From 2010 through 2021, the bassist who provided the low-end in Whitesnake was a chap by the name of Michael Devin, who over the years has also played with the likes of Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lynch Mob, and Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience. And like all musicians, he has a select number of players before him that served as an early inspiration.
And one such bassist is Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler, whose memorable bass lines also served as an obvious influence on the likes of Cliff Burton, while Butler is also responsible for writing the majority of the group’s lyrics throughout the ’70s. During a recent interview with No Treble, Devin explained what made Butler so gosh darn special.
“I loved Geezer Butler when I was cutting my teeth because he was the first guy who played counterpoint to a lot of what Tony [Iommi] was playing,” Devin said (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar).
“And it’s so subtle that if you’re not tuning into it, you just think he’s following the riff. But because he’s playing a slight variation on this riff, it widened the sound of Black Sabbath to such degree that it just sounded like powder kegs falling every time the bass came in.”
“And I’m like, ‘How is he doing that?’ And as I dug into him, I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s not quite playing that exactly how Tony is.’ He was like a second guitarist.
He really was, absolutely. And again, playing for the song, where he played *for* the song. I appreciate the players that can do that.”
During a recent chat with Songfacts, Butler himself discussed what made his bass-playing style unique and why his approach was almost like that of a lead guitarist at times.
“It’s just the way it developed because I was a rhythm guitarist,” Geezer offered. “When I was a kid, my very first guitar was an acoustic guitar with two strings on it because I couldn’t afford a full set of strings.
For two years, I used to play all Beatles songs on two strings – the melodies. And when I got a bass, it sort of translated over to that.”
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