:pimp: Has every one forgot about rick james on of the funkiest bass players ever:pimp:

I really like Cliff Burton, Tim Commerford and Dirk Lance. The guy from Muse has a fun style too.

Bootsy Collins > Rick James

:pimp:

Hell yeah Bootsy Collins!

is this limited to rock music? if we're doing bassists from any genre, i'd have to say that Jaco Pastorius and Victor Wooten are the best hands down. if it's just rock then i'd say Les Claypool and Geddy Lee.

Mark Dirnt

My favorite bassist of all time would have to be between Cliff Burton and Jaco Pastorius.

i almost feel obligated to say Les claypool cause damn is he good.

Another fav of mine is Brian Ritchie from the femmes.

Les Claypool indeed, a god among men. Rob Wright from NoMeansNo, providing all the rhythm grooves. Tony Lombardo of the original Descendents, shreds. Karl Alvarez of the modern Descendents and All. Grant and Phil both from Subhumans. Grant Matthews of Rudimentary Peni, damn that guy kills it. Joey DeMaio of Manowar because, I mean, they're the loudest, literally. And no shortage of bass solos with him.

Just to name a few:
Leon Wilkerson
Dusty Hill
Tommy Caldwell

Victor Wooten is far superior than any of the bassists that have already been mentioned. Just sayin.

Jaco Pastorius
Paul Jackson
Larry Graham
Chris Squire

Louis Johnson
Marcus Miller
Ray Ransom
Mark Adams
Bernard Edwards
Dave LaRue
Bunny Brunel
Chuck Rainey


no, hes not over-rated....but, back in the day, it was unusual to hear funk basslines in an otherwise punkish hardcore background so, while he wasnt doing anything new on the instrument, he did introduce funk to players who otherwise would have never bothered with the genre. Flea CAN play and, one of the biggest differences between him and many players, is that his funk-side was influenced by First Generation funk players like Larry Graham and Louis johnson....its the second-generation guys that were influenced by Flea and P-Nut are all the "slappity tackity" grooveless nonsense I always hear in Guitar Center

There are many players I prefer over Flea and Flea is NOT one of my influences but that is personal preference, but - yes - Flea can play

Wooten's a pretty good player, but I've noticed his "wowza" moments tend to just be one trick while the rest is just sort of standard bass playing. Also, even though he has some gems along the way, a good part of his music is very bland and uninteresting. In regards to his discography I kind of feel the same way about Billy Cobham, tbh (though Cobham's great moments are far greater than Wooten's and Cobham's definitely no one trick pony.)

I most definitely second Claypool. I'd also like to add Rockette Morton from Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band to the list as well as Zu's Massimo Pupillo.

Geddy Lee

John Lodge

John McVie

Kip Winger is one of my favs

Haha! Good one.

Dennis Dunaway from the old Alice Cooper band had some nice melodic lines, IMO.

John Paul Jones playing on Lemon Song is great too.

He's actually pretty good.

Doug Wimbish gets a nod from me too.

Flea (RHCP)
James Johnson (Biffy Clyro)
Mark Hoppus (Blink 182)

I know technically he's not anything special, but I think Paul McCartney has composed some of the best basslines I've ever heard. Especially on Sgt. Pepper's.

Agree, maybe technically he isn't the best but melodically he was always on point.

When a bassline is that melodic, it gives the music a very shifting state and creates a sort of tension. Perfect examples are "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Something".

Another bassist that i liked was the late Felix Pappalardi from Mountain. Also a pretty melodic player. His playing on the song Nantucket Sleighride is hauntingly beautiful.

Bill Wyman is also an underrated player to some extent. Sadly, his bass is mixed so low that it's pretty hard to hear on most studio recordings.

I agree, a lot of the Stones' early recordings sound rather poorly mixed. Welcome to MB, by the way.

Thanks!

Mike Inez always

Seconded.

Alright, here we go.


- Eric Avery, Jane's Addiction
Avery put out some mad, fat, melodic basslines back in the late '80s. He hasn't recorded with JA since their first breakup, but he left a big footprint on the '90s alternative scene, influencing later acts such as Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine.

- Geddy Lee, Rush
Everybody's favorite Canadian. What can I say that hasn't been said? This guy is probably the top bassist in the last 30 years. Don't believe me? See: YYZ.

- D'Arcy Wretzky, The Smashing Pumpkins
D'Arcy has a simple style that works well with the Pumpkins' versatile array of music. I particularly admire her work on their first album, Gish.

- Timmy C, RATM
Damn, Tim is one mean bassist. His gnarly basslines fuse with Tom Morello's explosive guitar playing to create one of the most unique sounds of the '90s.

- Mike Inez, Alice in Chains
Inez's broody, dark style is the perfect fit for a Seattle band. I personally think Inez is the catalyst which put AiC above many of the other grunge bands.

- Ben Shepherd, Soundgarden
Shephard is talented with his bass, sure, but where he really shines is with songwriting. Remember "Head Down"? Yeah, that was all Ben's idea. And like Wretzky of TSP, I've always had the feeling that Shephard was the glue that kept the band together until their inevitable breakup in '97.

- Paul D'Amour, formerly of Tool
It's a shame that Paul D'Amour left (NOT kicked out of) Tool so early because he showed a lot of promise. "Intolerance" is one of the most pervasive bass tracks I've ever heard.

- Tina Weymouth, Talking Heads
Weymouth is funky as hell. She's not a complementary bassist: she drives the songs, particulary on Remain in Light. She's also great live, as is the rest of the band (I love bands that mix **** up. Why go to a show if you have the album at home?)

- Ronnie Wood, The Rolling Stones
Wood is great because he, like Tina Weymouth, isn't afraid to mix **** up! He trades licks with Keith Richards like the two are playing ping pong. And let us not forget that he is a long-standing member of one of the greatest-ever rock 'n' roll bands, which alone is enough to warrant a place on this list.


Just a handful of many great bassists, I'm sure. But they're my favorites.

I may add to this in the future. We'll see.