JOHN ENTWISTLE

Next up in this British trilogy is the esteemed John Entwistle, who of course was the bassist for The Who until his sudden demise in 2002, the details of which are well known.
The man was known as 'thunderfingers' for a reason! I'm not sure when that nickname first came about, but it was in evidence as early as his thrilling bass solo fills in 'My Generation' in 1965. His bass was also well to the fore in his own composition 'Boris the Spider', a live favourite, and the awesome 'The Ox' (another nick-name!). Although another 'quiet one', just standing there playing with a semi-bored look on his face as he played, the occasional devilish grin would break out for a moment, hinting at the playful energy that welled within. By the end of the 60s his bass sound had grown comfortably with the increase in amplified power and he was a fully assured master of the instrument in a rock context. My favourite moments of his playing are on 'Live At Leeds' from 1970, where you can hear muscular playing that is confidently fluid and exploratory at the same time, with jamming aplenty. Through this his playing remains grounded in the groove of the song and the interplay between musicians is telepathic in that rare way that musos love.
Of his solo albums, I've admittedly only heard the first two, 'Smash Your Head Against The Wall' and 'Whistle Rymes', which are OK but the material failed to make much of an impression on my ears. I was intrigued that he did an album with Glen Tipton of Judas Priest and Cozy Powell (whom despite all his other accomplishments, I always remember just for Bedlam) - 'Edge of the World' - which came out well after both John and Cozy had passed on. However, it's a bit of a mixed bag - great to hear John in a metal context, but not so great with the songs themselves and the mainstream approaches much of the time.
All that being said, the strength of his playing with The Who, especially live, makes up for any mis-steps on the side. John Entwistle will always have a special place in my heart, along with my other favourite players, for being a great player and a great guy.

Suggested listening:
THE WHO
My Generation (1965)
A Quick One (1966)
The Who Sell Out (1967)
Live at Leeds (1970)
Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (1996)
Who's Next (1971)
SOLO
Smash Your Head Against The Wall (1971)