I came across this online article last week from Consequence regarding the 100 greatest bass players (https://consequence.net/2024/04/100-greatest-bassists-of-all-time/11/amp/). The survey tried to cross most genres (rock, pop, blues, jazz, R&B), but like any opinion list or survey, I disagree with much of it. I would probably agree with the top three (James Jamerson, Paul McCartney, Jaco Pastorius), but after that, it is totally off as far as I am concerned. Flea above Geddy Lee and John Entwistle? Dee Dee Ramone even on the list? Pleeeze!
This got me thinking about some of the bassists that influenced me in my early years of playing the instrument in my first band doing oldies with my cousin, my first punk bands, and through today recording my own bluegrass, folk, and Americana songs. Over the next few weeks, I want to look at a few bassists from the punk era that were a lot more expertise on the four-string than the usual punk bass players just plunking eighth notes with down strokes and a pick (like Dee Dee).
The first bassist I will cover is Bruce Foxton of The Jam. From 1976 to the band’s break up in 1983, Foxton handled the bass chores with an intensity that was rarely seen in the first wave of punk bands, let alone any rock/pop band in general. Originally a guitarist, he switched over to bass when the band went from a four-piece to a three-piece. Listening to the band’s first single, “In the City,” instead of following the opening guitar chord progression, Foxton does a descending bass line. Rumor has it that the Sex Pistols borrowed the bass line and used it on their single “Anarchy in the UK” and released the song before The Jam could release their single.
Foxton was never content with just playing the root note on a chord progression. Like most three-piece bands (Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who), the bassist provides a melodic line along with a pulse to the song. Foxton was no different. While the debut album In the City has some moving bass lines, it was on the second album This is the Modern World, that he really started to show his prowess. Songs like “The Modern World” and “London Girl” show what talent he had on his Rickenbacker 4003 bass. Be it him or the production, that sound, along with those great bass lines, were distinctive and powerful.
Then comes All Mod Cons. While the entire album is bass-friendly, it is the song “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” that Foxton is at his best. In fact, the bass line IS the song! I remember thinking that I was a god when I finally got that bass line down pat. He does EVERYTHING on that bass! This is literally one of the best bass recordings ever in rock history!
The following album, Setting Sons, continues with some great bass lines, especially “Smithers-Jones” in which the bass basically carries the entire song, and “Eton Rifles,” with Foxton again working with the vocals instead of the guitar. But it is with Sound Affects in which Foxton, and the whole band for that matter, put aside their Who/Small Faces/Mod influences to use The Beatles as a primary influence. This is blatantly obvious with “Start!”, which definitely rips off the bass line form The Beatles’ “Taxman,” but moves it even further. Another great bass groove comes with “Man in the Corner Shop.” Finally, there is “That’s Entertainment,” which Foxton makes the song move like a bus traveling down a deserted city street at midnight.
The band’s final studio album, The Gift, has Foxton heavily influenced by Motown. One listen to “Town Called Malice” will convince you. Other bass line treasures on the album include “Ghosts” and “Precious.” This was followed by two single releases, Beat Surrender” and “The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow),” both of which show Foxton doing his best Motown/Stax bass work.
After The Jam’s breakup in 1983, Foxton would join Stiff Little Fingers from 1991-2006, as well as play in some other short-lived bands. However, it is his work with The Jam that he is best known. The bass lines were amazing to say the least, and live, he was as animated as a marionette with tangled stings. The Jam were one of the most influential punk rock bands of the late 1970s/early 1980s, but were just a footnote in the US. That is a shame. Yes, while the band’s lyrics were British-centric, the band’s overall musical sound was addictive to say the least. They had a raw energy, pushing the sound of the 1960s to a new height. At the very least, seek out a The Jam compilation, or if you can, any othe original albums. Foxton was a maestro on the bass.
Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 