Bands where the best musician is the bassist

The Beatles and Beastie Boys spring to mind (it was listening to The Mix-Up by the latter that made the question jump into my head), but there must be others. Name them!

Beatles

hoo boy

The Who

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt7mtdLha-c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxEb2FrQUbE

Best Musician is kinda hard to parse, given it has multiple meanings: most skilled player? most skilled arranger? composer?
Moreover, some band members exert more control of these factors over others, almost all the time.

What I'm saying is: this thread will be very successful in number of posts. The potential for Geir shrapnel is very high.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDQlSSOXU6A

I'll state the obvious: Rick James

Thin Lizzy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeov75xE3-E

Disciplin A Kitschme

Pinback
(this was a toughie, but Zach's bass playing is one of a kind.)

in strictly technical terms: xtc, the clash, nomeansno, material, mission of burma, iron maiden (steve harris is unbeatable), the blockheads... i'm thinking out loud here but those are the first ones that come to mind

Material had so many different people play in it though

dude i'm obviously speaking of laswell-era material, don't be a smartass pls

was going to say NoMeansNo, but remembered John's drumming
was going to say Thin Lizzy, but remembered Robbo's guitar playing

well, nicky skopelitis is a pretty good guitarist but i still think laswell in the go-to guy in material when it comes to technical skill

I'm not being a smart-ass, Laswell had tons of musicians play in Material, some of whom were at least his equal. Laswell vs. Sonny Sharrock vs. Fred Frith vs. Whitney Houston vs. Henry Threadgill.

Challop: Red-era King Crimson. cock chirea's list of bassists contains no one I disagree with, but we have a very different idea of what the word "technical" means, I think.

Generally, though, I think that bands where the bassist is the best musician will by definition not be obvious, because a brilliant bass player, no matter how busy or simply he plays, will make everybody sound better. Entwistle made Moon brilliant made Entwistle brilliant.

KARP
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Grateful Dead

9 out of 10 reggae bands are absolutely driven by their bassists skill/vision

Motorhead.

Primus

the homosexuals

STRONGLY disagree abt the dead, mildly disagree abt mission of burma

Tweeted a few to Sicky. Best I can come up with is Siouxsie and the Banshees. (Though lets not mention John McGeoch!)

Brand X. hats off to phil but percy jones is fucking insane

budgie wipes the floor w/ severin, for real. classic-era banshees were a totally drummer driven band

Most challopsy response on twitter was Noel Redding.

redding was way behind mitch mitchell in that band, let alone jimi

Ooh, Ooh! got one!

Japan!

kim deal was the only good thing about the pixies

rothko

simple minds when derek forbes was still in them

Bauhaus/Love and Rockets

Fugazi, of course

Kepone. don't recall their bassist's name but the guy is amazing (he used to play in GWAR i think)

Metal Box PiL [ducks]

The Damned

Jack Bruce vs Ginger Baker vs the other guy

The Doors! (runs away)

Challop: Red-era King Crimson

thought of that too but no way. Yeah Wetton is a great bassist but no-one is better than Fripp at what he does.

Bootsy's Rubber Band

kim deal was the only good thing about the pixies

if true it has to be due to charisma, persona, songwriting etc. cause she can barely play her instrument

the velvets
the stones

Did anyone say Killing joke?

my band! ha!

Not-lying answer : Cale-era VU - Although guess there's an argument that he was more of a multi-instrumentalist than just the bassist?

ah sh!t xpost

How many funk bands? Any band featuring Bootsy or Larry Graham?

yep, funkadelic for a start. fuck that guitar poll, bootsy was/is from another galaxy

lotsa crappy indie bands with mildly skilled bassists (unwound or satisfact come to mind)

Custom built thread for the ironic Rothko mention.

fuck it you need to watch this for research

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1IuD6F3R5I

Beach Boys! (i mean not as an instrumentalist, but in general)

I've always had the impression that trevor dunn was t4he strongest musiciian in mr. bungle, although that's another case of everybody being wicked good and where would you even begin your comparisons.

primal scream when mani was in it

cant say funkadelic as eddie hazel and bootsy were both amazing.

Hard rock bassists tend to get overlooked, but there are a few :

Alan Lancaster (Status Quo) - not much competition here tbh
Lemmy (Hawkwind) - not much competition here either
Neil Murray (Whitesnake) - jazz fusion dude playing way below his level, still subtly impressive if you listen closely

I could get all challopsy and talk about why I think Hurley is a better musician than Watt re: the Minutemen but I really don't have to vocabulary to discuss it so n/m.

nah i don't really have a pony there was just messing about

Burton era Metallica

jd/no
rem

Considered Joy Division and New Order, but the drummer is far ahead of everyone else who's ever played in this band that it's ridiculous. This whole thread is kind of ridiculous and is devolving into "bands with good bass players".

drummer just did what he was told. haven't you seen the film?

Disagree with a lot of these choices with great drummers (ie Primus, Brand X). Too contentious (I was going to suggest Rush, but stopped myself for the same reason). Japan is a good suggestion, though. I'd say the first ABC band is another.

A lot of times it's a really tough call. Paul Simon's "Graceland" era band, for example, featured flashy bass, but the drummer was Steve Gadd, albeit a not flash Steve Gadd,. But Steve Gadd nonetheless.

Iron Maiden?

Was gonna say Faith No More, then remembered Mike Patton.

Joe Jackson's band.

is there some stupid wacky reason the thread has gotten this far without anybody saying RHCP?

Graham Maby is the man. But is he a better musician than Joe himself? I dunno - close call.
And upthread mention of XTC: Colin Moulding over David Gregory? another tough one.

the bassist for Stone Temple Pilots wrote the bulk of their music and his playing always seemed at least slightly less rudimentary than the guitarist and drummer

I thought of ColMoulding, but I just got a d/l of David Gregory's "remoulds" covers project ("MacArthur Park? You crazy? ... Actually, yep, you got there!)

So, no.

Peter Gabriel's band (Tony Levin)

this is gonna be v rare b/c most of the time the bassist isn't required to do v much

knew Geir wd turn up oh hang on

That is not a Geir-esque opinion.

it is a wee bit

"required"

yeah i see the distinction

Motown house band, Jamerson ftw.

What is anyone exactly "required" to do in a band? That might help us suss this out.

usually somebody's required to score the weed right?

black uhuru

that's racist

yeah, I wouldn't say Moulding (as great as he is) because Gregory was always stunning.

this is a tough question b/c bands with great bassists are usually talented everywhere else too (Funkadelic, Can, Soul Coughing, Yes, etc.)

Pil upthread: Jah Wobble started as a total novice, but swiftly became an outstanding Bass Guitarist, about the same time Keith Levene restricted his chops.

Was going to say "lost his talent" but from the sounds of a lot of "Commercial Zone", he just stopped playing guitar a lot, but started up again for that album (that never was)...

Anyways, Wob left PIL at some point in this ascendancy...

iirc, Andy Partridge has claimed it was he, and not Moulding, who came up with (and may have even played) some of the more technically impressive bass lines (e.g., "Mayor of Simpleton").

in strictly technical terms: the clash

do you mean Mick, Norman or Topper here because

bassists got it pretty bad in this recent thread: Least talented guy who somehow made it into a great band

Mike Watt likes to talk about how in his day bass is the instrument you gave the "lame guy" to play, and it is kinda true that if you have a really shitty, talentless member of your band, he'll stick out or drag the band down a lot less if he's on bass instead of, say, drums or lead vocals

rothko

― You can do it Sun Myung Moon (NickB), Friday, May 25, 2012 10:17 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Hahahaha.

not the baldy scottish one though..

One could make an argument for Jefferson Airplane's inclusion in this thread.

The Sea and Cake!!

nah, drummer is the best musician in that group

was going to say Lightning Bolt but remembered the drummer
was going to say Stranglers but remembered the keyboards.

Curve (Dean Garcia)

Iron Maiden

Motley Crue

^^^

The Stranglers?

Oh! The Clientele

Violent Femmes

rancid

Japan.

Japan.

The Charlatans (the UK one)

Duran Duran, probably.

firehose

pink floyd

oasis

korn

sublime

dos

Duran Duran, probably.

Nick Rhodes is the real music wiz in that band IIRC.

lol good one laggy

;)

The Gun Club line up on the first 2 lps. Rob Ritter was playing pretty much the lead instrument, Terry Graham is no slacker on drums but Ritter was best player. Then they managed not to have the bass audible on bits of Fire Of Love.

Roger Waters is not the best musician in Pink Floyd.

Um, hello, the 80s Fall lineup?

I could get all challopsy and talk about why I think Hurley is a better musician than Watt re: the Minutemen but I really don't have to vocabulary to discuss it so n/m.

― Brony! Broni! Broné! (Phil D.), Friday, May 25, 2012 8:24 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I definitely don't feel like I can say Watt is better than Hurley. They're both fkin sick.

Supergrass.

Rockpile

firehose/Minutemen is too close to call. George is awesome.

That should just be fIREHOSE. MInutemen is all awesome.

the jesus lizard?

dianogah

The White Stripes

Dos

i'd agree with the duran duran answer. John Taylor was/is fantastic; and Nick is my fave but on the early stuff he wasn't much of a musician but had a great knack for sounds/effects, imo. too hairsplitty?

The White Stripes

― EZ Snappin, Friday, May 25, 2012 10:14 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

:D !!

tackhead.

[hence the thread revival .. ]

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, when John Frusciante is not in the band.

Well, after reading POLL: SPIN's Greatest Guitarists of All Time, Black Flag, apparently.

xp: correct

Yeah, RHCP good call. Did anyone say REM yet?

Do you think Mills was still a significantly superior musician to Buck in the later years?

Dunno. I had stopped listening by then

new order would be a good challopsy answer

Kraan

(LOL Krautrock nerd)

Tina Weymouth.

^ I almost said that last week but thought it might be too controversial

Yeah, also totally wrong. For a band so famous for being rhythm-minded, the Talking Heads rhythm section is pretty rudimentary. That's why they hire ringers a couple of albums in. It's the guitars that rule in Talking Heads.

(I mean, I love Tina, but no)

I was talking orginal 3 piece, but…

TS: Technical chops vs musicality.

They had to hire a ringer for Tina on the first album! Bob Babbitt came in and overdubbed some of the tracks, although he did play the parts that she had come up with

Doesn't Nicky Wire write most of the Manic Street Preachers' songs while wearing a banana suit?

He writes their lyrics...

Nicky Wire has written the music to a few recent Manics tracks, actually. 'Marlon J.D.' is his music, and 'Your Love Alone Is Not Enough' is all his as well, if I remember.

This could get me killed but Rush may be an answer here.

It's pretty close in Sabbath too

In Zeppelin too, actually

Yeah, it's definitely pretty close with both Zeppelin and Rush. I quite liked John Paul Jones' string arrangements for Automatic For The People, actually.

Jefferson airplane

The Sex Pistols with Glen Matlock.

Chic.

Afghan Whigs

Mr Big

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch

Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Guitarist in Mr. Big one of the most famous shredders in the world. Billy Sheehan doesn't stand a chance.

I mentioned the possibility of Rush upthread.

Huh, this is interesting:

http://bobbabbitt.com/Bob_Babbitts_Site/Whos_Playing_Bass.html

Though reading it I worry we may be wading in Purdie levels of delusion and grandiosity. There's a story in there of James Jamerson confusing a Babbits bassline for his own, but why should we believe Babbits over Jamerson, necessarily? It's easy to claim credit when you're not credited. Still, shit happens, I guess. He says he played with a pick over several of the songs on the first Heads album, note for note like Tina, not only without credit, but at the behest of the label, without the band even knowing!

Now I want to say that every record that I have claimed to play on I really feel in my heart and soul that I played on these records and when I hear these songs I can visualize the sessions and remember certain things that happened in the studio.

Carol Kaye once claimed to have played on some (most? all?) of the songs associated with Jamerson: http://www.bassland.net/jamerson.html (scroll down a bit). With these musicians playing multiple sessions a day for months/years on end, I can see how their memories might get confused. But for players with indisputable track records like Kaye and Babbitt to try to pad their resumes with other peoples' shit is nagl.

On one hand, I can totally imagine session dudes (and women) who have played on literally thousands of cuts over the span of 50 years might get a little confused. On the other hand, it is pretty audacious when they claim with certainty to have played on pretty much everything, a la Kaye or Purdie. It's like their massive reputations and confirmed credits are not enough for their egos. Then again. it is possible that they did play on at least some of the tracks in question and that their contributions did not make the final cut. Or that the demos/tracks they worked on were recut by someone else or some other crew. Or that they were flat out screwed by labels as famously unscrupulous as Motown.

All three of those last listed, I reckons.

I believe Bob Babbitt about "Cool Jerk" because it sounds more like him than it sounds like James Jamerson. Although at the end he seems to be hinting that he played on the Jackson Five hits such as, presumably, "I Want You Back," which sounds just like Wilton Felder.

Jefferson airplane

Nah, can't accept that with Jorma Kaukonen also in the band, but they are both on a different planet from everybody else

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G_Onm34I544/Tf_Ql6zX-rI/AAAAAAAAIb0/l6SSIEHZwP8/s1600/Brian%252BWilson%252B1-Brian%252Bin%252Bfur%252Bjacket.jpg

chic

don't completely disagree but Bernie's guitar playing was always freaking bril; Rodegers/Edwards sort of suited each other perfectly