blow the line in 'Silly Love Songs', even your mother-in-law will ask you 'what happened?'
 
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#15
They play for the song. That's the point. Not much of a U2 fan myself, but what's to criticize? I hadn't realised they came from punk, which maybe explains their stripped down style. After the excesses of the 70s it was very refreshing.

I enjoyed learning more about "the edge" on that guitar doco he did with Jack White and Jimmy Page. Nice to know even the pros get a chord wrong :)
 
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#16
Adam Clayton is a big influence on my bass playing. Especially from The Joshua Tree and Rattle And Hum era. He does what a bassist should do and supports the song and the band and acts as an anchor for The Edge and Bono. Nothing wrong with that at all. For me, that's the job of a bassist. And for U2, it's perfect!

Interesting quote about not being a virtuoso. I think many of us feel that way, and simply underestimate our abilities. I've always considered myself average at best, but when I listen back to my band's old recordings from the 90s, I did some creative stuff. Coming from the same punk/self taught background, I think that frees you up to be more creative since you don't know the "rules". Later on when I learned scales and some theory, I became more self conscious of my bass lines and playing "proper notes". And I found it more restricting. Just my thoughts.

PS. Me and my friend Niall have a Podcast dedicated to Adam Clayton, his bass lines and bass gear. It's called Clayton Rocks and can be found anywhere you find podcasts.
 
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