The 16 Best Bass Players ever. imho.

1. Paul Simonon - The Clash
2. Sting - The Police
3. Tal Wilkenfeld - Solo Artist
4. Bill Wyman - The Rolling Stones
5. Paul McCartney - The Beatles
6. Scott Lafaro - Art Pepper Quartet
7. Aston Barrett - Bob Marley & The Wailers
8. Fernando Saunders - Lou Reed
9. Carol Kaye - Session Musician
10. Jaco Pastorius - Weather Report
11. Darryl Jones - The Rolling Stones
12. John Paul Jones - Led Zeppelin
13. Simon Gallup - The Cure
14. Oteil Burbridge - Allman Brothers Band
15. Adam Clayton - U2
16. Duff McKagan - Guns N’ Roses

Why?

Paul Simonon. Numero Uno in terms of versatlity, style and all round rock star uber-cool. Listen to Sandinista or Combat Rock. If those aren’t the most rock steady bass lines holding all that musical diversity together, then i don’t know what is. Paul Simonon was the man I most wanted to play like when I started out. The Clash were the shit. A band of punks and rebel Gene Vincents that kinda morphed into this urban gun-slinger jazz-rockabilly-reggae-dub quartet. fantastic stuff. It was my staple for many years. Hence my white n black P-Bass. I studied Simonon's playing after seeing The Clash concert in Adelaide in '82... and yeah I lifted a ton of it as seriously helpful influence on my early playing. The Clash for me shall remain eternal.

Sting, because his sense of syncopation is unmatched. He and Stewart Copeland are one of the most energetic and original rhythm sections (or two thirds of a band). Oh yeah and Sting writes and sings memorable songs with clever lyrics. Listen to the Police Live album, the Atlanta tracks - the extended bass/guitar passages of Can’t Stand Losing You, or So Lonely, where they kinda double up on the delay fx together and i think Sting uses a pedal bass too. Anyhow, it just does something to me that sound, that is so mesmerising it just makes me wanna rip out the Maton fretless and do it too.

Tal is a young lady from Oz who has carved an amazing career on the back of almost super-human talent. She was 19 when Allman Brothers bassist Otiel threw his guitar at her during a gig at the Beacon Theatre and Tal just put it on and wiped the stage with it. She had arrived. She then goes on to join the Jeff Beck Trio with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and kills it everytime. She’s worked with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Prince, Jackson Browne…. and then decides to put her own line-up together, write and sing and produce her own material. Which is simply outstanding stuff. And her voice…. is there no end to her talent??

Bill Wyman and Paul McCartney - because they are Bill Wyman and Paul McCartney. Rolling Stones, Beatles. Say no more.

Scott Lafaro - I grew up in a home that played jazz every night. Davis, Parker, Shorter, Mulligan, Pepper, Evans, Basie, Ellington… Lafaro was Art Pepper’s bassist, and wow could that mofo play. He’d sometimes drive his knee into the upright bass sort of as a percussion thing and that guy could sure slap the catgut. And he had style. His bass playing has stuck with me ever since.

Aston Barrett - or Family Man as he's known, probably wrote at least half the book on reggae bass lines which were low and fat and off-beat, and 3/5 syncopated with a range of percussion instruments. Along with the likes of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh these guys created a groove that the rest of the world had been needing to hear and feel. Listen to Family Man hold it down on the live album Babylon by Bus. State of the art Wailers.

Fernando Saunders - he’s played with Lou Reed on and off over many many years and I grew up listening to him along those various stages with Lou. His fretless sound was always so confident and fat and octave-low and had a sleaze to it he could add that just nailed Lou’s songs. I likey likey.

Carol Kaye - she’s played session bass on so many hits and famous albums over the decades. Unassuming, now in her 70’s and still rocking, Carol is the epitome of the bass player’s bass player. You want it, Carol can hold it down. That’s her bass playing on the Beach Boys Pet Sounds album. That alone is credo enough.

Jaco played bass for Weather Report (Mysterious Traveller, Black Market) which included Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. Regarded by many as The Best bass player in the world - and he may well be. His technique is unique and he fuses jazz and rock rhythms into one thing and then attacks the bass with pops and whines and thuds and smacks like nobody had before, or since. Tal Wilkenfeld gets very close which is probably more an indication to their magnitude of talent, rather than by design.

Darryl Jones was Miles Davis’ bass player. He also played with Sting and Madonna before being chosen by Charlie Watts to join The Stones after the departure of Bill Wyman. Super nice guy, with a truck load of power and subtlety in his playing. He’s stayed with the Stones ever since and I admire him for that. Even for Darryl, those are pretty big shoes to fill.

John Paul Jones the quiet member of Zep - if there is such a thing - is a classically trained musician. A master keyboard player - but as far as bass playing goes all you need do is watch the O2 stadium Zep reunion concert to see that at 70 something he has lost none of his craft or mastery over 4, 5 and 6 string and pedal basses. Very together guy.

Simon Gallup is one of those under-rated bass players who along with the likes of Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order) took bass to a new level of fidelity with dual bass players, two string dissonance and a ton of effects. A sound that has stuck and has spawned a number of influenced players. Including myself. And… The Cure just look cool. But importantly have a sound and the songs to match. Truly great band. Can't believe they've been playing as long as they have. They still sound 'new'.

The Allman Brothers Band has had a few bass players since Berry Oakley. I think Oteil is the fifth… anyhow, regardless, anyone who gets to join the Allmans plays with two drummers and some of the South’s greatest of all time. He’s gotta lay it back and hold it down. But Oteil as a bass instrumentalist is top 5 material. He plays a lot of 5 string and when I say play… look out, this guy is somewhere else. And he had the grace and care to give Tal a break that night at the Beacon.

Adam Clayton is another rock-steady, keep it simple, give ‘em the thunder style bass players I adore to watch and listen to. I like some of the (Celtic?) keys U2 play in and Adam’s bass just creates such a base with so much space above it for the other guys to fly in. I also like his choices of bass rig equipment from Harbingers to Ashdowns. His sound is always round and warm and beautiful.

Duff. The Gunner’s only true bass player. The cowboy punk who held it down with fatness and pure rock and roll style for Slash and Izzy and Axl. Surviving the trainwreck that was G N’R and then forming Velvet Revolver with Slash and doing a university degree, well I tilt my hat to the guy. And I love his bass playing. It’s raw, rock-steady and his amplified sound is fabulous. He does these nice up or down licks when he rolls out of a pattern - that to me is his signature Duff thing. He’s not metal. Neither were the Gunners. But it is rock and roll.

There are others that could be on this list, Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix Experience), Willie Weeks, Calvin Samuels (CSNY), Jean Jaques Burnell (The Stranglers), Steve Kilbey (The Church), Tracey Pew (The Birthday Party), Peter Gifford (Midnight Oil), Suzi Quattro, Nicole and Melissa both of the Smashing Pumpkins, John Entwistle (The Who), Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads, The Tom Tom Club), Dave Seidel, Robyn Habell (who blew my mind when I saw her play electric bass and upright when I was at music college)... oh man, on and on it can go… but that’s what I love about music, so many great players, so many great songs and bands. Lists are lists but as I said this is just my choice, in my ever-so humble opinion. Let it roll.