Is Peter Hook the best bass player ever?

I think he is right up there. He is my favorite bass player.

Does a bear shit in the woods? Without a doubt!

I always admired Mark King. But Hooky made me learn bass myself

There are much better bass players out there, but the arrangement of NO's songs makes his work a very prominent and signature feature of the band's sound.

don't know if he's the best ever but he's certainly my favorite bass player ever. no one is even a close second.

hard to think of anybody that compares to Hooky. i don't know (or really care all that much) about technical aspects, but he really gave the songs unique personality and emotion, especially late JD and early to mid 80s NO. on the negative side, not very funky at all but then he was not imitating like the other 80s English groups.

while some of the beats can sound dated, the classic bass melody songs sound timeless

1. Hooky

2. Deon Estus(Wham!)

3. Paul Ryder(Mondays)

He's not my favourite, but I think he's underrated. I won't say my favourite though lest I be chastised!

Yes, didn't he get a Muso award last year to proove it.

Well i don't know about the technical aspect of playing BASS but he is my favourite SOUNDING bass player and that is what counts.

How the fuck do you define best ? Has some kinda bass players exam been devised, or a specialy adapted decathlon set up ?

Or BEST chance of having the sound of their bass recognised ?

What next who can play the fastest arpeggio ?

he has his own style. it's cool.

A person once openly mocked;

'Peter Hut, the bloke who plays lead with a bass! - har! har! hady! har!.

I stood silent for a few moments, contemplating the terrible error that had just occurred.

Originality tends to confuse folk - the lucky ones embrace it. And revel at the throbbing noises boomed from such classics as 'She's Lost the Controller'.

Is he the best? - he’s certainly the best New Order bass player.

he is the most innovative bass player ever, talent wise he is solid, i think he actually used ot be better but im betting if new order isnt touring he isnt practicing . its what he does to the song and the bands sound that makes them different thats what makes him great. if your a bass player you can rip off chris squier, geddy lee and jack bruce's style to some extent but if you are doing hooky there is no doubt whos style your imitating.

he makes great furniture that's for sure.

Hes fuckin 1st class,but best ever no. I think hed be happy in the top 50. No.1 must be John Entwhistle.

Can't comment on the "best ever" thing but he's definitely my favourite.

In terms of technical playing ability then no he isn't, but in terms of taking his chosen instrument and redefining the way in which a whole generation of musicians approach the instrument, then Hooky is right up there with the finest. Of all the considerable influences that this band and its members have had on contemporary music, the trademark bass sound is probably the biggest.

i think hooky's an excellent bass player, but i lean more towards les claypool as far as raw talent goes. the sounds that come out of his instrument are utterly strange and wonderful.

I think Peter Hook is one of the most creative and intellegent bass players but I think there are people like Flea or Peter Maas who over the decades seem to hold a bit more skill with the actual playing. Peter Hook seems to play it more like a guitar sometimes. However, like I said that is what makes him unique and allows his creativity to flow, wouldn't want him to change a bit.

He's ok for sure, but there are others;

Lemmy Tony Levin Simon Raymonde

to name a few

he is in my opinion, what sets jd/no aside from other bands. sure steve is a brilliant drummer, bernard and gillian have their own particular way, and ian stamped his style on them, but hooky - well its that bass that first attracted me to neworder, and even , years later, still keeps me listening.

and he seems like a top bloke (i really enjoy the "hooky on peter saville" comments). is it true that he once worked as a docker?

forget fidgety techinal aspects, he just has IT

Some of the replys on this thread made me laugh. People saying they're better than Hooky remind me of the Spinal Tap guy comparing himself to Jimmy Page. He rated himself because he had learned to play "Stairway to Heaven" when 14 but Page didn't write it until he was 25.

I've always felt that creativity and an ear for melody easily outweigh technical chops.

Whomever played Bass for James Brown was incredible, ditto the basist in Motown's official backing band, I can't remember her name, but there's a woman that played bass for Phil Spector and Brian Wilson in the sixties who was amazing. Jack Bruce as others mentioned is well deserving of acclaim, as was McCartney. I'm a big fan of Bootsy Collins' bass playing, and my brother's teenage favorite when I was little was Cliff Burton, and while I was never a metal fan, I could understand why the late, great Metallica Bassist was such an icon amongst metal purists, and bass players.

Hooks my favorite, for the most part, because his playing is unmistkable and so deeply rounded in it's focused way, you can get really aggressive, deep rumbles like that featured in Touched By the Hand of God, or temptation, and you can get melancholy melodic beauty like what you get in BLT, or the more simplistic tones of Atmosphere. He didn't play w/much funk, but what he did do, he did flawlessly, and someone once mentioned that it wasn't any specific flavor or genre in the arts that merits disgust or distaste, it's only poorly done art that merits distaste. Art should be judged by how effective the artist was in achieving their intentions, and while this might not always sound like a good rule to go by, I think in judging most artists, and Peter Hook, by it, you can see that in what New Order and Joy Division sought from, he found it more than within his power to provide, and provide spectacularly, so whether or not he's the most technically proefficient, or funkiest bass player around isn't as important as how amazingly effective and evocative he was as New Order's bass player.

i thought mark king was the best bass player

Hooky adored Mott the Hoople when he was younger. They reformed to do a few gigs last year and Hooky begged to be allowed to join them but he was turned down on the grounds that they wanted somebody would could play a bit. Hooky wasn't too bothered so presumably he is aware of his own limitations. His sound is integral to New Order though.

Originally posted by Take My Hand (And Don't Let Go) Hard to compare with others, as Hooky is playing a 6 string bass like a guitar (playing melodies) and is usually not playing basslines like most bass players do.

Actually, what made early New Order sound unique was Hooky's particular bass playing (as you sressed, he plays the melodies) and also Barney's own guitar style (on EGG and Temptation, to name a few, it's far from being classic electric guitar). Today, Barney's style has become more straightforward, but Hooky's bass remains unique.

So, Hooky may not be the best bass player, but he's definitely the most creative/original one.

Originally posted by Andy Some of the replys on this thread made me laugh. People saying they're better than Hooky remind me of the Spinal Tap guy comparing himself to Jimmy Page. He rated himself because he had learned to play "Stairway to Heaven" when 14 but Page didn't write it until he was 25.I've always felt that creativity and an ear for melody easily outweigh technical chops.

Another thin I like about him, and new order in general, is that none of them are "band" types, you know , obsessed by the latest hair cut , minor techinal aspects (that includes gillian), etc. they are (obviously) really artistic types, but seem to lack the shite that is generally associated with being artistic. I read somewhere that john squire took years of endless endless endless practice to become a proficient (techinally) guitar player. but he still hasnt 1/8th the art in him that hooky has. what has squire done in his life? 1 decent album, a few sheep skulls, and some terrible solo work.

anyone can put in the hours.

In my opinion a definite yes!

who would compare to Hooky as far as emotion and "atmosphere" from the bass instrument? how manty bass players can bring a tear to your eye like on "24 hours" or "Ceremony" or "Leave me Alone"? of course few bands let the bassist take such a lead role.

Originally posted by ShugZV© > Originally posted by Garymac> > > Or BEST chance of having the sound of their bass recognised ?>

I had a Cure track on the other night and the missus asked if it was Hooky

He's the dogs bahollicks alright!

Could be cos the bod in The Cure was so taken with the Hooker's eccleshall that he phoned him up to find out where to get one, and then got one, as well as a big ass ancient chorus pedal.

Originally posted by Steve Campbell > Originally posted by ShugZV© > Originally posted by Garymac> > > Or BEST chance of having the sound of their bass recognised ?>

I had a Cure track on the other night and the missus asked if it was Hooky

He's the dogs bahollicks alright!

Could be cos the bod in The Cure was so taken with the Hooker's eccleshall that he phoned him up to find out where to get one, and then got one, as well as a big ass ancient chorus pedal. Perhaps once Simon Gallup's style was similar to Hooky's, but I don't see much similarity between them right now. Simon just seems to fill the role of the bassplayer in The Cure, while Robert and Perry (and Porl previously) fill out most the guitar lines. Simon has his solos, but he doesn't usually play the melody to every Cure song. True, In between Days does swap Hooky's bassline from Dreams never end, but is it as up front as Hooky's bassline?

Originally posted by Clockwork C > Originally posted by Andy> Some of the replys on this thread made me laugh. People saying they're better than Hooky remind me of the Spinal Tap guy comparing himself to Jimmy Page. He rated himself because he had learned to play "Stairway to Heaven" when 14 but Page didn't write it until he was 25.> > I've always felt that creativity and an ear for melody easily outweigh technical chops.

Another thin I like about him, and new order in general, is that none of them are "band" types, you know , obsessed by the latest hair cut , minor techinal aspects (that includes gillian), etc. they are (obviously) really artistic types, but seem to lack the shite that is generally associated with being artistic. I read somewhere that john squire took years of endless endless endless practice to become a proficient (techinally) guitar player. but he still hasnt 1/8th the art in him that hooky has. what has squire done in his life? 1 decent album, a few sheep skulls, and some terrible solo work.

anyone can put in the hours.

Hear hear. That's what separates the artists from the technicians. Neil Young plays lead guitar like he's tapping out morse code, but there's more raw artistry in his music than an army of soulless technicians could ever hope to squeeze out.

Speaking of technical matters, doesn't Hooky actually play a baritone guitar, rather than bass?

Originally posted by bLuE oRdEr > Originally posted by Clockwork C> > > > Originally posted by Andy> > Some of the replys on this thread made me laugh. People saying they're better than Hooky remind me of the Spinal Tap guy comparing himself to Jimmy Page. He rated himself because he had learned to play "Stairway to Heaven" when 14 but Page didn't write it until he was 25.> > > > I've always felt that creativity and an ear for melody easily outweigh technical chops.>

Another thin I like about him, and new order in general, is that none of them are "band" types, you know , obsessed by the latest hair cut , minor techinal aspects (that includes gillian), etc. they are (obviously) really artistic types, but seem to lack the shite that is generally associated with being artistic. I read somewhere that john squire took years of endless endless endless practice to become a proficient (techinally) guitar player. but he still hasnt 1/8th the art in him that hooky has. what has squire done in his life? 1 decent album, a few sheep skulls, and some terrible solo work.

anyone can put in the hours.

Hear hear. That's what separates the artists from the technicians. Neil Young plays lead guitar like he's tapping out morse code, but there's more raw artistry in his music than an army of soulless technicians could ever hope to squeeze out.

Speaking of technical matters, doesn't Hooky actually play a baritone guitar, rather than bass?

The Eccleshall, the Yamahas, Fenders, and Rickenbackers are all basses ( please don't call them bass guitars, as they are violins in guitar shape....just being anal...and avoiding any relationship to guitarists.). The Shergold Marathon6 is indeed described by Shergold as a Barritone guitar.

**ditto the basist in Motown's official backing band, I can't remember her name, but there's a woman that played bass for Phil Spector and Brian Wilson in the sixties who was amazing.**

James Jamerson is the Motown guy. And you're thinking of Carol Kaye who played on Pet Sounds amongst others...

I agree that they're both amazing, especially James Jamerson, but of course doing a completely different job to PH.

Yes, yes he is.

I never gave two shits about bass players before discovering New Order. Even when I first heard BLT, I knew (other than the brilliant synths) that this was a very different brand of music, and I must discover more. Although True Faith and Blue Monday were heard first as well, BLT made me def. take notice.

And we also ought not forget Barney's contributions on "Confusion"

So besides TPK, what are generally considered the best of the best for Hook's mastery?

Peter Hook the best bass player ever?

I've seen Peter Cook slapping his bass with more style than the former mullet'n'keks connoisseur (and I don't mean bass as in guitar either)

;)

Originally posted by By 'Eck! My Neck! Peter Hook the best bass player ever?I've seen Peter Cook slapping his bass with more style than the former mullet'n'keks connoisseur (and I don't mean bass as in guitar either);)

This guy rocks!!! I bow down to you, sir