Unsung Bass Heroes

[stufunkybass]

Hi Guys and Gals,

Thought I'd share this with you.

Having been influenced heavily during the 90's - A time when there seemed to be a lot of really good session players about!

I wanted to know who your "Unsing Bass heroes" would be.

For example it would be easy to say some like the genius that is Jaco or someone with amazing technical ability like Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller or Stanley Clarke but I am talking abouth those unsung heroes like session players who never get any notice.

There is some amazingly tallented guys out there who dont get any praise
Julian Crampton - Played with Incognito, Basia and more recently the lead singer of faithless Check out You Tube! there is an amzing solo on there!

Randy Hope Taylor - Played with Incognito as we all know, but also played with Philip Bailey and in recent times with Jeff Beck.

Shaun Ward - A very funky white man who was responsible for Simply Red's bottom end during the Stars era.

Paul S Denman - Sade's bass man and Sweetback too. An amazing loop player who can also solo really nicely too - Smooth Operator solo - simple but effective.

And one more for you - this guy played some very melodic lines and had awesome bass tones (from some very tasty kit!!!)

Ewan Vernal - Check out "Your Swaying Arms" on Fellow Hoodlums or Orphans on their debut album - this guy knows what a great bass tone sounds like - Warwick, Ken Smith and Musicman Stingrays were among his arsenal - with his good old 80's Trace Elliot rig!

Anyway - let me know who your heroes would be!

PS - These guys are just some unsung heroes I am aware of the true greats! RIP Bernard!

Cheers

Stu

[Kiwi]

Sharay Reed.



There's also this thread if its of interest?

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=729"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=729[/url]

[SJA]

James Eller- on several Julian Cope solo songs eg. "Trampoline", and The the's Dusk album.

[cetera]

Steve Buslowe and Neil Jason

Both US session greats from the 70's....

[thepurpleblob]

I hate to put a dampener on things but having thought about it for a minute..... I can think of a whole load of absolutely fabulous players that I know personally or have heard around the place. They're all playing in covers bands, on cruise ships, teaching, struggling to get a break, or whatever. Being a 'hero' still seems to come down to the usual vagaries of become famous or, in this case, only semi-famous.

[steve-soar]

[quote name='SJA' post='479760' date='May 5 2009, 11:24 AM']James Eller- on several Julian Cope solo songs eg. "Trampoline", and The the's Dusk album.[/quote]Monster and a Zon player, if my memory serves my correctly.

[risingson]

Paul Turner I loved on all of the George Michael stuff he played on. Randy Hope Taylor is also a favourite. Pino Palladino, Doug Wimbish, and Laurence Cottle all played on Seal's first and second albums respectively, and there's some great bass on those albums.

[SJA]

[quote name='steve-soar' post='479858' date='May 5 2009, 01:14 PM']Monster and a Zon player, if my memory serves my correctly.[/quote]

actually, James Eller's main bass is a cheap Japcrap Kay!
he says he used it on Cope's "world shut your mouth" because his Musicman was stuck in a lock-up, and the producer of the session loved its tone so much that he subsequently replaced the pickups, had it refinished and used it as his no.1 bass.

[yorick]

Bill Church. Played on the first two Montrose albums. \m/

[Chezz55]

Kenny Gradney - Bass player with Little Feat - Does exactly what's required.

[Soulfinger]

Bernard Odum - bass player with James Brown before Bootsy.
Played some groundbreaking and seriously funky stuff in the 60s, but Collins got all the credit...

Wilbur Bascomb - incredibly creative guy who is responsible for the über-groovy bass lines on the original "Hair" movie soundtrack, Andy Bey´s "Experience and Judgment" and Jeff Beck´s "Wired" album.

Byron Miller - top flight session player in the 70s, played with everyone from George Duke to Herbie Hancock.

Freddie Washington - "Forget Me Nots", "Just Around the Corner"... nuff said.

[AM1]

Nathan Watts and Winston Blissett!!

[stufunkybass]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='479848' date='May 5 2009, 01:05 PM']I hate to put a dampener on things but having thought about it for a minute..... I can think of a whole load of absolutely fabulous players that I know personally or have heard around the place. They're all playing in covers bands, on cruise ships, teaching, struggling to get a break, or whatever. Being a 'hero' still seems to come down to the usual vagaries of become famous or, in this case, only semi-famous.[/quote]

Couldn't agree more mate! A good friend of mine is an amazing player doing lots of good work for aspiring Bass players.

Musicians in general dont get the credit they deserve sometimes. My good friend is a guy called Nixon Rosembert (bass player with The Foundations) Also people like guitarist Tony Remy (Annie Lennox and a solo artist in his own right - amazing guitarist with his own style).

Appreciate the comment mate - good stuff!!

Stu

[foal30]

James Eller did a world tour with Matt Johnson, they played here in Christchurch Aotearoa
Sweet Bird of Truth hit like a ton of bricks

the cat on keys did a good job on Holland's way cool "Uncertain Smile" solo.


but most importantly I got to touch Johnny Marr's Nike adorned foot that is a claim to fame Irene Cara would be proud of.

[BOD2]

Terry Wilson - Crawler

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDyNyEijDc&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDyNyEijDc...feature=related[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALxZwhyhKIw&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALxZwhyhKIw...feature=related[/url]

I just bought that CD (used to have ity years ago) and I'm loving his bass sound and tasteful playing.

[alexclaber]

Tommy Cogbill.

Alex

[chardbass]

I've mentioned it several times over the past few years- I love the bassline to Kylie's Spinning Around.
Never found out exactly who it is- great hooky fill at the top and a great groove throughout.
Bernard Edwards influenced- it's poss Paul Turner or Winston Blissett?

[51m0n]

Joe Osborn - criminally neglected session player:-

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Osborn"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Osborn[/url]

He played on some pretty massive tracks throughout his career!

Edited May 7, 2009 by 51m0n

[Bass_In_Yer_Face]

[quote name='SJA' post='479760' date='May 5 2009, 11:24 AM']James Eller- on several Julian Cope solo songs eg. "Trampoline", and The the's Dusk album.[/quote]

Good Shout...love both albums

I'd like to nominate 'Brad Lang' for the excellent bass on 'Lexicon Of Love' by ABC and the brilliant late-great 'Alan Spenner' who I just found out played on ABC's 'Beauty Stab'. Loved his work with Roxy Music also

Edited May 8, 2009 by Bass_In_Yer_Face

[beardybass]

Jack Daley and Steve Greenwell who played on Joss Stone's first album, didn't think much of the guy on 'fell in love with a boy' though.
Larry Taylor, awesome, not really unsung, but still awesome!

[jbwaddy]

what about herbie flowers great session guy of the late 60s and all of the 70s then formed sky with john williams and cant remember the drummers name. Flowers played on quite a bit of bowies 70s stuff from what i can remember

[xilddx]

Vivien Weathers

[jhk]

[quote name='Bass_In_Yer_Face' post='482904' date='May 8 2009, 01:27 PM']Good Shout...love both albums

I'd like to nominate 'Brad Lang' for the excellent bass on 'Lexicon Of Love' by ABC and the brilliant late-great 'Alan Spenner' who I just found out played on ABC's 'Beauty Stab'. Loved his work with Roxy Music also[/quote]

just another shout for alan spenner who also did greaseband/joe cocker but also the fantastic band `kokomo`