August 3, 2008, 5:49 pm : Let the Great Debate Begin! Part One – Top Five Bass Players of All Time

Here’s DP with his first in a four (maybe five?) part series – JS



As a new (and key – ha ha ha) musical contributor to the site, it almost seems to be a mandatory requirement I provide some form of validation that allows me to hold a writing position others can only covet. After all, how could I offer up solid euphonic recommendations without providing readers proof of my “street cred” as it relates to being a self-described musicphile?

This post will be the first in a series of articles I will eventually write that will list the top five masters of the main elements that comprise modern music as we know it – bass, drums, guitar, keyboard. I may reserve the right to post a final piece that lists vocalists, but that category is the toughest of all because of the judging difficulties that surround music style, composition, and other subjective elements that comprise a great singer.

So, submitted for your approval, I offer my first list – the top five bass players of all time. I am leading with the bass because it is in an instrument that almost always takes a back seat to somebody playing a killer ax or wailing on an amazing vocal wavelength. However, without a solid bass line, music can be set adrift without a harmonious foundation. Here my favorites, in descending order:

1. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). As mentioned above, the bass is commonly thought of as an accompanying, background instrument and makes it to the forefront of very few songs. John Paul Jones took that common belief and turned it on its head by making the bass a key element to many of the songs the band produced. Just listening to his insane, wandering interpretation of what should be a standard blues riff on “The Lemon Song” is enough to make you want to run out and get music lessons just to attempt to be as cool as he is.

2. John Entwistle (The Who). Close your eyes and picture this – a guy who can keep up on a bass with the likes of Keith Moon, Pete Townshend, and Roger Daltry while sporting a completely stoic frown the whole time. Sound crazy? Well John Entwistle was that guy and several of The Who’s songs are defined by his unrelenting abuse (in a good way!) of the instrument…check this clip out to better understand my point.

3. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers). What’s not to love about a 46 (!) year old trumpet-playing bassist who plays the instrument so intensely, it makes me tired just watching him play one song on stage. While John Paul Jones and John Entwistle were known for their respective specific, distinct styles of playing, Flea’s has matured over the years from an insane, driving-punk style (where he would put super glue on his thumb to avoid wearing a hole in it when he played), through a period where he slapped his bass like Bootsy Collins, and currently settling on a mellower style that perfectly supplements the Chilis’s current incarnation. Because of this well-delivered metamorphosis, Flea, in my world, is elevated to the highest-ranked bassist who’s alive today. Click here to watch him show up at 2:00 into a surprising video while working his magic (nice pants, by the way).

4. Les Claypool (Primus). There is no word to better describe Les Claypool‘s bass playing than that which his band’s name hints at – primal. His mastery of the instrument has enabled him do something bassists rarely do; make it compete head on with (and may times surpass) the main guitar accompaniment of the songs his group produces. To underscore his talent, he was reportedly turned down by Metallica when he auditioned for them because James Hetfield felt, “…he was too good.” Watch how easy he plays it around his instrument in this clip – you’ll become addicted to his style.

5. Adam Clayton (U2). OK, I know what you’re thinking – Adam Clayton? Seriously? I will admit my last vote is skewed somewhat by my ridiculously high regards for the band and its incredible history of music (hence Geddy Lee being #6 on my top five list), but I also have to tip my hat to the way Adam was brought into the group. Legend has it that he was good friends with Dave Evans (The Edge), and answered an open call to join a band comprised of Larry Mullen, Jr. and Paul Hewson (Bono). When he showed up, he immediately got the job because, according to Bono, “…he just looked like a bass player with a long f***ing trench coat and big hair.” Click here or here to experience highlights of what got him onto my list. You may think it’s relatively simple stuff, but I guarantee you U2 would not be as prolific without him…

And there you have it! My first list of many that will be forthcoming and sure to spark some debate…

For my musical purist readers who are rolling up their sleeves right now to flame me on putting John Entwistle second on my list - hear me out! I based my decision on ranking the first two on one important differentiation. John Entwistle’s style, while every bit as good to put him at the top of the list, loses a fraction of a mark because I like the way Jones’s playing interweaves tighter with Led Zeppelin’s songs. This point will be clarified when I post the next article on top five guitarists.

What are your thoughts? Let ‘em fly!
DP

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