^In my case, the chief inspirations in my formative years were: Paul McCartney, Jonathan Lodge, Andy Kulburg, Greg Lake, and Dave Paton. I'm pretty much UK inspired with the exception of Andy Kulberg. Hmm...roots in Motown but heavily influenced by that melodic UK vibe. No wonder I don't sound like anybody else according to people I've played with. I don't know what I am!!!!
Yet another interesting coincidence. Once I hit my late teens, and started really expanding my musical palette, that UK sound was a huge influence on me too. I feel like the Brits had some real advantages for a couple reasons. The first is the regional folk music, which provided both the melodic element you mentioned, but also made their compositions less formulaic and pattern oriented.
Once the blues really exploded in London, there was an influx of jazz drummers and bassists recruited to provide the foundation for people like Eric Clapton and Peter Green. Add in the formally trained classical and jazz talent in the recording studios, both among the producers and session musicians, and you have a sort of perfect musical storm to produce a wide array of sounds.
I guess I technically discovered Greg Lake when a prog rock nut friend of mine gave me a copy of pictures at an exhibition. He seems to get dismissed as a bassist by a lot of prog rock fanboys because he's less about technical virtuosity than sitting back in the pocket. For me, of course, that's part of his appeal. What's even cooler, though, is how he throws in all kinds of harmonies you wouldn't expect, but he can still bring the funk.
What really changed my playing was when I picked up a stack of old Jethro Tull albums at a second hand record shop and discovered Glen Cornick. His bass lines from Stand Up, Benefit, and Living In The Past created the blueprint for their future arrangements, long after he was fired. Their version of Bach's Bouree is like a master class in how to glue a song together on bass. He starts out right up front, harmonizing with the flute, then slides back between the drums and guitar before throwing down a brilliant solo without a single wasted note, and then leads the whole band back in for the big finish.
What's really cool to me is how he integrates the low harmonies from the Bach original in the walking lines at the beginning and end. Even the first part of the solo evokes a baroque feel without ever losing that amazing groove.
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