Vote For Best Bassists in Alternative Rock in our new poll.

*POLLS ARE CLOSED: Click here for the results!

Update; now go check out our new poll for best alternative rock drummers! Voting ends Sunday May 5th!

I’ve made lists of the most underrated vocalists and most underrated guitarists in rock. But is there any musician more underrated than the bassist?

A bass-line is the heartbeat of the song. It can work in tandem with guitar riffs or provide counterpoint, working against it in interesting ways. The best bass players are equally adept at both techniques.

The wide-reaching umbrella genre of alternative rock boasts the most innovative group of bassists around. Why? Well, in the post-punk era, bassists like Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), David J (Bauhaus), Adam Clayton (U2) and Simon Gallup (The Cure) often used the bass as a lead instrument, providing just as much melody as a guitar player.

And in the 90’s the bass was equally in your face, where players like Flea (RHCP), Billy Gould (Faith No More) and Les Claypool (Primus) brought in slap bass with a more aggressive attitude than its genesis in funk and soul music.

Rather than taking my word for it, and leaving me to do the ranking, I’ve decided to try something new and do a poll. You decide who you think are the best! I’ve given you a list of 26 of the best players from past to present. They encompass all the various alt-rock sub-categories; goth, grunge, industrial metal, punk, rap-rock, new wave, etc.

I’ve also included a blank entry for you to add if you find any glaring omissions of your favorites.

You can choose up to 3 choices and voting will end Sunday April 14th.

So vote and be counted and feel free to chime in about your choices below on who rules the 4-5 strings.

[yop_poll id=”4″]

*Polls are currently closed. I’ll post a list of the winners shortly.

Many of the bands listed are playing at Lollapalooza and Coachella this year, so check out the lineup if you haven’t already.

In case you’re wondering, the musicians featured in the collage are David J, Steve Kilbey (The Church) who I recently interviewed FYI, Flea and recently disgruntled author Peter Hook. There’s an Amazon link to his new book about Joy Division below.

[amazon_image id=”0062222562″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division[/amazon_image]