This opinion based list will look at ten bassists whom I admire for doing more than just...well, playing the bass. As always, this isn't a "Top 10 Greatest/Favourite Bass Players" piece; it's just a sample of ten bassists I would personally rate highly. If there are any bass players that you believe deserve to be here over others who are absent from this list, feel free to let me know in the comments or via Twitter although keep in mind that their absence doesn't necessarily mean I think they're not worthy of recognition.
1. Billy Sheehan
This is the guy The Beatles sung about in "With A Little Help From My Friends"...don't look it up
Whilst there are some famous examples of great bassists who'll be making an appearance a bit later on in the list, Billy Sheehan's technical skill probably surpasses every entry on this list combined. His tapping techniques and all-round versatility even rival most guitarists but sadly, he's one of those musicians who's immense talent never fully made it to the studio. Sure, you've got songs like "Addicted To That Rush" - Mr. Big with exceptional bass but most of Mr Big's better known tracks are usually driven by guitar or vocals. Compare this to live covers of "Burn" - Deep Purple and "Baba O'Riley" - The Who where Billy flawlessly shreds out the organ and violin solos respectively and you'll ask yourself why they never truly utilised his skills off-stage.
2. Cliff Burton
The first of several great bassists who are sadly no longer with us
Whilst Metallica songs are generally known for their epic guitar riffs and diminishing quality over time, their first three albums also contain tracks with surprisingly prominent bass. There's "Orion", a track named due to the spacey bass solo, "For Whom The Bell Tolls" with the creepy bass riff in the intro and of course "(Anesthesia)--Pulling Teeth", a four minute fuzzy bass solo off the debut that could damn near be confused for guitar if not for the vocal intro. Cliff also proved to be capable of keeping up with Hetfield and Hammett, matching and occasionally improving on their guitar riffs for most of their signature songs. Unfortunately, Cliff passed away in 1986 after the tour bus they were travelling in skidded out of control and crashed, crushing him in the process. His riffs may not have stood out in the same way as the guitar melodies but it's fair to say the band's music was never quite the same after his passing.
3. Steve Harris
Obligatory Iron Maiden
Steve's been regarded as the greatest bass player of all time and whilst I don't know if I'd personally agree with that, he definitely deserves a spot on this list. He's the soul of Iron Maiden, not just in his bass playing but in his songwriting and musical knowledge too. He's usually the driving force behind each musical decision the band has made and thankfully, he's still going strong to this date. Whilst Iron Maiden's success is down to a team effort rather than any one member of the band standing out, Steve's bass is always present among the guitars, adding the final puzzle piece to songs like "The Trooper" and "Run To The Hills" that wouldn't be complete without him.
4. Chris Squire
I could've used a picture of a younger Chris but come on, look at that fucking bass!
I'm not the biggest fan of Yes but if you listen to some of their better tracks, one thing's for certain; the bass stands out like a DVD in a game collection. Tracks like "Roundabout" and "Starship Trooper" contain basslines almost as complex as the guitar melodies and even though their Pop-Prog phase focused a bit more on the guitar hooks and vocals, you can still hear Chris keeping things steady. His aggressive, dynamic playing style has gone on to influence several of the bassists on this list and even though he sadly passed away in 2015, his work across all Yes albums lives on as a gold standard for Prog Rock (and indeed standard Rock) bassists for the rest of time.
5. Geezer Butler
Real name Terence Michael Joseph Matthew Mark Luke John Napoleon Ulysses Hank "Geezer" Butler
From one of Prog Rock's most influential bassists to Heavy Metal's, Geezer Butler is responsible for giving Black Sabbath the weight it needed to be one of the biggest Metal bands on the planet. His heavy riffs and lyrical influences ranging from religion to dystopian science fiction gave the band the apocalyptic doom vibe that would go on to form the cultural perception of Heavy Metal for years to come. Geezer stuck with Black Sabbath through the Dio years and took part in their recent farewell tour, also contributing to some of Ozzy Osbourne's solo albums in the 90s but nobody really cares about that. The main thing is his work with Black Sabbath, giving us excellent songs such as "Children Of The Grave", "War Pigs" and of course "N.I.B" to inspire generations of bassists for decades.
6. John Entwistle
The Who's secret weapon
Generally regarded as one of Rock's greatest bass players, John Entwistle truly knew how to turn bass up to 11. With full treble and thundering dynamics, every riff and lick laid down by John sounded like a distant roar and when he wanted to shred, boy could he shred. The most common example of his exceptional skills is probably "My Generation" with its iconic bass solo but tracks on the Live At Leeds album showcase his ability to keep up with Townshend and Moon on guitar and drums respectively. Once again, this incredible musician is no longer with us, dying in 2002 due to a drug overdose.
7. Geddy Lee
Give me some credit, I made it this far without mentioning him
The other great Prog Rock bassist on this list and probably the go-to example of everyone's favourite Rock bassist in general. Rush songs are known for their great bass melodies and Geddy's unique vocals that he flawlessly pulls off whilst playing the relatively complex basslines. Not only that but he's also responsible for the keyboard and synth for each track, something the band is equally reliant on for some of their signature hits. Songs like "Fly By Night" and "Tom Sawyer" showcase Geddy's supreme multi-tasking abilities whilst tracks such as "Freewill" and "YYZ" contain multiple bass solos, sometimes underneath the guitar one. He's probably one of my top bassists and there's a strong chance he's one of yours too.
8. John Deacon
For ages, I always confused John Deacon and Roger Taylor
When it comes to the best members of Queen, John Deacon tends to be at the bottom of most conventional rankings (especially when you consider Roger Taylor's vocal work on News Of The World, arguably providing better Hard Rock vocals than Freddie). However, when you actually listen to the bass in most Queen songs, there's a lot to be admired. It may not be technical or balanced with complex vocals but there's something to be said for simplistic yet permanently catchy basslines. Some of Queen's best known tracks like "Another One Bites The Dust" and "Under Pressure" are built entirely around John Deacon with the rest of the band members following his lead. Unfortunately, after Freddie Mercury's death and subsequent tribute show, John retired from music and hasn't played with Queen or been involved in any of their post-Freddie projects for about 20 years now. Fair play, I suppose.
9. John McVie
He's got it all, from the facial hair to the first name John
For the most part, this post has basically consisted of fairly obvious choices that you'd find populating the higher end of most great bass player lists. However, rather than going for one of the bigger Rock/Metal names that everyone already admires, I thought I'd dedicate a slot to classic Fleetwood Mac bassist, John McVie. He deserves a place for co-writing and performing on "The Chain" alone, a song containing one of the greatest bass riffs ever written, but he's also shown off his talents for other great Fleetwood Mac tracks too such as "Oh Well", "World Turning" and "Tusk". All in all, John's probably the most underrated bassist on this list so feel free to blast some Fleetwood Mac with the bass turned all the way up to show him some extra love.
10. Flea
"Flea? He's not Lemmy!"
As always, the last musician on the list is something a bit special. Flea (real name Michael Balzary) has played bass with the Red Hot Chili Peppers since their debut in 1984 and also acted in a few films such as The Big Lebowski and the Back To The Future sequels. However, his work as the RHCP bassist will always reign supreme as his blend of funky licks and heavy riffs have helped put the band on the musical map. You can always tell it's a RHCP song when you hear his soulful, often dominant bass melodies but if you want a few prime examples to check out over the course of their career...well, aside from practically every song they've ever written, I'd recommend "By The Way", "Higher Ground", "Soul To Squeeze", "Walkabout" and "Dreams Of A Samurai".
Even though these are ten bass players whom I've deemed worthy enough to focus specific paragraphs about, there are still some bassists that deserve honourable mentions:
Paul McCartney
John Myung
Phil Lynott
Lemmy
Every Funk bassist
Did I miss anyone out by focusing too much on big name bass players? Let me know who ranks on your personal list with some samples of their work to check out.
COMING SOON: The Salentino Cuts - UFO, an album review or showdown post; I haven't decided yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment