Marooned in sicily with a U2 and a Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits, I've been fortunate enough to delve into Herr Clayton's bass playing more extensively. It's not all uncreative, I notice. On the very early stuff he was a lively new-wavish player, rhythmically much more busy than today. In the middle phase he became a bit complacent/unimaginative, but perked up again on the last three studio albums. That is not root note droning on "It's a beautiful day", but a nicely propulsive melody that carries the song.
Did I mention that Naomi Campbell was hot too?