Rock bands with two bassists

[SteveXFR]

Are there any rock bands with two basses? 

I'm sure there was one back in the 90's, possibly Neds Atomic Dustbin or Carter USM

[Nail Soup]

It was Ned's Atomic Dustbin...... I think one played the traditional bass role, and the other a kind of lead bass.

 

If I recall correctly at the beginning four of the 5 members considered themselves a bass player, but got it down to two by moving to something else.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Nail Soup

[Starwarsnosebleed]

Man is the bastard, Part chimp and also Melvins have used 2 recently.

[SteveXFR]

So I didn't imagine it!

[seashell]

At previous London Bas Guitar Shows, I've seen both Robert Trujillo and Ida Neilson perform (separately) with line ups that included two bassists. Both amazing, as you can imagine!

But just quickly googled both of them and couldn't find evidence of this being a permanent arrangement in either case.

 

[Doctor J]

I'll see your two basses and raise you one

 

[Nail Soup]

Post-punk band the Delta 5 had two bassists. To be fair I think one was mainly bassist, the other mainly singer... but still a good excuse for :

 

 

 

[SteveXFR]

18 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

I'll see your two basses and raise you one

 

I like that a lot.

[Frank Blank]

I remember a band called Heist with two bass players, as mentioned briefly in the post above but I can’t find anything about them online!

[Cato]

The two bass player thing kicks in at about 0.50.

 

[Maude]

Not a band with two basses normally, but on this occasion they were, and bloody good it is too. 

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by Maude
Correcting bizarre auto correct.

[rushbo]

My absolute favourite two-bass band.

Not for the faint-hearted, but sort of beautiful: Hugo Largo.

 

[steantval]

Why ?

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I think Zappa did it a couple of times. I seem to remember Arthur Barrow and Patrick O’Hearn performing together.

[Geek99]

McBusted had two ..,

[paul_5]

then there's always this...

 

[BassTractor]

King Crimson in its Double Trio version had both Tony Levin and Trey Gunn on Chapman Sticks and Warr Guitar. Dunno if that counts, and can't remember exactly how the instruments were used.

[Leonard Smalls]

11 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

Carter USM

They didn't even have one! Their touring rig was so small that everything (the 2 of them, their manager, 2 guitars, 2 tiny combos and a DAT machine) fitted in an old mini...

[carlitos71]

Guys! You are forgetting Peter Hook and the Light! Come on..

[EssentialTension]

Captain Beefheart's Magic Band had two bassists in the early 1970s: Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) and Orejón (Roy Estrada).

Boston also played guitar.

Estrada is in prison.

 

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by EssentialTension

[Strawbs664]

Saxon started out with 2 bass players. Biff & Dobby Dawson both being bassists in their previous bands & neither wanting to give it up. Dobby, apparently, was determined to be the better, so practised endlessly and eventually, of course, Biff dropped bass & concentrated on the frontman role.

Edited May 25, 2021 by Strawbs664

[SteveXFR]

2 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

They didn't even have one! Their touring rig was so small that everything (the 2 of them, their manager, 2 guitars, 2 tiny combos and a DAT machine) fitted in an old mini...

Just listened to Sheriff Fat Man again. Quite clearly a synth, not a bass. Don't know where I got that idea

[ubit]

2 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

They didn't even have one! Their touring rig was so small that everything (the 2 of them, their manager, 2 guitars, 2 tiny combos and a DAT machine) fitted in an old mini...

I remember they played here at our local concert hall. They were great but they set off pyrotechnics and the whole place had to get evacuated as it set off the fire alarms. We eventually got back in and they finished their set but it was a bit embarrassing.

[LeftyJ]

Not typically a 2 bassist band, and not quite a rock band, but I always enjoy this performance by The National at the Letterman show, with guitarist Aaron Dessner strumming a Fender Telecaster Bass in the front, and barely visible behind him is bassist Scott Devendorf (who also regularly picks up a guitar in The National) playing his Precision.

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by LeftyJ

[Fozza]

Marmalade has two bassists in the 60s - one 4 string, one six.

You can see an example in this clip - one guy on a Jazz, the other on a Longhorn 6 string.