Sometimes less is more and can have huge dramatic impact. But Herr Clayton is no John McCoy I fear when it comes down to making one note throughout sound dramatic. When Clayton stays simple, he doesn't hang on to one note while The Edge changes chords, but pretty much follows him around wherever he goes. Might alienate the girlie audience if you sound too dark and dramatic ...
Being simple doesn't mean you can't make a forceful - hey, I want to be heard! - musical statement as these two tracks show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9DTD80HeQ4&feature=relatedI don't really think that Herr Clayton thinks in the terms of "forceful musical statements" as regards his bass playing.
Not that it harmed U2 any, but The Beatles would have probably done reasonably well too if McCartney's bass playing had not been as brilliant as it was, still most of us are grateful that it was him and not Ringo playing bass.
Granted, U2 is not Gillan and perhaps that type of attention-grabbing minimalist bass playing wouldn't fit with them. But if you look at New Order here, Hook isn't playing rocket science, but it is a musical statement: