Bassists/bands that make you stop and listen.

Outbush

Outbush

Nov 6, 2016
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#1
Always interested in discussions of bass players, their impact and how and why they've influenced people - and the "best" or "most iconic". Amongst those who I'd list would be flea, Charlie Mingus, Sir Paul and Geezer. But sometimes I'm doing something and the radio is on and I hear a player or a bass line and I just stop for 3:05 and listen. Often I never look up the bass player and only vaguely remember the band or song name. That's why I'm asking about either the player or the band.
So who has made you stop and listen? Top 3 I'm thinking. (This'll be some fun on youtube!)
 
#2
These guys

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#3
Hmm, "stop and listen" suggests to me a fairly dramatic WHOA, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?! reaction ...and it's been decades since I've had that response while listening to the radio. (Admittedly that says more about my listening habits than the state of modern bass playing...mostly.) But the guys that made my ears perk up and legitimately stop what I was doing were
- Mick Karn
- Percy Jones
- Chris Squire
- Jaco Pastorius
- Stanley Clarke
...and all that happened back in the 70s or 80s.

More recently, I've heard a few recordings by Anthony Jackson, Nathan East, Tony Levin, or Jimmy Johnson grab my attention...but in a far more subtle, sublime way; not so much a dramatic WHOA, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?! reaction but in a more reserved, polite mmm, man is that nice! way.
 
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#5
There is the obvious Geddy Lee and Rush. Less so (maybe) is Andy West and the Dixie Dregs. So much talent in that band, it is mind-boggling.
 
#9
I don't listen to a whole lot of decent music these days for a bunch of reason (mostly because I'm always only listening to songs I'm learning, and it's pop crap), but recently while flipping through Sirius I was stopped in my tracks by a Zappa tune I never heard, and a Phish song. Never disliked either of those bands, but was never a big fan either.
 
#10
Joe Nerve said:
I don't listen to a whole lot of decent music these days for a bunch of reason (mostly because I'm always only listening to songs I'm learning, and it's pop crap), but recently while flipping through Sirius I was stopped in my tracks by a Zappa tune I never heard, and a Phish song. Never disliked either of those bands, but was never a big fan either.
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know a bit of Zappa - that crazy bit in the middle always makes me think of the Charlie Mingus 6/8 thing - nothing wrong with that. I'm onn "A beautiful thing" by Phish and I reckon the guys might just like that one - I do!
 
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#12
First John Scofield I ever heard. Steve Swallow gets going at about the 4:40 mark. The classic setup: Listening to Eric Jackson's show on WGBH, driving north from Boston on Route 1, at night, in the rain. I had to pull over and listen. I'd never heard music like this before, part jazz, part country, part I-don't-know-what.

 
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#13
Tony Franklin, Phil Lynott, Bob Daisley...All rock, blues and mixed but also either a great player and/or writer too.
 
#19
Ok, so 40hz puts down Snarky Puppy who I've never heard of (don't even think I've heard them on the Jazz Tracks show on ABC Radio National - a good one to podcast). I've been listening all morning to them whilst I've been working on the computer and I'm liking it very much. So I check out their website and 14 days ago - when I was on holidays! - they played about 6 hours away at Byron Bay. Well such a tale of woe couldn't get any worse. Could it. Could it?

I was in Sydney at my Mum's when they Played the Enmore...

Well, stone the crows cobber, that really is a bit crook!
 
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