Best Electric Bass Player

A very underestimated instrument and yet so important to the cohesiveness of a group. There are many to choose from but some favourites, in addition to those mentioned above are, in no particular order;

John McVie

He did some excellent work with John Mayall and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac.

Larry 'The Mole' Taylor

Canned Heats excellent bass player. He could really boogie.

Leo Lyons.

Ten Years After.

John Paul Jones.

'nuf said.

John Entwistle.

The Ox

Paul McCartney.

I love his bass work with the Beatles.

Donald 'Duck' Dunn.

Stax house bass player.

Stenley Clarke.

Jazz Fusion

..................................

Geddy Lee obviously! 

From the wonderful world of funk-  Bootsy Collins.

Andy Fraser -Free 

Geezer Butler -Black Sabbath

Geddy Lee & Marcus Miller get my vote(s)

steve

Bass sure is ace. I think some of the fretless players have a lot going for them, they tend to be jazzy too.

Alan Thompson   who played a lot with John Martyn

Darryl Williams - amazing CD called That was Then (from CD Baby)

Edo - 1st CD (again from CD Baby)

Mike Howlett - Gong

Richard Sinclair - Caravan & Hatfield & The North

Percy Jones - Brand X (just played their cracking live LP, Livestock)

Geezer? You better add good old Lemmy to the list too then

+1

Andy Fraser and Percy Jones

How about Nick Beggs?

Whoever played bass on Astral Weeks

Levin,  Clarke, Flea(don't laught-listen without prejudice!), Pastorius, Mingus are a few of my favourites.

Best for me is John Paul Jones - the funkiest, jazziest of all rock bassists.

But also:

Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead)

Bernard Edwards (Chic)

John Entwhistle (The Who) - those runs!

Peter Hook (New Order - not a great technician, but nobody else sounds like him and he tugs the heart strings like he tugs the six-string bass)

Donald "Duck" Dunn (Booker T & The MGs - did anyone see that phenomenal 1967 Stax concert on BBC4 last week? The Duck was awesome).

Larry Graham (Sly & The Family Stone) - inventor of the slap.

James Jamerson - Motown's boss bass man.

Macca!

Willie Weeks - John Paul Jones' bass hero, and a brilliant sideman for  George Benson, Randy Newman and the great Donny Hathaway,among others.

Bootsy Collins - he was 16 when he played on JB's "Sex Machine".

Chris Squire, perhaps?

Good choices Kevin. Saw Donald 'Duck' Dunn with Eric Clapton at Wembley some years ago. He was awesome. I think I watched him more than EC. 

I also agree with Flea Tony.

Chris Squire, definitely.

Years ago Steve I interviewed Steve Cropper and he said that Duck learned bass by playing along to records, which accounted for his unique style. He was never "taught" his instrument, he just went on pure instinct.

Thanks for the Percy Jones reminder (just ordered Unorthodox Behaviour & Livestock)

Other likes are...

Colin Edwin - Porcupine Tree

John Wetton - King Crimson

Bill McCormack - 801 'Live'

Sam Warren - Thumpermonkey

Nick Beggs - Steven Wilson Band

Rory McFarlane - Christine Collister 'Live'

Yep. Listen to Joni's "Coyote".

You guys have named many of the greats. Lesh has always been at the top of my list, but a good argument could be made for any of a couple of dozen other great players.

Here's a few others I haven't seen mentioned yet:

Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones)

Sting (Police)

Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers)

Holger Czukay (CAN)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis)

Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)

The whole the best concept is generally pointless irrespective of instrument, but it does engender some fun suggestions...lots of great ones above.

I'll add Tal Wilkenfeld to the mix, and she is definitely hotter than anyone previously mentioned!

Jack Casady (Hot Tuna). Just listen :

Doug Wimbish.

And local NZ player Michael Logie (Mint Chicks but now with Die Die Die).

Wow, she is hot. However Esperanza Spalding, though not really an electric bassist, is perhaps the ultimate four-string hottie:

Yep, Holger's brilliant.