Favorite Rock Bassist

[southpaw]

Since we have one for the Drummer, I figured, what the hell...

[Wickerman]

1. Jo Jo Garza

Los Lonely Boys

[Kamika]

2. Adam Clayton

U2

[phatkatt]

3. Phil Lesh

[truthspeaker]

4. I voted Geddy Lee, but I want to give props to Geezer Butler

I learned to play bass by playing along with Black Sabbath tunes.

Sting's not half bad either, at least with the Police.

[Whitacre D_WI]

5. Voted for Entwhistle, but Tina Weymouth deserves some love.

[coloradodem2005]

6. I picked Geddy Lee, but JPJ is pretty high on my list too.

[Xandor]

7. Jack Casady

[Old and In the Way]

41. He's great.

deserves his own spot on the poll.

[htuttle]

8. Billy Sheehan

Don't even know if he's still around, but when he was with Talon, he used to play his bass like a lead guitar -- amazing. Never heard anything like it. I saw them at a small club outside of Milwaukee in the depths of the 1980's.

Too bad he ended up with some of the bands he was with later, however. Blah...

[Redneck Socialist]

50. What is he doing these days anyway?

I saw him with David Lee Roth and Steve Vai just after DLR got kicked out of Van Halen. I'm still amazed that the stage didn't collapse under the weight of all the egos piled on top of it.

Fun show though. And Bill is/was pretty amazing.

[htuttle]

56. He's apparently doing bass clinics in SE Asia

I got curious, and asked google:
http://www.billysheehan.com/

He still seems to be doing some work with Steve Vai, too. Never thought they'd stay in a band together -- they are both 'lead' players.

Dig up the old Talas (not Talon...got that wrong) album 'High Speed on Ice' for a good listen. What Randy Rhodes did on the guitar, Billy Sheehan does on the bass.

[Blue-Jay]

9. Victor Wooten

Not rock, I suppose. However, if God wanted to play bass, he'd take lessons from Victor.

[southpaw]

14. Agreed!

Vic is da shit!!!

[Redneck Socialist]

51. Agreed.

Not rock but friggin' amazing.

[Whitacre D_WI]

10. Danny Partridge.

[Stevendsmith]

12. Hah!

[Stevendsmith]

11. I voted for Geddy Lee, but Steve Harris runs a close second

[Redneck Socialist]

52. I touched Steve Harris's shoe once

Fought my way to the front of a Maiden show. Hightlight of my teenage metalhead career.

[blackcat77]

13. Chris Squire!

Ever hear "The Fish" from "Yessongs?" It's the best bass solo ever, IMHO.

[southpaw]

19. I really love Squire

But I've never been a pick player and his tone and style are such that he is damn near a 4-string guitarist. Much like Billy Sheehan, just play guitar, man.

[BarbaRosa]

15. Jack Casady

.

[ET Awful]

16. Phil Lesh n/t

[Loonman]

17. Tony Linehan and Mark O'Toole

From The Mighty Lemondrops and Frankie Goes To Hollywood, respectively.


Simon Gallup, also.

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

The bass player on Loonman's .sig ....

To tell ya the truth, I don't give a rat's hind end if she can play bass or not.....

on edit: my actual favorite rock bassist was the late Gary Thain of Uriah Heep. I am forever an apologist for liking this band, and it was largely because of his bass playing.

[Richardo]

18. Tina Weymouth

[Whitacre D_WI]

20. When I think "bass,"

I think "Psycho Killer."

[Richardo]

22. my thought exactly, whitacre...

That and the bass line for "Found a Job" :thumbsup:

When I saw Talking Heads in 1978, Tina looked more like this...

[Westegg]

30. I think Tina freely admits that when she started...

....with T.H., she didn't know much about bass playing. She came up to speed very nicely, and I admire her musical contributions to the band (and to the Tom-Tom Club), but when it comes to the BEST, I have to go with John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, and the Ox, in that order.

[Richardo]

26. I like the juxtaposition of the text and the sig line in that last post...

I think "Psycho Killer."




HAHAHAHAHA! :D

[southpaw]

21. Genius of Love

by Tom Tom Club. That bass line is so slimy! Gotta love it.

[jus_the_facts]

23. Cliff Burton....

......the late great bassist from Metallica! :loveya:

[Fenris]

24. The OX!!!!

How that man could play like he did defies explanation!

Also a damn fine horn player!

[IconoclastIlene]

25. Bill Wyman and Lee Dorman

What the hell!!!

Has been is better than never was!!!

[wysimdnwyg]

27. Flea

I mean, come on, he does it naked! (Of course, I personally am very happy when he keeps that bass where it's supposed to be, right in front.)

[southpaw]

28. Maya Ford (Donna F)

Basically a rudimentary player, but just my type... if a bit young.

[tigereye]

32. she's not related to Lita Ford of the Runaways is she?

just kidding. That would be really funny, since the Donnas remind me of the Runaways.

Famous bassist - John Entwhistle or the guy from U2
non-famous - my old bandmate Mike Shanley

Female bassist Tina Weymouth or Sara Lee

actually prefer Jazz bassists, that might make another good poll!

[PragMantisT]

29. Les Claypool

Decent bass player and a total goofball

[EV1Ltimm]

47. second that

[masshole]

31. Sid Vicious

Punk lives

[truthspeaker]

35. I thought Sid didn't play on the albums

?

[rppper]

33. geezer butler is my idol....

you could set your watch by him and bill ward......

where in the hell is cliff burton from metallica??? have you all gone mad???

[southpaw]

36. Sorry 'bout the omissions...

It's tough to get all the good ones in. Cliff Lives!

[ProfessorGAC]

34. Other - Tony Levin

Best bassist i've ever heard in rock. Only a few jazz e-bassists are in his league. (Daryl Jones & Steve Swallow, for instance.)
The Professor

[southpaw]

37. Yeah... Papa Bear is awesome

Love the sound of "Funk Fingers" on a Stingray.

[On the Road]

38. Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane

Just for sentimental reasons.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

39. If we're sticking to Rock, I'll take Paul Simonon and Colin Greenwood.

[emulatorloo]

40. Where is Brian Wilson? EOM

[southpaw]

42. Lying abed...

Just listening and re-listening/
To Smiley Smile

[BlackVelvetElvis]

43. What about Flea?

and I'm not even a RHCP fan.

[GumboYaYa]

44. Rocco Prestia....

[Zomby Woof]

45. Paul Goddard

From the ARS. If you can find a copy of the song "Another Man's Woman" from the Red Tape album, check out his solo. He makes the Rickenbacker sing more than any bassist I have ever heard in rock, and that is quite a lot.

Allen Woody, the late bassist for both the Allmans and Gov't Mule, is the greatest bassist I have seen live, and I have seen Geddy Lee and a few others on the list.

[TheMightyFavog]

46. Where's Bootsy?

Come on, you have to have Bootsy Collins on there!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

48. I guess they're being strictly rock. Bootsy wins overall of course.

A runner-up could be Larry Graham.

[SEAburb]

54. What!! Larry Graham is the master.

Nobody tops Larry, he's a god.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

55. OK, joint winners. Bootsy man!

[GumboYaYa]

61. I'm as big a Sly fan as there is, but I have to

stick with George Porter, Jr. as the greatest funk bass player. Only by a shade though. I said Rocco Prestia earlier just because Rocco freakin invented fingerstyle bass.

[proud patriot]

49. Cliff Burton .... RIP

:-(

[Redneck Socialist]

53. Stuart Hamm

Not really rock, but very, very good non the less.

[Dees]

57. Lee Sklar, Carol Kaye and Louis Johnson (Brothers Johnson)

[southpaw]

58. I actually learned a lot from Louis Johnson

He was my inspiration to learn thumb-style playing.

[jmowreader]

59. I picked Geddy Lee, but...

Gene Simmons should have been on the list.

Okay, so Gene's seven-inch tongue and fire-breathing are what he'll be remembered by, but he's a damn fine bassist.

[XNASA]

60. I kinda dig the two Colins..........

Moulding and Greenwood.

[Ramsey]

62. Gail Ann Dorsey

Has played with Bowie for several years. Not only is she fabulously talented but she's fabulously cool. And every so often you'll run into her in the mall here in Philly, where she's from.