Well, I didn't know a lot of these players.

A few in the top spots I do know, and wouldn't say they're underrated.

I don't see the name of Jack Flash Jr on the list ?? ?

Jack Flash Jr wrote:
There's at least 4 on there who I don't consider underrated but I won't spoil the list readin pleasure by naming them...

Have to agree with that , at least 4 in my book is well rated in all conversations ...

there are 2 however that did not make the list

1. Gene Simmons .... always seen as a showman but damn fine bassist too
2. michael anthony -


unless of course they did not make the list as they are already rated or over rated butt in that illustrious list of underated i guess these guys were overlooked

Vic wrote:
I don't see the name of Jack Flash Jr on the list ?? ?

I'm overrated... by myself ?

@Icecream: I should have known you'd make a call on Anthony ?

The list is on a general public (as opposed to bassist) site so I suppose casual Zep fans or Motown fans might not know JPJ, Jamerson or Donald Dunn...

mmm some of the so called underated faces there have graced the cover of bass player magazine......... i even saw toni levin on the list hello.......i mean this dude is , or rather was in 90's the most in demand session player......used by everyone from simon and garfunkle for their concert in the park to playing for peter gabriel in his regular band ......among multitudes of other ......... .toni underated .... i don't think so

Roy Mitchell-Cardenas is definitely underrated IMO. I had never heard his name before and the bass work on the new Mutemath album, Odd Soul (which I just heard for the first time yesterday), is so great! You should make a plan to listen to that album... just saying.

Keira WitherKay wrote: mmm some of the so called underated faces there have graced the cover of bass player magazine......... i even saw toni levin on the list hello.......i mean this dude is , or rather was in 90's the most in demand session player......used by everyone from simon and garfunkle for their concert in the park to playing for peter gabriel in his regular band ......among multitudes of other ......... .toni underated .... i don't think so

Anthony Jackson, another fab session player, played on the concert in Central Park album.

I'd venture that Tony Levin is better known than Jackson.

"Underrated" is such a subjective or context-sensitive term anyway. Fans of the Rolling Stones may not appreciate how good Darryl Jones is, but those with jazzier listening habits will have a pretty good idea of the calibre of player of he is.

And people learn and get more discerning. It took me some years to realise that John Paul Jones is actually a very good and very tasteful bass player. Jones, I think, is an example of a player who is well known but perhaps under appreciated. "Unknown" and "underrated" are not the same thing. Danny Thompson is not as well known as John Paul Jones (or Bill Wyman or Adam Clayton) but people who have heard him generally recognise that he's a superior player - so Danny is not underrated.

Talking of Wyman, I watched an interview with Nick Lowe recently and he opined that Bill Wyman is generally underrated.

Keira WitherKay wrote: mmm some of the so called underated faces there have graced the cover of bass player magazine......... i even saw toni levin on the list hello.......i mean this dude is , or rather was in 90's the most in demand session player......used by everyone from simon and garfunkle for their concert in the park to playing for peter gabriel in his regular band ......among multitudes of other ......... .toni underated .... i don't think so

If that's the concert from the early 80's with Steve Gadd on drums, i think the bass player is Anthony Jackson.

Arjun Menon wrote: If that's the concert from the early 80's with Steve Gadd on drums, i think the bass player is Anthony Jackson.

The Chubby guy?

I have a DVD of Lee Ritenour where he uses two bassists and they are both awesome, Anthony Jackson and Melvin Davis.
Jackson is hugely good

I don't understand the criteria used to compile these so-called "under-rated" lists and there're many of these.......if gifted musos like Sting and Paul Mac are amongst the "under-rated", who the heck are the "rated" players then ? ??? I agree with Bob......the term "under-appreciated" or even "currently under-appreciated" is perhaps more descriptive. And then the question arises...by whom or why are they under-rated ? Nevertheless quite interesting reading.

Macca's an interesting case. I think he's important in terms of rock bass playing because he gave the instrument such a prominent role, but some bass players of my accquaintance, and some interviews I've read are quite rude about him, saying that he's not a bass player but a guitarist who dabbled in bass and that you can hear that's not a "proper" bass player.

Well I dunno. When I think of guitarists who play bass like a guitarist I think of Stephen Stills (who I think is under-rated, though not as a bass player).

Macca's no technical powerhouse like Levin or Danny Thompson, but he certainly had a great vision of what the bass can do in pop music.

The thing with Paul is that he is basically a musical genius and can do anything he wants to, but saying that, some of his bass lines were pretty good stuff.

Was listening to Sgt Peppers the other day and Paul played some awesome bass on the album

Squonk wrote: The thing with Paul is that he is basically a musical genius and can do anything he wants to, but saying that, some of his bass lines were pretty good stuff.

Was listening to Sgt Peppers the other day and Paul played some awesome bass on the album

Even on "Come Together"....simple but oh such affective bass line.

Neverheard a bassist diss Macca... perhaps those that do are intimidated by the combo of melody and groove he gets out there viz. Day Tripper.
That said, I'm not a HUGE Beatles fan (mainly 'cause of the feather-lite production on Ringo).

As I said before the article is on a general public site, which basically means there's no such thing a rated bass player.

Squonk wrote: The thing with Paul is that he is basically a musical genius and can do anything he wants to, but saying that, some of his bass lines were pretty good stuff.

Was listening to Sgt Peppers the other day and Paul played some awesome bass on the album

Oh I lurv Macca's playing. I distinctly remember listening to Sgt Pepper's as a kid and being very concious of the bass. I didn't know what it was, but I liked it a lot.

Paul's melodic gifts and instincts are massive and IMO a large part of the Beatles magic. Listen to the bass line on "Something", it's so unexpected given the melody, but it works so well and draws attention to the melody by off-setting it.