TS: Eric Avery vs. Flea

I want a Struelpieter type monster who comes along and chops off bassists' thumbs if they play slap bass, pop, or otherwise wank out.

http://www.fln.vcu.edu/struwwel/daumen3.gif

Obviously, if you hate the funk, then you are unlikely to see the virtue in the man’s skills, but I think he’s more adaptable and certainly has finer melodic sensibilities than you people are giving him credit for. I’d say his best work is on BSSM: the bass line on ‘If You Have To Ask’ is exceptional – technically rude, but loose and swinging. Also, ‘Apache Rose Peacock’, ‘Give It Away’ and ‘Sir Psycho’ all have great rolling bass lines that carry the songs. Although the RHCP are a weak, shallow band, Flea I think is a fine bass player and suffers because of the general perception that he’s all slap and pop, when really, he is far more creative.

Flea also brings a sense of fun to the instrument and I know that sounds just about as lame as it is possible to sound but I think it’s important to recognise that Flea’s playing is about more than just hitting the notes fast. He also knows what’s happening around him at all times and his fills, flourishes and slides usually tip off a lyric of flick from Smith.

My favourite aspect to Flea’s playing are his slides actually. He knows exactly when to drop a great big swooping glide up the board and back down, again: ‘If You Have To Ask’ has some great examples of this. OK, so he’s a bit flashy and too jumpy but there are a lot of elements to the man’s game that I think are worthy of a little more than annihilation, as Kate would have it.

Also, it seems to have escaped Avery’s supporters here that Flea has a very close connection with the Addiction, and played on the ‘Kettle Whistle’ album; check the shit he drops on the title track (and also did horns on ‘Idiot’s Rule’ – where Avery arguably mimics Flea on the bass line).

As for Avery himself, well, he’s a bass don. Like Simon Jones from The Verve, he’s pretty much my idea of the perfect bass player, for all sorts of probably dull reasons. I’d say ‘Then She Did’ probably just about sums it up for me though. Although having said that, he does have the benefit of playing with an absolutely outstanding drummer. And isn’t the Polar Bear stuff supposed to be dreadful?

Gotta hate that funk.

Simon Jones is a totally underrated bassist. Listening to stuff like Gravity Grave, it's like WOW!!! Jesus, how does he play something that is so moving? You know, the musicians in Verve were incredible. If they'd just NEVER had Richard Ashecroft in the band, they might just be the greatest band ever. Such a shame.

"Transcending," One Hot Minute

I am very well aware of it -- in fact I think that Flea subbing for Eric A in one of the reunions was an absolutely atrocious nightmare, it just gives me the shudders thinking about it. Like replacing Bernard Sumner on vocals with, I dunno, Tim Booth. "Idiots Rule" for me demonstrates how the band could do eighties RHCP funk if they really wanted to...but that they were capable of a whole hell of a lot more.

kate will you marry me?

Some of the first basslines I ever learned to play back in the day were "Mountain Song", "Three Days", and "Stop".

Some of the other first basslines I ever learned to play back in the day were "Knock Me Down" and "Funky Monks".

The thing is, they're two of the most melodically minded and creative rock bassists of their era (along with the ALWAYS IGNORED Norwood Fisher of Fishbone, who just happened to come from the EXACT same scene as them), but their styles are so different. Flea was more on the ADD/schitzo, fun, funky, wild colorful vivacious shit, whereas Eric was more on the mellifluous surfer-dude mysticism outer-space sex music beauty shit (both of which appeal to the core of my being VERY MUCH). Honestly I think of them in a very night-and-day way, which is kinda reflected in how I find Chili Peppers' music more appropriate in the sunshine and Janes' more appropriate under the light of the moon).

And about the Flea-with-Jane's thing: he fully acknowledged that the way he played was not right for their sound, and when he joined on, it was as a friend trying to help them out. He specifically attempted to play as close to Eric Avery's style as he could, and honestly did a WAY better job at that than I would've expected.

But if a side must be taken, I gotta go with Flea, but that's just cuz Eric Avery is playing with ALANNIS MUFUCKIN MORISSETTE right now. Fucking EW.

REALLY?!

it's the opposite of how things used to work: instead of L.A. session guys forming bands (Toto, the Eagles), now guys in L.A. bands end up doing session work (Flea, Avery, et al).

Get yourself a Gang of Four album and school thyself.

Thank you for your post. Please google search for the names Sly Stone, George Clinton, Eddie Hazel, Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell. Now get the fuck out of here.

and about this comparison eric avery whoever that guy is against flea is just freakin ridiculous flea smokes him by far. and i know that most of you bashing f*ckers want to be as good as flea orto play at his level

Well perhaps you can listen to him first and then actually comment on the basis of knowing both of their respective work rather than coming off as the ignorant random person you are. Or is that too hard for you?

If so, he can never be completely worthless.

But yeah, I like Ned's Peter Hook analogy for Eric Avery.

Recently, we were doing a gig and soundchecking and I was doing some bass for the soundguy and just for fun did the intro bass part for "Mountain Song"....literally got a round of applause from the people milling around! I ask you: How many bass parts are catchy and recognizable to get soundcheck applause at a club? Not many (although I have had the same thing happen sometimes when I do the bass part at the beginning of (chaaain keep us together - run in the shadows) part of The Chain by Fleetwood Mac)....