Is Adam Clayton any good?

DesVegas

Can anybody think of a strong U2 bassline? The only one i can think of is the Mission Impossible theme he did with Larry

Danny1969

With or without you is brilliant in it's simplicity and power, so's new years day. He's the perfect bass player for U2

JezWynd

He's the perfect bass player for U2

That's my take on it too. He stays out the way of the guitar and reinforces the main theme/rhythm. The Fly is a good example, nothing showy or flash but still a big part of the sound.

stickyfiddle

New Year's Day

He obviously no Pastorious/Entwistle/JPJ but FWIW I think he's the perfect bass player for U2

Danny1969

Nice bit of eighties bass playing on this one :

BahHumbug

What they said^ . Good musicianship isn't just about good chops. A huge amount of modern music is in the form of songs. Songs require good accompaniments. Being an accompanist is an important skill. Clayton has that skill.

SRich

Echo the above comments.

With or Without You is the example I'd always use of a song being made bigger and with more atmosphere to it with AC's groove. Simple yet just enough to enhance it.

EricTheWeary

I've occasionally read things criticising Gerry McAvoy as being too simple but I'm fairly sure Rory Gallagher said something to the effect that Gerry was the perfect bassist for his band. Given that Rory was something of a role model for the young U2 I have been struck by the parallel. If Adam started playing a few Jack Bruce style improvisations or some slap funk I'm not sure what it would really add to U2.

RocknRollDave

Apart from the bum note in Love Rescue Me (which is a sh*t song anyway) I've never heard him drop a note or f*ck up live. Not the most technically flash player but solid enough. There are decent U2 basslines if you dig deep enough. As @stickyfiddle says, New Year's Day is one. See also Bullet The Blue Sky, God Part II.
I think U2, more so than any band I can think of, are very much one of those "more than the sum of their parts" bands. None of them are ultra-flash, highly technical players, but they have produced some great music....which is the whole point, surely?

Rocker

BahHumbug said:

Good musicianship isn't just about good chops. A huge amount of modern music is in the form of songs. Songs require good accompaniments. Being an accompanist is an important skill. Clayton has that skill.

This is one of the best statements I have read on this Forum in a long while.  In most music the function of the 'band' is to support the singer.  Not to provide a forum for the guitarist/bassist/drummer/keys to strut their stuff.  If the song demands one or more of these, then by all means do it.  But not every song needs these additions to make it work.

Cirrus

Yeah, he's good. Look at the Chicago live version of "Electric Co." for a good example of that. Interesting bassline that moves around a lot, use of chords, harmonics, interesting harmonic counterpoint to the guitar lines and melodies, and ties it all in nicely with the drums to keep the track moving forward. Compositionally it's clever in how it does it's job, and is a long way from the (frankly lazy) stereotype that all he can do is root/ 8th notes.

His 80s work on the first 4 albums has plenty of space, slap work, energy, interesting grooves and he has almost total carte blanch to define the chord sequences as well. From the Joshua Tree onwards he's been a lot more willing to take the back seat and fill out what became much busier arrangements with synths etc, more guitar overdubs, and a push for a more cinematic/ stadium sound.

In the '90s he was influenced heavily by dance/ dub styles and that shows in his playing - on Achtung Baby and Zooropa you have these deep, booming almost hypnotically repetitive lines that in my opinion MAKE those records. Pop develops that style, but takes it to a slightly busier place - look at live versions of "Please", "Gone" and "Last Night on Earth".

So yeah, I think he's good. I suppose I'd be interested to turn the question round; can anyone record a cover of a U2 song with a bassline that they think would have been *better* and improve the song?

ICBM

Adam Clayton is an outstanding bassist, and one of my favourite players and influences.

He has rock-solid feel, timing and tone. For a strong bassline, listen to any U2 song which he plays bass on.

He may not be particularly flashy or conform to a lot of the ideas that "bass players" like to think makes some of the more highly-worshipped players good, but I would take his approach and almost anything he's ever recorded over pretty much anyone else's.

I know there are some people who just don't get it. Their mistake, in my opinion.

BahHumbug

Rocker said:

BahHumbug said:

Good musicianship isn't just about good chops. A huge amount of modern music is in the form of songs. Songs require good accompaniments. Being an accompanist is an important skill. Clayton has that skill.

This is one of the best statements I have read on this Forum in a long while.  In most music the function of the 'band' is to support the singer.  Not to provide a forum for the guitarist/bassist/drummer/keys to strut their stuff.  If the song demands one or more of these, then by all means do it.  But not every song needs these additions to make it work.

if you'll humour me, I would go further and say that the function of the band, including the singer, is to deliver the song.

stickyfiddle

Wis for @cirrus - the 90's stuff has some awesome basslines. I had one in my head earlier I couldnt place thanks to this thread, and you've reminded me it's Please. I'm going to put Pop on now. 

RandallFlagg

The bass solo in the live version of Gloria on Red Rocks is a thing of dread and horror, a true shocker

ICBM

Nothing wrong with it at all. Simple and effective.

eSully

Sometimes not standing out is a good thing. Clayton is a solid bass player who almost always does the right thing for the song. I think our natural propensity as guitarists is to look for that hook/line that stands out and reels you in. Clayton doesn't do this but that's exactly what U2 need as The Edge does this in spades, plus no has mentioned Mullens, I think he can quiet often come up with interesting and slightly off time drum beats and it can be Clayton actually anchoring the song.

axisus

Of all the band instruments, I'd say the Bass has the best potential for keeping it simple but still doing "the job". 

NotNowJohn

He's superb. U2's rhythm section is a great thing. 

I've never really cared that much about 'chops', it should be about the song and Clayton delivers.

When I started playing bass 30 years ago I gravitated towards U2 and Simple Minds, mainly because I thought their stuff was easy and I could learn it quickly. Although true, I learned more about feel and timing than I would ever have learned listening to Mark King (not that I dislike Mark King...)

ennspek

I can't really see how U2 would be improved by dropping Billy Sheehan in. Imagine that.

fretmeister

He's a genius.

He's got the 2nd easiest job in music behind Cliff Williams and gets paid a metric fuckload for it.

like I said, genius.