Yeah, I know…  why no Top 25 like singers and guitarists?  Well, I could do a top 25 but really the core ten I have here are very solid and I feel like I’d be stretching the list too thin.  I coulda made it 15 but 10 is nice and concise and likely up for debate.  All that said, the rhythm section rarely gets love from a lot of people but I’ve always been a fan.  These ten are HUGE players and deserve a ton of respect.

Oh, honorable mention for my bass playing son as he’s technically #1 🙂

10.  John McVie

Talk about a rhythm section being unsung heroes…  The “Mac” in Fleetwood Mac is one John McVie (Fleetwood being drummer Mick, of course) and one of the more lyrical bassists around.  Just listen to that steady yet throbbing bass pulse in “Dreams”, that counter play against the riff in “Rhiannon”, or the solid thump through something like “The Chain”.  The Mac started off as a blues band and quickly moved into more songwriter territory, but McVie’s style was always some stellar cool on each album.

9.  Flea

The Red Hot Chili Pepper deserves a high place on this list not only due to his sheer downright funkiness but also his overall musicianship, likely due to his early love for jazz music.  RHCP certainly made a name for themselves in their early days with their punk/funk/metal mix, all with solid thump from Flea.  His popping bass on their cover of “Higher Ground”, sublime cool of “Under The Bridge”, funky workout on “Transcending”, and his smooth stylings on more recent items makes him a top 10 man.

8.  Cliff Burton

Man, a big “what if?” here…  Cliff Burton’s tragic death in 1986 is still difficult to stomach almost 30 years later.  His impact to not only Metallica but thrash metal in general was immense.  Burton’s attitude and playing on Metallica’s first three albums is just ridiculously good in power and aggressiveness via songs like “Master Of Puppets”, “Creeping Death”, “For Whom The Bell Tolls”…  need I say more?  Hell yeah I do.  His bass piece on “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth” and moody segue midway through “Orion” deserve a major heaping of praise.

7.  Chris Squire

Prog stalwart Chris Squire’s work with Yes earns him a top ten spot here, considering his approach to playing the bass was pushing the instrument to the forefront and not just content with holding down the bottom end.  That early punch of his Rickenbacker was always loud and rumbly as it fought to be heard among the other top notch players in the band.  You know the songs-  “Roundabout”, “Long Distance Runaround”, “Tempus Fugit”, “Starship Trooper” and the harmonically rich and melodic “The Fish”.  Unfortunately, Squire’s passing this past year is a huge loss to the music world.

6.  Geddy Lee

Music nerds everywhere rejoiced when Rush was finally elected into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last year.  How many of you out there (definitely me) have pulled out the air guitar/drum/bass when you hear a Rush song on the radio?  Geddy Lee’s up front and forceful tone makes its voice well known in songs like “Tom Sawyer”, “The Spirit Of Radio”, “Freewill”, “2112”, and the more reggaefied but seriously in your face whomp of “Digital Man”.  And that’s just the mid-period cuts!  Here’s hoping there is more music up their collective sleeves.