Underrated Bass Players

[Tee]

I thought i should add Kim Deal to the list (if she hasn't been already). I love the simplicity and feel of 'Hey.' It always reminded me of 'If you want me to stay' a bit.

[Bilbo]

Neil Murray did some pretty useful stuff with seminal jazz rock legends National Health and some other great jazz rock with Colloseum II.

Some less obscure but rarely mentioned bass players on this forum:

Jimmy Johnson - s string bass innovator - was playing an Alembic 5-string in 1976. Johnson can be heard with a very diverse range of artists, including Allan Holdsworth, Michael Landau, James Taylor, Rod Stewart and Ray Charles, as well as his own work with Flim & the BB's. Flim is at his best on three Wayne (no relation) Johnson LPs 'Arrowhead', 'Grasshopper' and 'Everybody Is Painintng Pictures'.

Jeff Andrews - Mike Stern (before Lincoln Goines). Great grooves and interesting lines.

Zev Katz - great bass with Bob Mintzer Big Band

+ 1 for Victor Bailey

Arthur Maia - Gilberto Gil and 1,000 other Latin/Brazillian bands - tasty

Mike Mondesir - he deps for me sometimes. Great tone and groove.

Dudley Phillips - London based 6-string player - cool.

I may come back with more!

[Tait]

[quote name='Soulfinger' post='68324' date='Oct 1 2007, 06:16 PM']Anyone who has a signature bass is not underrated in my book. [/quote]

a hell of a lot of people have said JJ Burnell, he has a signature.

[Grinnreaper]

Good call on Stuart Morrow from New Model Army,also Nelson the guy who replaced him.

Paul Raven (RIP) of Killing Joke and Ministry

Danny McCormack - The Wildhearts

Michael McKeegan - Therapy

Lee Rocker --the Stray Cats (ok i know he's a slap bass player but great all the same

[SJA]

[quote name='3V17C' post='8861' date='May 29 2007, 09:21 PM'][b]Michael Anthony from Van Halen [/b]- a pretty steady rock player but I was listening to the old Fair Warning album the other day and theres some very tidy little bass parts on there.[/quote]


yeah-

here's "so this is love" from Fair warning played live-

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Sebn7YyjE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Sebn7YyjE[/url]

[16Again]

[quote name='Marky L' post='68350' date='Oct 1 2007, 06:55 PM']To wear my roots on my sleeve I have to say -

JJ Burnell - Stranglers (is he counted as underrated?)
Paul Gray - Hot Rods, Damned, UFO et al
Bruce Foxton - Jam
William Mysterious - Rezillos
Jah Wobble - PiL

+1 on Gary Tibbs too

Loads more really that my crappy old memory fails me on. The top four moulded my 'style' for sure



Oh.. just broke my basschat virginity! yay![/quote]

Great choices.
William Mysterious gave me my first shot of a bass! My best mate at schools' brother was HI-FI Harris!
Shame he doesnt play with them any more, it's a guy called Johhny Terminator and he's good.

d.

[Doc B]

Norwood Fisher from Fishbone - Bonin in the Boneyard, Lemon Meringue, are pure class
Muzz Skillings of Living Colour - Funny Vibe, Time's Up, Deperate People
Colin Greenwood of Radiohead - very tasteful

Is Peter Hook underrated? I like most of his stuff but what he did in Joy Division is timeless IMHO - She's Lost Control, Digital, Dead Souls, etc.

Anyway those are four of the players who most made me want to play (other than Flea)

There's a few others that have already been mentioned here - Jack Bessant of Reef, Cass Lewis, Bill Gould, Andy Rourke

[paul, the]

I heard a Joss Stone track on a TV program yesterday and loved the bass. The tone and line were a real modern homage to motown.

Will have get some CDs methinkings.

[doctorbass]

[quote name='rhino' post='44745' date='Aug 13 2007, 10:18 AM']Tab Martin of The Peddlers,

Louis Satterfield - Booker T & The MG's


Rhino.[/quote]

Louis Satterfield played the brilliant bassline in Rescue Me by Fontella Bass - I love playing that!!!

[SJA]

I've been listening to Thunder's backstreet symphony album again-

Mark "Snake" Luckhurst played some great basslines on this, in the Neil Murray, Andy Fraser, John Paul Jones vein.

a Thunderbird user, á la Frankie Poullain of the Darkness.....


another great JPJ-inspired player- Stuart Chatwood of the Tea Party eg. "the river", "save me", "bazaar".

Edited November 28, 2007 by SJA

[mr.sibs]

id like to second andy rourke, his basslines have taught me so much recently

[Jono]

Tony Kanal from No Doubt.

I just love playing 'Spiderwebs' and 'Different People'. Tragic Kingdom has a perfect mix of funk/ska/pop/rock/punk/reggae/disco playing

Even 'Don't Speak' has got a pretty good melodic line too.

Jon

[slowbo]

Always a problem one this. Who you might think is an unknown bass player other people think is a recognised muso
Here in totally an abstract musical form are some of my favourites

John Giblin & Alan Thompson on John Martyn records
Steve Swallow
Alan Margen - Old bass player for Santana
Dil Katz - Played on Playaway and for Barbara Thompson

[Motocross_nick]

Nate mendel of the Foo fighters, very solid player.

though i think dave grohl maybe a better bass player insome aspects though (listen to the probot album and youl know what i mean!), though it could be said Grohl is better than any of the other band members at their instruments!

[paul, the]

[quote name='Jono' post='95849' date='Nov 28 2007, 10:28 PM']Tony Kanal from No Doubt.

I just love playing 'Spiderwebs' and 'Different People'. Tragic Kingdom has a perfect mix of funk/ska/pop/rock/punk/reggae/disco playing

Even 'Don't Speak' has got a pretty good melodic line too.

Jon[/quote]

+1

"It's My Life"

Great line.

[SJA]

[quote name='paul, the' post='96480' date='Nov 30 2007, 04:06 AM']+1

"It's My Life"

Great line.[/quote]


...but dare I say that Paul Webb did it better on the Talk talk original?

I like Tony Kanal's playing though- eg. harmonics on "Just a girl"

[jacko]

Anyone mention Roger Waters yet? There's alot of tasteful playing in Pink Floyd's music.

[Tait]

not sure his name, but the bass player from new found glory is quite good, but new found glory themselves are underrated in Britain. I've heard theyre quite big in America, though.

greg k from the offspring

Edited December 8, 2007 by lwtait

[Sean]

Ron Blair from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, his playing those early albums is perfect for the songs. It's nice to see him back in the band too.

[Normanbiscuit]

P[size=3][font="Tahoma"]aul Simenon - Because he went out of his way not to be recognised as a muso. 'London Calling' has some great stuff but 'Give em enough Rope' has the best Bass and Drum sound I've ever heard. Only one biog of the Clash mentions the fact that they rented top flight guitars for this record after the sonic defeciancies of the first album.


Paul had a WAL - (Joe had a 335) if you listen carfully it is a very compressed Bass sound - superb on Julie's Been working for the Drug Squad.

Barry Adamson from Magazine who alas is probably overshadowed by the Best Lyricist and best Guitarist of that era.

Bruce Thomas (Attractions) for sounding like a frustrated lead guitarist but listening to the drummer too.

Honourable mentions to Nick Lowe and Lord Macca of Scouse who are too good at songwriting so get overlooked as Bassits.[/font][/size]

[nick]

[quote name='Normanbiscuit' post='97288' date='Dec 1 2007, 05:15 PM']P[size=3][font="Tahoma"]aul Simenon - Because he went out of his way not to be recognised as a muso. 'London Calling' has some great stuff but 'Give em enough Rope' has the best Bass and Drum sound I've ever heard. Only one biog of the Clash mentions the fact that they rented top flight guitars for this record after the sonic defeciancies of the first album.


Paul had a WAL - (Joe had a 335) if you listen carfully it is a very compressed Bass sound - superb on Julie's Been working for the Drug Squad.

Barry Adamson from Magazine who alas is probably overshadowed by the Best Lyricist and best Guitarist of that era.

[/font][/size][/quote]

Good call on Barry Adamson, he's first mention on this thread & rightly so. He used a Ibanez Rickenfaker for much of his time in Magazine, as opposed to Simonon, as you say using a topend WAL, only at producer Sandy Pearlman's insistence.

I'm going to add Chris Layhe (Icicle Works) to the roster!

Edited December 7, 2007 by nick

[MB1]

MB1.

William Mysterious on the first Rezillos Album "Cant Stand The Rezillos" .........AWESOME......!

[nick]

Mark Burgess : Chameleons

Julian Phillips : Marion

Lee Belsham : Dr. Phibes & the House of Wax Equations

[Huge Hands]

+1's go to Mark Bedders, Horace Panter and Joseph "Lucky Scott (Curtis Mayfield)

My four big under-raters are:

Lequient "Duke" Jobe of Rose Royce

Russell Jackson - played with BB King between late seenties/early eighties when BB was at his funkiest. All thanks to Russell.

Dee Murray - played with Elton John.

Kelly Groucutt of ELO

[Bilbo]

Kermot Driscoll with Bill Frissel - an true orignal (try Frissel's 'Have A Little faith' first!)