Author Topic: Inspirational bass players  (Read 12995 times)

Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #100 on: 19 March, 2021, 06:50:31 pm »
He's very special, isn't he?  Have you any idea who's playing bass on this?  It's Aretha with "Don't Play that Song" but a much better version than the already good single.  It might be James Jamerson but it might also be some English session guy, like Herbie Flowers.  Whoever, they know what they're doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apqsRKwwwtA

Sounds like a full on BBC light entertainment orchestra, full of unsung talents turning their hands to anything day in, day out for Musicians' Union standard rates.

Speaking of Musicians' Union, if the backing wasn't a tape, surely it's very unlikely that a BBC special from 1970 would be using foreign talent in the backing band?

Link here https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/8da3065b691e4cd6953c94a214c0eda6 suggests that in fact it might be "Norrie Paramor and his Orchestra". Norrie being something of a titan of easy listening, it would seem.

(Whoever it is, yes they're great)

Cliff, that was my original thought.  The live recording is (to my mind) much better all round than the released single.  And yes, Norrie Paramor was "Mr Music" on Television, when I were a lad!  Him and a bloke called John Barry - wonder what happened to him (!)

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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #101 on: 19 March, 2021, 07:10:00 pm »
I'm not interested in those who's technical ability is not matched by musicality, only those who have made beautiful music on bass.

While my own preferences lie along the Chris Squire/Geddy Lee growling Rickenbacker kind of axis, I do also play fretless.  To that end, and thinking especially about the musicality, I will suggest:
  • Les Claypool – not necessarily beautiful music but whose output with Primus and beyond is technically and rhymically excellent, and IMO he's become more interesting in the last ten years or so, not least with Duo De Twang and The Claypool-Lennon Delirium.
  • Sean Malone – an occasional tendency to overplay, but has a knack for beautiful phrasing in amongst high energy warp speed stuff.  Cynic wasn't for everyone, but his work with Aghora is worth a look, with a lot of Eastern influenced grooves and beautiful vocals.
  • Gary Willis – for his astoundingly economical right-hand technique, and a way of playing that you hardly notice just how hard he's grooving.  Check out his work with Tribal Tech.
  • Steve Bailey – monster on six strings, loves to sprinkle artificial harmonics into things, and tends to overplay much less than Victor Wooten does.

A couple of less common nominations would include:
  • Dave Carpenter – who I always thought was the perfect foil to Allan Holdsworth.
  • Rob Martino – if you consider Chapman Stick alongside bass, then this is the guy to listen to.  Try The Third Enigma, for example, for some lovely melodies on top.
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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #102 on: 22 March, 2021, 11:07:31 am »
Apologies to CarlF for mis-reading him as "Cliff"!

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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #103 on: 23 March, 2021, 09:26:26 pm »
Another left field genre, but the bass player on the first single i ever bought.  John "Segs" Jennings of The Ruts - powered both their punk and reggae music.  "It was Cold" and "Jah War" come to mind
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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #104 on: 26 May, 2023, 02:02:27 pm »
Have we had John Taylor yet?

Ok, Duran Duran were a pretty-boy New Romantic pop band, but listen to the bass on "Rio", especially from 3:00.

https://www.bestbassgear.com/ebass/article/duran-durans-rio-one-of-the-toughest-bass-lines-you-never-knew-about.html
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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #105 on: 26 May, 2023, 03:35:28 pm »
I think Tony Levin would be up there - if you include use of a stick and "funk fingers".
The sound of one pannier flapping

Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #106 on: 29 May, 2023, 11:09:43 am »
Re Peter Hook, it doesn't matter.

I would rather have great music with a "shit" player than shit music with a "great" player.

I suspect Joy Division and to a lesser extend New Order were quite different on record and live. Martin Hannet more or less created the sound of the recorded version of Joy Division which was something the band saw as different to how they thought of their music.

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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #107 on: 29 May, 2023, 02:55:43 pm »
My two personal favourites (apart from my kids, who probably don't count as 'inspirational') are Joe Plowman and Franic Rozyck.

Joe playing with Carsie Blanton
https://youtu.be/hMXcE2Naemo

And Franic and the Wave Pictures
https://youtu.be/HP_JH9J-h0g

The latter is excellent live, and they tour a lot, generally playing grassroots venues with very affordable ticket prices. The former I've not had a chance to see live yet, but he did do a bass tutorial for my youngest when they did their first lockdown livetream...

Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #108 on: 29 May, 2023, 03:54:19 pm »
I can’t say I really listen to music, so my tuppence is the best bass solo I ever heard, and that was from Noel Redding, fronting his eponymous band.
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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #109 on: 29 May, 2023, 04:12:11 pm »
Somewhere on Youbend is a vid of Rory Gallagher letting each member of the band have a solo spot during a rendition of, IIRC, “Walk On Hot Coals”.  Rod De'Ath's drum solo: meh.  Lou Martin's keys: OK.  Gerry McAvoy's bass solo, though…
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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #110 on: 02 June, 2023, 01:05:05 am »
OK, hear me out: Hugh McDonald. The 'Jovi may not withstand much credible muso scrutiny (though please, God save us from credibility), but his bass is deceptively important in driving some undeniably classic pop-rock belters. Where would "In These Arms" be without it? Or, indeed, Livin' on a Prayer, etc.? Alec John Such - sorry pal, you're fooling nobody. Those are Hugh tunes. Massive pop hits, with a bass part that perfectly fuses rhythm and harmony but isn't necessarily noticed by anyone who's not of a four-hefty-strings persuasion themself, but that makes those who know doff their caps.


Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #111 on: 02 June, 2023, 07:37:43 am »
...

Mark King (not for the unbearable slap, but actually his fingerstyle is stunning)

...

Mark King solo in concert, Reading 2001...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt1APRRddS4   :o :)

Simon Gallup, The Cure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r54jwZvtJck
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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #112 on: 03 June, 2023, 06:31:25 am »
Not a single mention of Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen ?
Just about the only Jaco comparable, except on a double-bass?

https://youtu.be/GotQd8pKTGQ?t=36

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q30bdy5b5-c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR6eskEN0jo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGJh3rhPuqM


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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #113 on: 03 June, 2023, 08:23:53 am »
Re Peter Hook, it doesn't matter.

I would rather have great music with a "shit" player than shit music with a "great" player.

I suspect Joy Division and to a lesser extend New Order were quite different on record and live. Martin Hannet more or less created the sound of the recorded version of Joy Division which was something the band saw as different to how they thought of their music.

I saw New Order in 82, I think.

Late on stage. Uninterested, 45 minutes. Booing when the punters realised that was it.
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #114 on: 03 June, 2023, 08:24:13 am »

Just about the only Jaco comparable, except on a double-bass?

Never got the Jaco thing, but I didnt enjoy the Weather Report end of the fusion thing. Dreadful soulless stuff. In fact it was a key part of the fashion for overplaying that sort of killed fusion for good by the 90s. It had no feeling or soul.

Jaco's wife understood this...

https://youtube.com/shorts/3MBkTIQ0XhU?feature=share3

 ;)

If you are mentioning Northern European bassists then don't omit Jonas Hellborg. He did some great stuff with Mahavishnu.

Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #115 on: 03 June, 2023, 08:29:27 am »
Re Peter Hook, it doesn't matter.

I would rather have great music with a "shit" player than shit music with a "great" player.

I suspect Joy Division and to a lesser extend New Order were quite different on record and live. Martin Hannet more or less created the sound of the recorded version of Joy Division which was something the band saw as different to how they thought of their music.

I saw New Order in 82, I think.

Late on stage. Uninterested, 45 minutes. Booing when the punters realised that was it.

I saw them in 98 at one of their farewell gigs in Manchester. Wasn't there to see them, was there for Underworld and Andy Weatherall.

I think they are one of those bands into which people invest their identity, thus the loyal following. They could have just gone and stage, pulled down their trousers, coiled one out and walked off and half the crowd would still have clapped and said it was the best gig ever.

Musically, this was pretty much what happened.

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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #116 on: 03 June, 2023, 11:44:34 am »
Just about the only Jaco comparable, except on a double-bass?

If we’re talking double bass we should probably have mentioned Charles Mingus by now, if we haven’t already.

Also…

A couple of weeks ago, we had a knock on the door one afternoon and I was surprised to see it was someone who is not just an inspirational bass player but an inspirational (and generally lovely) human being - Chi-Chi Nwanoku, who happened to be in the area so called in for a cup of tea.

https://youtu.be/NlSaYHy-mwo

(She’s been upgraded to a CBE now.)
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rogerzilla

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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #117 on: 03 June, 2023, 11:58:48 am »
Re Peter Hook, it doesn't matter.

I would rather have great music with a "shit" player than shit music with a "great" player.

I suspect Joy Division and to a lesser extend New Order were quite different on record and live. Martin Hannet more or less created the sound of the recorded version of Joy Division which was something the band saw as different to how they thought of their music.

I saw New Order in 82, I think.

Late on stage. Uninterested, 45 minutes. Booing when the punters realised that was it.

I saw them in 98 at one of their farewell gigs in Manchester. Wasn't there to see them, was there for Underworld and Andy Weatherall.

I think they are one of those bands into which people invest their identity, thus the loyal following. They could have just gone and stage, pulled down their trousers, coiled one out and walked off and half the crowd would still have clapped and said it was the best gig ever.

Musically, this was pretty much what happened.
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Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #118 on: 03 June, 2023, 12:04:34 pm »
They absolutely cannot play their instruments. It is verging on the risible. And yet they hit upon a sound that allowed them to get away with it. Don't believe for a second that they didn't have considerable external help for Blue Monday though.

Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #119 on: 03 June, 2023, 12:25:46 pm »
From the ridiculous to the sublime - have we had Richard Bona yet?

Jaded

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Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #120 on: 03 June, 2023, 12:31:08 pm »
Re Peter Hook, it doesn't matter.

I would rather have great music with a "shit" player than shit music with a "great" player.

I suspect Joy Division and to a lesser extend New Order were quite different on record and live. Martin Hannet more or less created the sound of the recorded version of Joy Division which was something the band saw as different to how they thought of their music.

I saw New Order in 82, I think.

Late on stage. Uninterested, 45 minutes. Booing when the punters realised that was it.

Updated to add:

I think the only shorter set I have seen was Bilbo Baggins* on stage at an Edinburgh Cinema before we saw something like Grease. Or it could have been Carrie, but almost certainly wasn’t.

*
(click to show/hide)
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Inspirational bass players
« Reply #121 on: 03 June, 2023, 12:52:49 pm »
The mention of Tom Paton makes me think of David Paton.  I don't know if they were related or not, though both had/have Bay City Rollers connection.  I'm not sure if David comes into the class of "inspirational" but I should add the disclaimer that, to bowdlerise John Sebastian, "Anyone who plays bass plays twice as better than I will".  Obviously that doesn't include people who merely hold a bass, a couple of whom have featured on here.  David is certainly an excellent player (he had hits with Pilot) and contributes a lovely part to Elton John's Nikita.