John Entwistle or Chris Squire, who do you prefer and why?

[stewblack]

For me it's a really simple one. I prefer John Entwistle because I am way more familiar with him, as I like the songs the Who play. I haven't ever made it through a whole Yes song.

I'm sure I would like the bass if I did because I've worked with people who were huge Yes fans and they often said I played just like Chris Squire.

Edited April 3, 2022 by stewblack

[Marvin]

Neither.

 

Yes I find dull and uninteresting,  probably sum up where 70s music went so wrong. And I really dislike The Who, so I don't listen to them or the bass parts.

[Barking Spiders]

While I recognise these two players as big influences on bass playing I can't get past the small matter of the music being unutterably unlistenable

[ezbass]

2 hours ago, stewblack said:

For me it's a really simple one. I prefer John Entwistle because I am way more familiar with him, as I like the songs the Who play. I haven't ever made it through a whole Yes song.

I'm sure I would like the bass if I did because I've worked with people who were huge Yes fans and they often said I played just like Chris Squire.

Try Siberian Khatru and their cover version of America. Before I got into them, these were really the only tracks I could get on with.

 

 

14 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

While I recognise these two players as big influences on bass playing I can't get past the small matter of the music being unutterably unlistenable

 Which is the marvellous thing about music (or art in general), just because others rave about something, doesn't mean it's for you. The amount of big name bands/artists that I can't stand, or find barely tolerable, is quite something.

[Boodang]

For the OP, it's like saying Mozart or Beethoven... which is best! As far as Entwistle vs Squire, in a way it's academic but... from a personal perspective it's Squire. I remember listening to Roundabout and thinking, ok now that's a bass line!

[Barking Spiders]

I do like Entwhistle's right hand technique and as someone who prefers fingerstyle to using a pick I give him the nod.

[spencer.b]

Seemingly similar players , both have an upfront aggressive tone and are very prominent in the music but to me Entwistle is loose and slippery and it sounds improvised whereas Squire's lines sound composed and concise ,

Entwistle for me

Edited April 3, 2022 by spencer.b

[Bassfinger]

Tricky one.  I have to say the Ox, because he was a fellow mason.

[jacko]

Squire is an easy win for me. If I hadn't seen him in the mid 70's I might still be struggling with ragtime guitar picking. I like some of entwistle's stuff but there's a bit near the end of 'an Ox's tale' where he's demonstrating his tone and it's just an over distorted mush. Chris on the other hand was as clear as a bell every time I saw him.  I will say that both YES and the Who should have stopped the minute their bassplayers pegged out.  

[SteveXFR]

20 minutes ago, jacko said:

Squire is an easy win for me. If I hadn't seen him in the mid 70's I might still be struggling with ragtime guitar picking. I like some of entwistle's stuff but there's a bit near the end of 'an Ox's tale' where he's demonstrating his tone and it's just an over distorted mush. Chris on the other hand was as clear as a bell every time I saw him.  I will say that both YES and the Who should have stopped the minute their bassplayers pegged out.  

 

I agree, Entwistle bass sounded terrible in isolation but with the rest of the band I think it's spot on

[Nail Soup]

I come from a punk background, and still have not got round to giving Yes a chance.

I only like a part of what the Who have done (the less rock stuff), and it's not the particularly bass driven stuff. But I guess Entwistle was one of the first to push the bass forward and he did the bass solo in my generation (rare example of a listenable bass solo) so vote goes to JE.

 

[Nail Soup]

1 hour ago, jacko said:

I will say that both YES and the Who should have stopped the minute their bassplayers pegged out.  

I could go either way on the Who, and you could have said the same after Moon died.... but Yes should have stopped as Squire was the only member giving continuity to the various line ups.

BTW I'm saying that as a neutral as I'm not a Yes fan.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Nail Soup

[Rich]

1 hour ago, jacko said:

I will say that both YES and the Who should have stopped the minute their bassplayers pegged out.  

 

I agree 100%. I remember when Ox died, and the 'Oo announced their intention to carry on with the tour they were on... I felt this to be the wrong decision, and pretty disrespectful to boot, and said so on another music forum (I forget which one). I received a furious response from one American gentleman who said that I was callous to think that way, because if the tour was cancelled it would cost the insurers, merchandise people and hotdog sellers money. For me, that response pretty much summed up everything that's wrong with the music business.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Rich

[SteveK]

3 hours ago, Rich said:

I agree 100%. I remember when Ox died, and the 'Oo announced their intention to carry on with the tour they were on... I felt this to be the wrong decision, and pretty disrespectful to boot, and said so on another music forum (I forget which one). I received a furious response from one American gentleman who said that I was callous to think that way, because if the tour was cancelled it would cost the insurers, merchandise people and hotdog sellers money. For me, that response pretty much summed up everything that's wrong with the music business.

To be fair, that response isn't unique to the music business.

FWIW I tend to agree with the "American gentleman".

Many thousands of people would have been adversely affected financially had the tour been cancelled. PT had to consider hundreds of peoples livelihoods (some of whom could have suffered serious financial problems), not to mention the many hundreds of thousands of punters who would have been out of pocket after paying for flights, hotels etc to see the show.

I'm pretty sure JE wouldn't have wanted The who to cancel.

Edited April 4, 2022 by SteveK

[Dankology]

3 minutes ago, SteveK said:

To be fair, that response isn't unique to the music business.

FWIW I tend to agree with the "American gentleman".

Many thousands of people would have been adversely affected financially had the tour been cancelled. PT had to consider hundreds of peoples livelihoods (some of whom could have suffered serious financial problems), not to mention the many hundreds of thousands of punters who would have been out of pocket after paying for flights, hotels etc to see the show.

I'm pretty sure JE wouldn't have wanted The who to cancel.

I think if I'd paid whatever ridiculous ticket price was and then was given the option of seeing the band without an absolutely crucial element or just taking the hit, I'd be mightily annoyed. 

 

I think I'd agree with Rich that much of what is wrong with modern rock commerce is encapsulated here: a whole machine whirling around a "unique" artistic endeavour (ie compare the venue sizes the Who members play/played as solo acts) but the momentum of the machine means that the artists themselves have to be instantly replaceable.

 

The idea of Who fan for whom Entwistle or Moon are replaceable utterly baffles me but there must be enough of them around. So the money men are correct. Without being right.

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

To be fair, that response isn't unique to the music business.

FWIW I tend to agree with the "American gentleman".

Many thousands of people would have been adversely affected financially had the tour been cancelled. PT had to consider hundreds of peoples livelihoods

 

Probably mostly his own.

 

In my book, someone dies in the band, tour is off, there isn't really much of an option beyond that.

 

On the OP, its only later (in fact after this thread started) that I really got to hear some of entwhistles lines, as I had to do who covers. I still don't like the Who, but some of the bass lines are fun to do.

[Burns-bass]

23 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Probably mostly his own.

 

In my book, someone dies in the band, tour is off, there isn't really much of an option beyond that.

 

On the OP, its only later (in fact after this thread started) that I really got to hear some of entwhistles lines, as I had to do who covers. I still don't like the Who, but some of the bass lines are fun to do.

I had tickets to see the Who when Pino Palladio turned out for them after the Ox had died. It wasn’t the same but it was an enjoyable evening. Pete and Roger both spoke about him and all seemed well. Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan, but was a good gig.

[Nail Soup]

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

In my book, someone dies in the band, tour is off, there isn't really much of an option beyond that.

Foo Fighters -  case in point.

[Munurmunuh]

18 hours ago, Rich said:

I remember when Ox died, and the 'Oo announced their intention to carry on with the tour they were on... I felt this to be the wrong decision, and pretty disrespectful to boot

 

When Keith Moon died, his replacement was in the band a couple of months later. If this was wrong and disrespectful, Entwistle was part of it, and so got done unto as he did.

 

More generally, I've never enjoyed the sight of people thinking that they get to tell musicians when they're allowed to play and what they should play, eg wanting to ban Brian May playing music he created just because they feel it encroaches on their absurd veneration. Being scandalised does fill up the gaps in a life, I suppose, and subjects are always needed to satiate the thirst to be opinionated.

[Munurmunuh]

14 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

my book, someone dies in the band, tour is off, there isn't really much of an option beyond that

 

Seven weeks after the death of Cliff Burton

 

[Rich]

11 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

When Keith Moon died, his replacement was in the band a couple of months later. If this was wrong and disrespectful, Entwistle was part of it, and so got done unto as he did.

 

A couple of months is one thing. Entwistle's replacement was in place within 4 days. He died on the 27th June, and the tour started on the 1st July.

 

Whatever, I'm not trying to tell anyone whether or not they can do anything. It's just my opinion, which as we know are like farts. Everyone thinks their own are great, but that everyone else's stinks.

[Woodinblack]

35 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

When Keith Moon died, his replacement was in the band a couple of months later. If this was wrong and disrespectful, Entwistle was part of it, and so got done unto as he did.

 

Couple of months is fine, and also they were a young group and I think it is very different at that stage.

 

35 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

More generally, I've never enjoyed the sight of people thinking that they get to tell musicians when they're allowed to play and what they should play, eg wanting to ban Brian May playing music he created just because they feel it encroaches on their absurd veneration. Being scandalised does fill up the gaps in a life, I suppose, and subjects are always needed to satiate the thirst to be opinionated.

 

Scandalised? Why does everyone go from 0 to drama queen these days? Who the hell is scandalised?

 

Noone is telling anyone anything, they are providing an opinion which is kind of what a forum for.

 

 

[Musicman666]

These two bands are quite different which will colour my choice significantly ….one is balls to the wall essential rock and the other is meh ….  So no guesses as to which bass player gets my vote.  

[Dankology]

2 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

When Keith Moon died, his replacement was in the band a couple of months later. If this was wrong and disrespectful, Entwistle was part of it, and so got done unto as he did.

 

More generally, I've never enjoyed the sight of people thinking that they get to tell musicians when they're allowed to play and what they should play, eg wanting to ban Brian May playing music he created just because they feel it encroaches on their absurd veneration. Being scandalised does fill up the gaps in a life, I suppose, and subjects are always needed to satiate the thirst to be opinionated.

What an odd point of view.

 

I wouldn't presume for one moment to tell the members of the Who what they should and should not do in terms of respect for each other - I think all four members individually spoke of how terrible were as human beings and the record would suggest none of them enjoyed each other's company very much.

 

But from an audience member's point of view, pretending that a unique musician and presence can just be depped in order to keep the promoters and insurers happy is distasteful. The fact that many ticketholders didn't care (or possibly even notice) is no doubt the reason this sort of thing can happen and could probably account for any number of other issues in modern rock commerce. 

 

And that does not speak of a "thirst to be opinionated": it is a (fairly nuanced) expression of an opinion - something that a discussion board such as this requires, the alternative presumably being limiting members to the posting of lists of incontrovertible facts.

[Woodinblack]

I think of it also as contract. If you pay to go to see a group, if one of them dies, you contractually can't complete that tour, its not possible. If for instance it was a solo artist in the name, and one of them died, that would be different, as long as it wasn't the solo artist.

 

So for instance, When Entwhistle died, they continued the tour. If I had been going to see it (which obviously I wouldn't) the only part I would have wanted to see would be him so I wouldn't get what I paid for, but to cancel would leave me out of pocket. I am sure whoever they got to replace him could do the job.

But on their subsequent tour, I would have bought those tickets in full knowledge of who I would see, so at that point I would get what I paid for.

 

I mean this is rock and roll, lets not try and con ourself that whatever group we like you couldn't get another entirely different group of musicians to form a group that would sound exactly like those people so that you wouldn't be able to tell at a gig it wasn't them. Its the personalities you are going to see.