Not yet. Agree Harris is one of a kind, hence why I rate him above Stu in creativity. Glad you 'get' him.

Anyone here very familiar with Bob Marley/Barrett's bass playing? Any Deadheads 'round? Cheers

Oh and Hamm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6LrVQwtcpI

It's really difficult to objectively judge Aston Barrett as a bassist since there's so few other well known Reggae bassists to compare him to. Barrett did set the tone for that style, but Reggae is often quite repetitive in nature, although the timing in that music form can be quite challenging...unless that's all you play, which seems to be the case with Barrett. When I was in Jamaica last year I caught a few reggae bands and the bass parts, once you get past the odd rhythm structures, all seemed relatively simple and supportive. Obviously, Barrett lacks versatility, and I'd have to say that he's probably the second best Jamaican bassist...behind Phil Chen.

That was just epic.
I'm actually not so sure that Harris is more creative, after watching that.
This guy has an amazing melodic sense on the instrument.

I agree. There's no doubt in my mind that Hamm is more creative than Harris.

Quite possibly my favourite bass solo. Hell, that whole DVD is Satch at his very best, superbly listenable guitar music that non-musicians will dig.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T7WGasjju0
Proof that Thomas Miller is a fantastic bassist.

Oh, the proof is all over Symphony X's early albums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQKO3Sea3bs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z454yP-XkwU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4nFIHDlihE

I love his bassline in "The Accolade"

Yeah, I'm not sure about the other areas of the criteria though.

Me either. Some of the criteria are a bit difficult to determine unless there is an obvious difference. Influence for example. I'm sure that Harris has influence over a greater number of players due to playing in a well known band but I suspect Hamm may have more influence over the best "virtuoso" bass players.

Stu/Ssoyd,
I'd like to know what you think of this...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNJqVW2L5is[/youtube]

Two marvelous bass solos, some beautiful and dreamy guitar melodies, and some tight jazz playing at the end.

Tasty stuff. I like those Ray Brown style walking runs near the end.

Wishbone Ash was one of my favorite bands from the 70's and I always liked the bass playing of Martin Turner. Turner was a founding member. They also pioneered the twin guitar sound that became popular later on. I particularly like their Argus album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtS8SHX7 ... F8AC26657B
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvLVSPPL ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUolWNHxRiM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tna0Mmu1XlI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB6fCuxG ... ure=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJN-wrtu ... ure=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CohG31ec ... ure=relmfu

Argus needs no explanation at all. I got the album years ago and have been hooked ever since.
The first two albums are damn near as good, especially the self-titled debut.

There's also Paul Newton, the original bassist for Uriah Heep:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIl8Et8Dw9Y[/youtube]

Sure thing friend.

Exhibit A: Anesthesia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iOmo0ZuyNk

A fully distorted bass solo that incorporates wah, artificial harmonics, and a classical compositional approach.

Exhibit B: Call of Ktulu (bass track boosted)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HHIclVldKk

Note that the bass is distorted throughout the song, and the freaky monster sounds are Burton using effects. You have to listen closely but he does multiple brief solos as well, including one at the very end. Also note the multiple approaches he takes to his playing in this song, in some cases even using distortion+effects bass for sound effects. I am fairly certain the distortion was partially used to help convey the atmosphere of the Lovecraft piece this song is inspired by/meant to convey the atmosphere of, and I suspect that the monster sounds are supposed to be Ktulu himself (!)

(In other news after reading the titular Lovecraft story I consider this Metallica's masterpiece, how it fits the mood of the story so well, like a tone poem. It's an artistic masterpiece (and the Lovecraft story even more so!))

Exhibit C: Orion (bass track boosted)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4mb_BnKP1A

Whole intro (aside from drums) again bass with effects, in this case some kind of combination of a loop pedal, mild distortion, and wah I think. Main part of song has traditional Burton distorted playing (he basically always played using distortion). "Chorus" (you'll know it when it hits, three-chord guitar motif), distorted bass high on the fretboard holding the main melody with guitar chords underneath (!). Note Burton's phrasing during 'verse' section, he always phrases different notes differently for emphasis in his work in general (best and most subtle and sophisticated phrasing I'm aware of among bass players probably).

Interlude here is the famous Burton Baroque style playing under guitar chords part (this whole section, including the guitar, was written by Burton), with endless and imaginative variations in what the bass is doing. No distortion on bass here. Again this is basically a tone poem in the 19th century sense of the term, it's music meant to convey an atmosphere/scene, in this case outer space (hence the title "Orion"). This whole interlude is one of the most famous and acclaimed bass parts in rock history, by the way, at least among young people. Note the way the bass subtly takes over and starts carrying what is now the main melody, with the guitar chords going into the background, in the ending stretch of this interlude.

Post-interlude has a guitar solo and then distorted and in parts double-tracked (harmony) bass solo. I didn't realize this was a bass solo until I read it online years after I'd first heard the album. Final guitar solo and fadeout

Exhibit D: Damage Inc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbLMrce7 ... re=related

This is actually the next song on the Master of Puppets album after Orion (and the final song). You only need to listen to the intro here, which is actually multitracked (harmonized parts) bass through an octaver and sustainer so it's high pitched. More wah use, subtle here though.

That's all for now, but I'd be happy to post more if anyone wants. Cheers. PS Burton's playing was also consistently incredibly expressive, rich and imaginative in Metallica's more 'normal' songs too (see Sanitarium, Fade to Black, Battery, Master of Puppets, The Four Horsemen for evidence!) Cheers