Which artists would never be the same without their original bass player ?

[chrismuzz]

Muse

[clauster]

New Order was the first that came to mind for me

[Low End Bee]

The man on the Clapham omnibus would probably only notice if the missing bass player was the frontman or the main song writer.
The hard core fanboy is a different matter.

[muttley]

The Smiths
Joy Division / New Order
Weather Report
Japan
Parliament / Funkadelic / Bootsy's Rubber Band

[fender73]

John Mayer Trio

Anyone metioned Mr Big yet?

[Spike Vincent]

Any band where the band's bassist's personality,presence and persona is bigger than the music they play.

And Motorhead.Never heard anyone quite like Lemmy.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Motley crew

[chris_b]

The Smiths? Come on!!!!

Take away the singer/songwriter/frontman aspect of all those you've listed so far and maybe at a push Flea and Bernard Edwards, but don't fool yourselves, the rest as bass players, are very replaceable.

JE was replaced in The Who, Larry Graham was replaced in Sly, JJ was replaced by Bob Babbitt and Macca could have been replaced by Klaus.

All bass players are replaceable, as are all musicians.

[Low End Bee]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1354788961' post='1890303']
The Smiths? Come on!!!!

Take away the singer/songwriter/frontman aspect of all those you've listed so far and maybe at a push Flea and Bernard Edwards, but don't fool yourselves, the rest as bass players, are very replaceable.

JE was replaced in The Who, Larry Graham was replaced in Sly, [b]JJ was replaced by Bob Babbitt [/b]and Macca could have been replaced by Klaus.

All bass players are replaceable, as are all musicians.
[/quote]

Bob Babbitt was in the Stranglers! Cool.

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1354784837' post='1890243']
The man on the Clapham omnibus would probably only notice if the missing bass player was the frontman or the main song writer.
The hard core fanboy is a different matter.
[/quote]

Got to agree entirely. I was with a work experience pupil from the Brit school a few years back who was surprised to learn that Eric Clapton played guitar!!

[chris_b]

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1354789078' post='1890304']
....Bob Babbitt was in the Stranglers! Cool....
[/quote]

You heard it here first.

[spongebob]

Jaco Pastorius' Word Of Mouth!

Joking aside, I think most have been covered....but I do think The Fall have suffered without Steve Hanley...never the same when he left.

[Hobbayne]

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1354755529' post='1890157']
They've had 8 bass players and counting!

The Beatles are probably top of the list, they literally would have been screwed without Macca in many senses.
[/quote]

Actually, Macca was not always on bass, a lot of bass was played by Harrison and a lesser extent by Lennon

[Hobbayne]

John Mc vie Fleetwood Mac,

[Silvia Bluejay]

Both musically and - probably more so - on a personal level, things changed in Metallica when Cliff died.

[tauzero]

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1354752319' post='1890138']
Cream
U2 (yeah, really!)
[/quote]

You beat me to it on those two.

I don't think anyone's mentioned Paul Young yet - Pino's fretless playing was a major contribution to his songs.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1354793736' post='1890388']
Both musically and - probably more so - on a personal level, things changed in Metallica when Cliff died.
[/quote]

I was thinking long and hard about this.
Trouble is they have had fantastic replacements .
Not sure..

[Ghost_Bass]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1354788961' post='1890303']
The Smiths? Come on!!!!

Take away the singer/songwriter/frontman aspect of all those you've listed so far and maybe at a push Flea and Bernard Edwards, but don't fool yourselves, the rest as bass players, are very replaceable.

JE was replaced in The Who, Larry Graham was replaced in Sly, JJ was replaced by Bob Babbitt and Macca could have been replaced by Klaus.

All bass players are replaceable, as are all musicians.
[/quote]

Pretty much agree but i believe that Peter Gabriel would not be/sound/feel the same without Tony Levin! I can't imagine anyone else playing Sledgehammer...

[Silvia Bluejay]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1354795710' post='1890420']
I was thinking long and hard about this.
Trouble is they have had fantastic replacements .
Not sure..
[/quote]

I agree, as I'm a big fan of Jason's, but I do believe that the band would have taken a different direction if Cliff had lived. Not necessarily a more successful direction, just different, because Cliff was one of the main songwriters, while Jason was never allowed to contribute significantly.
The band may not have gone on to writing the various Loads, Reloads, St Angers and other sellouts, or they might have written something even worse! We will never know, of course.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1354793736' post='1890388']
Both musically and - probably more so - on a personal level, things changed in Metallica when Cliff died.
[/quote]
They sure did,) still think they were assholes for the 'mastering ' of the justice album.

[Prunesquallor]

No mention of Derek Forbes yet?

Simple Minds - in their most creative phase, when John Peel used to gush about them - just wouldn't have been the same without his basslines pushed up front of the mix.

With their later arena stuff, it could've been anybody.

[risingson]

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1354792829' post='1890371']


Actually, Macca was not always on bass, a lot of bass was played by Harrison and a lesser extent by Lennon
[/quote]

Definitely, but I kind of meant that if he hasn't have been around then a lot of songs wouldn't have gotten written and there wouldn't have been tracks for the bass to have been played on!

Most bass players are replaceable, exceptions are the ones with the really strong musical and sonic personalities within the band they play in.

[geoham]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1354742517' post='1889990']
Rush
[b]Thin lizzy[/b]
Green day
Slayer
Celtic frost
Sabbath
Led zep
Megadeth
Van halen
[/quote]

Have you seen Thin Lizzy's most recent line-up? I received two tickets to see them in Glasgow as a birthday gift last year, and wasn't convinced anyone could step in for Phil - but I need to say, Marco Mendoza does a great job.

[HADGE]

[i]THE WHO[/i]

[Pow_22]

Green Day?? Really? I think dirnt is the most over-rated player out there (but thats a whole new thread)