Top 16 Rock Bassists of All Time
Sixteen players who made the low end worth listening to, from John Entwistle and Paul McCartney to Flea, Kim Deal and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones.
1Jaco PastoriusA jazz player whose fretless sound changed what every rock bassist thought the instrument could do.1000pts
2John Paul JonesLed Zeppelin's bassist and keyboard player, a session arranger before the band and the quiet engine inside it.930pts
3Kim DealPixies' bassist and Breeders' founder, whose lines made the loud-quiet-loud formula work.891pts
4Les ClaypoolPrimus's bassist, whose technique is the band rather than its foundation.848pts
5Geddy LeeRush's bassist, singer and keyboard player, usually all three at once.734pts
6Cliff BurtonMetallica's first bassist, who wrote a bass solo onto a thrash album and made it stick.734pts
7Lemmy KilmisterMotörhead's singer and bassist, who played the instrument through a guitar rig on purpose.734pts
8John EntwistleThe Who's bassist, who played lead lines under Townshend and barely moved while doing it.636pts
9Chris SquireYes's bassist, a Rickenbacker tone bright enough to sit on top of the mix rather than under it.636pts
10Steve HarrisIron Maiden's founder and bassist, whose galloping right hand is the band's signature.520pts
11Paul McCartneyWrote the melodies and then wrote counter-melodies underneath them on bass.382pts
12FleaRed Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, who made slap technique a lead instrument in a rock band.382pts
13Jack BruceCream's bassist and singer, improvising against Clapton and Baker every night.382pts
14Bill WymanThe Rolling Stones' bassist for thirty years, playing as little as each song needed.382pts
15Bootsy CollinsCame out of James Brown's band and into Parliament-Funkadelic, taking rock's low end with him.0pts
16Tina WeymouthTalking Heads' bassist, whose spare, funk-derived lines carried the band's best-known songs.0pts
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Comments
Before Led Zeppelin, John Paul Jones arranged sessions for a living; he later played recorder on Stairway to Heaven and formed a band with Dave Grohl: https://youpick.best/articles/led-zeppelin-ranked-many-ways
