Favourite Bass Players

As a Bass Player myself it should come as no surprise that I have a top 5 of my favorite Bass Guitarists, the list is fairly typical though I am afraid with very few surprises, the only real shock will be that Roger Waters does not appear in my list but I have decided to go for personality or character as well as musical ability. There are a few missing from the list that deserve a mention, Flea is an iconic figure in the world of Bass with his style dominating the Chilli Pepper sound and his energetic displays on the live shows but to me the bass lines are all a bit too funky and can become a bit samey. I do admire his ability but find I get a little bored by him. My 2 favorite bass lines of his are the work he did on the Alanis Morissette song “ You ought to know” and a song called “ Soul to Squeeze” which is a Chilli Peppers song that was not released in the UK but features in the “Coneheads” soundtrack. I love the warm melodic feel that the bass line brings to the song. Another missing bass legend is Geddy Lee. I have previously stated that “Spirit of radio” is one of the most perfect songs I have heard but I have never really managed to wholly embrace Rush as a favorite band for some reason. They are a group that tick all of the correct boxes but somehow don’t do it for me. Lemmy was another contender, the thunderous sound of his Rickenbacker never fails to impress but sadly was not enough to ease him into the top 5 slot. For sheer performance value Blackie Lawless and his flaming codpiece should get an honorable mention but sadly can no longer claim to be a contender for the list as he has now abandoned the 4 strings in favour of the second guitar position. Alex James from Blur was also in the running but seeing as he has turned his attention to making Cheese nowadays I didn’t feel I could include him. Should I ever feel the need to compile a list of my favorite Cheese farmers then maybe he will be in with a chance. So…onto the top 5

Rob Coombes – Supergrass. I was lucky enough to see Supergrass 3 times before they decided to call it a day and they were always brilliant. Rob Coombes has to be one of the hardest working bass players out there as he always comes off stage dripping with sweat and gives every performance everything he has. There is nothing fancy going on, just a solid rhythm and sturdy bass lines but this is enough to earn my attention and achieve the number 5 spot.

Rob Jones (the Bass Thing) – The Wonderstuff. I first became aware of the Wonderstuff when they were a support act to “All about Eve” in Birmingham. At the time they were on the verge of releasing their first album and I was hooked almost instantly. The first 2 albums went to leave a lasting impression on me and my bass style suddenly became a lot more “bouncy” all thanks to The Bass Thing (Aka Rob Jones). Sadly Rob is no longer with but he has left a legacy behind and I still remember learning the bass line to “Don’t let me down, gently” and cursing my fingers for not moving quickly enough.

John Entwhistle, - The Who. A very predictable choice here but who can deny him a place in any listing that relates to plucking the fat strings? He has been an inspiration to anyone who has ever strapped on a bass guitar and foolishly tried to play the solo bits to My Generation. My personal favorite though is “Won’t get fooled again”. There is so much going on in the background that these bass bits could have gone on to be a little solo part in themselves.

Paul McCartney - It is easy to overlook Paul McCartney. He is such a legend and a high profile musician that you simply forget that he is a bass player but the fact remains…Paul McCartney plays bass. This was his job in the biggest band ever, as well as the vocals, piano and song writing of course but in the studio and on stage the bass was always played by Paul. His involvement in the Beatles wasn’t just the reason for the listing at the number 2 slot, he earned the right to be here by making the bassy bits on his songs melodic and interesting. “Something” has to be my favorite piece of music by The Beatles as a whole but also my favorite Beatles Bass playing.

Cliff Burton – Metallica. I really wish I had got the chance to see the Metallica line up before Cliff Burton was taken from us but sadly my first live experience of the band came at the 1987 Monsters of Rock festival at Donnington park where they were fairly low on the bill. I have obviously seen the live videos of the Bass Solo’s and the man in action, full windmill but I really wish I had been there to witness it first hand. To me “Master of Puppets” was the beginning of a band who were set to take the world by storm. As it happens they did go on to achieve monumental success but to me nothing they have released since Cliff left us has lived up to their incredible third Album.