Bass guitar greats

Discussion in 'Music and Recordings' started by JoshMorr, Jul 10, 2016.

  1. tuxbass

    tuxbass Acquaintance

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    Apologize, this isn't music. But this is so beautiful and I highly recommend you watch this.
    I've always liked Wooten, after watching this I've so much more respect for him.

     
  2. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    No one has mentioned the original bass guitar great - the master of the rickenbacker - Paul McCartney. Unfortunately, looks like the beatles don't have any music to share on youtube, so I took some covers that illustrate the imaginative lines that were created by Sir Paul. He was one of my original inspirations, where Paul was the ultimate team player, often playing the drums for recordings and overdubbing in his bass lines. Man is obviously on of the true musical geniuses. Anyway, here are a couple of my favorites

    Come together


    Taxman
     
  3. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Now I am on a bassist roll. How about some love for the ladies - Tina Weymouth from the Talking Heads specifically.



     
  4. tuxbass

    tuxbass Acquaintance

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    Its a shame this is only 480p :(
     
  5. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    Claypool was a big influence when I was a younger developing bassist. Sometimes his overdrive sound is divine. I love the tone here for instance:



    His rhythmic style has always appealed to me whether he's playing his 6 string Carl Thompson rainbow bass or the more acoustic sound of his resonator bass as seen here.



    I'm also a big fan of Tony Levin as a sideman (not so much his solo stuff) and he's been a big influence on my playing for over 20 years.

    Lately one of my bass crushes has been Renaud Garcia-Fons. Just simply amazing. If you are a bassist or musician you MUST watch this!



    My favorite tune of his is Hacia Compostela which he starts at 6:25 of that video.
     
  6. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    How about Charlie Hunter? He plays his own 7-string guitar that is a bass and guitar combined! The sounds he can create are pretty interesting, sounds like guitar, bass and organ all at the same time. A bonus seeing him play are his crazy faces!

     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2016
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Thank you. I'm so glad nobody has mentioned Flea (I can't stand his bass playing - sticks out like sore thumb - and seriously his rhythm and phrasing is just off sometimes because he wants to be so fancy - it's like Lady Gaga trying to sing the old big band standards). Bassists like Tina Weymouth are super underappreciated. I liked a lot bassists from the 80s bands. Mikey Craig (Culture Club), John Taylor (Duran Duran). Also superb musicians / bassist like Larry Klein who just blow me away playing even the simplest of bass lines. Some of the session bassists who played with k.d. Lang, I forget their names, were incredible too. I love musicians who understand the concept of band as a single unit.
     
  8. Madaboutaudio

    Madaboutaudio Friend

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    Really love this recording:
     
  9. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    This is how I feel about Tony Levin's side work. Tasteful, beautiful, collaborative. Especially with Peter Gabriel but I could be speaking about any of the probably 100+ albums he's played on.
     
  10. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    I learned to appreciate bassists by listening to James Brown & The JB's and some Metal, especially Kyuss. I prefer the tight bass players because when they are grooving and transitioning you really get a grasp of the melody. Low end rendition on any record that fails to capture what the bassist is actually doing tends to end up on my "not interesting list" of music.

    Okay now I have to share some Kyuss. This song drew me into Kyuss because there was a bass solo some Metal head told me about while drinking beers during he weekend. I love bands who let the bassist solo every once in a while.



    P.S. We are so lucky so much live material is still available.
     
  11. Mayor D

    Mayor D New

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    its worth searching out the Primus version aswell.
     
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Yes!!!!! Tony Levin is such a trip. Another one of those guys who has been totally overlooked.
     
  13. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    Huge Tony Levin fan here too. Was he with Peter Gabriel and Sting down in So Cal? Did anyone go to that show? I had to miss it up here and again down there. I am still bummed about it.
     
  14. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    siiiiqqqq thread, great suggestions. does Edgar Meyer count? saw him play live a few times with bela fleck, zakir hussain and others.

    EDIT: here you go, he gets real up close and personal with the bass starting at ~2:15
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2016
  15. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Maybe I havn't been paying attention, but John Deacon from Queen should be on this list. Many many memorable bass lines, probably some of the most recoganizable around. I also like his effortless laid back style.



     
  16. GTABeancounter

    GTABeancounter Friend

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    Lots of great posts here. I'll echo a post earlier that noted some decent bass players from the 80's and New Wave. My favorite bass lines from that era would include Planet Earth and Guns of Brixton.

    I've been revisiting my Tragically Hip albums since Gord Downie's diagnosis was publicized and the strength of the rhythm section really stands out to me. Nothing fancy or over the top, just a great foundation that sets the tone....

     
  17. GTABeancounter

    GTABeancounter Friend

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    "Back to Front" is one of my favorite concert blu-rays and Tony Levin really stands out as a performer. The words you've used ("tasteful, beautiful, collaborative") are exactly how I would describe his "performance". His musicianship was fantastic but he also really appeared to be enjoying himself on stage; a virtuoso with humility is one way I'd describe it.
     
  18. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    Many greats mentioned above, another to add for the sheer fun of his work.

    Marcus Miller

     
  19. Zed Bopp

    Zed Bopp Friend

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    Matt Freeman is one great rock/punk bassist, he's got some flare on this tune too! I bet over-looked by many:


    Most good bassists are not that flashy, though. They just get the job done in an awesome way - bringing their own sense of melody and rhythm to the table... Troy Sanders (Mastodon), Martin Mendez (Opeth), Steve Harris (Iron Maiden), Billy Gould (FNM) and Geezer Butler come to mind.

    Too few tunes start with a bass-solo!
     
  20. GTABeancounter

    GTABeancounter Friend

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    Curious what those of you who play the bass think of Tim Commerford (RATM)? I like Flea but also understand the criticism he gets, I'm just wondering if the bass players perceive him the same way they do flea?
     

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