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Interview: Geddy Lee's 5 favourite bassists of all time

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By Roger Newell published 1 January 2013

The players who've inspired him

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Interview: Geddy Lee's 5 favourite bassists of all time

Interview: Geddy Lee's 5 favourite bassists of all time

BASS EXPO We aim to please here at MusicRadar, and it doesn't get much better than sitting down with legendary Rush frontman Geddy Lee to talk bass.

In no particular order, what follows is a list of Geddy Lee's five favourite bassists of all time, and words from the man himself that explain his inclusions. Read on!

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Jack Casady

Jack Casady

"Back in the early days, Jack Casady. I thought he was probably one of the most inventive players I’d ever heard and was really the reason I fell in love with Jefferson Airplane."

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Jack Bruce

Jack Bruce

"Jack Bruce of course was my hero when I first started playing. Just him coming out with that bluesy, jazzy style on bass and he brought a kind of aggressive tone to the Cream."

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Chris Squire

Chris Squire

"Chris Squire is incredibly inventive and imaginative writer of bass melodies. He’ll always be a pinnacle of great bass players."

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Jeff Berlin

Jeff Berlin

"He's more of a jazz bass player now but he used to play kind of fusion, rock and jazz with Bill Bruford on Bill’s solo records. Bruford was a fantastic band and Jeff is still among the top bass players out there, different calibre, he’s just off the planet."

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Les Claypool

Les Claypool

"We must not forget Les Claypool from Primus. A true style-seeking venture on bass, really original, an incredible player and he’s influenced me with his attitude towards bass playing."

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
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Roger Newell
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