10 Years Ago Today... We Lost The Thunder : John Entwistle 1944-2002

[lowend1]

Bassists don't tend to "change" music in the same way guitarists do. They are more noted within their own niche, or perhaps as part of a bassist / vocalist package (Bruce, McCartney, etc). A guitarist's influence is usually more palpable, but even there the player must cast an unusually large shadow. It requires that the player inspires non-musicians as well as those who play. The Beatles did it as a band. I can only think of a few in my lifetime - Hendrix, Van Halen, SRV - possibly Clapton. Chuck Berry, maybe, as well, but that is a little before my era.
I agree with Gary's earlier comment re Jamerson, but his influence was rendered almost anonymous (for many years) by virtue of his role as a session guy. IMHO, of course.

[gweimer]

Pioneers aren't always popular, but revered by musicians alone.  Their disciples usually find a way to take elements of their style and turn it into something more palatable.  When I first started writing bass lines, it was always the thought of "I'll try a little Jack Bruce here, or a little Dennis Dunaway".  When I heard what I was writing, I was surprised to hear that it was Gary Thain all over the place.  That's the reason I always list him as one of my biggest influences.

[lowend1]

Thain was a monster, and one of my biggest influences as well. Heep's live album is a smorgasbord of great bass lines and fills.

[gweimer]

Thain was a monster, and one of my biggest influences as well. Heep's live album is a smorgasbord of great bass lines and fills.

AMEN!  I always say that "Sweet Lorraine" should be required learning for all new bassists.

[nofi]

when i saw the who  moon fell off his throne a couple of times. he was totally wasted. yep, he certainly was quite the showman, chris. there is no excuse for this behavior and its a slap in the face to the fans who made him rich!

he never crosses my mind when people talk about great drummers.

[uwe]

Dave's observation is an interesting one: guitarists are more derivative. That is absolutley true, but it has never crossed my mind. Why is that? Because guitar stands out more and is more of an inspiration for people who want to shine and then pattern themselves after the role model?

Very observant, Dave, I must say. So maybe that is the reason why a lot of us like JAE but never bothered to learn his typewriter technique or keep our "strings on the other side of the neck". Or took up horn playing, because that is what I hear a lot in JAE's bass lines: his horn playing backgounde. It is where the "constructiveness" comes from.

For the avoidance of doubt: I lke both JAE and Moon and I laso liked them best when they played with each other. I prefer a rhythm section that lives and beathes, invades the music and rushes notes sometimes better (Did Moon ever finish rolls in perfect time? Probably only the ones he ate!)  than the umpteenth say AC/DC type rhythm section which - yawn - "plays the pocket" and - double yawn - "locks in with the bassdrum". Moonie and JAE didn't know what locking in with the bass drum was if you had hit them with it and their pocket was full of (inspired) holes. But I prefer inspired faultiness to rock-solid boring perfection. The one track where they both locked in in disipline was Magic Bus which JAE - by his own admission - hated playing "because it's boring on bass".

Jamerson and Duck Dunn, though no one knew who they were for a long time, might have indeed influenced our collective minds, fingers and ears a lot. Influence is often sublime.

[Chris P.]

I was thinking about modern bass players with the 60s feel. I listened to The Whole Love a lot this year. Wilco's latest album. I have to say that I love John Stirratt. I also interviewd him. He always has a great tone, a lot of melodic playing and he's not afraid to use some fuzz:)

Most of the album is played with an LP Sig.

[lowend1]

Dave's observation is an interesting one: guitarists are more derivative. That is absolutley true, but it has never crossed my mind. Why is that? Because guitar stands out more and is more of an inspiration for people who want to shine and then pattern themselves after the role model?

Michael Steele of The Bangles once said that nobody wants to be the bass player "because there's no glory in that".

[uwe]

I thought only girls played with The Bangles?

[dadagoboi]

I thought only girls played with The Bangles?

Evidently also the former head of the RNC...who knew?

[Dave W]

The Bangles haven't been the same since they traded Chad Ochocinco to the Pats.

[Pilgrim]

The Bangles haven't been the same since they traded Chad Ochocinco to the Pats.

[uwe]

I had to look her/him up. It freaks me how you yanks give youself names that won't let one surmise the gender. Frau Steele seems to be hardly the Alice Cooper/Marilyn Manson type where a name from the opposite sex is supposed to indicate revolt. Someone should have told her that it should have been "Michelle".

[gweimer]

Kind of like the old SNL skits with "Pat".  I figured it was a female.  I know of actress Michael Learned.

There are a few names that aren't gender specific:
Pat
Terry
Gail
Michael
Chris
Sam (I've heard it used for Samuel and Samantha)
Kerry
Kim


...Mark....  

[TBird1958]

Impeecable logic Gary!