The Rhythm Section: Smiley Barnard
What do bass players look like from the other side of the drum kit?
Welcome to The Rhythm Section, an occasional Now That’s Bass series where I turn the tables and talk to drummers about the bass players they’ve worked with, what makes a great rhythm section — and what bass players can do to make drummers love playing with them.
And there aren't many better people to start with than Steve “Smiley” Barnard.
Smiley's career has seen him play with Robbie Williams, Joe Strummer, The Alarm, The Boomtown Rats, From The Jam, Archive and The Stranglers — putting him alongside an extraordinary list of bass players including Jean-Jacques Burnel, Bruce Foxton, Pete Briquette, Derek Forbes, Jonathan Noyce, Tony Visconti, Yolanda Charles, Dale Davis, Lee Pomeroy, Matt Round and many more.
We talk about what separates the truly great bass players, why Smiley believes you can tell whether a bassist can play within the first five bars, and why feel, space and personality matter far more than showing everyone how clever you are.
Smiley also explains why playing with a Chaka Khan bassist taught him to stop playing drum fills, why Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr may be the ultimate rhythm section, why Adam Clayton deserves far more respect — and why the bass player is the “pivotal glue” that completes a track.
Plus: J.J. Burnel, Bruce Foxton, James Jamerson, Sting, Mani, Tina Weymouth, Joe Strummer, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, U2, The Beatles and the perils of musicians who simply won't stop playing between songs.
This is The Rhythm Section — bass players, seen from the drummer's seat.
#NowThatsBass #TheRhythmSection #BassPlayer #BassGuitar #Drummer #RhythmSection #BassPlayers #Drummers #Musicians #PaulMcCartney #RingoStarr #AdamClayton #TheStranglers #JoeStrummer #TheAlarm #robbiewilliams
