Is it really possible for your brain to understand how good of a bass player Les Claypool really is?

Danny E

Danny E

Jul 6, 2020
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#1
I have recently started listening to Primus, and they're great, but I never knew for one second how complicated and near impossible the basslines are in Primus. I knew that Les Claypool was one helluva bassist, but my god, I never knew he was that good. He can basically play ever technique there is on bass like finger plucking, tapping, slapping, strumming. I don't think he ever uses a pick, but I'd imagine he could use one if he needed to.

Listening to basslines like Tommy the Cat have me going how on earth can he play that and how on earth did he come up with that bassline. Not to mention he sings while playing these basslines.

He seriously is one of the best if not the best IMO. And, it got me thinking, is it even possible for our brains to fathom how good he really is, it's certainly really hard to because i'm struggling to.

If you haven't heard any Primus stuff I highly recommend that you give them a listen, and really listen to the basslines

Thanks for reading
 
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#2
I've had this conversation with other bass players, some seem to think you need to be able to play said bass arrangement before you can make a judgement if it's entertaining.
For me, watching Les play is like watching Yngwie Malmsteen sweep arpeggios. I realize it takes a lot of talent, but I'm also yawning.
I'm not trying to bash the guy, it's just a fact for me. I simply don't get a lot of the greats, however. Give me Jack Bruce. Billy Sheehan might be the most technically advanced player I can appreciate.
 
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#6
I suppose a number of other corollaries are equally valid:

Is it really possible for your brain to understand how one-dimensional of a bass player Les Claypool really is?
Is it really possible for your brain to understand how predictable of a bass player Les Claypool really is?
Is it really possible for your toe to understand how indifferent of a bass player Les Claypool really is?
Is it really possible for your underpants to understand how short of an auto mechanic Les Claypool really is?


 
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#9
Many times, I'm not able to do what they do but I understand how it works.
Claypool is one of them. His playing is a big bag of tricks, playing around the tempo, forcing notes here and there.
Very personal and witty however with enough studying and practice it's doable.

There are people I partly understand, enough to find my way through their stuff.
So far Michael Manring is the only player completely resisting my analysis. I can't for the life of me understand what and how he does things.
 
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#11
I dig some Primus here and there but I don't think Claypool is a great bassist. He's put together an interesting mix of tone, technical parlor tricks, charisma, and a unique identity and made that mix into a career. And good for him.

But from what I can tell he's not versatile, sort of does one thing well. His fretless intonation isn't good, and when I once heard him try to improvise a solo, his note choices were pretty square.

Great performer? Damn right. Great bass player? No.
 
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#14
In order to fully appreciates Les, you must embrace the weirdness. It isn't as much about his playing per se, as his mindset. How he sees the world. While everyones perspective is different, probably 98% of us see things in a very similar way. Les is definitely not in that 98%. And his music reflects that. And even if you don't like or respect his playing, Les must always be given mad respect for his taste in hats.
 
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#16
Back in the late 80's, early 90's, I was amazed at Claypool. Then I heard him attempt to play N.I.B. on a Sabbath tribute, and the results were absolutely abysmal. No groove, no soul. His style couldn't adapt to a simple heavy Geezer bassline whatsoever. It was thin, out of tune, with tasteless fills that didn't fit or flow. Truly terrible to the point of thinking it wasn't serious. It was the absolute antithesis of what bass should do in a song like that. My appreciation for him dropped by a considerably large amount.

Then, a few years later, I heard him do his Frog Brigade thing playing Animals and I was amazed at how well he played that and adapted to the music. He seemed to learn how to play for the song and style of the music by that point without purposely ruining it. He redeemed himself pretty much by that time.

Although, I have to say I love his early ADA/Mesa tone. His modern tone is a bit too buzzy and modern for me. Bleck.

I remember in the mid 2000s, a music store was blowing out CDs and I excitedly bought the Primus CDs I didn't own as I loved Frizzle Fry and Cheese. I remember driving home, all ready to jump in. I listened to a bit of them. Then, I just stopped. I couldn't stand it. It was like early Primus without the catchiness, and the "joke" of the early 90s I suddenly and somewhat abruptly realized just didn't work anymore. It all seemed very tired/dated, and a chore to listen to. I still have all those CDs, and have never listened to all of them all the way through. I tried, but I just can't.

Primus had their time, and that time was around 1993 or so. They didn't age well.

But, Claypool turned into quite a bassist over the years, beyond his "Primus" thing.
 
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#18

One Man's Meat is Another Man's Poison: Origin and Meaning ...
One Man's Meat is Another Man's Poison: Origin and Meaning. Something that one person really likes can be greatly disliked by another person – different people can have very different tastes. This phrase is often used to explain that people can disagree strongly on what is good or bad, right or wrong.



one-mans-meat-is-another-mans-poison.jpg
 
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#19
Danny E said:
I have recently started listening to Primus, and they're great, but I never knew for one second how complicated and near impossible the basslines are in Primus. I knew that Les Claypool was one helluva bassist, but my god, I never knew he was that good. He can basically play ever technique there is on bass like finger plucking, tapping, slapping, strumming. I don't think he ever uses a pick, but I'd imagine he could use one if he needed to.

Listening to basslines like Tommy the Cat have me going how on earth can he play that and how on earth did he come up with that bassline. Not to mention he sings while playing these basslines.

He seriously is one of the best if not the best IMO. And, it got me thinking, is it even possible for our brains to fathom how good he really is, it's certainly really hard to because i'm struggling to.

If you haven't heard any Primus stuff I highly recommend that you give them a listen, and really listen to the basslines

Thanks for reading
Click to expand...
He is a divisive character on TB. I listened to a lot of Primus in the 90s, so I love those albums. For some people it is just too weird. And not every song is a home run for me.
His manic style can be a little offputting to some. I get why someone might not like his approach to bass. But man, I wish my hands could work that independently of my brain.
 
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