18 Jul
Dan the List Guy: 10 Great Rock & Roll Bassists
The List Guy is Dan Reed, Music Director for WXPN. Three times a week, Dan gives his spin on Top 10 musical moments in pop culture.
If they are great, the bass player in a rock band does much, much more than hold down the bottom… Here’s a list of ten great ones (in no particular order):
1. John Entwhistle (The Who)
2. Trevor Bolder (David Bowie)
3. John Curley (The Afghan Whigs)
4. James Jamerson (numerous Motown recordings)
5. Les Claypool (Primus)
6. Bernard Edwards (Chic)
7. Paul McCartney (The Beatles)
8. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
9. Bootsy Collins (James Brown; Parliament-Funkadelic)
10. Aston “Family Man” Barrett (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
Any thought of Francis Rocco Prestia with Tower of Power?
July 18th, 2007 at 11:09 amWhat is Hip?
Dan-
What about Chris Squire and Phil Lesh?
Jaco?
July 18th, 2007 at 11:58 amNot a bad list! I’m not gonna worry too much about who is #1 or #8 but I would replace Bolder, Curley and Barrett with Rocco, Squire and Nathan East. I could also make a case vor Victor Wooten. For me, Rocco is the epitome of the ultimate funk bassist.
July 18th, 2007 at 1:00 pmLarry Graham
Jaco
Me’shell Ndgeocello
Jack Casady
dude….
July 18th, 2007 at 1:38 pmJaco qualifies for a rock list for hsi work with Joni Mitchell.
July 18th, 2007 at 2:52 pmFor me Its Geddy Lee , Chris Squire , The Ox
July 18th, 2007 at 4:30 pmNo Top 10 Bass Player List (Top 5, for that matter) is complete without the 2 Jacks–Bruce and Casady
July 18th, 2007 at 5:31 pmGeddy Lee!!!!!!!!!!
July 19th, 2007 at 10:12 amNo list of Bassists can be complete without including Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead).
July 19th, 2007 at 11:02 amWhere’s Jaco. What a bogus top ten
July 19th, 2007 at 11:03 amgreat list.
July 19th, 2007 at 11:17 amI add one to the list:
Carl Raddle — Derrick and the Dominoes, Mothers of Invention. Truly great melodic, subtle, rockin’.
Geddy Lee is probably the best.
July 19th, 2007 at 11:25 amDerek Smalls! Derek Smalls!!!!
July 19th, 2007 at 12:45 pmlists r so subjective ~~ & more often than not pretentious, trendy & hipsteresque…this dans list has huge errors & omissions (in my opinion) here is my list (in no order):::
July 19th, 2007 at 3:34 pmBRUCE PLAMER - buffalo springfield
CLIFF BURTON - metallica
RON WOOD - jeff beck grp
LARRY GRAHAM - sly & the fam stone
BERRY OAKLEY - orig allman’s
KIM DEAL - pixies
PHIL LESH _ dead
JOHN PAUL JONES - led zep
PETE QUAIFE - kinks
JACK BRUCE - cream
JACK CASADY - jeff airplane
BILL WYMAN - stones.
I love a all-in-good-fun List Guy Smackdown…
)
Here’s my 10…
(and obviously, you had first choice…
Berry Oakley (Allman Bros)
Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones)
Bob Babbitt (the ‘other’ Motown basssist, after JJ left - Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Was Made To Love Her’…)
Duck Dunn (Booker T & the MG’s)
Mike Mills (REM)
Adam Clayton (U2)
Pete Farndon (Pretenders)
Sting
Ronnie Baker (MFSB, Philly International)
Ahem…..Brian Wilson
TAKE THAT!!
July 19th, 2007 at 3:42 pmBob Babbitt (the ‘other’ Motown basssist, after JJ left - Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Was Made To Love Her’…)
edit:( I should know to double check my memory) - Not ‘I Was Made…’, But ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours’…and JJ didn’t really leave…
July 19th, 2007 at 3:52 pmok.
How about John Paul Jones and Roger Waters!!!
July 19th, 2007 at 3:52 pmHands down, Peter Hook is the greatest bassist of all-time. Self-taught to play bass like a lead guitar. His sound permeates most alt-rock made since the 90s.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:38 pmNoel Redding! If Jimi Hendrix is the #1 guitar player in the world, as list after list tells us, then Noel has got to rank in the top 10 bassists. Noel’s bass playing was stand-alone great, but combined with Jimi’s guitar, it was sheer genius.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:39 amGeddy Lee? Phil Lesh?
Tommy says, “So, so, so what.”
July 24th, 2007 at 4:55 pm