Bass Player aka Michael Anthony can't get a fucking break.

[Nitro Express]

This was posted at Talkbass.com:

Okay people....I've only seen one person name Michael Anthony of Van Halen as being overrated. I have to disagree...in my mind, he's not overrated. Just horribly bad at bass! Groove? I don't think he knows the meaning of the word. Feel? Only if you believe building a bass after your favorite bar room poison and beating the poor thing up to get fans to cheer counts!!! What is this?

I remember when For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge came out, he talked about the bassline on "Poundcake" which is steady 16th notes played through the entire song like he is the only bassist out there who can play it! Or write something like that! Hard to play? Perhaps it's hard to play fast 16th notes for 4 minutes, but is that a good bass line? Does it have a groove? Did he mix it up? Did he add any melody or harmony? Couldn't you have done the exact same thing (excuse me for this) on a keyboard?

The guy is just a horrible bass player. To ever consider him as good, let alone great, is something that noone should ever do...and he must stop doing it himself!!!

[Nitro Express]

If Mike plays like he fucks, Sammy is getting fast 16th notes in the ass for 4 minutes.

[Hardrock69]

LMFAO!!!


He CAN'T get a break, can he?

[Nitro Express]

He's proof that nice guys really do finish last.

[Diamondjimi]

Re: Bass Player aka Michael Anthony can't get a fucking break.

Originally posted by Nitro Express
This was posted at Talkbass.com:



I remember when For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge came out, he talked about the bassline on "Poundcake" which is steady 16th notes played through the entire song like he is the only bassist out there who can play it! Or write something like that! Hard to play? Perhaps it's hard to play fast 16th notes for 4 minutes, but is that a good bass line? Does it have a groove? Did he mix it up? Did he add any melody or harmony?

It's probably the only tune Ed let him record on the the whole album.

[sadaist]

Sure there are a lot of bass players that are better then Anthony. Hell, even my sister is better than he is. But the simple truth is...

YOU DON'T FUCK WITH THE ORIGINAL RECIPE!

[Dave Roth]

Originally posted by sadaist
Sure there are a lot of bass players that are better then Anthony. Hell, even my sister is better than he is. But the simple truth is...

YOU DON'T FUCK WITH THE ORIGINAL RECIPE!

I'll have a beer to that, the original recipe is always the best!

[TongueNGroove]

Van halen is built around EVH, not the bass player. Trust me, if EVH wanted some funky Bass lines they would be in there even if he had to play them himself on the album and then get a new bass player to tour with.

The Bass lines are bare minimum because that is what EDDIE wants. He wants the drums and bass to be a solid backing to his solo skills and nothing more. It isn't Anthony's fault there aren't any stand out bass parts on a Van Halen tune. I am sure Mike could bust out some slap and funk bass if he wanted to and was allowed to.

[Hummarstra]

I love Mike's playing. I don't care what a bunch of bass geeks say on the web, Fuck em.

[Nitro Express]

Originally posted by sadaist
Sure there are a lot of bass players that are better then Anthony. Hell, even my sister is better than he is. But the simple truth is...

YOU DON'T FUCK WITH THE ORIGINAL RECIPE!

Yup. Dave Roth said Mike was good with tools and built the band's original lighting rig out of lumber, lights, and Radio Shack parts they had pilfered.

[Nitro Express]

Originally posted by TongueNGroove
Van halen is built around EVH, not the bass player. Trust me, if EVH wanted some funky Bass lines they would be in there even if he had to play them himself on the album and then get a new bass player to tour with.

The Bass lines are bare minimum because that is what EDDIE wants. He wants the drums and bass to be a solid backing to his solo skills and nothing more. It isn't Anthony's fault there aren't any stand out bass parts on a Van Halen tune. I am sure Mike could bust out some slap and funk bass if he wanted to and was allowed to.

Gee wiz. Mike had his own solo splot while the rest of the band got blowjobs below the stage. They must have been having fun down there because Mike's solos was too damn long. If he was such a great player, there he is up on the big VH stage all by himself. All he could do was hop around and throw the thing.

I'm just laughing because Eddie comes out now and says the dude has been freeloading for years and didn't add anything to the band. LOL! But Ed should be one to speak, the fucking drunk.

[Casemeister]

I'd say most REAL bassists who understand the VH sound would know that Mike's playing was simple because it needed to be.

Do you think Ed's playing would stand out as much if Mike had been shredding away on the bass? No. There's an old interview where Ed even says the same thing.

IMO, any bassist who claims Mike sucks or can't play is just ignorant or biased. The guy has been an extremely tasteful player for 30 years. He understands his role in Van Halen. Or understood, I guess, might be more accurate since Wolfgang is now playing bass...

VH's rhythm section was always rock steady. Without that steady foundation, we probably wouldn't have had quite as many classic EVH solos, I suspect...

[Hyman Roth]

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[Vinnie Velvet]

I like this thread.

I often think how much better CVH songs would be if there was a bass player who could lay down some better grooves or contribute more to the songwriting (a la Steve Harris, Geezer Butler, etc.)

Then again, maybe less was better in terms of the songs.

But listen back on CVH albums and there is so much more potential there for better bass playing. Maybe more opportunity for Ed to weave in and out of sections in a song.

Aside from MA's phenomenal, ground-breaking, background vocals (LOL!!) the guy is a hack. He probably knows it too. Luckiest hack of all time, I think.

[Hyman Roth]

Originally posted by Vinnie Velvet
I like this thread.

I often think how much better CVH songs would be if there was a bass player who could lay down some better grooves or contribute more to the songwriting (a la Steve Harris, Geezer Butler, etc.)

Then again, maybe less was better in terms of the songs.

But listen back on CVH albums and there is so much more potential there for better bass playing. Maybe more opportunity for Ed to weave in and out of sections in a song.

Aside from MA's phenomenal, ground-breaking, background vocals (LOL!!) the guy is a hack. He probably knows it too. Luckiest hack of all time, I think.