Most Underrated Bass Player

[Hornbein]

Keith Richards played bass on a number of good Rolling Stones tunes while Bill was busy out having tea and chasing (young) women. Keith would have been a good bassist in my opinion. TBH, Bill is a solid bass player as well.

Yep, he's very strong, widely exposed, and relatively unknown = underrated. Other guys like that are Jimi Hendrix and Tom Scholz. Some of my faves, underrated because they recorded anonymously.

Here's someone playing a Tom Scholz bass line.

 

[Astronuc]

(1967) GREEN ONIONS - Live - Booker T. and MG's​

Would Paul Samwell-Smith (Yardbirds) be considered an under-rated bass player. I love his bass lines on the Yardbird's version of Smokestack Lightning.

 

[pinball1970]

(1967) GREEN ONIONS - Live - Booker T. and MG's​

Would Paul Samwell-Smith (Yardbirds) be considered an under-rated bass player. I love his bass lines on the Yardbird's version of Smokestack Lightning.

For me this is the best track, not as cool as Green Onions but defo groovy.

 

[Hornbein]

Don't overlook Colin Moulding of XTC.



Now there's a heavy groove. And he's not on the Rolling Stone list of 50. Underrated! The word seems to be that XTC had limited success because their leader had stage fright too severe to allow touring.

Here's a fancier bass line. Those slides on fretless ebass remind of Paul McCartney taken a few steps further. This song is about the paradoxical union of opposites, that seemingly contradictory elements can coexist and even complement each other, forming a unified whole, a idea explored in philosophy, psychology, and various other fields.



Colin Moulding said his favorite band is Free. Huh? Whatever, dude.

This is nice.

 

[pinball1970]

Don't overlook Colin Moulding of XTC.



Now there's a heavy groove. And he's not on the Rolling Stone list of 50. Underrated! The word seems to be that XTC had limited success because their leader had stage fright too severe to allow touring.

Here's a fancier bass line. Those slides on fretless ebass remind of Paul McCartney taken a few steps further. This song is about the paradoxical union of opposites, that seemingly contradictory elements can coexist and even complement each other, forming a unified whole, a idea explored in philosophy, psychology, and various other fields.



Colin Moulding said his favorite band is Free. Huh? Whatever, dude.

This is nice.

Great band, Sgt Rock and Plans for Nigel fantastic tracks.
Such a weird song for F&F to cover but it was a nice surprise. One of those bands that Americans would not like particularly.

 

[pinball1970]

The bass in this is nuts, I listened to this band as I was learning to play drums.
Out around the same time as XTC.

 

[Hornbein]

Great band, Sgt Rock and Plans for Nigel fantastic tracks.
Such a weird song for F&F to cover but it was a nice surprise. One of those bands that Americans would not like particularly.

Oh I don't know. American music media is pay to play. To get exposure all that matters is money. It's against the law but the gvt. looks the other way. Eva Cassidy had true greatness but never gets play in the USA. She got her break through the BBC.

 

[Hornbein]

The bass in this is nuts, I listened to this band as I was learning to play drums.
Out around the same time as XTC.

Strong groove, nimble fingers. I like the guy in UB40 too.

Another underrated guy is Benny Rietveld. You will never hear a better bass line than this. I think it's a fretless but not sure.



He's played a bunch of prestigious gigs but I dunno he ever reached such a height again. Carlos Santana, that first album had the best guitar tone ever but it was downhill from there. He got some of the magic back on Smooth. Benny and Carlos live on Hawai'i, I guess that's how he got the gig.

 

[pinball1970]

Oh I don't know. American music media is pay to play. To get exposure all that matters is money. It's against the law but the gvt. looks the other way. Eva Cassidy had true greatness but never gets play in the USA. She got her break through the BBC.

I don't think Hendrix was that big in the states until London 1967?

 

[Hornbein]

I don't think Hendrix was that big in the states until London 1967?

USA radio used to be run by the DJs. Hits got made that way. The DJs played what they liked and people would call in if they liked it too. I lived near station CKLW which could make a record a hit, a big boon for Motown. The corporate takeover was during the 70's. Since then you hear what they get paid to make you hear. The Mafia is involved because recordings are a good way to launder money. If you claim a recording sold more than it actually did who is going to catch you? Same with pinball and vending machines. Japan has strong organized crime and vending machines are everywhere. It's kind of nice.

Hendrix didn't make it in the USA until he went to London and got the approval of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, etc. who gave him his big break at the Monterey Festival and the film thereof.

 

[Hornbein]

How iconic can you get?

 

[Miranda]

Stanley Clarke

 

[Kendra64]

Definitely Paul McCartney.

 

[pinball1970]

How iconic can you get?

They did some absolutely awful covers and should have been put in the stocks for those efforts.

 

[Hornbein]

Juna Serita isn't really underrated, rather is unknown. But here we go anyway. My that sounds nice.



Juna is working on being a frontwoman, singing and acting. Not there yet but give her time.

Jeff Berlin has played with Yes and so forth but I'd say he's nevertheless unknown. But as far as a bass solo goes here we go. I think this sort of thing is what electric bass guitars do best, which no other instrument can do. It is however fricken hard to do so I don't expect it to take over. Even Jeff has only recorded two such pieces. It must take forever to work them up.



Jeff was the first high speed slap player I ever heard. But he gave it up after a year or so. I did the same. It just isn't that pleasant to listen to for an hour a day. It gets old. I'd rather someone else do it then I can take it in small doses.

Encore!

 

[Hornbein]

Eddie van Halen on ebass.

 

[Death Metal]

I gotta go with David Izenzon:

https://www.bluenote.com/artist/david-izenzon/

 

[Hornbein]

I gotta go with David Izenzon:

https://www.bluenote.com/artist/david-izenzon/

I'd never heard of him. For underratedness that's a big plus .

 

[jack action]

This came up on my Facebook feed, and I thought @Hornbein would appreciate Eric Fortaleza:

​

 

[Ken Fabian]

Definitely Paul McCartney.

Agreed, in a backhanded way since he did get plenty of accolades. A guy who can make a friend's song about crying guitars that features his best friend making one cry... about the bass? Paul's brilliance with bass was exasperating for George at times I suspect.

I admit a liking for some of the old jazz bassists, but most of those guys did get rated. Took some tracking down who played bass on "Walkin' Shoes" - Bob Whitlock -

 

[Hornbein]

Agreed, in a backhanded way since he did get plenty of accolades. A guy who can make a friend's song about crying guitars that features his best friend making one cry... about the bass? Paul's brilliance with bass was exasperating for George at times I suspect.

I admit a liking for some of the old jazz bassists, but most of those guys did get rated. Took some tracking down who played bass on "Walkin' Shoes" - Bob Whitlock -

Never heard of Mr. Whitlock before, ergo mucho underratedness points. He's the star on this recording.

 

[Ken Fabian]

@Hornbein What guys like that could do with an upright bass is awesmacking.

On electric bass I do like Chris Squire, but he has plenty of ratedness. Just listened again to Yessongs, the live recording - the bass just floors me every time I hear it.

 

[Ken Fabian]

Bass is widely underrated (along with drummers) - plenty of online info about gerry mulligan but the band's bassist(s)? Even finding the man's name took some searching.

That piece really impressed me - I keep trying for the right superlatives but in the end... pivotal keeps coming to mind. It would be a remarkable solo but I often find the bass solos less musically impressive (if usually more technically impressive) than what they do with a band working together.

Getting that level of pitch perfect and clear, clean tones would be hard enough with fretted instruments - the frets get a player close to the right pitch but the player still has to be good to take it that extra bit closer to perfect. With a fretless acoustic bass?

(That marginalizing of bass players can be irritating; I've watched a few videos of Yes and (apart from his signature solo piece "The Fish") almost the only time the camera shows what Chris Squire is doing for more than a glimpse is showing him singing backing vocals. How a film crew could be at a Yes concert and not notice the pivotal part, very often the lead instrument role, of Squire's bass has me scratching my head. Like the only members that matter are the lead vocalist and the guitarist? Seems even worse for drummers!)

 

[Hornbein]

How about Dave LaRue? So underrated that even I forgot about him.



Steve Morse also had Jerry Peek, very hot stuff for 1984. Still could be my fave ebass solo.