Courtesy of The Stranglers Co UK Com

Armed with a Fender Precision, Rotosound round-wound strings, a HiWatt amp, and a background in classical guitar; bassist, vocalist, composer, producer Jean-Jaques Burnel has anchored the legendary post-punk, alternative rock icons The Stranglers since their inception in the 1970s.

An exceptional melodic and pocket player, Burnell draws from many influences spanning funk, ska, old-school classic rock, dance, electronica, blues, and reggae.

An early adopter of Trace Elliot amps, J.J. now endorses Ashdown with his signature JJ500 rig. Among his weapons of choice aside from Fender include the Yamaha BB2000, and Steinberger L2.

John Shuker created a J.J. Signature Bass which he now uses.  https://shukerguitars.co.uk/basses/j-j-burnel-signature-bass/

 

With The Stranglers:

“Skin Deep” https://youtu.be/aw9mEFn38to

“Golden Brown” https://youtu.be/z-GUjA67mdc

“Always The Sun” (Dig J.J. and his Steinberger XL https://youtu.be/8dEySTzQ6oc

“Do You Wanna” https://youtu.be/ctO4cX8SPJ4

“Longships” https://youtu.be/DoVPeHS03zg

“Sha Sha  a Go Go” https://youtu.be/-q3erBndoww

“No More Heroes” https://youtu.be/2tfy8f9lDD0

“No Mercy” https://youtu.be/QzrciavctzQ

“Peaches” https://youtu.be/j2w0rbp6J9Y

J.J. Solo

“Euroman Cometh” https://youtu.be/ysWp2FkZ9cc

“Un Jour Parfait” https://youtu.be/9NtknlcTKLc

With Pat DiNizio

“124 MPH” https://youtu.be/4E1uNcoehw4

 

Courtesy of John Illsley Com

 

Bassist, pub-owner, singer, painter, band member, recording artist, TV presenter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist John Edward Illsley anchored Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ensemble Dire Straits for the entirety of their extraordinary career which spanned 1977 to 1995.

 

Given the presence of world class guitarist, songwriter Mark Knopfler, Illsley deftly worked the pocket with a trad tone in support of his bandleader – and they managed to sell over 100 million albums.

 

In 2005 John began performing and recording with Cunia, and Irish Celtic Rock Group. Among John’s weapons of choice include MusicMan StingRay, and Fender basses.

 

A prolific solo / collaborative recording artist, John has waxed nine slabs and runs East End Arms pub https://www.eastendarms.co.uk/ was has been cited among the “Fifty Best Pubs Around Britain” according to The London Times.

John Illsley Sound & Vision

 

With Dire Straits

“Skateaway” with Jayzik Azikiwe as the “roller girl.”  https://youtu.be/vcwl-Q7pAtY

“Money for Nothing” with Gordon Sumner https://youtu.be/wTP2RUD_cL0

“Sultans of Swing” https://youtu.be/h0ffIJ7ZO4U

“So Far Away” https://youtu.be/YIHMPc6ZCuI

Solo John Illsley

“Long Shadow”  https://youtu.be/gYO6ihi7QuA

“Young Girl” https://youtu.be/srs261bUEqc

Courtesy of Doug Wimbish Com – Photo Karstens Staiger

By Thomas Semioli

“I’m not just a bass player, I’m a sound-system…”

What James Jamerson is to Motown, Doug Wimbish is to Sugar Hill Records….

Among the most versatile, accomplished, and influential players ever to pick up the instrument, Douglas Arthur Wimbish’s body of work spans funk, hip-hop, dance, rock, pop, metal, blues, soul and permutations thereof.

Inspired by the sounds of his 1960s youth blaring from AM/FM radio – Sly Stone, Miles Davis, and George Clinton – Doug immersed himself in music theory studies at Hartford Conservatory. At Jackie McLean’s Artist Collective workshops, Wimbish began to collaborate with guitarists Skip McDonald and Barton Campbell, drummer Harold Sergeant, keyboardist Hubert Powel,l horn players Randy Boss and Otha Stokes as the Wood Brass & Steel ensemble.

With Skip, drummer Keith LeBlanc as the house band rhythm section for Sugar Hill Records, Doug commended to anchoring several watershed sides including Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message,” and “White Lines” to site two…and the rest, as they say is history.

With his Sugar Hill pedigree, Wimbish migrated to London in the early 1980s, founding TackHead – a highly acclaimed ensemble which was an innovative meld of industrial, hip-hop, hard rock, and electronica.  Though their commercial success was limited, they were role models for platinum selling rap metal rockers Rage Against the Machine, and Faith No More, among others.

In the UK, Doug’s visibility blossomed and he began to work on stage and in the studio with such high-profile artists including Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Seal, Madonna, Joe Satriani, Annie Lennox, Ron Wood, Billy Idol, Lauryn Hill, and Mos Def, to cite a few.

Doug replaced Muzz Skullings in Living Color in 1991 for several tours and slabs. A composer, solo recording artist, producer, and arranger, Doug is an exemplary soloist, pocket player, and melodic catalyst – his weapons of choice include Spector 4 and 5 string instruments.

Doug Wimbish Sound & Vision

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five “The Message” https://youtu.be/PobrSpMwKk4

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five “White Lines” https://youtu.be/HB-Kkvf5j5Y

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five “New York New York” https://youtu.be/Lecfn2D9Y94

The Sugar Hill Gang “Sugar Hill Groove” https://youtu.be/BZfz5VgsI0k

Afrika Bambaataa & James Brown  “Unity” https://youtu.be/16k-k29wA8Q

Madonna “Erotica” https://youtu.be/WyhdvRWEWRw

TackHead “Mind and Movement Control” https://youtu.be/GFmZsHLC1Wk

Living Color “Open Letter” https://youtu.be/aMJTGcG-sxc

Ron Wood “Testify” https://youtu.be/NP3u2A79yIg

Doug Wimbish “Revolution” https://youtu.be/jIEuonjB0Xc

 

Hail (hail) What’s the matter with your mind and your sign? And a oh, oh, oh-a Hail (hail) Nothing the matter with your head baby, find it, come on and find it…

 

He co-founded an ensemble of Native Americans whose music traversed pop, Cajun, rhythm & blues, Latin, and soul. The name Redbone is a Cajun term for a mixed-race person – all of the founding members were of mixed blood ancestry.

 

Redbone bassist, singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Pat Vegas honed his chops as a session player and sideman in Los Angeles in the 1960s.  Their 1973 Wovoka album, which contained their biggest hit, “Come and Get Your Love” also featured the track “We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee” co-written by Vegas, however the song was banned from US releases due to its “controversial subject.”  

 

As noted by Vegas, the band referenced Cajun and New Orleans culture many times in their lyrics and arrangements, as evidenced on such tracks as “Crazy Cajun Cakewalk Band,” “Maggie,” “The Witch Queen of New Orleans,” and “Poison Ivy,” among others.

 

A member of the Native American Music Hall of Fame, nowadays Vegas continues as the sole founding member of Redbone.

 

Pat Vegas and Redbone Sound & Vision:

 

Crazy Cajun Cakewalk Band https://youtu.be/yaC_kX_kWs4

 

“Maggie” https://youtu.be/s91hvRs3_SY

 

“The Witch Queen of New Orleans” https://youtu.be/_Svb95SAOM8 

 

“Poison Ivy” https://youtu.be/xnbS0Xb8FaY

 

“Come and Get Your Love” https://youtu.be/OnJqFrVD3uE

 

 

“I’d say one of my favorite bass players was Pete Quaife because he literally drove the Kinks along”. – John Entwistle

Depending on which legend you deem true, it was the late Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife who rendered the landmark riff to “You Really Got Me,” hence the birth of heavy metal – and The Kinks – as we know them.

Akin to his contemporary, Sir Paul, the Kinks’ founding bassist was noticeably inspired by the jubilant dance hall music which permeated radio broadcasts of post-War Britain. Pete’s simple yet sturdy motifs brought muscle to the Kinks.

Said latter day Kinks bassist Jim Rodford to this writer, the Kinks were the best live band of their era – better than the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and even The Who. Note that as the anchor of Mike Cotton Sound – Rodford toured with all those aforementioned ensembles and spoke from experience.

An early adopter of the Rickenbacker 4001 – as was Macca – Pete and original Kinks drummer Mick Avory flexed their collective rhythmic strength on the more raucous releases in the Kinks canon, most notably on 1965’s Kinda Kinks and The Kinks Kontroversy.

To my ears, Pete’s choice performances lie in the grooves of his final album with the band, the 1968 classic The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society – which had the misfortune of being released on the same day as The Beatles “White Album” wherein Ray Davies’ sentimental song-cycle sank into obscurity until Brit-pop rockers in the 1990s afforded it the attention it so richly deserves.

Weary of the brothers Davies constant conflicts and inner band turmoil, Quaife left The Kinks for good and briefly toiled with a roots rock ensemble that worked under the moniker of Mapleoak. Following one failed single (“Son of a Gun”), Pete left the music biz for good. He spent the last thirty years of his life as a graphic artist in Ontario, Canada and Denmark.

Peter Quaife Sound & Vision

With The Kinks

“You Really Got Me” https://youtu.be/fTTsY-oz6Go

“Where Have All The Good Times Gone” https://youtu.be/fTTsY-oz6Go

“We Are the Village Green Preservation Society” https://youtu.be/lc7dmu4G8oc

“Till The End of the Day” Live https://youtu.be/yGkUwSiJ7VQ

“All Day and All of The Night” https://youtu.be/F4DV-5d6a5g

“Big Sky” https://youtu.be/zOusKPeH7nU

With Mapleoak

“Son of a Gun” https://youtu.be/wGJ5RPCf43w

He anchored “Australia’s Beatles!”

 

Dingeman Adriaan Henry van der Sluijs aka Dick Diamonde was The Easybeats’ bassist for their entire career which spanned 1964-69 and one successful reunion jaunt in 1986.

Most noted for their hit “Friday On My Mind,” waxed with Shel Talmy in the producer’s chair when the lads migrated to swingin’ London in ‘67, Diamonde worked the pocket with a booming resonance symbolic of the era.

Dig Diamonde in the pocket with The Easybeats on the classic “Friday on My Mind” https://youtu.be/lpv12Oy5mXk

The band split following a pair of commendable slabs which forsook their powerful pop inclinations for heady psychedelic prog -which  failed to reach an audience.

Guitarist / composer George Young’s siblings Angus and Malcom went on to fame and fortune with AC/DC, and along with his Easybeats partner Harry Vanda, Young formed Flash and the Pan whilst Diamonde toiled in several New South Wales ensembles garnering scant attention.        

Courtesy of Pearl Jam Com

By Thomas Semioli

“I have to be able to feel the bass. I’ve worked hard with our producers to make sure that when you play our records on your stereo, you can feel the bass. You might not necessarily be able to hear it all the time, but if you turn it up you can feel the movement in the low end—that it’s moving the song. And when it’s not there, it should be creating a dynamic…” As told to Karl Coryat in Bass Player magazine.

Jeff Ament anchored three of the most influential bands of the 1990s alternative rock era: Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, and Pearl Jam.

At the age of 20, Jeff bolted from small town Montana to Seattle where he fell in with like-minded players. He cut his first record with Green River, a collective which also featured future Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard. Seeking more of a commercial sound, Ament co-founded Mother Love Bone (with Gossard) which waxed one side before their singer Andrew Wood succumbed to a drug overdose. Ament’s next ensemble Temple of the Dog with Gossard and singer Chris Cornell was conceived as a tribute to the late, influential Wood. This is where Eddie Vedder came into the picture – duetting on a track with the Soundgarden crooner and rendering backing vocals.  Following TOD ‘s sole album release, Ament, Gossard, Mike McCready, Vedder, and drummer Dave Abbruzzse came together as Pearl Jam, and the rest, as they say, is history….

A songwriter, solo recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist Ament is, to my ears, a combination of his influences, namely Paul McCartney, Dug Pinnick, Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), and John Entwistle. Adept at melodic and pocket playing, Ament is an adventurous player – employing a wide array of instruments (fretted, fretless, extended range) and tones as befits the singer and the songs.

Ament also dabbles on upright – embracing a punk ethos with the core elements of swing, rhythm and blues, and classic hard rock.

In 2011 luthier Mike Lull produced a Jeff Ament Signature bass.

Jeff Ament Sound & Vision

With Green River:

“Searchin” https://youtu.be/i5Q22KqmDNU

With Mother Love Bone:

“Crown of Thorns” https://youtu.be/rf9lNvUrJlo

With Pearl Jam

“Even Flow” Live https://youtu.be/CxKWTzr-k6s

“Black” https://youtu.be/IpwHB2U3J1s

“Down” https://youtu.be/jhrU4Pc8i8M

“Better Man” https://youtu.be/27ztFtLKvuQ

Jeff Ament Solo:

“Safe in the Car” https://youtu.be/e5fssiLXZqQ

Courtesy Bob Daisley Com

Huffington Post / Tom Semioli (November 2017): A Bass Player’s Rant: Bass Players Who Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Bob Daisley https://bit.ly/3sc2NaJ 

 

Bob Daisley’s career and discography reads like a hard rock history book: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Ozzy Osbourne, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Paul Rodgers, Tony Williams, Jon Lord, Widowmaker, Uriah Heep, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath…

 

A supportive player, Daisely’s stylistic disposition is decidedly of a blues origin. Inspired by 60’s Motown, at the ripe old age of twenty Bob migrated from his home in Sydney, Australia in 1970 to seek fame and fortune as a rock bassist in London.

 

Replacing John Glascock (Jethro Tull) in Chicken Shack, Daisley quickly built a name for himself on the bandstand and in the studio. Anchoring such British blue-collar rockers Mungo Jerry, the Stan Webb Band, and Widowmaker (with Luther Grosvenor), among others – Bob was eventually tabbed by Ritchie Blackmore for the bass chair in Rainbow which led to an even higher profile for the dexterous bassist, composer, and producer.

 

In 1979 Daisley accepted Ozzy Osbourne’s offer to join Blizzard of Ozz with guitar prodigy Randy Rhodes. Intended to be a band rather than an Ozzy led solo project, Daisley played a major role in the writing and recording several Ozzy slabs and tours which put metal on the mainstream map including Osborne’s mega-hit No More Tears (1991).

 

However shady machinations in the Ozzy camp often rendered Bob un-credited and un-compensated. Last time I checked the lawsuits / disputes were still flying. Even Bob’s bass parts were wiped off Ozzy tracks at the behest of Mrs. Osborne.  Such is the business of rock and roll.

 

Regardless, Bob continued his career with Gary Moore, Uriah Heep, Bill Ward, Mother’s Army, Living Loud (with Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse, Uriah Heep drummer Lee Kerslake and Purple keyboardist Don Airey), Hoochie Coochie Men (with Jon Lord), and Black Sabbath among other notable projects.

 

In 2014 Bob published his highly controversial autobiography For Fact’s Sake – which reveals more than a few hard truths behind the hard rock legends!

 

Gear heads be sure to review Bob’s numerous weapons of choice https://bobdaisley.com/gallery/bobs-guitars

 

For all things Daisley, check in with www.BobDaisley.com

 

Bob Daisley Sound & Vision…

 

With Chicken Shack: “Revelation” https://youtu.be/RkV21EAZC48

 

With Widowmaker: “Such a Shame” https://youtu.be/Tw4Ew7MQwh4

 

With Rainbow: “Sensitive to Light” https://youtu.be/MzRN9CgVxWc

 

“Long Live Rock and Roll” Live:  https://youtu.be/HDT_uqM1iqI

 

With Ozzy: 

 

“Crazy Train” https://youtu.be/RMR5zf1J1Hs

 

“I Don’t Want to Change the World” https://youtu.be/zN7xOdjNIMc

 

With Gary Moore: “Teenage Idol” https://youtu.be/n4PaYq-H36M

 

With Steve Vai, Paul Rodgers, Tony Williams from In From the Storm Jimi Hendrix Tribute: “Bold As Love” https://youtu.be/gmIpQeF0xhQ

 

With Jon Lord & The Hoochie Coochie Men: 

 

“Who’s Been Talkin” https://youtu.be/SFzg-gomrfw

 

“Hideaway / Lonesome Traveler Blues”https://youtu.be/te8hW2mO6rQ

 

With Living Loud: “Over The Mountain” https://youtu.be/rdIYBWNm8G0

 

With Black Sabbath: “Glory Ride” https://youtu.be/K8oSyLV2BUI

 

Funk, fusion, blues, jazz, soul, disco, rock…

 

An incredibly  versatile session player and sideman, most folks know Danny Trifan from his tenure in Larry Coryell’s Eleventh House wherein he waxed such watershed slabs as Introducing… (1974) and Planet End (1975). Working with drummers Alphonse Mouzon and Billy Cobham, Trifan is a groove master, plying busy passages which compliment their polyrhythmic prowess.

 

Trifan also excels as a song /ensemble player as evidenced by his fine work with Buzzy Linhart, Blood Sweat & Tears, David Sanborn, Tom Waits, the Players Association with Michael Brecker and David Sanborn, Steve Khan, and Jon Faddis among many others.

 

Danny is also a producer, composer, and doubles on several instruments.

 

Danny Trifan Sound & Vision

 

With Larry Coryell:

“Cover Girl” https://youtu.be/m6TNlBis0so

 

“Birdfingers” https://youtu.be/KmCsvQdKxNM

 

“Birdfingers” at the Eleventh House re-union 2013 https://youtu.be/abYIPNg2H0A

 

“The Funky Waltz” https://youtu.be/eayWk5JUyWE

 

With Buzzy Linhart:

“Don’t You Pay Me No Mind” https://youtu.be/Em1-BDoMIpQ

 

With Blood Sweat & Tears:

“Put Out the Light” https://youtu.be/d-uFnlGuVnQ

 

The Players Association:

“Goin’ To the Disco” https://youtu.be/r854IafWn3s

 

Courtesy of Newsted Heavy Metal Com

By Thomas Semioli

 

He had the daunting task of filling the void left by one of metal’s most revered bassists (Cliff Burton) in an ensemble (Metallica) given to notoriously stormy relationships.

Among the genre’s most prolific players, the overall artistry of Jason Curtis Newsted – as a bandmember and solo artist embraces thrash, classic rock, old-school metal, progressive rock, and Americana / roots – all of which he plies on a wide variety of instruments in the trad four and extended range, and on guitar.

Though he is an aggressive player, Newsted is adept at creating melodic, atmospheric passages as evidenced during his solo spots. Citing Lemmy, Steve Harris, Geezer Butler, and Bill Church (Montrose) among his primary influences, Jason served in Metallica from 1986 – 2001, waxing many of their classic tracks and platters. He quit the band when the other members grew jealous of his solo projects during a planned hiatus.

Post- Metallica, Jason has collaborated with Ozzy Osbourne, Voidoid, WhoCares with Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi in addition to several one-offs, and solo projects under the moniker Newsted, and as a guitarist with Jason Newsted and The Chophouse Band.     

A plectrum player / Sadowsky endorser, Jason owns over twenty customized basses  primarily in P/J and J/J configurations. Newsted’s additional weapons of choice throughout his career include instruments made by ESP, Wal, Alembic, MusicMan StingRay, Spector, Gibson Thunderbird, and Dingwall to cite a very, very few.

Nowadays Newsted has set aside his metal legacy, shelving the bass for the six-string as he hones his singer songwriter chops.

 

 

Jason Newsted Sound & Vision

 

With Metallica – Newsted writing credits *

 

“Enter Sandman” https://youtu.be/CD-E-LDc384

*“Blackened” https://youtu.be/qfehFvmwQlo

*”My Friend of Misery” https://youtu.be/xrQiFncPvcg

*”Bass/Guitar Solo” (Live Shit: Binge and Purge) https://youtu.be/K8DJ0sGHOxg

*”Where the Wild Things Are” https://youtu.be/4xI9FvsSVGE

“One” https://youtu.be/WM8bTdBs-cw

“Until It Sleeps” https://youtu.be/eRV9uPr4Dz4

“Sad But True” https://youtu.be/A8MO7fkZc5o

 

With Newsted

 

“Soldierhead” https://youtu.be/ZUfXsCyf8Rs

 

“As The Crow Flies” https://youtu.be/zF5iiMQLgaY

 

WhoCares Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi & Friends

 

“Out of My Mind” https://youtu.be/n2vxQApPg40 

 

The Chophouse Band with Jason on guitar:

 

“Early Thaw” https://youtu.be/tcqMPk0AiAk