Underrated bass players

yesca · September 17, 2011, 04:57:47 AM

Dave "Dixie" Collins

clockwork green · September 17, 2011, 11:22:36 AM

John Taylor (Duran Duran). It's a little easier for me to notice and appreciate good bass playing in a band I like but John Taylor impresses me with a band I can't stand. His lines are often funky, slippery, melodic and rhythmically challenging all at the same time. If they were uglier dudes they'd probably get more credit for their music but they were such a teen heartthrob band it was easy to dismiss them as vapid pop which it still is but it's very well played pop.

Necromancer · September 17, 2011, 10:45:31 PM

Jamie Stewart had some interesting stuff on the early Cult records I thought.

And what about Ron Broder of Coroner?

Derelict78 · September 18, 2011, 11:54:24 PM

Brian Ritchie

EddieMullet · September 19, 2011, 08:38:34 PM

Paul Newton-Uriah Heep's first bassist played bass on the 1st 3 Uriah Heep albums,I love the bass work on Salisbury and Look at Yourself. He's overshadowed by his replacement (the late Gary Thain) and almost rightly so, pretty much any bassist would be no matter how good.

Nick Oliveri- I heard a Kyuss Lives bootleg and he sounds damn good, legal troubles, meth addiciton, being an asshole or whatever I thought he'd choke on the Sky Valley/Circus Leaves Town stuff, but he plays it quite capably.

GodShifter · September 19, 2011, 11:19:20 PM

John Taylor is a good pick. I always thought he was good.

I'd pick Paul Simonon of The Clash. A very good player in a genre where it was expected and almost admired to play badly.

I always hated Duff MacKagan's playing. Maybe he's great, but he always sounded, to me, like a guitarist playing the bass.

bass sic · September 19, 2011, 11:23:28 PM

I thought Duran came out and admitted they didn't play in the studio? That it was all hired guns. I saw a live thing on tv once and I kind of believed this, as they weren't really playing that well.

Volume · September 20, 2011, 02:36:39 AM

Bill Wyman

Hemisaurus · September 20, 2011, 05:55:20 AM

Norman Watt-Roy, seeing as someone mentioned Simonon

Ayek · September 20, 2011, 06:07:25 AM

Quote from: EddieMullet on September 19, 2011, 08:38:34 PM
Nick Oliveri- I heard a Kyuss Lives bootleg and he sounds damn good, legal troubles, meth addiciton, being an asshole or whatever I thought he'd choke on the Sky Valley/Circus Leaves Town stuff, but he plays it quite capably.

Songs like Writhe and Green Machine have some rad as bass lines in 'em.

grimniggzy · September 20, 2011, 09:50:06 AM

Simonon hardly played in the studio either. He was damn cool though.

GodShifter · September 20, 2011, 10:04:12 AM

Quote from: grimniggzy on September 20, 2011, 09:50:06 AM
Simonon hardly played in the studio either. He was damn cool though.

Shit, this is becoming a very sobering thread.

grimniggzy · September 20, 2011, 10:19:52 AM

Sorry for that, but as I said, he was damn cool.

Instant Dan · September 20, 2011, 10:31:34 AM

I always thought Dan Maines was solid, really holds the groove down.

giantchris · September 21, 2011, 12:40:50 AM

Quote from: grimniggzy on September 20, 2011, 09:50:06 AM
Simonon hardly played in the studio either. He was damn cool though.

His playing on The Good, The Bad, and The Queen is badass though. Pretty sure he played/wrote all the bass on that album. Very simple yet tasteful playing.

jibberish · September 30, 2011, 02:11:15 AM

who woulda thought.....
THEN when you start listening to the bass in all the songs...wow

dogfood · October 01, 2011, 10:49:13 PM

maybe not underrated, but a tad bit unknown, ok who am I kidding. Damn good though. David Wm. Sims.

clockwork green · October 02, 2011, 12:46:45 PM

How about a little Andy Fraser from Free? I think Free as a band is way underrated. I love Paul Kossof's guitar playing and it's hard to find a better voice than Paul Rogers.

SoupKitchen · October 02, 2011, 03:49:26 PM

Love Oliveri, even with the methhole issues. I also really like Andy Fraser's work on Free's stuff. What he does on a short-scale mudbucker bass is really fun.

One that I feel doesn't get enough mention is Bruce Thomas of the Attractions.

I also like Joe Preston, but maybe he's not underrated.

Woody · October 03, 2011, 10:35:21 AM

Mark "The Animal" Mendoza from Twisted Sister and The Dictators is probably the most powerful bass player I've ever seen. Check out live clips on youtubes.

GodShifter · October 03, 2011, 12:16:10 PM

Bruce Thomas is a really good selection.

Mark Mendoza? Really? The dude never seemed very good to me. None of TS did, musically, though.

bass sic · October 03, 2011, 01:40:26 PM

I was at a TS show front row somewhere around 82/83, and Mendoza was punching the strings instead of using his fingers. Kinda didn't match what was coming thru the pa. But he def was an animal.

eyeprod · October 03, 2011, 07:30:08 PM

That Free video flat out ruled.

I've also noticed that duran duran dude has some good bass lines, though I hate to admit that I noticed.

Lumpy · October 03, 2011, 07:43:41 PM

Mark Mendoza was in the Dictators before Twisted Sister. Twisted Sister was a great live band... they were awful to look at (and I didn't like the between song banter) but a high energy rock & roll show. Surprisingly good.