# Bands with 3 or more members in the top 1% players of their respective instrument **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 12, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068 "2011-09-12T16:40:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/101 "2011-09-16T19:40:00Z")
All kinds of NOLA R&B comes to mind – take a Lee Dorsey hit or one of Allen Toussaint’s solo records. Or Aretha for that matter, or one of Ray Charles’s big band albums. Absolutely everyone was kicking it extreme on those records, or they wouldn’t have been there. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/102 "2011-09-16T19:45:49Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Back to the Beatles… > > John Lennon was considered a fine Rhythm Guitarist. So, Paul for sure, Ringo with an asterisk and John. Sorry George, despite some tasteful solos you’re just not in the 1%. Fine rhythm guitarist != top 1%. John Lennon was a genius with words and music, but he was not an elite guitarist. To say that he was devalues the term. > [@Philliam](#): > > When JP’s eponymous album came out in 1976 no bassist (certainly no electric bassist) that I can recall had the full package of chops, tone and sense of harmony that he possessed. After 1976 it seemed like everyone was copping his licks, harmonics and style. I’d say his influence was immense - don’t believe me, just ask Pat Metheny what he thinks about it. > > Oh yeah, as a working bass player for 30+ years and considered ‘servicable’ by my peers, I’d sure like to be as ‘servicable’ as McCartney. Did you really mean to say his playing is mediocre? Dang, man, you’re a tough critic. Have you ever tried to play those basslines and sing lead at the same time. Looks easy. Isn’t. I will defer to **Philliam** ’s opinion the McCartney was a very good bass player. That said, **Philliam** , would you consider McCartney in the top 1%, especially considering where Jaco (and Stanley Clarke, and a host of others) are on the continuum? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/103 "2011-09-16T20:13:44Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Back to the Beatles… > > John Lennon was considered a fine Rhythm Guitarist. So, Paul for sure, Ringo with an asterisk and John. Sorry George, despite some tasteful solos you’re just not in the 1%. Yep. He was the weakest performer of the four. George was my “favorite Beatle” from the beginning (I was a 14-year old Beatle freak in 1964); as the years passed I felt he was the wisest of the bunch, and in spite of his extreme religiosity he remained the one I would have most liked to spend an evening with. But where Ringo, John, and Paul were gifted musicians, George was “merely” talented. I think. . ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/104 "2011-09-16T20:23:24Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Fine rhythm guitarist != top 1%. John Lennon was a genius with words and music, but he was not an elite guitarist. To say that he was devalues the term. > > I will defer to **Philliam** ’s opinion the McCartney was a very good bass player. That said, **Philliam** , would you consider McCartney in the top 1%, especially considering where Jaco (and Stanley Clarke, and a host of others) are on the continuum? Noodging my way into your question, I will say Yes for the types of reasons I listed above - Paul was deeply influential in the way bass was played in pop-oriented and psychedelic pop songs from the early 60’s on and how they were recorded in the studio. Can he do the level of pop/slap jazz amazing-ness that a Jaco or a Stanley Clarke can do? Nah, but technique is just one dimension of playing as I have asserted upthread. To fall back on an example I cite regularly: should Johnny Ramone be considered in the top 1% of guitar players? On the basis of technique vs. Yngwie Malmsteen, of course no way. But overall, I would rate him much higher vs. Yngwie as a guitarist because of his style innovation and songcraft… ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/105 "2011-09-16T20:39:16Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Fine rhythm guitarist != top 1%. John Lennon was a genius with words and music, but he was not an elite guitarist. To say that he was devalues the term. > I will defer to **Philliam** ’s opinion the McCartney was a very good bass player. That said, **Philliam** , would you consider McCartney in the top 1%, especially considering where Jaco (and Stanley Clarke, and a host of others) are on the continuum? You weren’t talking to me, but I have to admit that the Beatle talk led me to drift away from the OP criterion of “3+ members in the top 1%” To me, The Beatles obviously aren’t in that club. But considering how many bassists there are/were in rock, pop, and jazz, I think there will be quite a few people within that top 1% bracket, some of them better than others. Paul McCartney fits in there somewhere, in my view. . ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/106 "2011-09-16T21:56:15Z")
With all of the various incarnations of Zappa’s bands, I sure that we could find more than three mixed in there somewhere - hmmm… Duke, Keneally, Vai, Belew… ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/107 "2011-09-16T22:33:26Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Yep. He was the weakest performer of the four. > > George was my “favorite Beatle” from the beginning (I was a 14-year old Beatle freak in 1964); as the years passed I felt he was the wisest of the bunch, and in spite of his extreme religiosity he remained the one I would have most liked to spend an evening with. But where Ringo, John, and Paul were gifted musicians, George was “merely” talented. I think. > > . Really? My opinion was always that George was the most musically talented of the bunch. I also thought that Ringo was an excellent fit for the Beatles but not necessarily an excellent drummer. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/108 "2011-09-16T22:54:51Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Fine rhythm guitarist != top 1%. John Lennon was a genius with words and music, but he was not an elite guitarist. To say that he was devalues the term. I was treating Rhythm as a separate instrument, and I thinks that valid in the context of the OP “…of their respective instrument”. And I am convinced that John Lennon was among the finest Rhythm Guitarists. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/109 "2011-09-17T02:43:52Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Really? My opinion was always that George was the most musically talented of the bunch. I also thought that Ringo was an excellent fit for the Beatles but not necessarily an excellent drummer. Our mileages have varied. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/110 "2011-09-17T04:00:48Z")
All right, all you punker rockers – nobody can argue with the Stones? Ian Stewart (piano) You could even sub in Chuck Leavell these days – he’s certainly a 1 in a million piano player. Or stick with Nicky Hopkins, but I never considered him a member of the band the way Chuck and Stu were. Keef (guitar) Mick (vox) The Band certainly counts. Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko was AFAIC a top bassist. Pink Floyd – Rick Wright, Dave Gilmour, and one of those other people. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/111 "2011-09-17T15:56:07Z")
“Top 1 % in their respective field” is way too subjective for me, but I’d honorably mention (at least) [**Transatlantic**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYlXlZEqIVI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL) with Neal Morse, Roine Stolt, Pete Trawavas and the aforementioned Mike Portnoy. [**Spock’s Beard**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFHV72-j24s) with Ryo Okumoto, Alan Morse, Dave Meros and TWO great working drummers, Nick D’Virgilio and Jimmy Keegan. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/112 "2011-09-17T16:15:26Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > All kinds of NOLA R&B comes to mind – take a Lee Dorsey hit or one of Allen Toussaint’s solo records. Or Aretha for that matter, or one of Ray Charles’s big band albums. Absolutely everyone was kicking it extreme on those records, or they wouldn’t have been there. To be more specific: Ray Charles (I guess he can count, since he was certainly one hell of a piano player), Hank Crawford, Fathead Newman, Bob Brookmeyer. All top men…top…men. Aretha? Well, she got the vx covered and some sick piano too, Tommy Cogbill on bass, Spooner Oldham on Wurlitzer piano. No arguments will be accepted. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068/113 "2011-09-18T02:39:38Z")
Blind Faith: Winwood, Clapton, Ginger Baker? Traffic: Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason, Chirs Wood? No, wait, Derek and the Dominos. Not even gonna list the players… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-3-or-more-members-in-the-top-1-players-of-their-respective-instrument/596068.md?page=5)