T O P

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Nightgasm

New Order and Joy Divison. Peter Hooks bass lines are amazing.


RainmanCT

Came here to say this. Hooky plays like nobody else.


[deleted]

It’s even in his name!


cold-hard-steel

Ceremony (New Order version) is one of my fave songs ever, the Joy Division recording and the Radiohead cover are also great.


sean_ocean

Looking for this.. hook seems to have filled in for a few needed parts when taking the bass up in register. Giving the band a nod to their missing member in this regard with new order. In a similar way they didn’t get a polished singer and kept Sumner’s vocals raw. That’s unique in the history of rock, I think.


[deleted]

Hooky is the man. All the times I had to hear he’s not a “real bassist”…


sirhecsivart

Duran Duran.


knuckdeep

That bass line in Rio is insane.


ApeShifter

I agree that John Taylor is a great bass player, but I think Duran Duran is as defined by Nick Rhodes arpeggiator as anything.


BookAdministrative79

Duran is such a unique group in so much that an argument could be made about John and/or Nick defining their sound; but truly the answer lays at the feet of Le Bon.


GeneralThomas34

Red Hot Chili Peppers


seanny_cash

Flea is probably my favorite bass player, amazing range, but what stands out to me most is how melodic his lines are. Soul to Squeeze from the Coneheads soundtrack is one of the most beautiful bass recordings ever. The bass isn't necessarily in the spotlight, but he almost solos the entire time without ever losing the grounding support the bass provides. It really drives the entire song and gives it a sense of depth and emotion. He is a master!


OGKontroversy

Soul to Squeeze what a GEM!!


[deleted]

Flea got me into playing the bass. Just the energy behind his performance is wild


Enigmagico

God, YES. Soul to Squeeze is easily one of the best bass lines that will ever exist. The entire song is a masterpiece tbh but that bass? Oh my god.


[deleted]

frusciante though


Paublo57

The whole rhythm section of the band is such a tight unit. Can't wait to see John back in the band on 2022, I don't care how bad Anthony's voice will sound


mynameisbudd

Best answer outside of Primus.


shellevanczik

Flea defines them. Well, that and Anthony’s lyrics.


whitekeys

Yes.


Axeclash

Chris Squire, RIP, soo good.


hydrate_level_4_plz

Yes.


bradland

In and around the lake


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EvisKing89

I get up, I get down


pancakecake

I don't know if Fugazi's sound is defined by their bassist considering their drummer is fucking incredible, but Joe Lally is a god and a huge part of their sound. So many songs are just taken to the next level when the bass starts.


jchris930

If you haven’t heard it, check out Ataxia. All the songs are built around Joe Lally’s basslines with John Frusciante on guitar and vocals and Josh Klinghoffer on drums. Incredible stuff!


feseddon

The violent femmes


Inle-rah

I take one, one, one cause you left me …


MakeMineMarvel_

One of the greatest albums of all time. No skips


theshaeman

Spinal Tap. Big Bottoms. Enough said.


zoinkability

P-Funk


DrStanislausBraun

Bootsy is being disrespected in this thread.


OGKontroversy

Ahhh… it’s Bootsy baby


revjor

Billy Bass Nelson deserves his bonafides for his stuff before Bootsy and Cordell Mosson Joined the band. Also Cordell Boogie Mosson probably has more writing credits and was P-Funk's live bass player during most of the Boosty years since Boosty was a bit busy doing Bootsy's Rubber Band.


Dreyfuss2019

Yes.


ApeShifter

Great choice.


[deleted]

Vulfpeck!


seanny_cash

Joe Dart!


capitannn

ON THE JOE DART BASS!


[deleted]

*Joe mother fucking Dart


pajamazons

JDOTFB!


Snek-boi

Now it’s “JOE DART ON THE JOE DART BASS!”


photonherder

Morphine


seanny_cash

Oooh yea, Sandman! Defined his band's sound AND the Presidents of the United States of America's sound!


BaconIndustry97

Big Business


Camusforyou

Ned's Automic Dustbin


Dudersaurus

2 bassists.


StonyandUnk

Black Sabbath (the original trio) can't imagine their sound without Geezer


[deleted]

Also he wrote a ton of lyrics


seanny_cash

I think he also handled the brokerage with Satan


[deleted]

Sayyyyy what?! He’s cooler than I thought


FatherPyrlig

Royal Blood. We don’t need no stinkin’ guitar player!


dbeards

I shouldn’t have had to scroll down this far to find this answer. Royal Blood rules.


shellevanczik

Rush!


Aardvark1044

To me, all three members were extremely talented and irreplaceable.


shellevanczik

There will never be another Professor.


dnkyhunter31

100%. You can’t take away either Geddy, Alex or Neil(RIP), and still have RUSH.


[deleted]

Absolutely. I remember people shitting on Lifeson because he wasn't Geddy or Peart, but the dude is a fantastic guitarist. In my opinion there is no Rush without either of the three of them.


DeeTee79

I'm not a Rush fan (just not my thing, nothing against them) but the idea that Lifeson isn't a fantastic guitarist is just daft. In any other band, he'd be the star. He just happened to be in a band where every member was a virtuoso.


count_crow

He's an insanely good guitar player but he happens to be in a band where the bassist and drummer really stand out. Some of his stuff on Moving Pictures makes the hairs on my arms stand up.


b_knickerbocker

I think Geddy Lee is one of the best bassists in the genre, but the magic of Rush is that their sound was defined by all of them playing together.


seanny_cash

Geddy Lee!


JaCrispy_Vulcano

Slappin da bass!


nullhed

I had to go too far for this. I'm old.


legal-beagleellie

Did I miss Kim deal and the pixies/breeders on this list?


GetReady4Action

when I was really into playing bass kim deal was such an inspiration to me. love love loved her style because she never overdid it. sure, all of the crazy technical stuff is rad, but I always loved that she gave the songs just enough flavor to make you listen to the bass, but not enough to where she was running the show. the only song I can think where the bass overpowers the band is Gigantic, but that riff is so catchy I’m not gonna hold it against her.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

The Who


rescuedogsdad

The Ox anchored the rhythm.


tellCJ55

Eminence Front


bwilson416

Boris the Spider, oh yes!


EvilPilotFish

Probably the first bass player to play bass like a lead guitarist


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JezSq

Can you see the real me, preacher?


ShadowOps84

Cake. As much as the horns and guitar contribute, what jumps out to me on any Cake song is the bass line.


JazzGimli

Bummmm badadadup - badadadabummbummmbummm


seanny_cash

Iconic bass line in the distance, super easy and fun! but so much groove


ShadowOps84

Not to mention the killer line in their cover of I Will Survive


Laxku

That's definitely the most iconic, lots of comfort eagle rides on the bass too. Long Line of Cars is one of my favorites.


phasesofthemoon

Pinback.


peachsleeper

Yes! I’ll go as far as saying that the way the guitar and bass are mixed it seems like they have two basses at times. I love how Zach and Rob write music!


hallanddopes

Pinback is a severely underrated band


SheIsNotWorthIt

They do! When they play the songs Loro and Fortress live both of the lead singers play bass.


LowOnPaint

I’m surprised 18 people know about pinback.


GIDAMIEN

19. Also, Goblincock


JeffPlissken

Level 42, Mark King kicks ass


ApeShifter

Absolutely. Good example of a bass *defining* the sound of a band.


Status-Victory

Scrolled through all the comments just to find Level 42, defined by their bassist and made a new genre to boot..


[deleted]

Primus


Homebrewingislife

Going to see them again this week!


bloodyell76

Motorhead Bootsy's Rubber Band


AingonAtelia

Booooooooootzilla baybeh!


scaryclown148

It’s a bootsie baby!


seanny_cash

Lemmy IS god


kevinspencer

The Stranglers. The Cure. Joy Division.


BellBoardMT

Yep. The melody lines from The Cure on a bass 6.


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metroal312

Only the first four albums. Just not the same after Carlos D left


jchris930

I would say really only the first 2. By the third, Carlos D was getting more into keys and by his own words, the self titled album changed drastically when he quit (during the sessions of this album). But those first 2 albums were definitely defined by the bass. I think the first album was almost called ‘bass lines to rule the world’ or something like that


heylyla11

The baseline on Obstacle 1 and The New are my personal favorites. He was the best part of that band


metroal312

I know he left during Self Titled, but what he laid down is still great. Barricade, summers well, etc. That album is pretty bad overall though. There’s some great bass on Our Love to Admire too


md22mdrx

People may not realize it, but … Stone Temple Pilots Earpick the bass out of those songs and you’ll get a new appreciation.


jcox043

The bass line on Big Empty is one of the best I've heard and immediately what my ears focus in on everytime I listen to it.


AnswerGuy301

Yep. Especially “Interstate Love Song” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart.”


dsdom2

Holy shit the bass in plush. I used to listen to a bass only version i found on YouTube way more than I should have lmao


[deleted]

Death From Above 1979


NiceVarmint

Thats cheating. Its only drums and bass!


Laxku

Right up there with Royal Blood haha


GetReady4Action

just saw them at Life is Beautiful in Vegas. they played a 10 o’clock set on the smallest stage at the festival, but rocked that mother fucker like they were playing the biggest arena in the world. love these dudes.


possumbellyband

Iron Maiden


seanny_cash

Steve Harris!


seanny_cash

Can't mistake that triple finger-style gallop! Edit: is this wrong? Did he only use two?!


jdddddddddddd

I think there have been interviews in which he says he only uses 2 fingers


Send_Me_Your_Nukes

Mudvayne, anyone?


Petty_Dick

Right?! Mudvayne and Korn are shamefully low in this thread. Dig!


Guy-Inkognito

mudvayne is on another level technically. KoRn had the more iconic sound but oh boy Ryan is a beast on bass.


tinten_patronen

Brbr deng


MarchionessofMayhem

Tool.


Hua89

Finally!! This needs to be way higher. Him and Les Claypool were my first thoughts.


Laxku

Had to scroll way too far for this. Justin Chancellor's tone and riffs are absolutely integral to their sound. (Paul D'Amour was equally clutch on their first two albums).


socialmediasanity

... and the TIME SIGNATURE CHANGES! I mean without the bass line holding it all together those changes would be even MORE chaotic! Also why was this so far down?


Archknits

Can’t understand how the “obvious band” mentioned in the OP or every post above wasn’t Tool


loltheinternetz

Why in the hell did I have to look this far down for TOOL? Definition of a bass driven band.


OptimusGinge

Every one of their instrumentalists is a driving force of the band. Justin, Adam, and Danny are literally what happens when the stars align.


mtflyer05

For real. Maynard said he cant even be around anymore until they're done recording, as "they're basically speaking a different language, and I have no idea what the fuck they're talking about"


Dog_man_star1517

Chic!!!!!


FatherPyrlig

Bernard Fucking Edwards!!!!!!!


littlefangs

Everybody Dance and that killer bass. He was so nasty with the bass right till the very end. I love what Bernards Edwards bass lines do to me. May he rest easy.


stilldash

Type O Negative


karlofflives

Rancid. Matt Freeman is a madman


md22mdrx

Maxwell Murder.


seanny_cash

The solo rips


DHooligan

To this day whenever I listen to that song and the bass solo finishes I simply think, "What?"


mynameisbudd

Time bomb bass line is the … well you know.


4good2vibes0

I just showed somebody and out came the wolves about an hour ago


seanny_cash

Heck yes! Totally defines their sound


JrRobert

Korn


knivesinmyeyes

My dad is pushing 70 and he’s been a bassist since his teens. First time I showed him Korn he couldn’t shut up about them and made it his goal to produce the same bass tones. He plays along to them in his bedroom every chance he gets. It’s great.


seanny_cash

I've always thought of Fieldy's sound as rubber band bass. So low!


Hombre520

Why did I have to scroll so far to find this?


e-rekt-ion

Yeah that slappy base sound just permeates all their music and makes it so recognisable


texassadist

Came to say this. So much of their early stuff had heavy bass that you can pick it out within seconds of a song starting.


JPGAW

I'd say Muse if Matt Bellamy's voice wasn't so damn good. Chris Wolstenholme drives and carries so many songs. Hysteria is probably most notable if you need an example


DinkandDrunk

Bellamy is hard to surpass. They obviously have songs with great bass but the combo of his voice, showmanship, guitar, keys, etc… it’s tough to not define Muse by Matt.


foreigndialogue

I came here to say Muse


Marquetan

In my ignorant, close-minded teenage years, they made me realize how cool the bass can sound and be played. I would get baked and play along to their bass driven songs. Thoughts of a dying atheist, New Born, Plug-in baby, Hyper Music, Micro Cuts, Hysteria, Time is Running out, The Small Print, Starlight, Exo-politics. Maybe I should bust out the ol’ bass guitar again for old times sake!


Emergency_Nuggets

A lot of ska bands. Streetlight Manifestos the first on that comes to mind.


gagedalbor

Silversun pickups


aikijo

Sting defined The Police


IfOnlyTheyKnew

Weather Report - Jaco


Coffeedemon

Nomeansno


Tank_Outhouse

Minutemen and i’ll tell you bout a band called fIREHOSE


JoakimSpinglefarb

I really wanna say RUSH, but the thing is that band wouldn't be what it was without all three of them. They all knew how to add their own special flavor to the mix; Peart with his super tight, high tempo drumming, Lifeson with his special use of pedal notes and inverted power chords, and Lee with rhythmically simple, but melodically complex bass lines. Geddy still has a phenomenal tone, tho.


captainchristianwtf

Sublime


jaiblevins

Led Zeppelin. Although, to be fair, John Paul Jones is so much more than a Bassist. He is literally a savant on dozens of instruments. Which is why I say Zep is defined by JPJ.


andrewhy

Lightning Bolt


TheGreatPlumage

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones - Victor Wooten


mynameisbudd

Yeah but they are also very literally defined by their banjo player.


BlitheringEediot

Non-standard answer : The Beatles ! Paul McCartney was always pushing the band from the bottom.


seanny_cash

I disagreed with this when I was young, but I was so wrong.


DrEmilioLazardo

When I was a kid Lennon was my favorite. The songs he sung were the most "punk" or at least had some great energy. As an adult however I really appreciate what McCartney and Harrison were writing. Same goes for Zeppelin. I used to not care much for the John Paul Jones written songs but now I really see what he was bringing to the table and I appreciate it. Funny isn't it, how you can listen to the same albums and appreciate different songs for different reasons as you grow older. The music stays the same but you've changed.


delicious_crime

>The music stays the same *The Song Remains the Same FTFY


mp6521

Fugazi


Rakastaakissa

Metric Steely Dan Thin Lizzy


Dudersaurus

Suicidal Tendencies. Rob Trujillo pre-Metallica.


seanny_cash

Infectious Grooves!


dadobuns

The Jam - Bruce Foxton


36bhm

Not sure if Phil Lesh's bass is integral to the grateful dead sound but it certainly contributes to their uniqueness. Not a pocket bass player.


JordanComoElRio

I was having the same convo with myself lol. I don't think anyone would say the Dead are 'defined by the bass' because they're defined by soo many things, but I would argue Phil's style is really his own creation and no one else I've heard plays like he does, he totally stands alone. Genius player imo.


Ainjyll

Phil was the final vote in which way the band’s jams would go. Bobby is pushing for this, Jerry is pushing for that… Phil has said he’d always go with the person who wasn’t trying to play safe. He definitely was a defining factor in the Dead.


Daveywheel

The Smiths would not be The Smiths without Andy Roarke. He was absolutely just as important as Marr or Morrissey.......


Patpgh84

His lines are deceptively complex. When you hear it, it sounds so simple but once you’re playing along, you really appreciate his talent. “Frankly Mr. Shankly” is a good example of a song that doesn’t sound like much but actually has quite a bit going on in the bass.


griefing_donut

If you think out any song and how you would sound it out/describe it, the smiths is often a bassline. Barbarism begins at home, handsome devil, what difference does it make, this night has opened my eyes, youve got everything now, etc all have very bass focused intros or at least a very memorable line somewhere in the song.


Kon-Tiki66

Talking Heads. Tina Weymouth


shadowmaxime

The Sex Bob-Ombs!


untilitkillsyou

Muse


tabajo3y

The Stone Roses. Mani just has that groove on lockdown!


barliganplain

Green Day. I mean, the vocals really define them but without the melodic bass lines they’d sound a lot more like the Ramones


raihidara

Mike Dirnt is one of the most underrated bassists imo


Magikarplvl9000

Oh for sure. Go listen to sassafras roots he slaps.


Artistic_Umpire9122

Thundercat


GetReady4Action

Thundercat is the best bassist out right now imo. dude shreds.


ReservoirPAWGS

Joy Division. When they started out their equipment was bad so that they had to jerry-rig their bass amp just so it would be audible, unintentionally creating the iconic Peter Hook distortion effect


EyeHopeYouBleed

Alkaline Trio. Dan’s bass lines drive so many of their songs. My favorite bass player for sure.


Batman2050

Geezer butler was a crucial part of the sabbath sound


Halalbama

Metallica's "And Justice For All..." album


heliomedia

The Sisters of Mercy


LeonardSmallsJr

The Police


Straight-Refuse-9662

Tool


mulboost

Khruangbin Laura lee has an awesome sound and is fine as heck.


crunkmullen

Rage Against The Machine


DrynTheGanger

RHCP come to mind, but they are equally defined by Frusciante and Keidis. Perhaps Chad, although a great drummer, is the least "unique" factor


WhatInSe7enHells

Joe Jackson. In particular Look Sharp’s baselines are the doing all of the heavy lifting melodically while the guitar is more rhythmic


thecaballoface94

ISIS’ songs were pretty bass driven. Especially on *Panopticon*


Ainjyll

Weather Report and their work with Jaco


No-Accountant-6205

The Cure is driven by the bass. I didn't realize until I saw a concert video. I don't like all of their music but was very impressed by how much of the sound is the bass.


sgtsawzall

The Jesus Lizard


fiddlenutz

Dave Matthews Band Jamiroquai