Geddy Lee on John Entwistle’s finest performance in The Who’s back catalogue
The bass guitar is simultaneously an essential aspect of rock and roll music and perhaps the most underappreciated. Since the dawn of rock, the audience focus has largely been on lead singers and guitarists, who usually offer a more glamorous poster-boy persona than the moody bass players hanging around in the background. Nevertheless, there have been a few notable figures who challenged this perception through their groundbreaking rock bass lines. Among these figures, there are few as prolific as The Who’s John Entwistle.
Within the context of The Who, Entwistle is a somewhat enigmatic figure. The classic line-up was, of course, made up of flamboyant frontman Roger Daltrey, wild guitarist Pete Townshend and amphetamine-fuelled atavistic drummer Keith Moon, but Entwistle was much more reserved in comparison. Even during the band’s infamous performance on the Smothers Brothers programme in 1967, during which the band destroyed their instruments and Moon dramatically blew up his drum kit, Entwistle can be seen at the side of stage, gently cradling his bass guitar.
Despite these seeming disparities in personality type, Entwistle’s bass was an utterly essential part of The Who’s revolutionary sound. Particularly during the band’s early recordings, his bass lines are a definite highlight of the band’s music. He might not garner the same fame and adoration as Pete Townshend or Roger Daltrey, but Entwistle still has his legions of devoted fans, including fellow bass guitar hero Geddy Lee.
As the bassist and lead singer behind the Canadian progressive rock icons Rush, Lee knows more than most about bass composition. His long and illustrious career in music has inspired countless future generations, particularly with regard to the world of metal and heavy rock. Inevitably, therefore, Lee has a deep-rooted appreciation for Entwistle, particularly his performance on the incredible 1965 single ‘My Generation’.
‘My Generation’ forever changed the lineage of rock and roll upon its release. A rallying cry for the anger of the post-war generation in the UK, the three-minute song defined the mod subculture and predicted the later punk rock explosion. Featuring prominently among Daltrey’s stuttering vocals and Moon’s endlessly energetic drum performance is a particularly admirable bass solo from Entwistle, a particular favourite of Geddy Lee.
Discussing his favourite bass performances with Rolling Stone, Lee reflected upon the revolutionary quality of The Who song. “Seriously?” he said, “A Pop song with bass solos? John ‘The Ox’ Entwistle was arguably the greatest rock bassist of them all, daring to take the role and sound of the bass guitar and push it out of the murky depths while strutting those amazing chops with his own kind of ‘Twang’”.
Lee himself could be a challenger to that title of ‘great rock bassist’, but during the British beat rock boom of the 1960s there were certainly few musicians who could rival the distinctive style of John Entwistle. So, while he might not garner the same infamy as his bandmates, Entwistle is deeply appreciated by those who matter the most.
