There’s no question that bassists are often shadowed by charismatic frontmen and shred-master guitarists, however these integral four-stringed groovers have now been given their rightful moment to shine.
That’s right, a list of the greatest bassists of all-time has been compiled by the folks at MusicRadar, putting together a Top 60 ranking as voted by its readers; the best-of list arriving not long after NME‘s controversial 100 Most Influential Artists surfaced earlier this week, raising eyebrows around the globe.
Believe or not, the crowned bassist king as voted by the public, is none other than Duran Duran’s John Taylor, with Geddy Lee of Rush placing second and Simon Gallup from The Cure third. That makes two out of the top three Brits, not really much of a surprise as MusicRader is an English publication.
One may assume that the rock category would dominate, and there are many notable four-string rock legends within the Top 20, such as The Who’s John ‘The Ox’ Entwistle (#7), Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones (#9), knighted Beatle Paul McCartney (#10), Les Claypool of Primus (#12), Metallica’s Cliff Burton (#13), Dream Theater’s John Myung ($15), and Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris (#16).
However, there’s a healthy bass cocktail of genres in the Top 60, including funksters such as Red Hot Chili Peppers bass-lord Flea (#6), legendary Motown/Funk Brothers’ James Jamerson (#11), Bernard Edwards of Chic (#13), plus jazz and soul men Stanley Clarke (#24), Charles Mingus (#37), and Curtis Mayfield’s sideman Joseph “Lucky” Scott (#60), not to mention a bold appreciation for session and studio players, including Billy Sheehan (#19), Pino Palladino (#28), and Nathan East (#36).
So what about the Aussie representation on this list? Well, we’re sad to say, but we’ve been forgotten! Yep, we can’t see AC/DC’s Cliff Williams (alright, he’s English-born anyway) or INXS’ Garry Gary Beers, and there’s no mention of any bass representation from Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds lineup, who the Brits absolutely love. Tough gig, right?
There too is a lack of women within these results. The highest polled lady is former-Pixie current-Breeder Kim Deal and The Wrecking Crew studio player Carole Kaye, sitting at #40 and #41 respectively. We’re sure there’s more innovative, killer female bassists out there worthy of inclusion. Kim Gordon, anyone? Or how about Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth?
Perhaps the most thought-provoking point of all shows that 57 out of the 60 artists have been recording for 20 Years or more, can you think of any modern players that missed out?
Check out the Top 60 list below, or head over to MusicRadar for a comprehensive break-down of each incredible, bass-toned virtuoso.
01. John Taylor (Duran Duran)
02. Geddy Lee (Rush)
03. Simon Gallup (Cure)
04. Mark King (Level 42)
05. Jaco Pastorious (Weather Report)
06. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
07. John Entwistle (Who)
08. Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones)
09. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
10. Paul McCartney
11. James Jamerson (Funk Brothers)
12. Les Claypool (Primus)
13. Cliff Burton (Metallica)
14. Bernard Edwards (Chic)
15. John Myung (Dream Theater)
16. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)
17. Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel)
18. Mick Karn (Japan)
19. Billy Sheehan (session bassist)
20. Chris Squire (Yes)
21. Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)
22. Jack Bruce (Cream)
23. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)
24. Stanley Clarke (jazz)
25. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
27. Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead)
28. Pino Palladino (session bassist)
29. Larry Graham, Jr. (Sly and the Family Stone)
30. J.J. Burnel (Stranglers)
31. Bootsy Collins (Parliament/Funkadelic)
32. Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver)
33. Donald “Duck” Dunn (studio musician for Stax Records)
34. Stuart Hamm (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, etc.)
36. Nathan East (studio bassist)
37. Charles Mingus (jazz)
38. Verdine White (Earth, Wind and Fire)
39. Mike Watt (Minutemen, Stooges)
40. Kim Deal (Pixies)
41. Carole Kaye (studio bassist with the Wrecking Crew)
42. Anthony Jackson (studio bassist, inventor of six-string bass)
43. Colin Greenwood (Radiohead)
44. Aston “Family Man” Barrett (Wailers)
45. Gene Simmons (KISS)
46. Jeff Berlin (jazz)
47. Gary “Mani” Mounfield (Stone Roses)
48. Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Jackson Browne, etc.)
49. Bruce Foxton (Jam)
51. Mike Rutherford (Genesis)
52. Pete Trewavas (Marillion)
53. Jah Wobble (Public Image Ltd)
54. Doug Wimbish (Living Colour)
55. Roger Glover (Deep Purple)
56. Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers)
57. Colin Moulding (XTC)
58. Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr.)
59. Chris Laswell (studio musician)
60. Joseph “Lucky” Scott (Curtis Mayfield)
