The Bass 1980 - 1989 | The Players You Need to Know
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- So over 7 months ago I released a video onto our RUclips channel paying tribute to the bass players of the 80’s…
You know, Geddy Lee, Billy Sheehan, John Deacon and a heap of others!
The video was suuuuper popular and racked up over 100k views within a couple of weeks, but unfortunately one of the tracks we used in the video was pulled for copyright and RUclips removed the video :(
So, we’ve done a brand new edit of the video for you with some extra cool footage added in…
Lemme know which era you want us to feature next in the comments!
As always, see you in the shed…
Scott :)
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Geddy Lee and Cliff Burton are the reason for me picking up the bass as my instrument of choice. But all the players on the list that keep me playing and striving to improve.
Damnn, i still think geddy lee is the best rock bassist of all time
I picked up the bass because it was a necessity at the time, but I've seen what can be done thanks to those guys. I wouldn't trade my bass for anything else since!
YYZ is great and all but there should have been a shout out for Digital Man!
JiBenJiBe Signals is my all time favorite RUSH album.
Geddy Lee is a master, but Cliff inspired me that bass doesn’t have to be the boring, basic rhythm instrument. He also inspired me that you don’t need to always play what the guitarists are to keep the rhythm, add a little bit! A fill or two, but just don’t lose yourself!
Plus, he showed rapid bass playing in the early thrash metal era, that no one else did.
For me a list of 1980’s bass players must include Andy Rourke. His melodic playing and incredible feel with the Smiths is second to none.
This Charming Man
Barbarism Begins At Home.
Enough said. Amazing bass player!
Andy is very underrated. Love his work. I didn’t think he’d be on this list, but I was hopeful!
@@bassdrummer9849great bassline
Surprised not to see Duff Mckagan, mans got an iconic tone
Duff, Eddie Jackson, Rachel Bolan and Kyle Kyle all had great tone in the late 80’s.😊
You can't have 1980s bass without Peter Hook and Simon Gallup.
Peter Hook was already in his 70s video.
We can't forget Leland Sklar and Nathan East ... two the great bass players of the 80s.
Couldn´t agree more !
There's always going to be people missing out, but Lee Sklar.. some would say that's criminal haha. Especially when Duran Duran make the cut. But after all.. this dingus is British. 😅
@@cameronmorman5866Lee Sklar is mentioned in the 70s video.
i'm so glad newsted was included too, and not just cliff, they're both incredible
Yup, check out Jetsam and Flotsam’s first two albums, most of the riffs are by Jason, my favorite being doomsday for the deceiver (song), and especially No Place for disgrace
Consider John Deacon a major influence on myself. Glad to see him mentioned 😊
surprised why you didn’t mention david ellefson... he is criminally underrated
I know right? The dude behind Peace Sells bass riff not beign on this list is criminal
I totally agree what an amazing Bass Player and one of the most underrated ever in the world of bass.
@@cactussmitho9875 I think Dave mustane actually came up with it
@@Antonio-pu9ib I agree. Unfortunately, I think alot of what Dave E. Played was actually written by Dave M.
David Ellefson is one of the nicest guys in metal and I think he's criminally underrated
Thank you for giving John Taylor his due. It’s easy to dismiss him as a pretty boy in a New Romantic synth-pop band, but he has bass game. The bass lines he played on their first two albums was probably when my young ears took notice of how bass can transform a song.
i agree John Taylor gets overlooked alot
All players mentioned here is great,but John Patitucci really deserves to be featured here! He made a huge impact taking bass playing to a brand new level. 3 albums with Chic Corea electric band just to name a few. He was among first 6 string bass players in the 80's and now still one of the living legends.
Flagged for copyright...in a video promoting these players. How lame....
Not to mention it's an educational video.
its done by an algorithm, not a human being
@@ShadowNinjaNoah Programmed by zealots....
JoseitoEdlVodao homies woke
CPR4LIFE Blame youtube, the people there frantically do not give a damn. They are gonna be the death of this platform, no one else, but them.
Thanks for including Mark King, but it's worth also mentioning two of his superpowers: 1) singing often in a very different rhythm from his basslines, and 2) he's actually left-handed yet plays right-handed! Mind-blowing!
For the second, it’s actually easier to than people thought. As long as you first play it with your right hand, then you’ll find no problem. Coming from a left hand bass myself.
I did a Level 42 song for my senior recital in music school and flubbed the slap break. It was such an embarrassment.
You forgot Freddie Washington. That iconic bass on Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots" was unbelievable.
John Deacon: *plays 2-3 notes*
Everybody else: OMG YES!
I agree!
I'd also include Paul Webb from Talk Talk, his basslines in their synthpop days are absolutely legendary
Heey thank you for including John Deacon in the video. I think he deserved it and he should be more appreciated. He inspired me to play bass. X
The thing about Steve Harris's technique is it sounds like he's using 3 fingers to gallop but he's using two fingers
Aaron Davis yeah. And dude uses flatwounds too, not light gauges. I’ve spent a good chunk of time practicing his technique and it’s not easy to maintain. You have to play lightly... hard. Total mind trip!
You neglected that Geddy played bass, sang and played synth with his feet, at the same time
Thank you for posting that!
While he was chewing bubble gum
He's not human!
For me John Deacon would be the best bassist because he created one of the most best bassline
And above all he could dance will playing it.
John Deacon will probably never truly get the credit that he deserves. The man was a melodic genius. If someone ever Jedi mind tricked him into returning to the scene, I would actually be excited for Queen. I just can't imagine the current incarnation as 'Queen' without him.
He's a decent bassist at best. He only gets the praise he does, cause of the band he was in and everyone's favourite musician to ever walk the earth, Freddie Mercury
@@jaspergillgannon4991 Decent at best?
@@frostmusicofficial Yeah, I badly misworded that comment. He's a very solid bassist, I just don't think he deserves as much praise as he does, especially when there's so many other bassists from that era that are far more understated than him and probably better (Greg Lake, Burke Shelley, Tony Levin, Dougie Thomson, Ray Shulman, etc.)
i think he gets pretty much as much credit as he deserves...all i ever heard him do was outline chords, play a couple of basic fills here and there, bit of walking and (granted) he did come up with a few legendary riffs but...other than that, what did he do exactly to be labeled a "melodic genius"? unless he did some mind blowing solo work after queen that im not aware of (in which case, i apologize) . however, i dont think queen would have benefited at all from busy basslines. he did exactly what he was supposed to do (however, thats not how you get "bass cred")
@@ShortFuseFighting Take a listen to the basslines in Your My Best Friend, excellent counterpoint work. The Millionaire Waltz, absolutely perfect bassline and not easy for beginners. Dead On Time has pretty busy but amazing bass work. Bicycle Race, Fat Bottomed Girls, The Fairy Fellers Master Stroke, Brighton Rock, Flick Of The Wrist. The list goes on and on. If you've only payed attention to the popular Queen songs you're really not going to hear what John was truly capable of. And all of that is just in studio, live he was on another level. His ability to improvise is amazing.
He truly did master his instrument and fit his role in Queen perfectly. Not only on bass but he went to school for electrical engineering, and made the "Deacy Amp" out of an old radio giving Brian May the ability to get his classic screamy tone on various tracks.
And yeah he came up with some of the most popular basslines ever but he also wrote a lot of Queen's hits. Another One Bites The Dust (obviously), Spread Your Wings, Your My Best Friend, I Want To Break Free etc.
He was the reason I got into bass to begin with.
Happy to see John Taylor of Duran Duran here! He was my initial reason for playing bass. Cheers!
I wish he had used "The Reflex" as his example.
Mick Karn on Daili's Car / Peter Murphy was awesome.
For such an original and innovative Bassist as Mick Karn, you sure did gloss over his achievements in a single breath, only mentioning his first band Japan (which was one of my favorites.) You could have mentioned that he was a talented multi-instrumentalist which is showcased in his solo work like the album "Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters", or his collaboration with Peter Murphy in their "Dali's Car" project, or his next band which became quite popular in the prog-rock scene "Porcupine Tree", or his incredible session work with artists such as Midge Ure of Ultravox, Gary Numan, and Kate Bush (her song "Heads We're Dancing" has one of the most original bass lines thanks to Mick Karn.)
If you dive a little deeper into XTC's "Oranges And Lemons" and "Nonesuch", you will find out what a great Bassplayer Colin Moulding is. So melodic and inventive, like a McCartney of the 80ies and 90ies.
John taylor is the very reason i’m a bass player, i remember jamming with people in the 80’s, the first thing they’d ask was usually ‘can you play rio’? It was the holy grail of bass parts in so cal... i taught myself by copying his early parts. (Why is it that he never plays that way anymore? You’d think with chops like that you’d show off at least once an album! Hmmmm....)
Nick Beggs deserves a mention, I reckon. Guy Pratt, too.
Absolutely!
Honorable mention: the hard rock/metal workhorse...Rudy Sarzo
And Bob Daisley as well. He and Randy wrote most of the music and lyrics for Ozzy back then. Bob had some amazing shuffles.
Please interview Geddy Lee. Not just for his recent book, but also to get some killer insight into his techniques!
Tina Weymouth, most underrated bass player of her time.
Had to scroll down WAY too far to find this comment. Weymouth is so good.
Scott, gotta give you props. Not only do you have education thing going for us low enders, explaining a host of techniques and methodologies; but now you come up with yet another dimensional Fat Stringers' tidbit! This series, if nothing else, is a great stroll down memory lane but also puts out there a texturing of the world of bass playing. Great job and well done - keep it all up!!!
One correction: Lemmy's drug of choice was speed. He has said in interviews that part of the problem in Hawkwind was that there were two camps within the band which disproved of the other's choice of drug - the LSD heads and the speed heads - and that he was definitely in the speed camp.
All that was said about Lemmy’s drug intake was he took loads of LSD when he was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix. Which is absolutely true. Of course later on he moved onto speed.
And I had a super bass 100 in high school...
Traded it in for a crappy drum kit in 82.
Realized I was a whole lot better drummer than bassist.
Now at 50+, I am working on my bass chops again.
Thank you Scott
Billy Sheehan is also a very good bass instructor.
So glad Tony Levin and Bakithi Kumalo were on here. Two of my absolute biggest influences as a bassist, and i wasn’t even playing bass until the 90s haha. When I was preschool age I had a baby sitter who played Motown all day and “Sledgehammer” was my first favorite song. I think those two things are why I picked up bass at age 13. The groove got in me young
The bass player who did the solo at the start was Billy Sheehan?
Sounds like it to me
yep.. him and steve vai were playing in diamond daves band
YESSS
As a bass player in my 50s now, I play in the church band, but I was rocking the bars in the 80s! So fun
I became a bass player a bit earlier, in 1975, but this time influenced me a lot.
My major influence was John "The Ox" Entwistle, tho.
it's a good influence. me thinks.
Mine too, John Entwistle in my idol
Finally! Thanks for the call out to Jeff Berlin. A huge influence in my bass career. He was overshadowed by Jaco and understated by critics, but he was playing on my "cassette player" and under my fingers (as best I could) far more often. Also, thanks for opening my ears to so many bass players that I've never heard of.
Good to see Mick Karn having a mention there. His playing still has a massive influence on my own approach to the instrument.
Andy Rourke of the Smiths. Criminally underrated.
The bass line of "Another one bites the dust" was inspired by bass guitar of "Chic" tube "Good Times" written by Bernard Edwards. :)
"inspired" lol, it's practically a simplified copy :D
@@ytspam1000 Yes, it's why I mentioned it, it was also used by "Sugarhill Gang" for their enormous hit "Rappers Delight". I'm a little surprised which Bernard Edwards isn't in this list where also aren't feature Bootsy Collins. But maybe, they're mentioned in a precedent video of this channel for 70 - 79 years? ... I discover the channel last week-end.
One of my bass heroes. People also don’t realize he was who actually played a good number of Duran Duran songs on the studio albums.
Don't forget Tony Franklin. Crazy good fretless player!
Great Video, Scott!!!
Too bad RUclips is so screwed up...
I'm 68, been playing since 1966 and still gigging!!! I will probably play at my own funeral!
Your vids are great! You are a real person and not a poser! I really appreciate your attitude, knowledge and insight.
Have a great weekend!!!
John Taylor. Yes. Someone finally says it. Awesome player!!!
great that you included Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and Jason Newsted!!!!
Tony Butler of Big Country wasn't maybe as prominent as most of these guys (although BC were certainly bigger than Japan in the USA at least) but his lines, tone, and touch were stunning. His work on the "Peace In Our Time" album was outstanding.
The bass work of patitucci on the chick corea elektrik band was fenomenal
When I was 13, it was
the bass playing on Led Zeppelin’s second studio album by JP Jones that I found to be infectious. The blues-based stuff gets me every time, lol.
Great set of bass players. Enjoyed this, again! One of my faves from the 80s is also from the UK, Graham Maby, or as Joe Jackson has said, "the greatest bass player in the whole f'ing world!"
Billy Sheehan, Steve Harris and the incredible bassist on the Helstar albums in the 80s pushed me to be what I am today but I also loved the bass playing of Yngwie Malmsteen.
I love Mick Karn. He was the reason I switched from guitar to bass (fretless, of course). However, (1) that photo you show is NOT Mick Karn; (2) his band Japan's hit "Ghosts" doesn't feature any actual bass.
But yeah, he's a phenomenal example of how to be a 100% original player without a lot of actual "chops." Check out the album he did with Peter Murphy under the name Dali's Car.
Very innovative and original yes. I love the way he was able to play atonal lines and still make it sound so good, like the verse to My New Career off of Japan's album Gentlemen Take Polaroids!
I love Mick too and I believe that is actually a photo of him.
@@MyrtleSoupProds I really don't think it is. To the best of my knowledge he never played Warwick basses, never played a 5-string, and didn't use MIDI pickups. Also, as a man of Mediterranean / Middle Eastern heritage his skin tone was VERY olive brown and his face shape is different. Whoever that is in the photo looks more like Thom Yorke's cousin than Mick Karn. I literally googled pages and pages of Mick Karn photos and couldn't find that picture, and one would think Warwick would mention it on their site but they don't. Also, a better single to mention might be 'Art of Parties' or 'Methods of Dance' - there are some great tutorials on this site by Tsubatch and others.
Billy sheehan at the begining. Signature legato.
Can’t wait for the bass players of the 90s
Whether you want it in the 70s or the 80s, I reckon you should include Bruce Foxton of The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers. Some of his work was extraordinary - and beautifully highlighted by The Jam being only a 3-piece. Other than that, I find this series a fantastic reference work to guide us what we need to listen to next. Thank you Scott
The bassist for the Fixx hold it down.... "Saved by zero, Stand up for " and so on !
Dan K Brown
Some greats mentioned here, but one of my favourites from the '80's is Scott Thunes - loved his work with the Zappa family (both Frank and Dweezil - that's got to go some way to racking up cool points 👍) and had the pleasure of seeing him live twice - with Vai on the Sex & Religion tour and AZ/DZ's Shampoohorn tour (featuring Mike Keneally on guitar). Huge player and one of the most genuine people I've met offstage.
Mike Watts of Minute Men was a big influence for punks in the 80’s and 90’s like me. He toured with Iggy Pop and The Stooges. Love the video dude
Prince deserves to be mentioned in this context. He was a great player and sold tons of records.
No joke half way through watching this I got an advert for Scott’s bass lessons
i was waiting for Levin, i was so excited to see him!
EDIT: if anyone wants to see some insane bass lines by him, listen to King Crimson’s Sleepless from the 1984 album Three Of A Perfect Pair, that’s an insane bassline and an awesome song
He was also responsible for bringing the Chapman Stick into the public consciousness.
Woo Hoo Geddy Lee!! Yes!
Thank you for this series! I was just having a conversation last night at a gig that younger kids aren't bothering to learn about old bands, let alone their bass players. They need to check this out.
My favorite RUclips channel
Thank you for mentioning John Taylor of Duran Duran. Many asses hit the dance floor because of that guy and the bass he played!
2:28 i laughed my ass off at this part 😂😂, right on man 😆🤘🏻
PEOPLE! you really need to check out Mick Karn. Listen to JAPAN and his solo work. Astounding musician and bassplayer.
Awesome Scott, thanks.
I wanna give a shout out to Simon Gallup from The Cure. His lines are pure gold. Also Eric Avery from Jane's Addiction.
Thanks Scott, for tackling this. Of course this will reflect YOUR faves.
But I just wonder at how Abe Laboriel merits only a 500 millisecond mention.
Have you ever hear his intro to the song Chuncho off of Koinonia’s album Frontline? 😲
Who was Koinonia? Bandmates included Alex Acuña and guitarist Hadley Hockensmith who later toured for a couple of decades with Neil Diamond.
But if not for his Koinonia work, how about the slammin’ groove on Herb Alpert’s Rise? Or his over 4000 album and movie credits!?
RIP Mick Karn. Japan's "Oil on Canvas" is amazing as was his solo stuff, Dali's Car, etc...
So happy to see the guys that got me into bass getting some love, Steve Harris, Cliff Burton, Geddy Lee, Lemme
Billy Sheehan ...@ the beginning of the Vid.. When i first "Really" heard him in the Late 80's with DLR...with no Way of Kwowing What the Hell he was doing... Rewinding , trying to play along, with a Phantom 4 String PBass(with the Action so high I could have went bow hunting with it)... He was/is a MONSTER Alien of Bass.. 💯🖤🙁
Adam Yauch is a great bassist who is usually overlooked
Paul Webb (Talk Talk) probably deserved a mention, too?
"The day that the machine outplays me, they can plant me in the yard.... with the corn" 😂😂
The bass player from Frankie Goes To Hollywood plays an almost impossible continuous bass line in their song “Welcome to the Pleasuredome”. It’s a shame he never got enough recognition for that.
Thank you for mentioning Steve Harris. He's such a great bass player, cant understand why he doesnt get more kudos when people talk about great bass players. I hope you touch on Matt Freemans work with Rancid. His bass work on Maxwell Murder is just killer.
Been learning alot from Scott for years, some how never came across this series! 🤷♂️ just watched the first two, and in the 70s I'm just waiting for the big geddy lee drop after the punk era bit lol thank the bass gods he's getting some love in the 80s
Nice video! Can't wait for the 1990 to 2000 video :p
Props for mentioning Jimmy Johnson, he is a phenomenal player and tragically underrated. So musical with his playing, listen to his solo on Panic Station!
Now we need a video for the 90s. Lots of great bassists in that era
I built a bass from Goodwill parts over the course of 2+ years. I’m not good but it’s such a killer instrument
Man I actually got to see that line up of DLR with Billy, Steve and Greg one show lll never forget .I also got to see Cliff Burton on the Puppets tour , another one ill never forget.
Two 80's bassists who not only inspired me to play bass, but to go fretless, were Guy Pratt (his time with Icehouse) and Dan K. Brown (The Fixx's "Walkabout" album). And whoever it was who played on the Icehouse "Man of Colours" album. I also found Mark Heyward-Chaplin's playing on Thomas Dolby's "Age of Wireless" album inspiring.
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
@@devinebass For the record, thank you for sharing as always! There's not a player on your list I would disagree with-- loved Anthony Jackson;s work on Steve Khan's "Eyewitness" album (standout song "Guy LaFleur"). Speaking of fusion players, Mark Egan's fretless work on Arcadia's "The Promise" is really cool. Would also give a shoutout to the late Matthew Seligman for his stellar fretless work on Thomas Dolby's "Screen Kiss".
and Nathan East?
Scott Thunes... check out his contributions on Frank Zappa albums of the 80s, in particular Them Or Us.
Tony Rapa
And on "does humor belong...". What a beast.
@@McDoinky Absolutely.
nice to see John Taylor - good call!
This series is great. Looking forward to the next two... hope you are planning for them!
Thank you for highlighting so many legendary rock and metal bassists who don't always get a mention on the channel! And I didn't realise it was Carmine Rojas on that MJ track
One of the best scott's vlog. For me.
I know I'm super late to the party, but since you've recommended all these bass players and tracks to check out, you should make a public Spotify playlist for each of these videos.
Technique, hair, and wristbands tell me that that's Billy Sheehan. :)
Scott sure loves saying "obviously"!
Finally.. thease are the bassist that changed music. Love th it s stuff.
I'm surprised at the mention of Mark King. I suspect many never heard of him in the west. Loved him!
My hometown boy Geddy Lee is amazing.
What do you mean by "in the west"?
@@emdiar6588 - I don't think a lot of people in the US or Central and South America were very familiar with Level 42. They didn't have big hits in the US. I think they were better known in Canada and I was a fan but many of my contemporaries never heard of them. That is just my impression. Perhaps aficionados of bass would be more aware of them.
@@susieq9801 OK. I was asking because most of Europe is in the West too, and they were massive here. To this day Mark King is pretty much a household name in the UK.
"The Western world, also known as the West, refers to various regions, nations and states, depending on the context, most often including at least parts of Europe, Australasia, and the Americas. " Wiki.
@@emdiar6588 - I believe you :)
Most people in North and South America consider that the "west".
I always enjoyed Level 42 but don't know that many who are aware of them at all.
@@susieq9801 I'm British, and live in the Netherlands where Level 42 are played on mainstream radio every day. Mark King is still so famous he appears on prime time British TV shows like this one: ruclips.net/video/bkw_81EPfEQ/видео.html
And gets referenced in other hit shows like this: ruclips.net/video/4gBEznBdFxM/видео.html
Hey Scott, you should really interview Geddy Lee! You are an awesome interviewer.
This video put me up on so many bass players i wasn't aware of. Thank you!
Loved AJ's comments on human vs machine.. I guess all you modern low end people have to navigate upright/electric/synnt bass. It's a great challenge..
I think mick karn hasn't recieved all credit he deserved, music history has been to unfair with him
yup.
Wow!!...Excellent Video of some Awesome "Out of this World!" Electric Bass Players! for the era of (1980 -1989)!.. which was my "best" era in playing the (Upright Electric Bass & Electric Hand Bass)!!...Very informative video!...Great work Scott!!...Awesome Job!!!