Bassist

Band(s)

Notes

Cliff Burton

Metallica

As James Hetfield once said, Cliff taught us all to headbang.

Les Claypool

Primus

Do you remember the first time you heard "Frizzle Fry"? Did you know that a bass could be played like that?

Steve Harris

Iron Maiden

He wrote all the songs. And he never used a pick. Wow.

Geddy Lee

Rush

How many Rickenbacker basses were sold because of Geddy?

Tony Levin

King Crimson, others

Bald. Moustached. Sticks taped to his fingers. Legs spread wide. What would you give up to have him play on your album?

Paul McCartney

Beatles

Invented the sport. Try this at home: put on any Beatles song and try to change one bass note. Can’t be done. Paul is perfect everytime.

Scott Reeder

Across the River / Kyuss / Unida

Great bassist. Great look. Crazy, gonzo playing with no pick and no shoes. Virtuoso ability but without the ego. Lives in the desert, wife runs a pet store. The next Cliff Burton?

Chris Squire

Yes

Prog Rock with a big, chugging lead bass. Life doesn’t get better than this.

Mike Watt

Minutemen / fIREHOSE / dos

I grew up seeing the Minutemen and fIREHOSE so many times that I took Mike’s greatness for granted. You gotta love a guy who is that dedicated to ‘The Red and the Black".

Rob Wright

No Means No

Sure, it sounds easy, but you try it.

Bassist

Band(s)

Notes

Eric Avery

Jane’s Addiction / Polar Bear

If a bassist were judged entirely on the number of memorable, hum-able bass-lines, Eric would win hands down.

Geezer Butler

Black Sabbath

I dunno, dude. Y’know, Sabbath.

Blackie

Voivod

Check out "Nothing Face."  You gotta love a guy who quits a band at the height of their success.

Adam Clayton

U2

Take any U2 song, take away the guitar track, and you still have a complete song. That’s Adam.

Chuck Dukowski

Black Flag / SWA

Chuck’s bass playing never comes out on his records, which are always so badly recorded as to be un-listenable. But see him live, or better yet, see him practice, and it all makes sense.

Peter Hook

Joy Division / New Order

Invented the linear bass-line and created a movement.

Dale Flattum

Steel Pole Bathtub

I saw him once with a cassette player duct-taped to his bass. Insane.

Lemmy

Motorhead

Possibly the scariest bassist in Rock. Thundering. Ugly. Mean.

Andrew Weiss

Rollins Band

The biggest mistake Henry Rollins ever made was pissing off Andrew Weiss.

Bassist

Band(s)

Notes

Ikuzo Baba

Dragon Ash

Clint Conley

Mission of Burma

Everything about this band was great, and as the Sage points out, "There is no great band without a great bassist, but a great bassist does not assure a great band".*

Chris Bauermeister

Jawbreaker

Check out the song ‘Parabola’ from "Bivouac"

Keith Brammer

Die Kreuzen

If Die Kreuzen had a tendency to lapse into un-intelligible sludge, it certainly wasn’t Keith Brammer’s fault.

Grant Brand

Rudimentary Peni

Grant gets big points for putting up with Nick Blinko, and for saving "Cacophony".

Mick Brown

Supergrass

Fun, melodic, solid. A personal favorite.

Bruce Foxton

The Jam

The album "Setting Sons" is one of the great rock bass performances ever.

Steve Hanley

The Fall

The Fall had two sounds: Mark E. Smith’s voice and Steve Hanley’s bass. If Smith was the band’s heart and soul, Hanley was the music.

Greg Lake

King Crimson / ELP

Yet another King Crimson bassist. He sings, he plays guitar and bass and he puts up with Keith Emerson.

Masuda

Ruins

Not really a bass player. He plays a six-string Steinberger bass just because he likes thick strings. Amazing, though.

Roy Miyake

Oblitisaurus

For attitude if not ability. Roy was shy and unassuming lad until transformed the bass. He idolizes Lemmy and plays bass like a pro-wrestler. No one plays the bass with the reckless abandon of Roy 'I'm so fleisted!' Miyake.

Robert Smith / Simon Gallup

The Cure

The combination of Smith’s Bass VI and Gallup’s regular bass make The Cure one of the most enjoyable bass bands ever.