BEST BAND EVER: Results!

Mendez vs. Wire - I like Manic Street Preachers, but I never really focused on individual musicianship there... While selecting songs to pick for the game, I struggled to find one with noticeable bass. So Mendez gets an easy vote (but not just because of that, he's really great too.)

Pastorius vs. Vera - Pastorius is more popular, but I really didn't like the music that was posted here. Vera's music is way more enjoyable. Both great bassists though.
 
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Eliminated after Round 35:
Nicky Wire
Jaco Pastorius

Promoted after Round 35:
Martín Méndez
Joey Vera

Larry Graham (solo, GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION, SLY & THE FAMILY STONE) vs. Les Claypool (BLIND ILLUSION, PRIMUS)
vs.

Leif Edling (AVATARIUM, CANDLEMASS, KRUX) vs. Steve DiGiorgio (CONTROL DENIED, DEATH, SADUS, TESTAMENT)
vs.
 
It's not surprising when it involves musical genres with limited appeal here. No matter if I recognise that a musician is creatively or technically superior to others, if they're playing jazz or funk, they're not going to be my favourite.
 
Before I voted, I thought Pastorius was winning by a high margin, was surprised with the results too.
 
Claypool because the bass is the only good thing about Primus and I really don't care for the guy, and likewise DiGiorgio because I like his stuff in Death and I really don't care about Candlemass.
 
Graham vs. Claypool - Claypool's music was more enjoyable (but overlong) and his bass was way more noticeable.

Edling vs. DiGiorgio - DiGiorgio but I would've picked Edling over both from the other pair.
 
Graham and DiGiorgio.

Graham is a legend, Claypool - while talented - is mostly obnoxious. I could listen to GCS for hours, while I can only tolerate Primus in very small doses. Sadly, Claypool is going to win, because metalheads.

I don't particularly care for either Edling or DiGiorgio, but I went with the latter, because he's definitely closer to my likings. As for Edling ... well, I'd rather go listen to the real Geezer Butler, thank you very much.
 
Obnoxious as in he tries to turn the base guitar into a lead instrument all the time. I know he probably doesn't mean it that way, but he sounds completely self-obsessed most of the time to me.

Also, many people have already voted here according to whether or not would they want these people in their band and I definitely wouldn't, because he's also obnoxious in his image, IMHO. His attempts at Zappaesque humour grate my nerves too, after a while. I know that's very common among musicians - I mean, Bumblefoot does something like that all the time, so does Gilbert and sometimes Vai too, but I can tolerate it with blokes I can actually listen to and appreciate. I had a huge Primus phase in college and since then I'm ... possibly... oversaturated, let's put it that way.

As for that metalheads comment, Primus have always garnered sympathy from the metalheads thanks to Claypool's and LaLonde's past (Blind Illusion and Possessed), being friends with other metal bands (auditioning for Tullica etc) and playing big festivals. That's why I wouldn't be in any way surprised if Claypool won against 70's funk star on a metal forum. Sorry you lot if you felt as if I was pigeonholing you in any way.

He's very original, I admit as much, but I'm not so sure I would call him a great "bassist", if you know what I mean. Much as I'm not sure I would call Tim Buckley a "great singer" (though I certainly wouldn't have such qualms about Mike Patton, if you can tell the difference).

P.S. - you sods eliminated Jaco, Duane, Haynes, Oldfield and others almost immediately, so excuse me if I'm gonna be sceptical regarding metalheads sometimes :p

P.P.S. - nevermind, found it:

Night Prowler said:
Eliminated after Round 26:
Carlos Santana
Eric Clapton
Steve Morse
Steve Vai

Promoted after Round 26:
Glenn Tipton
Joe Satriani
John Petrucci
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Click to expand...

This. You let this happen. :D
 
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I'm having trouble accepting your criticism of him as playing his bass as a lead instrument, in a vote-off of bassists. Claypool chooses to play like this because he can; can some of the other players in bands do this? I don't know, but Claypool shows me he can play without coming across as a virtuoso; which is something that I too find quite annoying sometimes. I view this as a plus. Conversely, it's funny that you throw us a bone describing him as "original" when Claypool's influences are some of the 70's players he's probably going to come up against in this very competition; they were doing that funk stuff before he was. I'd also be surprised if anyone on here has ever heard of (or listened to) Blind Illusion (or that Sane Asylum, which Claypool played on, was produced by Kirk Hammett). The only thing that you've said I agree with is that Mike Patton is a great vocalist; and even then you've said he's a "great singer", which doesn't really describe Mike either. I think what you might be trying to say is you hate Californian musicians.

It's your shoddy criticism that's obnoxious... :innocent:
 
CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
I'm having trouble accepting your criticism of him as playing his bass as a lead instrument, in a vote-off of bassists.
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A good bassist does not necessarily have to play the bass like a lead instrument. Just like a good drummer doesn't necessarily have to play the drums like a lead instrument.

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
Claypool chooses to play like this because he can; can some of the other players in bands do this?
Click to expand...

Just because he can doesn't mean he should or that I should like it or that it should somehow determine his greatness. Pretty much nobody plays the guitar like The Edge which does not really make him the greatest guitarist ever.

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
Conversely, it's funny that you throw us a bone describing him as "original" when Claypool's influences are some of the 70's players he's probably going to come up against in this very competition; they were doing that funk stuff before he was.
Click to expand...

I was not talking about him being funky - he's "original" in that approach where he completely overtakes and rapes the band and the song and the listener with his bass. That's not funk, that's decadent narcissism.

Okay, foul play - Primus sounds rather original and it's definitely not just funk. That's what I wanted to say.

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
I'd also be surprised if anyone on here has ever heard of (or listened to) Blind Illusion (or that Sane Asylum, which Claypool played on, was produced by Kirk Hammett).
Click to expand...

I wouldn't underestimate people here - I've seen some rather obscure shit thrown around here on the forum and BI aren't that unknown, IMHO.

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
The only thing that you've said I agree with is that Mike Patton is a great vocalist; and even then you've said he's a "great singer", which doesn't really describe Mike either.
Click to expand...

You know what I meant by that and I refuse to elaborate on this particular line further.

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
I think what you might be trying to say is you hate Californian musicians.
Click to expand...

Tim Buckley was born in Washington. Also, I'm rather fond of the Dead, the Beach Boys or Creedence. Or the Byrds. Or Toto. Or Journey. And K-Dot and Snoop Dogg and even Tullica.

And We Built This City rocks!

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
It's your shoddy criticism that's obnoxious... :innocent:
Click to expand...

Alas, I get paid too little to make the effort to push my criticism above mere shoddiness.
 
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JudasMyGuide said:
Obnoxious as in he tries to turn the base guitar into a lead instrument all the time
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I don't see you complaining about it when a guitarist does the same thing. Bass can work as a lead instrument, it's just unconventional. There's no written rule of soundscaping that tells you that low frequencies can't be emphasized in a piece of music.
 
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