Important: ranking Bay Area ‘68 rhythm sections two different ways...
Can’t help it. I have become obsessed by pondering the various qualities of the bass and drums in the big acts associated with the SF/Oakland music of a particular moment. Here are my tentative rankings.
When ranking by drums/percussion, here’s my list (distinctions fall off quickly after the first two):
Santana
Sly and the Family Stone
The Grateful Dead
Jefferson Airplane
Big Brother and the Holding Co.
Moby Grape
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Country Joe and the Fish
and when ranked by my appreciation of the bass playing (note Larry Graham’s fame/notoriety and credit for popularizing slapping gets no special credit from me):
Jefferson Airplane
The Grateful Dead
Santana
Moby Grape
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Sly and the Family Stone
Country Joe and the Fish
Big Brother and the Holding Co.
for comparison, ranked simply as bands:
Jefferson Airplane
Santana
Sly and the Family Stone
Moby Grape
Big Brother and the Holding Co.
The Grateful Dead
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Country Joe and the Fish
What do you think?
