Forums > Queen - General Discussion > How good a bass player was John ?

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Hello people hope all is well in the land of Queen. Whilst Brian and Roger have often been hailed as great musicians and have inspired others in the rock world. John never seems to get much recognition for his great bass work. In your opinion how good was John and when did he go from plucking the fat strings to using a plectrum ?Would be great to hear your opinions.

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I'm no friend of "rating" musicians, as there is no good or bad once you have reached a certain level. 
What I always found amazing about John Deacon is his versatility. He could adopt any style and always found the right amount of notes to fill gaps on stage and give any song a great fundament on records. Be it some of Freddie's Vaudeville excursions or Brian's hard rock songs.
It's strange that he did not offer his talent to other musicians very often.

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Sir GH wrote: mike hunt wrote: "I don't think he had a distinctive style that sets him apart from other players, like a geddy lee or steve harris.
"

John Deacon was at least as unique as them.  Like Roger Taylor, he just wasn't flashy and in-your-face about it.

Deacon's bass lines have been described as little stories, and I couldn't agree more.  His playing on Sail Away Sweet Sister is amongst the most interesting ever in a rock song.  His sense of timing was exquisite, as was his ability to do exactly what was right for the song - nothing more, nothing less.  To me, that's what makes an excellent musician.  Nothing's worse than someone who overplays.

Try covering The Show Must Go On in a band without a bass player, and almost everything will be missing from that first verse.  Deacon was an absolute genius.
Sounds like every member of queen "Playing for the song, nothing more, Nothing less."  My favorite bass songs are millionare waltz, fairy feller's masterstroke,  As mentioned "sail away sweet sister"  Breakthru....He was a good one for sure....Genius?....Not sure about that one. lol.  We use that word a little too often.

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Just listen to "The Millionaire Waltz" and then you´ll get the answer. John IS a wonderful bass player, musician and songwriter.

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Yes, I say he's a genius.  Most rock musicians are half-decent players, some of whom can write great songs.  Deacon could do both, and always with class.  He wrote seldom, but always turned in a great song.  And as a bassist, he was far and beyond most rock players of his time.

Most guys just played octaves and fifths, which is essentially doubling the guitar line, adding little to the song.  Deacon's playing was always central to the final product.  He was a brilliant musician, but probably will never be appreciated as such, because:

a) he was in a band with Freddie Mercury, who got most of the attention
b) see a)

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Great, great bassist. And very underrated too.

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John Deacon had an enormous amount of talent, I believe he was the most talented in the group.

But, what do I know? I'm just a doctor.

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Micrówave wrote: You can find a lot of drummers in Roger's class or even better.

You can find a lot of guitarists in Brian's class or slightly better.

You can even find vocalists with the range of Freddie Mercury (but you have to look real hard)

You can compare John Deacon to Geddy Lee and make me laugh pretty hard.  You're still going to have a tough time finding someone as solid and groovy as John.  He didn't need Taurus pedals either. 

Anybody ever try to learn the bass lines to Tom Sawyer?  I just did while writing this thread.  Done.

It's evident you know nothing about Taurus pedals.

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Sebastian wrote: Maybe 'you didn't have to drive him around everywhere, like Freddie' for most of his career, but during one year he did have to use the tube.

Was it due to a drink driving offence ?

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I agree that John is one of the most under-rated bass players and songwriters of all time.

I sometimes wonder if John considered himself a soul bass player,rather than a rock bass player.He was talented enough to do both ofcourse.

Lets not forget,he wasnt a bad  guitarist as witness Staying Power in the Milton Keyens Bowl gig.