Sad to say but Ozzy's vocals suited early Sabbath but not much talent really. And I have been listening to Sabbath for 46 years and played Bass in a Sabbath tribute band
When you start playing Geezer's bass lines, you start to appreciate just how good the guy is. He carries so much rhythm and has so much presence in each song that ties in so well with Tony. As a bass player, you don't get to hide in the background when you're playing Geezer's bass lines. It's up front, it's loud, it's distorted and it's fun. When you listen to Sabbath songs without the bass, you start to really appreciate just how much is going on. Single held notes while you're feeling that impending doom. Galloping rhythms with well placed octaves surrounded by a collection of cool little licks to keen the rhythm interesting, There's no just providing the bottom end under layers of rhythm guitars, hanging around in the backgroiund here folks. It IS the rhythm, and it fills the (very large) voids between Tony and Bill. Sabbath re-inspired me to pull the bass off the wall, put the OD in the bass chain and treat the neighbours to some real music.
I think Geezer's start as a guitar player had a huge influence on his style. He was blending his knowledge of how to play rhythm guitar with what he thought a bass line should be. He wasn't concerned with what the establishment thought a baseline should be.
Yes, you're right. It is in Ozzy's biography, that he saw Geezer with an other local band and was surprised, as he heard, Geezer and Iommy started a band, with Geezer as bassist
I was front row at a sabbath gig in 90's. Stood directly in front of Geezer. Even on slow songs his fingers were a blur. Guy is a machine, favourite Bass player of them all.
why? the guy plays like a teenager that's been playing bass for a couple of years. It's SO SO simplistic, which isn't necvessarily a bad thing but the guy has no rythm, shit timing - he's awful. WHY? do people think he's good - he's about as good as ozzy is at dancing. Ok, geezer played with Black Sabbath so credit where credit is due - that's undeniable but to call him a great bass player is taking the piss - he's shit and I bet you, deep down, he fucking knows it - trust me.
As a bassist myself, Geezer was all aggression. His attack, his melodic choices, his tone...Geezer understood that just staying in the pocket wasn't enough. He drove the band. However one feels about 13, his tone on that record is fucking LETHAL. Probably my biggest influence.
13 is a phenomenal album. Fits right in with their classic stuff. One of my favorite Sabbath albums. Especially being that is is recorded and produced so much better than the 70s era albums. Sounds awesome on high end sound systems.
Oh Man, Geezer´s playing can´t be replicated, he has that accurate yet "loose" sound to his bass and tone, it´s so soft yet so agressive. I feel this kind of playing it´s not as trendy among metal musicans nowdays since precition and CHUG became more and more important in the 90´s, it´s a shame cause there´s so much we could learn from Geezer, also his fingering style with three fringers at onces is a beauty.
You said “fingering”! 😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂💀
When I was learning bass as a teenage metalhead in the early 80’s, Geezer was the player I related to for some reason. I would listen to the music of the day and just didn’t really get it. But Black Sabbath just made sense to me. 37 years later, his lines remain a joy as well as a challenge to play well. So, thanks Geezer.
What I notice about Geezer's bass playing, he follows the guitar riff. Since he is a guitar player too. Usually, bassists follow the drumming, since both are rhythm instruments.
Geezer was my very first influence for learning bass and guitar. I listened lot a lot of "nu metal" stuff at the time, but when I listened to Sabbath via my dad's girlfriend's albums, I fell in love with it instantly. I then branched out and found other classic metal, and even now Geezer is still an influence on bass, along with Steve Harris, Ian Hill, Cliff Burton and others (never could nail a Lemmy sound even though I loved it). Then I discovered John Deacon, John Paul Jones, and other guys in that vein...
Huge Harris/Maiden fan. In all the interviews and such with Harris, have never heard him mention Butler. It always surprised me. It was always Squire, John Entwhistle, Phil Lynott. I always figured it was Geezer, Geddy Lee, JP Jones.. guys like that. Not saying he wasn't, just never heard him mention Geezer.
@@46HarvesterOfSorrow He doesn't mention Geezer really, he just mentions Paranoid as being the first song he tried on the bass. He just mentions he tried it, failed, went for a walk and when he tried a second time he got it. He mentions it somewhere so casually it doesn't even sound like him giving Geezer any credit.
For as much as metalheads pride themselves for wanting something "different", it's stunningly obvious how badly they often want the rhythm section to just support the guitar in the strictest sense of the word. Guitar noodling is venerated, whereas bass playing that deviates from just following the guitar's root notes is deemed masturbatory. Yes, the guitar sound is what defines the genre. But you can hold the low end and provide a steady rhythm WHILE ALSO getting funky, melodic, laying down a groove and adding your own flourishes. I know, I know, there are still creative bassists around. But I feel like, for a genre that prides itself for guitar adventurism, the bass is heavily under utilized. And Geezer Butler is living proof that this is completely unnecessary. Still a favorite metal bassist of mine.
Check out Geezer on Eddie Trunk's podcast recently. He talks specifically about writing parallel bass lines that don't necessarily follow the guitar but rather create another groove that can coincide nicely. Interesting take.
There are two kinds of metalheads. Musicians and non-musicians. The non-musicians, safe a few exceptions, have no fucking idea of what they are listening to. If it's good, if it's bad, etc. As long as it has catchy riffs, strong easy listening drums, and cool voice, you're good to go. Quality of the solos is also irrelevant to non-musicians. Metallica, for example, is actually a great band. But its sucess comes mostly due to the fact that the band had great production, and Hetfield always had a freaking awesome, powerful and bad ass voice. No one was singing like that in the 80's.
A big part of the role he plays is that in the early days there was only one guitar on stage. (well, there still technically is, but since at least the Geoff Nicholls days there is a guy backstage who plays keyboard and occasional rhythm guitar) So it was up to him to keep riffs going while Tony played solos. He sure does like his walking bass lines, which is a very old jazz and blues style. But he also knows when to keep quiet, and hit just the impact notes, for certain dramatic moments that are building up to something... which would become a really big thing in metal. I had opportunity to see Heaven and Hell in 2007 (? was it really that long ago?) and Geezer REALLY stood out to me there. There were a lot of moments where it's keyboards and guitar solos, and it was totally up to Geezer to keep the muscle going in the rhythm section. "Die Young" for example.
A couple of my favorite Geezer moments: (1) first three notes after the first E chord at the very start of War Pigs, (2) during Slipping Away from Mob Rules, how his bass lines scurry under the hard guitar riff like a fat greasy rat trying to escape getting stomped. Also Lord of this World-during the riff but also during the solo; and of course Into the Void. Personally I don’t love the bass solo before NIB but during the rest of that song he’s brilliant as usual.
I rarely hear anyone comment on his use of overdubs like Iommi during a few select areas of War Pigs. The double bass riffs are similar, yet independent.
Listened to endless rock songs i will never forget the bass sound in "Black Sabbath".He made the bass sound like a car s motor turns on.Brilliant unique heavier than anyone but same time funky jazzy They were three top creative musicians combined together was really the birth of something special
Geezer is 100% my biggest influence on bass. He got me out of my “bass player limbo” phase and on to developing my own style. PLEASE if your struggling on bass/guitar, find a band with a notable focus on bass, and just try to play like them. It’s really the best was imo.
Geezer has a very jazz influenced style. I don’t know any of his influences, but I’m certain Jack Bruce must be one of them. And possibly John Entwhistle.
Geezer is the reason i Kept Playn Bass.. He basically taught me how to play the Bass... being a self taught Bass player for almost 40yrs now.. The Mighty Geezer Butler kept me hungry for more.. Black Sabbath is my all time favorite band no doubt.. People always say how amazing Tony was and his shredding riffs and such.. well take a good listen to the Bass playn behind Tony.. Geezer was shredding too.. Talk about holding down the low end .. No one did it better!! Thank You Geezer sir , for sharing your gifts with the world..
Seen Geezer at a couple of Ozz Fests back in the 2000's, I also played in a Sabbath tribute band called "Speak of The Devil" in the Bay Area/SF. I went to great lengths to memorize all of Geezer Butler's / Sabbath songs. So full of rhythm and bass lines that carried the whole pieces over the guitars. Once I had the pleasure and surprise of having Brad Gillis show up at one of our shows at The Rooster Roadhouse in Alameda, Ca. Brad Gillis climbed on stage grabbed the guitar from the guitarist and said: "Children of the Grave" ... Bill the drummer started drumming away on cue, I followed suit. The singer Scott Tonkin grabbed the drummer's Rotto Toms and some sticks and started tagging them along... Brad Gillis soloed for more than 5 minutes. at the end of the solo I engaged in auto-pilot and ripped into the guitar solo in harmony... When the song was over, Brad left the building without saying a word... I think he got sentimental and It was awesome for me...
I used to play bass, and, Geezer remains one of my favorites. He plays around with a lot of blues scales, and is awesome in many ways. There is metal, where the bass is used to reinforce a chord, in order to create a heavier sound. Then there is the whole doom/stoner/metal/rock scene, which is often closer to what Black Sabbath did. A good example is a band called Sleep. They even have a song called Giza Butler! :)
He and Bill just played so well off each other. Geezer’s tone was very distinctive, almost like the marriage of bass and 6 string. He broke the old mold and formed a new one.
Love Black Sabbath and Geezer. Including his work outside Sabbath. My favourite bass player among the Metal world, however, is Alex Webster from Cannibal Corpse. And yes, he plays technical Death Metal with fingers. And creative as hell, also.
Geezer Butler is the reason i play bass. Id spend dozens of hours just listening to Ozzy Era Sabbath albums, both live and studio versions. Every single note was perfect. I could never pick a single note or riff that i could imagine being played any other way. You should absolutely do a deeper dive into his playing.
@@MetalPilgrim He also has some great stuff outside of Sabbath. He has some awesome bass lines in The Geezer Butler Band and even GZR. Even if you dont choose to cover those in any upcoming videos, you should still check them out for yourself
As for which songs: Geezer Butler Band: the most "fun" song (although the bass line isnt too interesting) is "Heat on the Street" GZR: a lot of good ones on the Ohmwork album, but "I Believe shows off the bass a bit more than most, even though its not flashy. "Aural Sects" and "Misfit" are more fun songs in my opinion.
Totaly cool playing and the sound is great too. He has a great finger playing style with bends, wha-wha, distortion, etc. Not much pull offs though, some chords here and there, lots of penta scales, lots of octaves, etc. But I think he played with a pick on the fastest songs, so I read somewhere... You can definatley "emulate" his style, anyone can when they start to be good enough on the bass, but noone can play exactly as him though, since everyone is slightly different in articulations, heaviness/softness, groove, etc. For example, try War Pigs on bass, a lot of fun imo with some "solo bass" stuff...
You’re quite right of course. Geezer Butler is absolutely brilliant and for sure a Bass God. It’s so much fun to play those old Sabbath songs. My metal bass influence is Butler, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee, Clive Burton, Jason Newsted, Robert Trujillo, Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Lynott, Bob Daisley and Rudy Sarzo. But Ian Hill, Roger Glover, Cliff Williams and Frank Bello is also very important to the development of the art of Metal Bass i think...🤘🏼
The one and only Geezer Butler! I've been listening to Black Sabbath throughout my adulthood. I'm approaching 68 years old and still listening and rocking. The bass in God is Dead provides an other worldly dimension to that song, a sense of the ominous. That powerful base feels like the heartbeat of the hand of doom in War Pigs and so many Sabbath songs. I've seen them in concert multiple times. Sabbath and me have grown old together.
Geezer Butler is arguably the most important member of black sabbath! He wrote all the lyrics he helped create the doom sound and he’s not an egomaniac.bass riff from Sabbath bloody Sabbath!
You bass players should check out Geezer's Ashdown 666 watt (1000 max) Head of Doom amplifier, which he worked closely with them to develop, and actually uses for smaller gigs. I bought one out of respect for his influence on me, and I assure you, it is a ******* beast!
I play bass, for fun. And 🎉I always judge players simply by how fun they are to listen to and how well that add to the song. Geezer is my favorite bassist. Cris Kirkwood is up there too. Yes I also love John Paul Jones. They all ROCK.
The biggest mystery; how he tuned to C# on a shortscale in the 70's. Before anyone says he doesn't use a shortscale; he had several EB basses some of which were 30", and he used a Dan Armstrong Plexi for Master Of Reality and live in that era, and that was the downtuned era.
The first three Sabbath albums were recorded with a Fender pbass (the first one with a 69' with a stripped finish, shown on Beat Club's "Black Sabbath" video. The stripped 1969 Precision was traded in for another Fender Precision bass - a 1967 with sunburst finish - which was used on "Paranoid" and "Master of Reality". The later was the first album recorded with the C# tuning). Vol. 4 was recorded with a Dan Armstrong Plexiglass Bass.
Love his counter melodies & the way he follws a riff......then ADDS his own twist.... to make it sound even heavier & MORE musical. Lost art. "Falling of the edge of the World" is a perfect example. The main riff is held solid in a box....Both Tony & Geez lock it in......then Geez goes for the HIGH note as opposed to what Tony does. Masterful. Cheers all
This guy gave me my first lessons and foundation on bass. I still play p-bass towards the neck to get that rich, soft and boomy sound! I still wander with pentatonics along drums during guitar solos. To most guitarists annoyance😂 But fuck them, Geezer is God♥️
To truly understand early Geezer Butler one must check it out the works penned by his two main influences back then: Leo Lyons and - Geezer's biggest influence - Jack Bruce.
I liked the DIo era when he and Iommi would play the opposite of the chord progression. Tony starts to go higher as Butler goes even deeper like on Children of the Sea. He was like a Jazz bass player but within the limit of the DOOM chord
A very unique, very original sound. I think it's the down-tuning more than anything else that makes that trademark Sabbath sound. Sabbath was a special band for many reasons but a principle one was that each member had their own unique sound which contributed to the whole. Take away any one of them and the band's unique character changes. Not necessarily in a bad way, mind you. I enjoyed the work of the later Sabbath members too but it was never the same without the original lineup.
My favorite work by Geezer is on the "Heaven and Hell" album; I was kind of surprised not to see any of those tracks here. Lots of movement and countermelody. He has explained in an interview that he wasn't with the band when they wrote this album; he came in after the other tracks had been recorded. Maybe that's why his lines sound so independent.
Great video, it gonna be awesome if you make a part of this series for the lesser known facts about Black Sabbath and the journey through the years to Heaven and Hell and Dio years up to their last release "13" and the final tour
The strength of his plucking hand was super percussive. He also plays around the riff a lot, and wasn’t necessarily in the pocket. Definitely more jazzy which fits with Bill Ward’s boozy jazz style. There’s a lot of ghost notes just from his play style alone. Volume 4 has some incredibly unique note choice compared to a lot of the other early stuff. With Dio he played a more driving style which is quite contradictory to the previous stuff, showing his incredible range.
If those are true isolated bass parts played by Butler himself, I have to guess they were recorded much later and use what I would call the 'touring' parts which make up for both studio tricks and ease of play while on the road, long after the studio session has faded from memory.
You really should've included base lines from NSD's "Over To You" and, "Air Dance". Geezers base play in those are some of his best, if not the very best of his 70s works. Check it out.
I have just read Geezer’s book and by the way he was talking about his own Bass playing ability when the band first started, you would have thought he was an absolute beginner, who was only kept in the band by Tony because Tony liked him. Geezer was great right from the start. I guess he’s just a way too modest person.
All my favorite bassists play their instrument like a guitar or piano. I love when a bassist can really explore the full spectrum of their instrument. One note lines are actually sometimes necessary, and it won't do to play something too busy under the guitar, but players like Geezer give prime examples of counterpoint. When Tony launches into a solo, Geezer goes flying with him as a wingman, and knows how to swing around with him without getting in the way. Paul McCartney has that gift too; he plays his bass like a pianist, taking care of the left hand lines while John and George cover the right hand. Then you get bassists like Lemmy, that beat their instrument like it owes him money, straight up punk guitar on a bass. Fucking magical.
👍 Yeah I would agree, his prior rythym guitar knowledge and his lack of REAL bass playing experience really helped Geez develop his own unique style. That and watching his fav bass player Jack Bruce from Cream........
when i learn to play "Lord of this world" on my bass, i changed my way of play finger style. I think, the first "secret" of this powerful man is the attack of the middle finger when hit the strings, a fusion betwen contrabass+guitar+percution. thats just my perception. (sory my "caveman" english)
Geezer is the reason I wanted to play bass, never had an interest in 6 strings, only 4. Its the job of a bass player to keep a full sound when the guitar player goes into a lead (when its only one guitarist) and Geezer makes it look effortless. But I guess when you're jammin with the God of riffs, you have plenty of practice lol. Hands down, the greatest heavy metal band to ever walk on a stage.
NIB is someone else, the others seam legit. You can hear the hum from his Dan Armstrong Plexi in some of them. Most people also miss that the last note in Symptom Of The Universe is a power chord.
Every bass player should study and eventually aspire to play like Terrance "Geezer" Butler...Fucking Brilliant, he always plays interesting/musical lines, unlike some of the boring "posers" who just bang or slap on the roots of the chords....lame shit
*What is your favourite Geezer Butler song and why?*
NIB simply because it it just so unique, and a close second to children of the grave just because of that rolling shred
War pigs. Bass line is so cool
All.
@@jackluminous4573 Fuck Yeah
solo: Man in the Suitcase because its awesome
Butler is not a pioneering bass player only, he wrote (almost) all lyrics for Ozzy when he was in Sabbath back in the 70s.
Same with Bob Daisly. He wrote all the hits
Sad to say but Ozzy's vocals suited early Sabbath but not much talent really. And I have been listening to Sabbath for 46 years and played Bass in a Sabbath tribute band
Yeah he was a pioneering bass player
When you start playing Geezer's bass lines, you start to appreciate just how good the guy is. He carries so much rhythm and has so much presence in each song that ties in so well with Tony. As a bass player, you don't get to hide in the background when you're playing Geezer's bass lines. It's up front, it's loud, it's distorted and it's fun. When you listen to Sabbath songs without the bass, you start to really appreciate just how much is going on.
Single held notes while you're feeling that impending doom. Galloping rhythms with well placed octaves surrounded by a collection of cool little licks to keen the rhythm interesting, There's no just providing the bottom end under layers of rhythm guitars, hanging around in the backgroiund here folks. It IS the rhythm, and it fills the (very large) voids between Tony and Bill.
Sabbath re-inspired me to pull the bass off the wall, put the OD in the bass chain and treat the neighbours to some real music.
Was going to say something similar. Well said.
I think Geezer's start as a guitar player had a huge influence on his style. He was blending his knowledge of how to play rhythm guitar with what he thought a bass line should be. He wasn't concerned with what the establishment thought a baseline should be.
Yes, you're right. It is in Ozzy's biography, that he saw Geezer with an other local band and was surprised, as he heard, Geezer and Iommy started a band, with Geezer as bassist
I think you are simplifying what it means to play the bass. He understands holding a root cord but also throws in so much more.
100% right on that on my opinion. I've always thought that since hearing that he was first
Yep. Like Cliff Burton
3 times I have been on the barrier right in front of Geezer watching his fingers dance across that bass. The guy is a genius. Fantastic bassist.
I was front row at a sabbath gig in 90's. Stood directly in front of Geezer. Even on slow songs his fingers were a blur. Guy is a machine, favourite Bass player of them all.
Geezer was throwing down distorted sounding jazz licks, going along with what Bill Ward was playing. Fkn brilliant, man!
Blues licks. There's nothing jazzy about his playing IMO.
Bill is the one who bought the jazz
Every bass player should study and aspire to play like Geezer, always interesting, musical lines....F*cking brilliant
why? the guy plays like a teenager that's been playing bass for a couple of years. It's SO SO simplistic, which isn't necvessarily a bad thing but the guy has no rythm, shit timing - he's awful. WHY? do people think he's good - he's about as good as ozzy is at dancing. Ok, geezer played with Black Sabbath so credit where credit is due - that's undeniable but to call him a great bass player is taking the piss - he's shit and I bet you, deep down, he fucking knows it - trust me.
As a bassist myself, Geezer was all aggression. His attack, his melodic choices, his tone...Geezer understood that just staying in the pocket wasn't enough. He drove the band. However one feels about 13, his tone on that record is fucking LETHAL. Probably my biggest influence.
13 is a phenomenal album. Fits right in with their classic stuff. One of my favorite Sabbath albums. Especially being that is is recorded and produced so much better than the 70s era albums. Sounds awesome on high end sound systems.
He is the reason I play bass now
Oh Man, Geezer´s playing can´t be replicated, he has that accurate yet "loose" sound to his bass and tone, it´s so soft yet so agressive. I feel this kind of playing it´s not as trendy among metal musicans nowdays since precition and CHUG became more and more important in the 90´s, it´s a shame cause there´s so much we could learn from Geezer, also his fingering style with three fringers at onces is a beauty.
You said “fingering”!
😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂💀
@@wtfdidijustwatch5053 Well yeah haha you bet your sweet bippy i did
Three fingers? Are you sure? I seen a lot os lives from him, and never saw that technique. I know that he played a lot with pick too
He is the best bass player in all of history. 100 percent.
@@caio42631 Yep, he did It more in the early days, Paranoid comes to mind immediatly
I always took Butler for granted until I saw Sabbath live. He was absolutely smashing it. Awesome bassist.
When I was learning bass as a teenage metalhead in the early 80’s, Geezer was the player I related to for some reason. I would listen to the music of the day and just didn’t really get it. But Black Sabbath just made sense to me. 37 years later, his lines remain a joy as well as a challenge to play well. So, thanks Geezer.
What I notice about Geezer's bass playing, he follows the guitar riff. Since he is a guitar player too. Usually, bassists follow the drumming, since both are rhythm instruments.
In metal music, following the guitar is more often done than following the drums. The best bass players in rock and metal do a combination of the two.
He does then branches off into almost a Jamerson like melodic approach. Iommi despite his heavy riffs gives him space.
Geezer was my very first influence for learning bass and guitar. I listened lot a lot of "nu metal" stuff at the time, but when I listened to Sabbath via my dad's girlfriend's albums, I fell in love with it instantly. I then branched out and found other classic metal, and even now Geezer is still an influence on bass, along with Steve Harris, Ian Hill, Cliff Burton and others (never could nail a Lemmy sound even though I loved it). Then I discovered John Deacon, John Paul Jones, and other guys in that vein...
Steve Harris was heavily inspired on him, so this just proves his mastery.
Huge Harris/Maiden fan. In all the interviews and such with Harris, have never heard him mention Butler. It always surprised me. It was always Squire, John Entwhistle, Phil Lynott. I always figured it was Geezer, Geddy Lee, JP Jones.. guys like that. Not saying he wasn't, just never heard him mention Geezer.
@@46HarvesterOfSorrow He doesn't mention Geezer really, he just mentions Paranoid as being the first song he tried on the bass. He just mentions he tried it, failed, went for a walk and when he tried a second time he got it. He mentions it somewhere so casually it doesn't even sound like him giving Geezer any credit.
For as much as metalheads pride themselves for wanting something "different", it's stunningly obvious how badly they often want the rhythm section to just support the guitar in the strictest sense of the word. Guitar noodling is venerated, whereas bass playing that deviates from just following the guitar's root notes is deemed masturbatory. Yes, the guitar sound is what defines the genre. But you can hold the low end and provide a steady rhythm WHILE ALSO getting funky, melodic, laying down a groove and adding your own flourishes. I know, I know, there are still creative bassists around. But I feel like, for a genre that prides itself for guitar adventurism, the bass is heavily under utilized. And Geezer Butler is living proof that this is completely unnecessary. Still a favorite metal bassist of mine.
Check out Geezer on Eddie Trunk's podcast recently. He talks specifically about writing parallel bass lines that don't necessarily follow the guitar but rather create another groove that can coincide nicely. Interesting take.
Utter BS. Self-indulgent nonsense that is obviously not correct.
There are two kinds of metalheads. Musicians and non-musicians. The non-musicians, safe a few exceptions, have no fucking idea of what they are listening to. If it's good, if it's bad, etc. As long as it has catchy riffs, strong easy listening drums, and cool voice, you're good to go. Quality of the solos is also irrelevant to non-musicians. Metallica, for example, is actually a great band. But its sucess comes mostly due to the fact that the band had great production, and Hetfield always had a freaking awesome, powerful and bad ass voice. No one was singing like that in the 80's.
@@garymitchell5899 Refute him, then.
Geezer inspired me to start playing bass.
A big part of the role he plays is that in the early days there was only one guitar on stage. (well, there still technically is, but since at least the Geoff Nicholls days there is a guy backstage who plays keyboard and occasional rhythm guitar) So it was up to him to keep riffs going while Tony played solos. He sure does like his walking bass lines, which is a very old jazz and blues style. But he also knows when to keep quiet, and hit just the impact notes, for certain dramatic moments that are building up to something... which would become a really big thing in metal. I had opportunity to see Heaven and Hell in 2007 (? was it really that long ago?) and Geezer REALLY stood out to me there. There were a lot of moments where it's keyboards and guitar solos, and it was totally up to Geezer to keep the muscle going in the rhythm section. "Die Young" for example.
Geezer’s an awesome bassist! One of my favorites from him was the dueling guitar/bass solos on Slipping Away from The Mob Rules album.
Oh yes! That is one of the greatest bass lines in metal
Every member of the band was so bad ass and good at what they do...that's what usually makes for a awesome legendary band
Geezer Butler and John Entwistle , my all time favorite bass players.
A couple of my favorite Geezer moments: (1) first three notes after the first E chord at the very start of War Pigs, (2) during Slipping Away from Mob Rules, how his bass lines scurry under the hard guitar riff like a fat greasy rat trying to escape getting stomped. Also Lord of this World-during the riff but also during the solo; and of course Into the Void. Personally I don’t love the bass solo before NIB but during the rest of that song he’s brilliant as usual.
Yes! Slipping Away is so iconically cool!!
I rarely hear anyone comment on his use of overdubs like Iommi during a few select areas of War Pigs. The double bass riffs are similar, yet independent.
@@terrylandess6072Never noticed that! Cool!
Geezer is definitely a icon in bass history, his fingers are like hammers hitting the strings of doom
I saw Black Sabbath in 99 at Ozzfest. Geezer played a version of N.I.B. with an extended intro that was absolutely amazing. \m/
I totally hear his influence on Cliff Burton when the tracks are isolated.
I love the lines of Evil Woman. He is totally underrated as a Bass player! All his stuff rocks!
His tone is so good.
Love his playing!
Geezer is my 2nd all time fave bassist of all time right behind John Paul Jones. I love the bass line in The Warning.
Listened to endless rock songs i will never forget the bass sound in "Black Sabbath".He made the bass sound like a car s motor turns on.Brilliant unique heavier than anyone but same time funky jazzy
They were three top creative musicians combined together was really the birth of something special
When you got Tony doing the riffs - he was free as a bat in the belfry to do what wanted.
Legend of all the legends.
Geezer is the root, the Base of Heavy Bass for Metal of all genres.
Geezer Butler is my bass hero, I first heard Black Sabbath in 1974 and I was hooked at the age of 6
I love these videos!
Geezer is 100% my biggest influence on bass. He got me out of my “bass player limbo” phase and on to developing my own style. PLEASE if your struggling on bass/guitar, find a band with a notable focus on bass, and just try to play like them. It’s really the best was imo.
Geezer has a very jazz influenced style. I don’t know any of his influences, but I’m certain Jack Bruce must be one of them. And possibly John Entwhistle.
Geezer is a big reason I love Black Sabbath! Well and Bill Ward!
Geezer wrote brillant lyrics as well
Geezer is the reason i Kept Playn Bass..
He basically taught me how to play the Bass...
being a self taught Bass player for almost 40yrs now..
The Mighty Geezer Butler kept me hungry for more..
Black Sabbath is my all time favorite band no doubt..
People always say how amazing Tony was and his shredding riffs and such..
well take a good listen to the Bass playn behind Tony.. Geezer was shredding too..
Talk about holding down the low end .. No one did it better!!
Thank You Geezer sir , for sharing your gifts with the world..
Seen Geezer at a couple of Ozz Fests back in the 2000's, I also played in a Sabbath tribute band called "Speak of The Devil" in the Bay Area/SF. I went to great lengths to memorize all of Geezer Butler's / Sabbath songs. So full of rhythm and bass lines that carried the whole pieces over the guitars.
Once I had the pleasure and surprise of having Brad Gillis show up at one of our shows at The Rooster Roadhouse in Alameda, Ca. Brad Gillis climbed on stage grabbed the guitar from the guitarist and said: "Children of the Grave" ... Bill the drummer started drumming away on cue, I followed suit. The singer Scott Tonkin grabbed the drummer's Rotto Toms and some sticks and started tagging them along... Brad Gillis soloed for more than 5 minutes. at the end of the solo I engaged in auto-pilot and ripped into the guitar solo in harmony... When the song was over, Brad left the building without saying a word... I think he got sentimental and It was awesome for me...
Into the Void 🤘
I used to play bass, and, Geezer remains one of my favorites. He plays around with a lot of blues scales, and is awesome in many ways. There is metal, where the bass is used to reinforce a chord, in order to create a heavier sound. Then there is the whole doom/stoner/metal/rock scene, which is often closer to what Black Sabbath did. A good example is a band called Sleep. They even have a song called Giza Butler! :)
Riff tree is risen
His bass lines on the Dio era albums are really cool
I play bass in a Dio/Sabbath tribute band Geezer is incredible, I manage about half of his fills.
He and Bill just played so well off each other. Geezer’s tone was very distinctive, almost like the marriage of bass and 6 string. He broke the old mold and formed a new one.
Geezer is the reason i started to play bass the first time i heard master of reality in 1973 i was hooked on sabbath metal and the geez
Love Black Sabbath and Geezer. Including his work outside Sabbath. My favourite bass player among the Metal world, however, is Alex Webster from Cannibal Corpse. And yes, he plays technical Death Metal with fingers. And creative as hell, also.
Geezer Butler is the reason i play bass.
Id spend dozens of hours just listening to Ozzy Era Sabbath albums, both live and studio versions.
Every single note was perfect. I could never pick a single note or riff that i could imagine being played any other way.
You should absolutely do a deeper dive into his playing.
There is just so much to explore with him… a great musician
@@MetalPilgrim
He also has some great stuff outside of Sabbath. He has some awesome bass lines in The Geezer Butler Band and even GZR.
Even if you dont choose to cover those in any upcoming videos, you should still check them out for yourself
As for which songs:
Geezer Butler Band: the most "fun" song (although the bass line isnt too interesting) is "Heat on the Street"
GZR: a lot of good ones on the Ohmwork album, but "I Believe shows off the bass a bit more than most, even though its not flashy. "Aural Sects" and "Misfit" are more fun songs in my opinion.
Totaly cool playing and the sound is great too. He has a great finger playing style with bends, wha-wha, distortion, etc. Not much pull offs though, some chords here and there, lots of penta scales, lots of octaves, etc. But I think he played with a pick on the fastest songs, so I read somewhere... You can definatley "emulate" his style, anyone can when they start to be good enough on the bass, but noone can play exactly as him though, since everyone is slightly different in articulations, heaviness/softness, groove, etc. For example, try War Pigs on bass, a lot of fun imo with some "solo bass" stuff...
You’re quite right of course. Geezer Butler is absolutely brilliant and for sure a Bass God. It’s so much fun to play those old Sabbath songs. My metal bass influence is Butler, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee, Clive Burton, Jason Newsted, Robert Trujillo, Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Lynott, Bob Daisley and Rudy Sarzo. But Ian Hill, Roger Glover, Cliff Williams and Frank Bello is also very important to the development of the art of Metal Bass i think...🤘🏼
The one and only Geezer Butler! I've been listening to Black Sabbath throughout my adulthood. I'm approaching 68 years old and still listening and rocking. The bass in God is Dead provides an other worldly dimension to that song, a sense of the ominous. That powerful base feels like the heartbeat of the hand of doom in War Pigs and so many Sabbath songs. I've seen them in concert multiple times. Sabbath and me have grown old together.
Geezer Butler is arguably the most important member of black sabbath! He wrote all the lyrics he helped create the doom sound and he’s not an egomaniac.bass riff from Sabbath bloody Sabbath!
Right-and don’t forget he was responsible for the majority of the lyrics as well!
You bass players should check out Geezer's Ashdown 666 watt (1000 max) Head of Doom amplifier, which he worked closely with them to develop, and actually uses for smaller gigs.
I bought one out of respect for his influence on me, and I assure you, it is a ******* beast!
Awesome playing keep it coming
I play bass, for fun. And 🎉I always judge players simply by how fun they are to listen to and how well that add to the song.
Geezer is my favorite bassist. Cris Kirkwood is up there too. Yes I also love John Paul Jones.
They all ROCK.
The biggest mystery; how he tuned to C# on a shortscale in the 70's. Before anyone says he doesn't use a shortscale; he had several EB basses some of which were 30", and he used a Dan Armstrong Plexi for Master Of Reality and live in that era, and that was the downtuned era.
The first three Sabbath albums were recorded with a Fender pbass (the first one with a 69' with a stripped finish, shown on Beat Club's "Black Sabbath" video. The stripped 1969 Precision was traded in for another Fender Precision bass - a 1967 with sunburst finish - which was used on "Paranoid" and "Master of Reality". The later was the first album recorded with the C# tuning).
Vol. 4 was recorded with a Dan Armstrong Plexiglass Bass.
Heavy metal rythm section was Swing played heavier .
Geezer Butler knows how to hit that doom groove
Love his counter melodies & the way he follws a riff......then ADDS his own twist.... to make it sound even heavier & MORE musical. Lost art. "Falling of the edge of the World" is a perfect example. The main riff is held solid in a box....Both Tony & Geez lock it in......then Geez goes for the HIGH note as opposed to what Tony does. Masterful. Cheers all
Oh yeah Geezer Butler and Tony. Create a heavy metal. What a big pounding. I still listen to It. Is both of them
This guy gave me my first lessons and foundation on bass. I still play p-bass towards the neck to get that rich, soft and boomy sound! I still wander with pentatonics along drums during guitar solos. To most guitarists annoyance😂 But fuck them, Geezer is God♥️
Master bass player!
It was Geezer that inspired me to pick up a bass and learn to play. But it was Anthony Jackson that inspired me to switch to a 6-string bass.
war pigs is a BASS masterpiece for me, that was the first one I ever heard.
Into the void!!!
To truly understand early Geezer Butler one must check it out the works penned by his two main influences back then: Leo Lyons and - Geezer's biggest influence - Jack Bruce.
I liked the DIo era when he and Iommi would play the opposite of the chord progression. Tony starts to go higher as Butler goes even deeper like on Children of the Sea. He was like a Jazz bass player but within the limit of the DOOM chord
Geezer and Bill were the very foundation of Black Sabbath. Thats why they were so good!
A very unique, very original sound. I think it's the down-tuning more than anything else that makes that trademark Sabbath sound.
Sabbath was a special band for many reasons but a principle one was that each member had their own unique sound which contributed to the whole. Take away any one of them and the band's unique character changes.
Not necessarily in a bad way, mind you. I enjoyed the work of the later Sabbath members too but it was never the same without the original lineup.
Geezer my favourite musican of all time. Sabbath my all time best.
My favorite work by Geezer is on the "Heaven and Hell" album; I was kind of surprised not to see any of those tracks here. Lots of movement and countermelody. He has explained in an interview that he wasn't with the band when they wrote this album; he came in after the other tracks had been recorded. Maybe that's why his lines sound so independent.
Always was my favorite. Driving and melodic.
Yes More Geezer Butler While He’s Still A ‘Living’ Legend
Great video, it gonna be awesome if you make a part of this series for the lesser known facts about Black Sabbath and the journey through the years to Heaven and Hell and Dio years up to their last release "13" and the final tour
Thanks man!
The strength of his plucking hand was super percussive. He also plays around the riff a lot, and wasn’t necessarily in the pocket. Definitely more jazzy which fits with Bill Ward’s boozy jazz style. There’s a lot of ghost notes just from his play style alone. Volume 4 has some incredibly unique note choice compared to a lot of the other early stuff. With Dio he played a more driving style which is quite contradictory to the previous stuff, showing his incredible range.
Nice Video. Geezer is the best! Where do you have the soloed Bass Tracks from? I'd like to have them for my practice sessions :)
If those are true isolated bass parts played by Butler himself, I have to guess they were recorded much later and use what I would call the 'touring' parts which make up for both studio tricks and ease of play while on the road, long after the studio session has faded from memory.
You really should've included base lines from NSD's "Over To You" and, "Air Dance". Geezers base play in those are some of his best, if not the very best of his 70s works. Check it out.
I have just read Geezer’s book and by the way he was talking about his own Bass playing ability when the band first started, you would have thought he was an absolute beginner, who was only kept in the band by Tony because Tony liked him. Geezer was great right from the start. I guess he’s just a way too modest person.
Geezer is one of the greatest Bass players ever !!!!
shame ya didn't include non oz era Sabbath riffs. I would love to hear isolated bass from his solo stuff, Ozzmosis, or Heaven & Hell (band)
Agreed.
All my favorite bassists play their instrument like a guitar or piano. I love when a bassist can really explore the full spectrum of their instrument. One note lines are actually sometimes necessary, and it won't do to play something too busy under the guitar, but players like Geezer give prime examples of counterpoint. When Tony launches into a solo, Geezer goes flying with him as a wingman, and knows how to swing around with him without getting in the way. Paul McCartney has that gift too; he plays his bass like a pianist, taking care of the left hand lines while John and George cover the right hand. Then you get bassists like Lemmy, that beat their instrument like it owes him money, straight up punk guitar on a bass. Fucking magical.
I love how geezer bass has the same impact as John Bonham drums, it's noticeable, even alluring
👍 Yeah I would agree, his prior rythym guitar knowledge and his lack of REAL bass playing experience really helped Geez develop his own unique style. That and watching his fav bass player Jack Bruce from Cream........
Geezer is God.
Greetings from Brazil...🤘🎸
Listen to the Geezer Gospel! The words to his work is way better than I thought!
Geezer kicks ass 🤘😎🤘.
why the early work only?
Do you even need to ask that question?. Take Live Aid as an example. The speed he was playing at was unbelievable.
Why is he so special? Because he is Geezer Butler!! Nuf Said!!! 😊
Now Rex Brown makes so much sense.
El mejor bajista del metal...
Does anybody know what bass pedals should I use to make a sound like Geezer's?
Up your amp to 11
It’s more about technique…
when i learn to play "Lord of this world" on my bass, i changed my way of play finger style. I think, the first "secret" of this powerful man is the attack of the middle finger when hit the strings, a fusion betwen contrabass+guitar+percution. thats just my perception. (sory my "caveman" english)
Geezer is the reason I wanted to play bass, never had an interest in 6 strings, only 4. Its the job of a bass player to keep a full sound when the guitar player goes into a lead (when its only one guitarist) and Geezer makes it look effortless. But I guess when you're jammin with the God of riffs, you have plenty of practice lol. Hands down, the greatest heavy metal band to ever walk on a stage.
Are these ACTUAL isolated bass tracks, or someone else playing Butler's bass line?
I'd appreciate knowing. Thanks.
NIB is someone else, the others seam legit. You can hear the hum from his Dan Armstrong Plexi in some of them. Most people also miss that the last note in Symptom Of The Universe is a power chord.
Every bass player should study and eventually aspire to play like Terrance "Geezer" Butler...Fucking Brilliant, he always plays interesting/musical lines, unlike some of the boring "posers" who just bang or slap on the roots of the chords....lame shit
Geezer Butler is a god… plain and simple.
Best bass player ever
I can listen to people talk about how awesome sabbath is all day