Latest haul (tonight): Sticky Fingers, Beyond Magnetic, Trespass, Beat, Freaky Styley, ...And Out Come the Wolves. Cheers! Good haul (the fact all these bands have outstanding bassists..minus maybe the Stones but I still like Bill a lot...is merely a coincidence, lol)

I know a guy who always used to say "Bill Wyman is the best damn bass player in rock & roll". I love Wyman but I never quite understood that claim...

No accounting for taste, I guess.

That's because in those decades the Record companies had the tightest control over what music was put on record. That means music that sells the most while creativity and anything that is different is discouraged. When the bands and musicians have more control there is more creativity and more chances taken. There was a period in the 60s and 70s where the record company executives had no idea what would sell so they put all kinds of stuff on record and hoped it would sell. Variety was king.

I found the Bass Player Magazine article from the Bass Giants issue from 2006. Some interesting things about Jack Casady. His early influences were the upright guys, Mingus and LaFaro. His electric bass influences are the usual suspects...Jamerson, Dunn, The James Brown guys...then later Entwistle, Bruce, Macca, etc. ..Working with a non conventional jazz oriented drummer with JA...Spencer Dryden, necessitated him to alter his style and provide more fills and rhythms in the band. Perhaps his biggest part of his distinctive style was his interest in electronics and his incorporation of distortion in his output. He credits that largely to the Versatone amp he aquired and pushed to the limit.

Cliff Lee Burton...Great promise and some highly innovative stylistic innovations. Question becomes...how "great" (all-time) can a guy be (through no fault of his own) whose entire significant career was encapsulated in three short years featuring only three studio albums of note? Obviously, longevity can't be a factor, nor can growth, versatility, and consistancy be objectively viewed as career factors. Potential can't really be factored in as an element of greatness.

Eddie Watkins Jr...Detroit based (and later Los Angeles) player who did play on some significant hits for several artists and boasts some very solid performances. That said...stylistically not all that versatile and really didn't innovate much if anything. Might rank on an all R&B list, but I'd have trouble making a real strong case for him on this list...not that I don't see several names throughout this list that Eddie could play circles around.

Tony Newton...a few early Motown sessions, but mostly the touring guy with Motown. Some nice tracks on Invictus though, and performed and recorded with some other significant artists.

Casady > Lesh.

Am I wrong?

Tough to say. Lesh is really good and his melodic improvisational style was very influential. Back in the 70s he was considered one of the best bassists in Rock.

18. John Deacon/Steve Harris
19. John Deacon/Steve Harris
20. Phil Lesh
21. Jack Casady
22. Stu Hamm

I'd see Burton's ranking in the 30/40 field.

Funny you mention the Stones, I know a guy who always used to say "Bill Wyman is the best damn bass player in rock & roll". I love Wyman but I never quite understood that claim...

No accounting for taste, I guess.

So where are we putting Justin Chancellor? high I hope.

I see Burton as a metal Scott LaFaro basically. Sure his life was short but he was so great, innovative and important that he more than justifies a good spot on this list. If it were just that he was talented and innovative that would be one thing, but his influence is too high that combined with everything else he does too well to keep him down in the 30s or 40s imo. Bear in mind he's universally seen by the metal community as THE bass god of metal, sort of how people see John Entwistle in rock.

Stu, I agree on James Brown.
There's an episode of The Cosby Show where Cliff puts on a live version of "I Got The Feeling".....and man the bass on there is just SMOKIN'! The groove he had going on was just indescribably fucking killer.
The only problem is I don't know who it was....

That's it!
Stu, do you know the bass player's name there?

That groove just floors me....

That's it!
Stu, do you know the bass player's name there?

That groove just floors me....

you seriously think you can take me on when it comes to musical knowledge? I can name more albums off the top of my head from last year alone than you could for all time. I mean, fuck, you still actually buy your albums? Haha shit son. You wanna take me on? Come on then boy, let's go.