For most rock bands, singers and guitarists get the majority of the spotlight. The bassist is usually pushed to the back, keeping the groove with a drummer who can hardly be seen behind the drumset.
But once in a while a bassist comes along with the skill and personality that forces him to the front of the stage. When that happens, look out!
Here are TEN kings of the four-string everyone should know about. Some of these guys are groovy, some of them are fast. Some think they’re guitarists, and a lot of them like to slap and pop. But one thing they all have in common: it’s fun to watch them play.
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Larry Graham: Credited with inventing the slap/pop bass technique. Played with Sly and the Family Stone and his own group, Graham Central Station. (More Larry Graham here)
John Entwistle: Bassist from The Who. Fast, furious basslines played with an almost effortless look on his face. (More John Entwistle here)
Victor Wooten: Bassist extraordinaire with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. (More Victor Wooten here)
Billy Sheehan: Best known for his work in Mr. Big. A lead guitarist in a bassist’s body, watch how fast he can play. Often paired with superguitarists like Steve Via and Paul Gilbert. (More Billy Sheehan here)
Les Claypool: Primus frontman who kept the 90’s “silly” with his charmingly goofy persona. Bay Area native; auditioned for Metallica after Cliff Burton died. (More Les Claypool here)
Buddy Hankerson: Grammy winner, played with Steve Arrington and and Young and Company, providing bass on their 1980 disco hit “I like What You’re Doing to Me.” (more Buddy Hankerson)
Jaco Pastorius: Legendary jazz bassist. Known for his skill with the fretless electric bass, use of harmonics. (More Jaco here)
Cliff Burton: Bassist with Metallica until his death in 1986; helped shape the heavy metal/thrash soundscape. (check out the Cliff ‘Em All documentary)
Flea: Red Hot Chili Peppers’ funky bassist. Along with Claypool he helped keep high school kids slapping and popping through the 90s; sticks closer to the Larry Graham fundamentals than his Primus counterpart. (More RHCP here)
Geddy Lee: Singer and bassist for prog-rock superstars Rush.
Of course, this is just ten of the greats. Who else would you include on the list?
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How about Tony Levin
Stanley Clarke did NOT invent slap bass playing. That credit belongs to two men. Larry Grahm, and Louis Johnson.
Definitely missing Level 42’s Mark King in this list.
Nice list – but nearly ALL funk.
My additions: John Deacon…while not flashy…is criminally underrated. (Check out Millionaire Waltz.) McCartney, again while not flashy, has written some of the most beautiful basslines in the history of music. (Check out Something.) Agree on Mark King…ALSO…the first bassist of The Fixx. (Check out One Thing Leads to Another.)…And that Taylor guy from Duran Duran. Very cool, unique lines.
No offense to those who listed him…Sting’s a wonderful composer. And though I love his work on the Steinberger upright, he doesn’t belong on this list.
CHRIS SQUIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike Gordon of Phish is the greatest living bass player. Seriously.
Primus Sucks!
Lousy choice of clips for Flea. Love the Entwistle clip, wondering if maybe Geezer Butler should be mentioned…
Noel Redding (bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience)deserves to be on the list. I think he’s underrated as a bassist. A good example of his live playing is his bass solo on “Sunshine of Your Love” from their Jan. 9, 1969 in Stockholm Sweden. Check it out, it’s pretty cool to see the influence that Jimi had on his playing.
I agree with Joe Michaels: Paul McCartney and John Taylor should definitely be included in any list of great bass players, particularly McCartney due to the fact he was approaching bass playing from a very melodic angle at a time when most people weren’t – many people followed his example afterwards.
I also think there are too many bassists in this list who (in my opinion of course) tended to ‘overplay’ quite a bit. As a bassist myself I think one of the most important skills to develop is knowing when to hold back and not put too many notes in just to show off what you can do, which I find is quite a junior error amongst many bass players. Therefore I think the – perhaps more subtle but nevertheless superlative – talents of players such as John Paul Jones, Andy Fraser, Jack Bruce and even John McVie shouldn’t be overlooked when compiling a list like this.
I’d also like to point out Bruce Foxton of The Jam, who’s angular approach pretty much exemplified the tight rhythmical style of the late 70s and early 80s new wave and post-punk bands – something which many considered a welcome antidote to the more convoluted musical styles of the mid 70s (of which most of the bassists in this list seem to be a part of).
I’d also be in a mind to reject any list which included Flea, as I’ve always found his style of playing to be quite tawdry and a little vexing on the ears…but that’s just my opinion.
not sure how you can create a top ten list of bass players without mentioning James Jamerson
Mike Watt should be on that list. Especially seeing Flea on there.
Verdine White – Earth Wind Fire
Roger Waters?
Why isn’t John Myung of Dream Theater on this list.
Mike Gordon
Taz Wilkenfield Aussie chick who plays w/ Jeff Beck….fun to watch as well.
Marcus Miller
I like Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.
Mike Gordon of Phish has been mentioned a couple of times. He was the central figure in a documentary called “Rising Low,” occasioned by the death of the Allman Bros Band’s Allen Woody. In it, a number of the great bassists mentioned here were featured, including John Entwhistle, Chris Squire, Jack Bruce, Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham and Phil Lesh.
No one likes John Paul Jones?
A fine, fine list, to be sure.
I’m not sure how you can put Wooten in a list and not include Marcus Miller, however…
Also for sheer technical excellence and balls-to-the-wall sustained awesomeness I’d include John Myung too.
What those two can’t do with a bass isn’t worth doing, is it?
And of course John Paul Jones really deserves a spot.
Tom Jenkinson (aka: Squarepusher) certainly deserves to be up here.
Mike Watt should totally be on this list considering that the chili peppers are just trying to be the minutemen.
Also where the f is Bootsy Collins?!!! His exclusion from this list blows my mind.
Others I think that possibly deserve inclusion.:
Lemmy, come on that guy rocks way harder then cliff burton.
I think if we are counting stand up bass Charles Mingus also needs to be on this list.
How about the ladies: Kim Gordon plays an awesome bass and keeps a steady groove despite all the chaos usually going on around her.
Kim Deal, while maybe not that technically skilled, her bass riffs pretty much define a lot of the songs she plays in. She is the glue that keeps the pixies stuck together.
Chris Squire from Yes.
FUCK YOUR WEBSITE FOR PLAYING THIS BULLSHIT FILE THAT I CAN’T STOP, FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU DIE IN A FIRE YOU PIECE OF CRAP.
Hey
Can you stop playing this stupid ad for Disney running in the background ??
I don’t really get why this ad is there in the first place when you want to go through video ??
This is truly the worst advertising I saw in the last 10 years of web-surfing. It’s such a shame for a great content…
Daf, Y,
What file you referring to that won’t stop playing?
And what Disney music do you hear playing? From a specific ad on a certain video?
Lemme know so we can try to fix it.
Ric in Void
Have you ever heard Aslak Bendtsen in the Norwegain group
Pink Little Barbie Dolls? Incredilbe
No Steve Harris? Not fashionable right now (or ever really) but one of the most influential musicians on the planet-must warrant a mention?
I can’t handle that audio advertising all over this site. It appears to be both disney and Alice in wonderland, and it happens everywhere I navigate.
Mick Karn, Me’shell N’degeocello, Jamaladeen Tacuma
The audio advertising is louder than the videos, and I can’t find a way to mute them
The source of these obnoxious and unintended audio advertisements has been hunted down and eradicated. Many apologies.
Peter Hook
Geezer Butler.
James Jamerson? Carol Kaye? Verdine White? Colin Moulding (XTC)? Graham Maby (Joe Jackson)? Kim Annette Clarke (Defunkt)? Oteil Burbridge (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Allman Brothers)? How about Ray Brown?
Chris Squire, absolutely. Marcus Miller and Paul McCartney as well. I agree Mike Gordon is excellent, but less original IMHO than manyof these – more like a collage artist with chops. I’d second Meshell N’Degeocello as well if it weren’t for the fact that after seeing her live I’m not sure she is playing all her tastiest licks (she had a young gun with her for a lot of parts).
If the actual BASS part isn’t a pre-requisite, I might nominate Richard “Bob” Greene from The Bobs (a capella bass).
@darin: word to Jamerson. @matt: word to Bootsy. How about Gary Willis (Tribal Tech)? Can I get a 21st century update a la Pino Palladino and Abe Laboriel?
Also, can I throw out an MVP vote in the existing list for Buddy Hankerson. Tone, Pocket, Musicality, Honesty. To say nothing of the fact that his video is just him sitting in the lab grooving. Entwistle (God rest his soul) has a goddamn camera on his head. Jaco (God rest HIS soul) jumps on his bass. Buddy just turns on the beat, sits there, and rips a hole in your shit with his 900 pound Funk.
James Jamerson, Marcus Miller