I'd say your commentary on the Bootsy situation is pretty spot on...good analysis boss. Ranking? That's what we're paying you for. I do remember back in the late 70's when I was doing some production with former Motown songwriter/artist/producer Ivy Jo Hunter and a couple of other guys we were invited to a record release party for an album by a girl group...Parlet. They were supposedly the female version of The Parlaiments (P-Funk) and all. We were invited up to a suite at the hotel where some people had gathered. As we walked in...there was Bootsy sprawled out on the bed in his larger than life fashion. I had never met him before. He was certainly cool enough, which means I have no reason for any personal bias in my critique of his bass playing. It just is what it is.

Fanboy status aside I'd say 23 is a more appropriate placement for Boots than the top 10 -- if nothing else, save him from the indignity of the Old Navy commercials Bravo Mr Moderator

Killer tune that was only on the U.K. version of the debut album.
Geezer fills in the spaces very nicely.

One more thing to add on the Bootsy matter, we also must take into account that objectively, funk is a better genre than metal, especially when it comes to the bass.

While I'd personally agree that the more defined syncopation combined with the slapping, snapping, and popping in Funk adds elements (degree of difficulty) to that genre as relates to bass moreso than most Metal music.. metal fans would start posting Youtube after youtube to prove you and me wrong. A lot of it just comes down to peoples musical preferences...sometimes with folks not taking the overall picture of "musicality" into account.

There's no question they beat him in influence, even though he's very influential. As far as creativity goes...yeah I'll have to buy some of his solo albums, thanks for the pointer. (What I've heard really impressed me)

Hehehe. 23 it is

Was the group any good?

My 'commentary' on the Bootsy situation is largely inspired by what you've written, all credit due sir hehe

Oh and...Old Navy commercials?!

The more I listen closely to Geezer the more I realize how creative he really was. I've really never heard anyone who sounds quite like him. I'm glad he has the spot he now has

He's staying at 23 haha

Updated it! We now have an unimpeachable top 30 Great work all, and thank you so much. No 'placeholder' names there anymore! Check it out on the first page.

So...pheew. On to 31-40.

So, where do we stand??? (UPDATED AGAIN!)

People who might need to be lowered (to varying degrees), OR dropped off the list:
- Oteil Burbridge
- David Hungate
- Nathan Watts
- Nathan East
- Dave LaRue
- Will Lee
- Freddie Washington
- Bobby Sheehan
- Rex Brown
- Thomas Miller and Michael LePond
- Leo Lyons
- the Eagles guy
- Ron Wood
- Billy Gould
- Marshall Lytle
- Billy Cox
- Phil Lynott
- Trey Gunn (i.e., is he a bass player?)
- Willie Dixon
- Bill Black
- Duff McKagan

People who probably will in fact be DROPPED OFF the list:
- Bill Black
- Willie Dixon
- Billy Cox
- Ron Wood
- Michael LePond
- Leo Lyons

People who might need to be RAISED on the list:
- Carol Kaye
- Pino Palladino
- Tommy Cogbill
- John Wetton
- Greg Lake
- Mark King
- Mike Watt
- Bernard Odum
- George Porter Jr.
- Mike Gordon
- Bernard Edwards
- Trey Gunn (seriously)
- Roger Glover
- Mike Rutherford
- David Ellefson
- Matt Freeman
- Ronnie Baker
- Juan Alderete
- Robert Trujillo
- Tim Commerford
- Dug Pinnick
- Bill Wyman

Possible ADDITIONS to the list:
- Jet Harris (The Shadows)
- Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy)
- Norman Watt-Roy (Ian Dury and the Blockheads)
- Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, etc.)
- Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes)
- Herbie Flowers (session man)
- Fernando Saunders (session man)
- Tony Newton (session man)
- David Hood (session man)
- James Jamerson III (session man)
- Simon Gallup (The Cure)
- Mark Sandman (Morphine)
- Colin Greenwood (Radiohead)
- Mark Hoppus (Blink 182) (eww)
- Andy Rourke (Smiths)
- Mike Dirnt (Green Day)
- Randy Coven (Steve Vai, solo)
- Jason Newsted (Metallica, Flotsam and Jetsam, Voivod)
- Chris Wolstenholme (Muse)
- Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order)
- Paul Simonon (The Clash)
- Audie Pitre (Acid Bath)
- Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash)
- Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads)
- Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Obscura)
- Tony Choy (Atheist)
- Sean Malone (Cynic)
- Ray Shulman (Gentle Giant)
- Sting (The Police, solo)
- Roger Waters (Pink Floyd, solo)
- Stuart Zender (Jamiroquai)
- P-Nut (311)
- Jean-Yves 'Blacky' Theriault (Voivod)
- JJ Burnel (Stranglers)
- John Taylor (Duran Duran)
- Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo)
- Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead)
- Frank Bello (Anthrax)
- Pete Trewavas (Marillion)
- Dee Murray (Elton John)
- Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse)
- Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple)
- Yngwie Malmsteen (double eww)

Probable/nearly-certain-to-be-added list candidates:
- Steve DiGiorgio (Death, session man)
- Roger Patterson (Atheist)
- Peter Cetera (Chicago)
- Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys/bass composer)
- Gary Thain (Uriah Heep)

Are they 'rock' enough to stay on the list, or not?:
- Marcus Miller

Who else should move down from the 'possibles' to the 'probables' among list candidates?

Also...there are currently SIX open spots on the list. Counting all the 'they'll probably be let go' people added, that makes a total of TWELVE open spots on the list. I think everyone agreed that DiGiorgio, Patterson and Cetera should be added, same with Thain, and I can't take a list like this seriously without Brian Wilson on it. What other 7 dudes should also make the cut? Who else should be dropped among the 'possible drops' people?

So who, without worrying yet about people who'll have to be added to the list, gets 31-40? It seems to me this is where the list starts getting really wacky/ridiculous as it stands:

31. Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs)
32. Will Lee (session man)
33. Nathan East (Eric Clapton, session man)
34. Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire)
35. David Hungate (Toto, session man)
36. Phil Chen (Rod Stewart, session man)
37. Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band)
38. Freddie Washington (session man)
39. Nathan Watts (session man)
40. Louis Satterfield (Earth Wind & Fire, session man)

LaRue has no business being right behind Abe. East has no business being in the top 40 period. Oteil has no business being near here. Watts isn't top 40 and from what I can tell, Louis Satterfield was like a trumpetist or something, not a bassist

Anyone disagree on those five leaving the top 40?

The Session Guys...it'll be up to Stu to argue for them to keep spots that seem high to me. Chen probably stays top 40, not sure about Lee, Washington is probably a bit high, and Hungate might be top 50 but I'm not sure he's top 40. Bleh. Like I said I think Chen stays around where he is though

One session man...er woman who probably SHOULD be in this ballpark is Carol Kaye.

Who else populates the 31-40 range? I say the following are all realistic contenders out of the names currently on the list:

- Palladino
- Wetton
- Lake
- Rutherford
- King
- Watt
- Odum
- Porter
- Gordon
- Glover
- Baker
- Alderete
- Pinnick
- Weeks
- Myung

Whew!

Put differently, I think Chen might be the only guy currently in 31-40 range who actually deserves a spot in said range

Carry On (My Wayward Son)...