Bill Wyman Gimme Shelter Bass Work Rolling Stones 1969

[@neorich59]

It's no accident that 4 of the more adventurous groups in the 60s, The Stones, The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Who had bass players who could think outside the box of merely playing the root notes of chords and little else. I always love listening to what Wyman is doing on the bass.

[@FranktheTank70]

And their bass playing had soul.

[@dannyd1572]

Good observation

[@jasonph2522]

Also- THE most adventurous group of all time- Cream and Jack Bruce.

[@storm1087]

Bill was self thought what he put behind the Stones music is second to none. He is a legend and a master

[@benkleschinsky]

Huge part of Stones sound. The Wyman rumble.

[@pledgestone]

Criminally underrated. One of the finest bass players of all time.

[@trabongo]

Without Bill, there was no more R Stones.

[@TombstoneHeart]

So true. He would have to be one of the best bass players of his era, but also the most under-rated of that era.

[@ivanbrousse6805]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@jduill]

Understated is what made him great

[@chupacabra4897]

Usually when someone says a rock star is underrated I ask them .what else should we have done for them ? Offer our children up as sacrifices? Lol but in this case your 100% right

[@1longshot3]

Bill Wyman was a master of rhythm and his loss really affected the Stones' sound. The guy's ear should be as legendary as his fingers haha.

[@Joe-to8og]

Keith knew this and is why he fought hard to convince Bill to stay.

[@septimiusseverus343]

Yep, and all Keith had to say about Bill in his book was that the latter had "good timing." Charlie said he didn't realise how good Bill was when he went over the songs with Darryl "ain't got no soul for rock 'n roll" Jones. Mate, Bill was standing 3 feet from you for 30 years! Well, Bill had the last laugh as after he left, the bottom fell out of the Stones' sound, they lost their mojo and a jazz doodler has been thumping out those glorious basslines with no emotion whatsoever for the past 3 decades.

[@ThaiThom]

@@Joe-to8og Mick and Charlie wanted him to stay, too. They all wanted him to stay.

[@ronojoysen1548]

He's magical. You just can't pin him down. The same songs without Bill sound quite diminished.

[@chupacabra4897]

You got that right he was a. Straight genius when it came to writing bass lines and playing them. Its the same as if they would've replaced Kieth Richards it would ruin them partially

[@simondickens369]

Bill Wyman is undeniably one of the best and tastiest bass players in the world, love his playing.

[@andrewcalliou3999]

Wow…never realized how much of the groove is set in Wyman's bass playing. The track is so dense that everything meshes together so well you can't pick things out…. Kudos to Bill for those bass lines...

[@citrusblast4372]

the bass part is barely audible in the full song in the beginning :2

[@andywilkins8632]

That was the whole ethos of the Stones, that everything blends together

[@sethduhnke]

@@citrusblast4372 Great Bass players should be felt and not heard, everyone can feel this

[@Md75897]

@@sethduhnke nonsense

[@rdrrr]

Not only is his playing here just perfect for the song, his tone absolutely rips too.

[@edward886]

This is the reason why I crank up the bass on my stereo when I listen to the Stones and why Bill Wyman is my favorite Stone.

[@omnibus3112]

Bill, you're the best. The Stones are not the same and don't sound the same without you. You're such a brilliant player.

[@AceBaseKingOfSpace]

Bill Wyman's parts are really hard to decipher if you are in a cover band and trying to work them out by ear...he has a really strange approach, but of course it works!

[@MarceloSilva-bs7nu]

Great Lines!

[@Cap683]

Wyman is usually so far back in the mix that I usually can't tell what is going on anyway.

[@FreudsC4t]

@@MegaSsloan Totally agree

[@pbrtaskforce116]

VERY DIFFICULT TO DECIPHER

[@jgwire]

Cap683 this is true.. I grew up on the stones and I never heard the real bass lines us now. - I mean I heard him, but they mixed keith the loudest on - learned to play guitar to this stuff and it so weird cause I never even paid attention Ion to bass and. Drums of course i do,now, but it was a long time coming... thanks jimmy milked the producer for,bringing this All together and making it sounds SO good"..perfect. Miller did exile too.. the,Stones decided to produce themselves... the result is goats,head soup and it's only rock and roll......great stuff. But as far as "old school" recording and production, you did get much. Better than this....JMHO.... - A

[@elvissorna8861]

Bill Wyman, John Paul Jones two of my all time fave bassists.

[@silkywellman9046]

You rock!

[@FuzzyDancingBear]

You and literally everyone else.

[@at6686]

Yup. They lay down the foundation that the house is built on. Tina Weymouth had a similar effect on the heads.

[@tonymclean7783]

🤣

[@tonymclean7783]

He has no idea!

[@ericcournoyer1595]

Probably one of the most sophisticated/refined bass player ever.

[@fredforbush1388]

That goes counter to the post I just read "most underrated..." I'm totally confused now! Which is it?

[@ThaiThom]

At least, in rock/blues.

[@paulsteenhausen5461]

I once read that the bass should tell a story, from beginning to end. To me, Wyman’s bassline in this song embodies that goal like no other.

[@5InAnotherLand5]

Damn well put!

[@dannyd1572]

Even the bass on this song is kind of haunting.

[@FuzzyDancingBear]

What do you mean "even?" Like bass guitar can't be haunting? Fuck off.

[@dannyd1572]

@@FuzzyDancingBear No... I mean the whole song is haunting all the way down to the bass.

[@petarticinovic2710]

@@FuzzyDancingBear Calm down.

[@seahawkjoe4038]

FuzzyDancingBear shut up 8 year old

[@lamper2]

@@seahawkjoe4038 even his logic is fuzzy

[@coonagh1]

I could sit and listen to Bill talk and tell stories all day long. The greatest Rolling Stone of them all.

[@michaelwilson2340]

Just listening to Bill's bass alone on this seems like I'm listening a song.

[@sketchesinsand8593]

What I love about Bill Wyman’s style is that he can do the quick thumps without them getting too muddy but then he can also just let it ring for a while. Can’t get both when you put a wad of foam under the strings like a lot of bassists do. Add in the little slides he does and his general effortless style and the way he can follow Keith and Charlie and…you get that original Stones groove that is so hard to imitate. He plays a lot of simple lines, but man do they work. This one is not so simple, though. Love every second of it.

[@jjmuni]

He’s playing with a pick mostly

[@sketchesinsand8593]

@@jjmuniTrue, on this song. I think another thing I like about Wyman is that he also uses his thumb on a lot of songs. Gets a completely different sound.

[@bigbass421]

I began playing electric bass in 1967. Bill Wyman was my very first influence, along with Chas. Chandler of The Animals, and Paul Samwell Smith of The Yardbirds. Those guys were all bass players. From the first time I heard The Stones, and saw them on The Clay Cole Show in new York City where I am from- I think it might have been as early as 1963. Wyman was as cool as it gets. Bass pointing at the ceiling, chewing gum, and playing his ass off. His work on the early Stones records- he SWINGS hard, something I don't hear in the bass lines Keith did. Listen to Wyman on "Down The Road Apiece" for example, his booming hollowbody Framus bass, is fairly reminiscent of a string bass. His halting walking style, is clearly influenced by Willie Dixon. Bill Wyman, thanks for the inspiration. I'm playing the bass for over 50 years now. I have been a lifelong professional bassist, and it's been a truly great life.

[@chasbodaniels1744]

Great comment, thanks!

[@ericdailey8587]

I read he would play with his bass pointing to the ceiling in order to block the lights so that he could better see the audience (actually, I think it was the girls).

[@storm1087]

My Favourite. Most underrated bassist of all time.

[@MrKeefrichards]

great bassline on probably the stones best song, played exactly what was needed to drive it along.

[@mattskustomkreations]

It’s a really galloping bass line. And he mixes it up nicely.

[@kitthevideoman]

I find this a unique and interesting bass line. Good work, Bill!

[@jamesdempster8052]

Bill is a great player, and a good band mate - after all these years, he always stands up for truth about Brian (and he knew him pretty well)...

[@1965JB]

I can’t believe I grew up playing this music, in a band, as a bass player and never really appreciated the genius of Bill Wyman until I was in my 50s. Every time I hear a Stones song it’s like a new lesson in virtually everything that makes a great bass player.

[@texas1949]

2020 here. Loving the spotlight on Bill! These videos are few and far between! He always nailed it! Keith has always said Bill was the absolute BEST for the band and for him and Charlie. The rhythm section was the “bass line” for his, Brian’s , Mick’s and Ronnie’s licks! Love Bill... the dirty old man. 😂👋

[@williamlangan5902]

Bill Wyman is an underrated bass player and was the Stones' kindest member.

[@storm1087]

Bill Wyman was my inspiration to pick up the Bass 50 years ago. He is one of the most grossly underrated bassist of all time. Him and Watts were the backbone of the Stones. No disrespect to Daryl Jones who is a phenomenal bassist but Bill was meant for the Stones.

[@derekstocker6661]

Excellent comment, well said!

[@anthonypuccetti8779]

Bill has said in interviews which you can find online that the band had a wobble to their rhythm (a wobbly pocket) that other bands didn't have. He calls it the secret sauce. Charlie followed very slightly behind Keith, who set the pace of the song, and Bill often played very slightly ahead of Keith and Charlie. It gave a looseness to their rhythm. Bill has said it could sound magnificent but it was also dangerous because the rhythm could fall apart at any time and it would sound ridiculous. Sometimes it did in concert, when Keith would suddenly play chords out of time or speed up the rhythm. You can hear the rhythm fall apart on some live recordings.

[@jrosner6123]

Yes, but when they were on...... also.. Watts is quite simply a badass...

[@RHR-221b]

Keith is chronicled as saying that he occasionally played out of sync for a laugh, which the 'rhythm section' duly appreciated and responded by just carrying on their solid back-up. Stay free. Rest in Peace Charles Robert Watts. 💚 🌠

[@fosterchild4523]

I love the stones.....undoubtedly one of the greats.....but yeah....live.....somewhat of a wreck. I saw them live once in 2006....and I was like....dude....y'all been playing these songs for 40 years and you still don't know them?

[@krisscanlon4051]

Keith notoriously turned the beat around on the rhythm section

[@ianmarsden8568]

Thanks, seems to explain a lot.

[@keesboer999]

He is, like Charie, a band player. Charlie and Bill make the band,

[@stonesinmyblood27]

Kees Boer not the first time I heard someone say that exact same thing

[@kellylappin5944]

They definitely layed the foundation.

[@falcon5467]

Bill was the consummate rhythm section bassist.

[@tonymclean7783]

🤣🤣

[@billwyman5037]

@@kellylappin5944 Thanks for liking my page and the support, I hope you never stop listening and streaming my music

[@Drjackdempsey9644]

Just the bass takes you on a magical journey

[@Zzuni1]

Awesome bass line, Bill ! Funky too !

[@DrewRandIsCool]

Bill Wyman what an amazing bass player you are stood out you are sorely missed in the stones

[@yellyman5483]

I`ve always loved Bill Wymans bass playing. He is sorely missed in the Stones lineup. He and Charlie was an excellent rhythm section.

[@matthewbernard4427]

Quite the sprightly bit of bass work there. Must have listened to that tune a million times and never realized what was lurking beneath all the sound and fury. “Let It Bleed” is the Stones magnum opus, IMO. Everything about it, from the cover art to the songwriting, performance and production is stellar.

[@magneto7930]

This is a great tribute to Bill Wyman. Like Charlie, and like George and Ringo, he provided exactly what was needed and then some, a real team player!

[@federicotraeger2332]

What an eloquence! He is fluent in a very creative and melodic way. The soul of the band, for sure.

[@magirusdeutzjupiter2234]

One of the best bass players ever, as simple as that.

[@Zzuni1]

Bills bass solo alone is a great joy to listen to !

[@williamdelong8265]

Charlie said you didn't even know he was playing, till he stopped lol.

[@webname8886]

Keith Richards described Wyman and Watts as the " engine room" of the Stones. If things went wrong there everything stopped.

[@christianvernhes7386]

Bill et Charlie ! : la meilleure section rythmique Rock de tout les temps !❤

[@atempuser]

One of the truly great bass players. Magnificent.

[@t.b.player7102]

58 years old. Never was a big Stones fan, so never really paid much attention to them. I'm also a bassist so sure I'd notice a few things from them bass wise. But for some reason I've started to pay more attention and I'm blown away at Bill Wyman's playing style.

[@darrenedwards8433]

As Keith Richards once said, "I'm more interested in the roll than the rock." Many bands can rock, but most bands can't roll. They lack the subtlety. It's very hard to pull off that weaving and roll that The Stones have. Most bands that cover the Stones suck at it. Bill was a perfect ingredient in creating that roll.

[@r.f.hopkins8163]

Bass players play what you'd call background leads, and this is some of the best. Thanks Bill

[@luisbarrera1099]

Love the talent of this man

[@dorothyfry3319]

That was cool. It gave me a listen to how Bill Wyman could play so well. Awesome.

[@holgerhagmueller]

To me one of the best players of all time. In his style is so much emotion , musicality and detail. Best fit for the Stones.

[@univibe23]

It stands up even today. But you have to put into the context of the time times--what 1968 or so. Good stuff Mr. Bill!!!

[@tripjet999]

I heard Bill say on an interview on the Blues Deluxe radio show that good bass should never really be heard, just FELT, but you know, I REALLY like to FEEL AND HEAR good bass.

[@STFDVC1]

Now I'm troubled - wasn't that a quote reported from mr. Entwistle? Oh, anyway.

[@septimiusseverus343]

Bill gave the Stones the X factor in the groove department...can't believe they let Charlie pick a guy with no life long background in rock 'n roll as the successor...damn it shows. PLUNK PLUNK PLUNKETY PLUNK. Godawful, no emotion, no feel. At least we still have the records, boots and outtakes to tell the world how Mr. William Perks made the greatest rock 'n roll band in the world swing like mofos for 30 glorious years. Thankyou Sir Billy, you are and always will be my favourite Stone. And props for giving Jonesy his due.

[@WilliamPhelpsIII]

bill wyman to those who know is the greatest bassist in the history of rock and mick has never given him his due

[@HankFinkle11]

Keith has.

[@alansmyth2204]

Jaggers hardly the greatest singer now is he Bills a better bass player than jagged is a singer

[@kevgh3869]

Getty Lee said he really looked up to Bill Wymans bass playing. That says a lot right there.

[@CuzzinVinny100]

My favorite bass player of all time. Extremely under rated.

[@ThaiThom]

I think maybe he wanted it that way. You can be sure he noticed what Entwistle and Squier and Jaco etc. were doing and he thought - that's not how I want to play!

[@stonesinmyblood27]

My favourite rock n roller of all time

[@peaceharmony7216]

Love the low, rich, solid bass tones and rocky rhythm of Stones supreme sound, Bill played so phenomenally.

[@Peterickenbacker1]

He was very creative and adept at outlying the chords for sure. I think he usually played a short scale, which drove that muddy sound.

[@WvhKerkhof]

Nice to hear this, i hope i find more of these videos, Bill is a fantastic Bas player!

[@austinftw10]

I don't know why, but Bill Wyman kind of reminds me of George Harrison. Both of which are legends at what they do

[@connorpatricknolanmusic1453]

Bill Wyman is the George Harrison of bass playing. They also look alike

[@g.pblack507]

there both the quiet ones

[@GregJay]

His bass playing is very unique he carried the bottom yet still played lead weaves throughout, you can really hear it on Midnight Rambler on Ya ya's the best live album ever recorded, he noodles and nibbles them boom comes the deep bottom,

[@RickaramaTrama-lc1ys]

This was really different to hear just Bill's Base isolated so we could really hear it and I was glad to be able to do so. His new group is also great to listen to and watch performing in his 60+ years of playing.

[@nomorebushz]

Wow very cool, so hard for me to pick out his unique nuance to bass phrasing! Thanks! I’m an oboist and guitarist... Bill Wyman is one of a kind!

[@keithrichardsstones]

Great bass work !

[@apsomar]

And incredible bass player with a great sound

[@gronxman1]

Bill Wyman was brilliant in The Stones. That band was untouchable in its heyday. A total rhythm machine. Each member had a profound sense of rhythm. I'd love to hear the isolated bass tracks from some of Exile On Main Street (my fave Stones album).

[@charlieperkins138]

Bill and Charlie were the greatest rock rhythm section of all time

[@Karolinerochap]

Happy 82nd Birthday Bill! I wish you all the best. Long Live.

[@sotis1756]

0:20 that transition is so damn cool sounding, goes from a repetitive calm “riff” then rolling in to the main riff of the song

[@sketchesinsand8593]

Gives me the sensation of falling, slipping, sliding, being sucked down a river. All those little stutter notes, like gripping at branches breaking off in your hand, and all of a sudden you're in it.

[@victorem2565]

excellent bassiste( bill wyman ) on voit le travaille que font les rolling stones !!

[@thefoxygrandpa638]

This bass line alone should qualify Bill Wyman as one of the best bass player of rock and roll and one of the bests of all time. But then again this may be an opinion.

[@DislocatedCardiganV1]

Are you seriously saying this is better than anything by John Entwistle? Or Paul McCartney?

[@thefoxygrandpa638]

seems that you missed the "But then again this may be an opinion", and the "one of the bests of all time" statements.

[@thefoxygrandpa638]

Besides, Bill Wyman's style definitely earns him the title of the ultimate CLASSIC rock bass player. He doesn't resort to flashy bass solos or fast picking, he just lets the tone's beauty ride on. Also, he invented the fretless electric bass so HAH!!

[@DislocatedCardiganV1]

The Foxy grandpa He whipped the frets out of a crappy cheap bass, hardly an inventor. If he is your yardstick of bass playing excellence, you can't have much of a clue about music. I play and build basses and have a degree in music. I certainly did not miss your opinions, to which you are of course entitled. Just don't confuse them with facts.

[@thefoxygrandpa638]

funny a guy with a degree in music is arguing with a simple rock fan. and that's rude "you can't have much of a clue about music" just because i consider a guy better than a guy who can play bass almost as could as he can and a guy who played bass solos means that i have thin knowledge in the musical field, besides bill hits that "musical" structure of a bass just well. In my opinion, paul's bass lines don't reach out just as well and get a little bit repetitive after a while, and john entwistle barely sounds like he's playing a bass (more like a downtuned guitar). bill (in my opinion)just flourishes the power of the bass and lets the people admire the plain harmonics without getting too lazy.

[@MichaelTaylor-rz4wm]

Beautiful. Could listen to his bass work all day!

[@woody816]

Nothing fancy , nothing overly done, no showing of just quite simply he did exactly wat the tune needed him to and did it unbelievably well. No flashy bullshit just proper balls to the wall playing and most importantly played wat needed to be played ✌️

[@rolatau]

Wyman´s bass playing makes the original Stones sound.... never reached.....

[@alangarcia4658]

Keith is a better bass player

[@ibr6193]

Keith is a guitar player playing bass. He can play well but he can´t play bass with Bill´s groove.

[@BlueLou974]

Oh yes!

[@BlueLou974]

@@alangarcia4658 Oh no! Not irreproachble, on tempo,as weird it can be.

[@BlueLou974]

@@ibr6193 Groove is the good word.

[@5InAnotherLand5]

The Knight of bass.

[@atempuser]

Irreplaceable. Great bass player. Underrated.

[@marioquagliano9430]

MASTER BILL AT WORK,,TAKE NOTE PEOPLE

[@johncavar2914]

is it Bill how do we know?

[@franktheo2055]

During the 1960's Bill Wyman made the notes on his bass grunt thump and he was the pulse for that gut bucket blues sound that made The Rolling Stones music so great with songs - It's Not Easy, Stupid Girl, Under My Thumb and so many more.. I'd be showing my biased opinion rating Wyman for his great bass work because there are so many great bassist's out there, but face it he was The Bass Player For The Rolling Stones. Just let the list of songs speak for themselves.

[@abercrombie1416]

Bill down to earth,got my photo with him he had no problem with it😊

[@rollingstonessmugged]

Great stuff. Bill is sharp.

[@JacobKMusics]

This track proves that Bill Wyman is an underrated bassist.

[@storm1087]

He is and always will be one of the best

[@keeponrollin7922]

Can't believe mick said in a 94 interview on mtv that anyone can play bass for the rolling stones..that maybe true,but when bill left,the roll left..

[@arneberg9072]

Exactly, and wha is left is the Roll ---

[@markkindermannart4028]

Keith said Mick was the rock and he was the roll. I think Daryl does just fine on bass

[@jeffslade1892]

You can tell when Keith plays the bass (which he does on many recordings) because it is pushed lower in the mix. Once Bill left the bass almost disappeared in the mix. Daryl is good but his bass gets buried.

[@deadlyoneable]

@@gloriapascoe2614 Brian hardly wrote anything. Wtf are you talking about. All he did was add instruments to the mix

[@Bklyn93]

@@deadlyoneable He did a lot of the arrangements being the only classically trained musician in the group. Bill Wyman's said Paint it Black should've been a group credit (and on that Brian plays both rhythm acoustic, as well as the well known sitar part), for example. Ruby Tuesday is considered to have been a co-write by Keith and Brian with Keith writing the lyrics, and Brian writing the music (Mick said he himself had no part in writing either the melody or lyrics to that one). Their engineer said Brian turned 2000 Lightyears from Home from a subpar track to a stellar one. And most tellingly, in 1967, Mick said in an interview that all the members write for the band even though they sign Jagger/Richards, and that Brian knew music the most of all of them.

[@ronalddavidleindecker3358]

Bill was THE bass player for The Rolling Stones. This isolated track makes it clear that their sound was anchored in his bass playing.

[@simondickens369]

Bill Wyman, John Entwhistle,John Paul Jones, Jack Bruce, Flea,and i also love when either Ron Wood or Keith Richards jump on the bass, have a listen to Ronnie with The Jeff Beck group on Truth and Beckola,and last but by no means least Phil Lynot.

[@roymullins4926]

Bill is one of the Worlds Greatest Bass Players that has ever been Born. Keep on Keeping .

[@arneberg9261]

Do agree on all levels ---

[@landavazoha]

Roy Mullins my fav for sure

[@bennettbernerproject3289]

I know Wyman was listed on the album as the bass player but this sounds like Keith

[@w1lf1ewoo]

I think Keith definitely went thru a period where he worked out the bass lines, but did he always? I don't know...I agree this to my ears sounds like Keith.

[@karloff604]

Not Keith.

[@MojoWorkinBut]

Thanks. I've never really paid attention to the bass in the Rolling Stones. I can hear than Wyman really underpins the song with no Entwistle flash. Excellent!

[@c.a.carlln0287]

I can’t imagine this song with any bass player other than Bill.

[@Lysandros]

This bass line is what give Gimme Shelter all its flavor!

[@donnyandriasstudio1115]

Master Musician player Bass ....The Great and Genius ...Mr.Billy Wyman 🤘🤘👍👍

[@monosound81]

Great tone

[@randyranson84]

A treat for the ears, also, remember this is brand new in the recording studio, and likely modified and improved with age like a fine wine, and then poof like smoke, Bill Wyman disappears from the band, and all that development and fine tuning gets lost to the group. The same with Charlie Watts, he smacked it right in sync with Jagger's vocals and body movements, on top of playing for the band with the others, and now that's even lost, as the new drummer, as good as he is, hasn't got that depth with the band and Jagger to execute all the extras in time. Very noticeable on the Stones tour. Keith is the last one who holds it all together, once Keith goes, Jagger's finished and so are the Rolling Stones. It's always been Keith Richards band.

[@professormacdeezy]

A great companion to this is the gimme shelter with Keith’s vocals

[@renorailfanning5465]

His bass-playing on the Hyde Park version of " Honky Tonk Woman" is masterful. My favorite part of that version.

[@sketchesinsand8593]

KnightRiderKARR has put up a version of this song with the bass turned up quite a bit. So you get to hear the song but you can actually hear Bill’s part in it. Gotta say though it’s great to hear the bass all by itself.

[@bobtis]

After all these years 56 to be exact he has become my Favorite Stone along with Charlie 😢. Wyman very cool nice guy.

[@TeraNcharly75]

so great line...full of life and tragedy as this awesome tune is..

[@masamitsutaira7340]

Amazing!! This is 60s sounds.

[@stonesinmyblood27]

Outside of live concerts, The Rolling Stones slowly faded away when Wyman left the band

[@naomi8529]

A true Rocker through and through. ✌🏻🙏🏻🎸💋💋💋

[@DDEENY]

The Stones were never an "all-star" group of virtuoso musicians. They were and are a group of very good musicians who know each other more than well enough musically to uniquely blend together as a band that is the sum of its parts and assumes an identity of its own apart from the individuals. And BTW, Charlie is probably the most underrated drummer in rock history - not loud or flashy but does his job by keeping time with the very best of them. Regarding Bill, it's a little-known fact that he was the one who came up with the "Jumping Jack Flash" riff and not Keith as everyone would assume. And lets's face it - Bill was caught in the right place at the right time with a band that was fortunate enough to develop a strong following on the heels of the Beatles who opened the door to the British Invasion of '60's rock bands (even though The Stones were careful early on to identify themselves a blues band and not a popular "rock and roll" band). I've always wondered what Bill's bass playing really sounds like because it typically never seemed to come through the mix very well. Not surprisingly, it's better than I thought. So what if he's not John Entwistle - it works. Critics always love to live by the sword by suggesting that people suck at what they do when they don't - it makes them feel important to criticize unjustly.

[@joseaquino8773]

+DDEENY Man, that's some great insight! Not only critics, many people online love to criticize unjustly just because they're behind a keyboard and more or less anonymous

[@charlessavoie7408]

DDEENY that's your opinion.

[@andzwe]

Bill Wyman is the sort of bassist you often hardly notice, but you would know how essential his part is when it was left out. Much like John McVie in Fleetwood Mac. He was the perfect bassist for the way Watts and Richards interact. Entwistle's kind of playing wouldn't have worked in the Stones. He was a bassist but served as an extra rhythm- and even lead-guitarist at the same time. Perfect for The Who. BTW; The fact that they often weren't able to record the bass well, up until the 70s, is also a reason that it was hard to identify. Even now it's sometimes hard to get it right in the mix.

[@RonnieLeeDuck]

DDEENY, I dispute that Wyman came up with the riff to Jumpin Jack Flash. Richards came up with the basic riff. He did it in drop D tuning. Wyman heard Richards playing it and was taken to it. then sort of doodled with the riff. I think on piano. Wyman ended up contributing a lot to arranging the song into what it became. But he didn't come up with the riff.

[@5InAnotherLand5]

@@RonnieLeeDuck he did and told about that absolutely clear. Believe it or not.

[@thiagocorrea2028]

Eternal Bassist Of The Stones👌👍🤘🥃🍷🍸🍹🌿😎🏀🎸🖤♥️

[@robinbolton6064]

Wow I didn't realize how busy he played. He seems to prefer more notes to longer rooted notes. That's a lot of work but it creates movement or as they call it " wobble"

[@T0MATOPLANT]

He is brilliant and probably the best player of the instrument ever.

[@shadywilder]

Happy 80th birthday to a rock'n'roll pioneer and legend...may you rock to 100.