The Last Bass Outpost
Main Forums => The Outpost Cafe => Topic started by: Dave W on June 03, 2015, 11:16:26 AM
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LA Weekly's The 20 Best Bassists of All Time (http://www.laweekly.com/music/the-20-best-bassists-of-all-time-5505433)
Can't argue with a lot of these, but really, a Top 20 list with Lemmy and Fred Maddox but without Jack Bruce and Willie Dixon?
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Yep, all the usual suspects on there (I assume they just ran out of room for Jack and Willie.... I'd add Paul Simonon - he's better than you think from listenning to early Clash. He was the star of the stage when I saw him live with The Good The Bad and The Queen a few years back... Hooky could be bumped, his ego reeeeaaaally doesn't need the boost).
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LA Weekly's The 20 Best Bassists of All Time (http://www.laweekly.com/music/the-20-best-bassists-of-all-time-5505433)
Can't argue with a lot of these, but really, a Top 20 list with Lemmy and Fred Maddox but without Jack Bruce and Willie Dixon?
Jack Bruce would be at the top of my list. But I'm getting used to seeing his name being left off nowadays. Not that that's a good thing or that I can accept it, but that's just the way it is. I saw another list far more stupid than this one earlier today. A top 100 songs of all time with David Bowie at the top of the list. It was too ridiculous to even bother posting. All I could do was laugh.
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Delighted to see Duck Dunn there at #1, Jamerson at #8 and The Ox at #3. Also happy to see Carol Kaye, even if I have reservations about putting her #1.
Yup. Jack Bruce deserves a place.
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Jack Bruce and Dee Murray are obvious omissions.
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Have to agree about Jack Bruce and Dee Murray, far better than Kim Deal or Tina Weymoth.
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Have to agree about Jack Bruce and Dee Murray, far better than Kim Deal or Tina Weymoth.
Second that motion: hipster cred and imaginary feminazis, can we lick your balls please?
However, for such a normally musically vapid general publication, the list is at least mostly musically valid except for those two. The other "TWO" youtube tracks of "Master of Puppets" and putting Cliff on the list: I love me some old Metallica and that's the best of it, and that makes for a massive thumbs-up from me. Unfortunately for Jack Bruce, the general public knows him only from Cream, "Eric Clapton's" band. Thank Clapton's relentless 80's/90's presence on the pop charts for reducing the much better work he did in the 60's and Jack with it to merely an afterthought in pop culture. Lemmy is actually a great bass player, though you have to buy supergroup cover sessions to hear it. Lemmy IS the Bastard God of all that is Rock, whether he actually plays rhythm guitar or not. Definitely Paul Simonon should have had one of the wasted slots that the two aforementioned ladies occupy. Dee Murray should also be there, and Elvis and Johnny or no, it was Bill Black's and Marshall Grant's slap bass, not Fred Maddox's, that took that style to the masses. Simon Gallup should have Peter Hook's New Wave nod, or dare I say, a certain Police-man, who inspired millions of white Spector and black Precision sales.
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Have to agree about Jack Bruce and Dee Murray, far better than Kim Deal or Tina Weymoth.
Alright, I'll concede Kim but you leave Tina alone.
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Lists like this seem to generated by Anne Erickson types who just want a lot of clicks and re-tweets so it wouldn't surprise me if leaving Jack off wasn't intentional. Or so the conspiracy theorist in me claims.
That said, I love lists like this ;D I click on them every time. For me there are 4 people on the list that don't belong at all and I would re-order them entirely. But until I'm hired by the LA times I'm telling anyone what the top 20 really are. Well, maybe Anne if she calls...
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Tina stays. Kim... sorry Kim. I love you, really. But this is not the place for you.
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Tina stays. Kim... sorry Kim. I love you, really. But this is not the place for you.
Kim would probably agree with you.
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Tina should stay for shure, maybe shared with Gail Ann Dorsey...
And where is Ray Schulman?
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Bernie Edwards could slot into that list pretty easily.... though I'm not gonna argue about who else should get bumped...
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It's just ridiculous to see Lemmy close to Jaco. Tina Weirmouth in top 20? I like Talking Heads and every time I hear them I wonder what they can do with a decent bassist as they often did in the eighties. Where are Jack Bruce, Steve Harris, Roger Glover, Phil Lynott, Mel Schacher, Berry Oakley, Leon Wilkeson just to name the first few that come to my mind?
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I love these lists too, even if i never agree with them once I've read em
what about an LBO list of best players?
set up a poll, all of the above plus any other nominations, five votes each to give a good spread
good for a laugh ? or cue for a slanging match?
also
Simon Gallup should have Peter Hook's New Wave nod
sadly until recently I would have seconded that, he was a big inspiration to the teenage me, but I recently found out from someone connected, that in fact Bob Smith wrote all the cool basslines on his BassVI and then taught them Gallup :(
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Really? Interesting... makes me not feel quite so bad about forgetting about him momentarily.
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What, no Dennis Dunaway? Pshaw!
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Tina was never an excellent technician, but the reason I rate her so hightly is her consistently original, distinctive, catchy, danceable, and perfectly song-serving basslines.
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Don't forget her versatility. A lot of those other dudes were not.
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i think this list was supposed to be a cross section of good bass players playing a variety of genres.it failed. but any best bassist list ain't shit unless they include the REALLY legendary ray brown. imo lemmy, deal, hook and and geezer can say good bye.
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:bored: :bored: :bored:
If I had my own list, about 8 of those people could be on it. Nothing against the others, but i do think some of these folks tend to be over-rated. Cliff Burton, Lemmy, and Les Claypool, but no Geddy Lee or Chris Squire? Ridiculous. Oh, and where's that bald headed guy from the east coast?
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The people who compiled this list probably know very little about bass and bassists. They've only read about them, and the ones they read about the most made the list. For example, Carol Kaye has always tooted her own horn -- nothing wrong with that -- while Joe Osborn hasn't. Ergo, Carol is at the top of the list and Joe is nowhere to be seen.
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If you want listen how good (and melodic) Lemmy was, listen to Hawkind. There are a lot of similarities with the much later Peter Hook of New Order, the same chordy, yet melodic eights-oriented style. And he could even groove rhythmically, just listen here around 21:12 what he does "underneath" Nik Turner's sax solo - or perhaps the sax playing is "behind" Lemmy's bass playing. :mrgreen:
I agree, lots of usual suspects in that list, couple of surprising choices and even some people that finally get the recognition they deservelike good ole Geezer B. Is there really no Flea in it or did I just overread him?
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The people who compiled this list probably know very little about bass and bassists. They've only read about them, and the ones they read about the most made the list. For example, Carol Kaye has always tooted her own horn -- nothing wrong with that -- while Joe Osborn hasn't. Ergo, Carol is at the top of the list and Joe is nowhere to be seen.
Maybe nobody else wants to come out and say it, but there seems like there was a distinct effort to get as many ladies on the list as possible
Most of them deserve to be there, or at least be in the running (Carol most definately, and I defended Tina's spot), but still. Some are conspicuously missing (they have Kim, who has been in the news a lot recently what with being back with The Breeders and not touring with the Pixies, but not Suzi, who nobody in the media are talking about in the last few years). Kim seems like a definite femme gimmie; now I love her work, but if she has much technical prowess, she doesn't show it off. Though there is something to be said for a bass layer who doesn't demand specific attention and will just work for the song as opposed to their own glory (something that can't be said of some of the others on the list)... and can provide iconic backing vocals at the same time (or lead as the case may be). There was a whole subgenre of breathy alt rock riot grrrl music that based their vocal styles on her (backing vs lead); and later in the early 00s even some cheesey pop. She was the basis of a rock vocal style just like Kurt was (and just like with him, some of the imitators are most irritating).
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I dismissed that list the moment I saw Kim Deal was in the list. Putting her on the list is simply ridiculous. You might as well put Sid Vicious on the list 8)
I agree with you Jake, the number of female bassists in that list is remarkable, to say the least :o
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Maybe nobody else wants to come out and say it, but there seems like there was a distinct effort to get as many ladies on the list as possible.
Ahem:
Second that motion: hipster cred and imaginary feminazis, can we lick your balls please?
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Sorry, missed that earlier. ... probably because I was laughing after reading the hipster cred bit.
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That is a weird poll. It loses all scientific credibility for me by not making catsuit wardrobe mandatory for qualifying female bassists. I hate it when obviously relevant criteria is glaringly omitted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjxmWUxDA18
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/fc/70/ab/fc70abdb72eb341fe4f4e77143586ccc.jpg)
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/5f/bb/d2/5fbbd28bebe4090d0194c97fd6a4a352.jpg)
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/94/e3/f3/94e3f3c4752fd242342815a214e89637.jpg)
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ff/e0/6b/ffe06bb7df17d5d6c5b6003f85087529.jpg)
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Stay classy Uwe.
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Happy Birthday, Suzi Quatro (June 3rd)
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Suzi was never well known in the US except as Leather Tuscadero, and she's been off the radar here for years, so it's no wonder she wasn't included.
Bill Black allegedly cited Fred Maddox as an influence. So Paul Allen managed to get Fred's bass for the Experience Music Project because -- allegedly -- the first notes of rock & roll may have been played on that bass back in the mid-'30s. That's the story, but it's ludicrous. Fred Maddox wasn't the first doghouse bassist to slap, the Maddox Brothers & Rose didn't play rock & roll, and they weren't nationally known until I was little. Yet one of the authors of this list must have read about Maddox's bass at the EMP and decided he belongs on the list.
That's what I mean when I said the list was made by people who have only read about bassists.
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Stay classy Uwe.
Isn't it a bit late for that? :mrgreen: I'm with Dolly Parton on this who one quipped in a talkshow about her wardrobe: "People have no idea how expensive it is to look this cheap!"
Seriously, there is not a single woman in that poll that really has "chops" like many of the nominated guys do, Carol Kaye excepted. Where are Gail Ann Dorsey, Rhonda Smith, Mehell Medgeocello and Tal Wilkenfeld? Whether you like their style or not, they are proper bass player(esse)s with sporty chops, the kind of fodder you'd generally tend to see in these type of polls if they were male.
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Sorry dude, Tina and even Kim have chops in spades. Chops <> technical ability or virtuosity.
Chops isn't a thing that makes a bassist great; it makes a bassist acceptable.
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krist novoselic isn't on the list and I'm not sure he should be,
but he is equally as deserving of the spot as Kim
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.........
Seriously, there is not a single woman in that poll that really has "chops" like many of the nominated guys do, Carol Kaye excepted. Where ......Tal Wilkenfeld?.........
Speaking of Tal - looky what I found ;D I knew I had reason to like her ;)
https://www.facebook.com/talwilkenfeld/photos/pb.85716653004.-2207520000.1433601391./10152500600943005/?type=1&theater
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Tal, Esperanza, Meshell, Rhonda... It really wouldn't have been hard to name some female players with serious talent. But what would we debate if the list was actually accurate :-X
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The people who compiled this list probably know very little about bass and bassists. They've only read about them, and the ones they read about the most made the list. For example, Carol Kaye has always tooted her own horn -- nothing wrong with that -- while Joe Osborn hasn't. Ergo, Carol is at the top of the list and Joe is nowhere to be seen.
I was just about to write that Jamerson and Carol were there, but Joe Osborn wasn't. Wait, I DID write that...