# Best Living Bass Guitarists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803 "2003-05-31T18:45:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/41 "2003-06-02T14:27:18Z")
Another vote for **Flea**. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/42 "2003-06-02T14:47:58Z")
Chris Squire of YES deserves to be mentioned somewhere here…and this is where. ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/43 "2003-06-02T15:14:55Z")
No one has mentioned **Ray Riendeau** yet? he is sick… I am too lazy to post links… but look him up… my favorites in order… **Vic Wooten** **Les Claypool** **Ray Riendeau** It really all depends what style of music… but those 3 I have heard play with almost every style… and it always sounds good… ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/44 "2003-06-02T15:15:46Z")
Paul was way underrated as a bass player. He was never flashy, he just knew how to play the right note at the right time, which to me is the mark of a true musician. The bass lines in Beatles songs are all the more amazing when you realize he was actually singing while he played them live. And not just singing–_singing like Paul McCartney!_ However, I would rank the three greatest living rock and roll bass players as: Watt (still going strong! Saw him a couple of weeks ago) Bootsey (his 70’s work with P-Funk are some of the greatest bass ever committed to magnetic tape) Claypool (the man’s a fucking loon) ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/45 "2003-06-02T16:09:24Z")
Yeah, but when was the last time Bootsey actually played live in public? PS: I met Larry Graham once, so there. ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/46 "2003-06-02T16:15:16Z")
Tye Zamora, the bassist for **Alien Ant Farm** , has got some serious talent from what I’ve heard from him on their first album. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/47 "2003-06-02T20:30:57Z")
Victor Bailey (Weather Report, Madonna) Gerald Veasley (Gover Washington) “Ready” Freddy Washington (Patrice Rushin, tons of others) Rhonda Smith (Prince) Bob Babbit (Motown) ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/48 "2003-06-02T20:32:00Z")
(Grover Washington) ---
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/49 "2003-06-03T00:09:51Z")
Simon Raymonde of the Cocteau Twins has always been my personal favourite. Most bass guitarists are content to backup what the drummer and guitarist are doing and are barely audible. But in the late 80’s and early 90’s, when guitarist Robin Guthrie was too coked up and strung out to play much guitar, Raymonde stepped up and made the bass really the (instrumental) star of the show. The CT albums Heaven Or Las Vegas and Blue Bell Knoll feature his best work. I good example of an individual track where he shines is “I Wear Your Ring”. UnuMondo ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/50 "2003-06-03T04:32:41Z")
Sid Vicious is out on so many levels (deceased being a minor one in the scope of things), but boy was he cool. I’m not sure if John Deacon (of Queen) deserves to be up there with say Flea, but he has written some of the most memorable bass hooks out there. Donald “Duck” Dunn another great. I always liked Nick Seymour of Crowded House too. Another guy who wasn’t fancy, but always had the right note. ---
**Author:** ![AchimbaProphet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@AchimbaProphet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AchimbaProphet)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/51 "2003-06-03T10:35:02Z")
Steve Harris! Matt Shepherd. More votes for: Flea. Les Claypool. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/52 "2003-06-03T14:06:01Z")
trujiro out of suicidal tendencies and now plays for ozzy. and metallica i think. paul mccartney doesnt deserve to still be alive, never mind in any top ten of anything ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/53 "2003-06-03T14:50:16Z")
Holy moley!! This thread is into its second page and there’s been no mention of [Jack Casady](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=MISS70305170814&sql=Bacdgyl1jxpsb~C) ??? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/54 "2003-06-03T15:32:46Z")
Yeah man. Ozzy’s bass player is WAY better than that loser from The Beatles. SHAROOOOOOOOON! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/55 "2003-06-03T15:35:58Z")
I’d nominate **Mark King** from **Level 42**. Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![GoldenGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8edcca/32.png) [@GoldenGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoldenGael)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/56 "2003-06-03T16:18:00Z")
Is **Charles Meeks** still around? He played with Chuck Mangione for a while, at least, and was one of the best bassists I’ve ever heard or seen. He played the bass better than most guitarists play the guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/57 "2003-06-03T18:27:37Z")
I second **GUINESS** ’s vote for Peter Hook of New Order and Joy Division. Hooky plays (as did John Entwistle when he was alive) the bass as if it were a lead guitar. As **GUINESS** said, it’s a very distinctive sound. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/58 "2003-06-03T20:01:40Z")
Another loud vote for Mike Watt. ---
**Author:** ![Logan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/278dde/32.png) [@Logan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Logan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/59 "2003-06-03T20:14:33Z")
John Wetton (Asia, Roxy Music, King Crimson) and Jack Bruce (Cream) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803.md?page=2)