Drum n bass

Would someone who plays nothing but rhythm guitar be considered a member of a band's rhythm section?

Oh for sure. John Lennon said somewhere in the anthology film series that he played rhythm guitar so had the responsibility of really making the band rock. The Beatles once turned up without a drummer to a gig at the Liverpool Casbah claiming "The rhythm's in the guitars".

For bass players yeah I really like Entwistle (I did just listen to "The Real Me" and yes it does have a remarkable bassline). He's a legend, technically very good also. There is also Mark King who does outrageous things in slap-bass, an enormous talent. But it's not all about technique it's about what music they play and how they play it .. this is why I don't go a big heap on 32 notes-per-second guitarists like Steve Vai, I'm just not moved by the tunes they play.

For tunes I really like Herbie Flowers, a session musician. He did the catch bass line on Reed's Walk On The Wild Side, it's just a C and an F, but it's the double-bass'd split 1/10th note apart from the electric bass that gives it that distinctive feeling. Herbie also did Rock On, a David Essex song on which the bass is just awesome. Herbie did a ton of work with Bowie in the 70s, many albums that are all very fond memories for me.

But the best bassist in the world (IMHO) is a class above these. The best bassist in the world re-invented the way that everyone has played the bass ever since. Shortly before Stu Sutcliffe died at a very early age, he left The Beatles leaving them in need of a new bass player. Legend has it that nobody would take it on but as history shows McCartney himself jumped at it. McCartney could play piano and guitar but had never really played bass. He got a light weighted Hoffner that he could play like a lead guitar, and he did play it like a lead guitar. His basslines were the first to be played like a lead guitar, they go to unexpected high places (just listen to "A Little Help From My Friends" for a good example). So Paul gets my vote for bass player.

Oh, and let's not forget Zep's JPJ of course.

On the skins, I actually like Ringo. The 12/8 drums on Ticket To Ride, check out those toms man, as Lennon said "That song is heavy". Strawberry Fields Forever also shows off Ringo's versatility as a rock drummer - in fact I covered this song on my latest covers album (see my homepage) and could get nowhere near Ringo.

There's Cozy Powell of course, another legend. I also very much like Steve White, who played with Paul Weller in the 90's and Alan White (Steve's brother) who played with Oasis during their hay day.

For me #1 would be Phil Collins though. Check out some of his Genesis work and of course In The Air Tonight. You can really feel the emotion in his drums.

Of course the real best bass and drum men and women will never be discovered, they'll be living in a tent in Peru or something :)

Out of your list I would probably have to go for Starr-McCartney, although I'd like to see Copeland-Sting in the list also. I do have fond memories of Baker-Bruce from the "reunion gig" I saw at the Royal Albert Hall in London during 2005, but they were so overshadowed by Claptons tour de force religious-experience that I can't pick them out.

Ok, here's one for you. Pick YOUR perfect band, ignoring the fact that they may not gel, give me your perfect super band, so skins, bass, keyboards, rg, lg and vox, 6 names please!