jazz background, and his fluent eighth-note lines, syncopated grooves and chromatic

passing notes established him as the pre-eminent funk and soul player of his era. His list
of credits takes in most of the enormous Motown hits of the time, and you can hear him
at his best on the singles 'Bernadette' by The Foul-Tops and 'I Was Made To Love Her' by
Stevie Wondel- (both 1967), as well as Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On' (1971 ).Another
great soul bass player of this era was Donald 'Duck' Dunn, the bassist for the Stax and
Volt labels, and his solid groove is at the foundation of such legendary singles as 'In The
Midnight Hour' by Wilson Pickett (1965), Sam And Dave's 'Soul Man' (1967), and Otis
Redding's posthumous hit 'Sitting On The Dock OfThe Bay' ( 1968).
As the I 960s progressed, musical styles developed quickly, In I 966 the supergmup
tno CI-eam launched their brand of psychedelic-tinged blues-rock and became famous
for raising the bar in terms of musical proficiency, Jack Bruce played bass and took the
lion's share of vocal duties, and you can hear some of his best wOI-k on Disroeli Geors, the
band's landmark album from 1967. Led Zeppelin were another powerful British blues­
rock band, fOI-med by session guitanst Jimmy Page in 1968, Bassist John Paul Jones had
been a session playe~ like Page, and his fluent blues lines and deft touch made a massive
contribution to the band's sound. Some of his best work can be found on the group's
second album, Led Zeppelin /I (1969).
The early 1970s saw music covering new ground under the banner of 'progressive'
rock. One of the biggest bands in this movement were Yes,. a group of highly accomplished
musicians heavily Influenced by classical music. Bassist Chris Squire had a thundering
sound and a superb plectrum technique, which can be heard to great effect on Fragile
(1971), Rush were anothel- progressive rock act that favoured concept albums and long
classical-length rock suites, and their bassist Geddy Lee combined a ferocious attack
within a powerful techno-rock setting. Rush managed to develop their sound into the
1980s, with Permanent Waves (1980) and Moving Pictures (1981) bl-illiantly showcasing
Lee's style,

Devastating grooves
Also dUring the I 970s, 'fusion' developed. a potent blend of jazz and rock fwst instigated
by the perennial musical catalyst. Miles Davis, Chick COI-ea's band Return To Forever
featured the talents of bass virtuoso Stanley Clarke, who went on to gl-eat individual
success with his solo albums Stanley Clarke (1974) and School Doys (1976). His lightning­
fast slapping and fingerstyle techniques provided some devastating bass grooves and
solos, and his unique piccolo bass guitar extended the range and expressive power of the
instrument into new areas.
Arguably the most influential bass player of the 1970s was Jaco Pastorius, who
launched himself in 1976 With his self-titled debut solo album, His unique style had
already developed to its full matul-ity on this landmark recording - machine-gun I 6th­
note funk grooves, chords, harmonics and, perhaps most astonishing of all, a fully formed
fretless bass style the like of which had nevel- been heard before. His work with fusion
band Weather Report is best represented by the phenomenally successful 1976 album
Heavy Weather, but it's also well worth checking out his playing as a sideman with Joni
Mitchell on her Hejira album of the same year: which demonstrates a more sensitive and
melodic side to Pastorius's fretless playing.

HE PLAYERS
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 Funk bass also took huge strides during the I970s, and Rocco P,-estia's work with
Tower Of Power is still admired by funk bass players today. For a pure funky groove he
can't be beat; Bump City (1971) and Tower Or Power (1973) provide textbook examples
of how to construct an effective funk groove. Even more influential was Larry Graham,
bassist with Sly & The Family S one, who invented the percussive 'thumb slap'technique.
This became arguably the most influential new approach to the bass guitar in its history,
and a whole generation of funk, soul and even rock bass players soon adopted their own
version of slapping during the decade and into the I980s. You can hear Graham's
pioneering use of thiS technique on the 1971 Sly album There's A Riot Going On and during
his later work with his own Graham Central Station band.
Anthony Jackson is a player whose session work for a number- of soul, funk and rock
bands during the 1970s and beyond has r-eceived much attention from bass players
amund the wodd due to his excellent feel for a groove and consummate technique with
both fingers and plectrum. Jackson established his reputation with some crucial sessions
for e legendary Philadelphi soul producers Gamble & Huff in the early 1970s. His
bassline on 'For The Love Of Money' by The O'Jays (1974) is a classic example of his
Willingness to experiment, with its phased sound and percussive plectrum attack. Jackson's
long list of credits includes work with Quincy Jones on Sounds .. , And Sw Like t!'
( 1978), Chaka Khan on What Cha Gonna Do For Me (198/), and Paul Simon on Hearts
And Bones (1983),
Another player hot on the funk scene was Bootsy Collins, As a mere 18-year-old he
had established his credentials as part of James Brown's backing band in the late I960s.
He went on to work with George Clinton's ParliamentiFunkadelic outfit of the I 970s ­
listen to Parliament's Mothe hip Connection (1976) for Bootsy at his best - and he also
formed Bootsy's Rubber Band, whose first album, Stretchin' Out /n Bootsy's Rubber Bond
(a/so 1976), brilliantly demonstrates his style,
The team behind Chic were the leading creative exponents of disco, the pr-e-emlnent
dance-music style during the late I 970s. Bassist Bernar-d Edwards had a punchy tone and
a bubbling fingerstyle technique, and his work with guitar-ist Nile Rodger-s was the most
sophisticated and danceable disco music around, Edwards's bass parts on the 1979 hits 'I
Want Your Love', 'Good Times', and 'We Are Family' (the first two with Chic: the latter
with Sister Sledge) are beautifully constructed and instantly recognisable,
Another major revolution in the late I970s came with punk and new wave, Although
generally eschewing musicianship in favour of passion and attitude, some players stood
out for heir daring new approach to their instruments, unhampered by the pressure of
doing things 'the right way'. Bruce Foxton ofThe Jam created basslines for singles such as
'Down In The Tube Station At Midnight' (1978) and 'Start!' (1980) that mixed p k's
dynamism with a concise I960s-style approach, and he was a crucial part of the band's
sound. Jean Jacques Burnel ofThe Stranglers produced an aggressive, buzz-saw tone that
was heavily to the forefront of the mix and central to the arrangement on the 1977
singles '(Get A) Grip (On Yoursel0' and 'Peaches'.
Maintaining the hard-core emotions of punk but placing more emphasis on
technique, thrash metal is a genre that has also produced some excellen bass playel-s,

Session great Anthony Jackson on perilaps none more so than Metallica's Cliff Burton. Favounng a classically Influenced lead
his six-string Fodera bass. style of bass playing, Burton agreed to join the black-clad metallers on the basis that he

116 THE PLAYE