Greatest Rock Bass Performances

[darthrick10]

Well i've made a thread for drumming so i thought i might as well to do one for bass and vocals to just to cover all the basses

1. YYZ - Geddy Lee (Rush)
2. The Real Me - John Entwistle (The Who)
3. The Lemon Song - John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
4. Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) - Cliff Lee Burton (Metallica)
5. Tommy The Cat - Les Claypool (Primus)
6. Apostrophe - Jack Bruce (Frank Zappa)
7. Sound Chaser - Chris Squire (Yes)
8. Metropolis Pt. I - John Myung (Dream Theater)
9. Jam - Larry Graham (Graham Central Station)
10. Karn Evil 9 - Greg Lake (ELP)

[Delajoo]

no flea?????

[darthrick10]

no flea?????

don't get me wrong flea has don some amazing stuff (coffee shop, aeroplane and higher ground to name but a few) but he just doesn't make it into my top 10. maybe my top 20 lol

[Rev0lver]

nocturne/crossing the rubicon- the human abstract
cut down all the trees and name the streets after them- the fall of troy
yyz- rush
kobraki- lostprophets
black- pearl jam
don't hold back- the sleeping
big empty- stone temple pilots

just off the top of my head, no real order

[darthrick10]

nocturne/crossing the rubicon- the human abstract
cut down all the trees and name the streets after them- the fall of troy
yyz- rush
kobraki- lostprophets
black- pearl jam
don't hold back- the sleeping
big empty- stone temple pilots

just off the top of my head, no real order

pearl jam have some great bass performances, jeff ament is one of the greatest bass players in the world. my personal favs are oceans and dirty frank

[Rev0lver]

yeah, theres alot of good basslines from pearl jam, but that one's my favorite.

[cmg4894]

I know what I'll get for saying this but here it goes:

John Paul Jones and John Entwistle aren't really great players. The rest of their bands made them. If you put those in the top 10 then what about John McVie? You don't put Flea up there but those? And I love Pearl Jam and think Ament is a good player but not 'THE GREATEST IN ROCK'. I think Stone Temple Pilots have much better bass lines. 'Big Empty' is great and very haunting. As much as I don't Primus, Les is great.

[Seattle_Sound]

Flea is insane, he's in the top ten no doubt. Mother's Milk has some insane bass stuff. Plus Pea is the greatest song of all time.

[Keebler]

I'm not a big bassist conisseur, but I know whenever I'm listening to Cream's "Crossroads," I can't help but be blown away by both Clapton's guitar AND Ginger Baker's bass.

[Kriller]

Thats a good point!

Ginger Baker was the drum, Jack Bruce was the bass player/vocals!:)

[darthrick10]

I know what I'll get for saying this but here it goes:

John Paul Jones and John Entwistle aren't really great players. The rest of their bands made them. If you put those in the top 10 then what about John McVie? You don't put Flea up there but those? And I love Pearl Jam and think Ament is a good player but not 'THE GREATEST IN ROCK'. I think Stone Temple Pilots have much better bass lines. 'Big Empty' is great and very haunting. As much as I don't Primus, Les is great.

hey i respect your opinion but you should really check out the real me and the lemon song if you don't believe me. as for jeff ament i said he was one of the best no the best. that spot is reserved for james jamerson. check out Bernadette by the four tops

[Hastyl3]

The Offspring - All I Want

[masterx1918]

cmg I honestly can't respect your opinion at all saying that JPJ and John Entwistle aren't good bass players. You honestly have to be the dumbest person on earth to think that the 2 best bassist of ALL TIME aren't good.

I think YYZ is probably the best bass performance. In order of best of all time i'd say..

YYZ-Rush
Lemon Song-Led Zeppelin
Tommy the Cat-Primus
Karn evil 9-ELP
NIB-Black Sabbath
The Real Me-The Who
Roundabout-Yes
Orion-Metallica
Money-Pink Floyd
Won't Get Fooled Again-the Who
Higher Ground-RHCP
Bouree-Jethro Tull
White Room-Cream

[cmg4894]

cmg I honestly can't respect your opinion at all saying that JPJ and John Entwistle aren't good bass players. You honestly have to be the dumbest person on earth to think that the 2 best bassist of ALL TIME aren't good.

I think YYZ is probably the best bass performance. In order of best of all time i'd say..



I didn't say they weren't good. But in the top 10 no way. The top 20 yes. I'm mean you are now saying YYZ is the best bass performance and I totally agree. The off beat sections are great and really hard to do. I like your list but 'Money' as one of the best bass songs. Come on. Just because a song has a catchy bass line that people know and remember doesn't make it technically great. I like the song, but it's not hard to play. I think most of the people are confusing catchy and being great. I thought this was about being a great player not having catchy bass lines.

[darthrick10]

I didn't say they weren't good. But in the top 10 no way. The top 20 yes. I'm mean you are now saying YYZ is the best bass performance and I totally agree. The off beat sections are great and really hard to do. I like your list but 'Money' as one of the best bass songs. Come on. Just because a song has a catchy bass line that people know and remember doesn't make it technically great. I like the song, but it's not hard to play. I think most of the people are confusing catchy and being great. I thought this was about being a great player not having catchy bass lines.

okay this thread is about greates bass performances not greatest bass players. and ur right it aint about greatest bass lines either (another one bites the dust in my opinion)

[cmg4894]

okay this thread is about greates bass performances not greatest bass players. and ur right it aint about greatest bass lines either (another one bites the dust in my opinion)

Yup 'Another One Bites The Dust'= Best Bass (Whatever this thread is about) EVER.

It's a catchy line, by one of the best players (John Deacon), and is a massively selling single.

[PDMChubby]

IMO, Geddy Lee does amazing work on almost any Rush song. Flea is up there too, as he is one of the funkiest, no, the funkiest bassist today. Les Claypool is my favorite, though, citing Tommy the Cat, Jerry Was A Race Car Driver, To Defy the Laws of Tradition, and My Name is Mud as his best work. Justin Chancellor from Tool is also a kick ass bassist.

[Rev0lver]

Yup 'Another One Bites The Dust'= Best Bass (Whatever this thread is about) EVER.

It's a catchy line, by one of the best players (John Deacon), and is a massively selling single.

yeah its catchy, but i can play it with my feet with my eyes closed(i have, in case you were wondering, as a bet)

[newwaytodie]

Steve Harris people.. this man is a bass wizard.

[Rev0lver]

The Offspring - All I Want

i hope you're kidding

[masterx1918]

I didn't say they weren't good. But in the top 10 no way. The top 20 yes. I'm mean you are now saying YYZ is the best bass performance and I totally agree. The off beat sections are great and really hard to do. I like your list but 'Money' as one of the best bass songs. Come on. Just because a song has a catchy bass line that people know and remember doesn't make it technically great. I like the song, but it's not hard to play. I think most of the people are confusing catchy and being great. I thought this was about being a great player not having catchy bass lines.

this thread is about best bass performances not greatest bass players. Just because Money is easy play doesn't mean it's not an amazing bass performance. A bass performance is one in which the bassist is center stage, money is a prime example.

[PDMChubby]

this thread is about best bass performances not greatest bass players. Just because Money is easy play doesn't mean it's not an amazing bass performance. A bass performance is one in which the bassist is center stage, money is a prime example.

Haha, I was just watching Roger Waters play bass on Money on Live Earth and I was thinking about this thread.

[Shneybz]

Les Claypool and Geddy Lee are both gods. Along with Flea. And Money by Pink Floyd is a cool bass line, but its easy. As far as catchy bass lines it would be in the top 10 def, but not on this list.

[fueelin]

Sticking within the category of best bass performances the songs listed in here are a pretty good run down... Obviously there are a lot more examples of amazing bass performances by these same players (Citing just one Entwistle, JPJ, Geddy, and Claypool song for example leaves out plenty of top-notch performances).

I pretty much agree with the original poster's picks for the best though, except that I would go for 50-50 over Apostrophe in terms of bass lines from Frank Zappa... Love 50-50, love Frank Zappa. The 'bassist' I've been getting into the most lately is Fred Frith, from Naked City. He plays some very interesting innovative stuff that fits right in with the whole avant-garde thing the entire band does. I guess you would expect that from someone who is mostly known for his incredibly innovative guitar technique and customized guitars. Not exactly rock bass but still quite good :)

[Elnino]

I really like the bass in Sweet Child O' Mine by GNR. Bass played by Duff Mckagan.

[ThunderFingers]

I really like the bass in Sweet Child O' Mine by GNR. Bass played by Duff Mckagan.

Agree.And I think john entwistle is really a great bassist!
just like what he said"Don't call me bassist,call me bass guitarist"

[whofan]

I didn't say they weren't good. But in the top 10 no way. The top 20 yes. I'm mean you are now saying YYZ is the best bass performance and I totally agree. The off beat sections are great and really hard to do. I like your list but 'Money' as one of the best bass songs. Come on. Just because a song has a catchy bass line that people know and remember doesn't make it technically great. I like the song, but it's not hard to play. I think most of the people are confusing catchy and being great. I thought this was about being a great player not having catchy bass lines.
Boy oh boy have you opened a can of worms here....

John Entwistle not top 10 material? What are you smoking man? You're attempting to tell me that the "Bassist of the Millenium" (I believe Rolling Stone named him as such) is not worthy of being in the top 10?

You're talking about the man who turned bass lines from buh-buh-buh into wild runs that are exciting to listen to. Don't believe me? go to youtube and find John Entwistle's Bass Solo from 5:15 at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000.

In regards to your comments about "the band" making John Entwistle. That is complete and utter Bull. The man was an amazing Bass player who made The Who sound what it was, not the other way around. Further, listen to his solo albums (Specifially, "Music From Van-Pires", "Whistle Rhymes", and "Smash Your Head Against The Wall") to hear what the man was capable of.

Your statement that the band made John Entwistle only goes to show your complete musical ignorance. This isn't a matter of opinion, this is a matter of fact. Due to his innovation and trailblazing techniques and influence John Entwistle deserves to be #1 on the top 10. No doubt he was the influence behind many bassists who you would consider "great". And that includes "flea".

Before you make another statement along those lines may I suggest you research what it is you're saying.

[cmg4894]

To Whofan:

First, everything in this thread is a matter of opinion. Second, 'Rolling Stone' doesn't mean anything anymore. It never really did. I said Entwistle was good but not great. Yes I have listened to his solo stuff. It is great but not the best I have ever heard. Third, people get way to emotional and think with their heart and not head. I'm a huge Nirvana fan but, I don't think Cobain was a great singer or a guitarist. I don't even think the band was the best of the 90's. BUT....I love them. It is hard to put that aside and use my head was debating music of the 90's or hell music in general. I like the Who, I like Entwistle as a bassist. I think he ranks around 13th or so of 'all time', just because he influenced a lot of players doesn't make him #1 by default. I'm not making a list, I don't make them. There are a lot of factors to consider when making such lists. It was just my opinion, you have your's I see. Does that make you wrong or right? It doesn't matter, you enjoy the music and that is what matters most.

[franknfurter1000]

Les Claypool. That guy has some of the best basslines ever to his name.

[Blue88]

I take it no one likes Bootsy Collins?

[Bakkster_Man]

I take it no one likes Bootsy Collins?

I do. In fact, I'd love to see some P-Funk in RB. It might not be rock, but it's a precursor to rock, so that's at least as good.

[IbanezBassist_v2]

Victor Wooten, Bootsy Collins, Flea, Ryan Martinie, Geddy Lee, Darryl Anders (Wavegroup), just too many to list!

[SirAnonymous]

Big Bottom - Spinal Tap

[Rockerman]

Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath

[dlisapussy]

Best Bassists

Flea - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Geddy Lee - Rush
Les Claypool - Primus
Jack Bruce - Cream, Frank Zappa
Paul McCartney - The Beatles
John Paul Jones - Led Zeppelin
John Entwistle - The Who
Cliff Burton - Metallica
Tim Commerford - Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave
Larry Graham - Sly & The Family Stone, Graham Central Station
Steve Harris - Iron Maiden


i had to go with 11
10 was too hard
no order

http://www.the-top-tens.com/lists/best-bassists-ever.asp

[dlisapussy]

Big Bottom - Spinal Tap



haha **** yea

theres 3 bass players in that song hahahaha

[battle_axe_of_doom]

too lazy to look through this thread but i'm gonna assume no one mentioned jaco

[fried_blowney]

Yes.
Roundabout.

That is all.

[Rev0lver]

Yes.
Roundabout.

That is all.

meh. i don't really see what's so great about it. it's catchy, but it's not that hard and 3/4 of the song is that same riff.

[newwaytodie]

Joey DeMaio - Sting Of The Bumblebee