Posted on

Top 10 or Top 100 or Top Anything lists will always be subject to a multitude of opinions- “No, this dude should have been higher up on the list!” “You forgot about this fella/gal!” Unless the criteria is something specific, such as number of albums sold or top grossing concert tours, a list is essentially just someone’s opinion. We have certainly seen countless lists of the Top (insert number here) guitar players, but it’s rare to find a list of the top 100 bassists, or to be more specific, The 100 Greatest Rock Bassists. Author Greg Prato has taken it upon himself to compile just such a list. And of course, it’s not just a simple list. Each entry includes other information about the player, such as what they play, what players are similar, standout songs featuring that musician, whether they play with pick or fingers and additional background information. Following the list of 100 there is also a list of honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the list but probably would make the list of many people (opinions, you know?). Following a photograph section,there are ten completely new interviews with some of those bassists that made the list- Billy Sheehan, Les Claypool, John Myung, Mike Watt, Doug Wimbish, Doug Pinnick, David Ellefson, Glenn Hughes, Glen Matlock and Cris Kirkwood. Hey, Prato even includes a page where the reader can write in some of their favorites that didn’t show up on the list. Even if someone doesn’t agree with the list, if nothing else, it might inspire them to pull out the old music backlog and listen to some old favorite, or listen to a player they never checked out previously. Other than those mentioned in the interviews section, the rest of the list will have to be a surprise. Read the book in order or just pick it up and pick a page a day to learn about a different player or read through one of the interviews. Either route works! The author is no stranger to Screamer Magazine either.

Greg Prato is a New York-based journalist that has written for Rolling Stone, Classic Rock and Vintage Guitar and has written many other books that have been covered by Screamer, such as The Faith No More & Mr. Bungle Companion, Overlooked/Underappreciated: 354 Recordings That Demand Your Attention, Survival of the Fittest: Heavy Metal in the 1990s, Scott Weiland: Memories of a Rock Star, The Other Side of Rainbow and Shredders!: The Oral History of Speed Guitar( And More).

Check out the links below to read some excerpts from the book before picking up your digital or paperback version (Or both! Why not?).

‘The 100 Greatest Rock Bassists’ is available as a paperback version [258 pages, $14.99], a Kindle download [$9.99], and a Nook download [$9.99].

Read excerpts here:

http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/the_100_greatest_rock_bassists_-_an_excerpt/

https://www.alternativenation.net/top-10-greatest-90s-alternative-rock-bassists/

Ordering info here:

Paperback & Kindle – http://a.co/6GLKPf0

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-100-greatest-rock-bassists-greg-prato/1129334041?ean=2940161908129

What Do You Think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.