Killer Bass Lines

[Louis Balfour]

Halmyre said:

David Essex's eerie 'Rock On', just drums and Herbie Flowers' double-tracked bass (for which he then got paid double his usual fee - he did the same trick on Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side').

Doesn't David Essex look cool in that video. It has transcended time.

[jet_noise]

Zad said:

The same video from the same post I mentioned Norman Watt-Roy in

So lets add another and see if anyone notices

Muse - Hysteria. Chris Wolstenholme on bass. Epic intro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqCOzgYQsKI
Stripped out bass-only track here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1cSLmKUYak

Thanks for the heads-up on Guy Pratt's Lockdown Licks, its always good to get the real, personal view like these, rather than sanitised interviews. He is the sort of chap who I wouldn't be totally surprised to find out that he hangs around on here.


This is probably where I post something from page 2...

Have a read of his autobio My Bass and Other Animals.

ET correct quoteing

Edited by jet_noise on Thursday 26th May 11:09

[thewarlock]

Swervin_Mervin said:

The last decent album of theirs was One Hot Minute. I love their back catalogue before that, in particular the Hilel Slovak era. I'm very much not a fan of the Frusciante era...

Really? One Hot Minute is generally seen as the low point. I love Dave's playing, but between him not really fitting, and all the smack Flea and Anthony were on, it was a pretty poor album.

[2fast748]

Personal favourite of mine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CprfjfN5PRs

Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears

[Swervin_Mervin]

thewarlock said:

Swervin_Mervin said:

The last decent album of theirs was One Hot Minute. I love their back catalogue before that, in particular the Hilel Slovak era. I'm very much not a fan of the Frusciante era...

Really? One Hot Minute is generally seen as the low point. I love Dave's playing, but between him not really fitting, and all the smack Flea and Anthony were on, it was a pretty poor album.

IMO, yes. Some killer bass lines on it as well.

But then I also love FNM's King For a Day, despite that seemingly being one of, if not the most unpopular release of theirs.

[Simes205]

2fast748 said:

Personal favourite of mine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CprfjfN5PRs

Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears

Fat guitar sound on that track too.

[hmg]

Did you say bass riffs.

Very talented musicians..the mid song guitar solo ain’t bad either.

Muse ..Hysteria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eTggVG5wsc

[Dinlowgoon]

https://youtu.be/NNcdJRrnPns
Mick Karn/Japan
Tin Drum album is like nothing else,love it hate it.

[underwhelmist]

Great to see all the love for Mick Karn, I don't think he got enough recognition while he was alive. As much of an innovator as Jaco.

Tony Levin is another fretless genius - I only know his stuff with Peter Gabriel, I'll have to investigate King Crimson and the rest.

[gazza285]

Louis Balfour said:

How do people rate Davide Biale (Davey 504)?

He can play, but that's not really his main shtick, I like his channel though.

[Louis Balfour]

gazza285 said:

Louis Balfour said:

How do people rate Davide Biale (Davey 504)?

He can play, but that's not really his main shtick, I like his channel though.

I was more seeking opinion on his technical ability.

[PomBstard]

rjfp1962 said:

Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth - Psycho Killer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzIuZ-mrIL0

In the same, less-is-more, approach…

Papa was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations

https://youtu.be/nXiQtD5gcHU

[gazza285]

Louis Balfour said:

gazza285 said:

Louis Balfour said:

How do people rate Davide Biale (Davey 504)?

He can play, but that's not really his main shtick, I like his channel though.

I was more seeking opinion on his technical ability.

He can play.

[Don Roque]

Jeff Berlin - Marabi

https://youtu.be/4lXfIVeDFEQ

I can imagine that Scott Henderson's eyes popped out of his head when Jeff gave him the music for this, but they both absolutely nailed it. I've transcribed some of it but I'll never finish the whole thing.

[cherryowen]

Another John Paul Jones example of perfect "pocket" bass and note choice:-

[dandarez]

I've just had a flick through this thread and agee with a lot of them but James Jamerson is prob top (see last comment at foot).

Anyhow, I don't know about a killer bass lines, but since first seeing the Moody Blues at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 I've always been a (mild) fan. Bassist John Lodge wrote this in 1972 and his short bass intro after the drum start makes it. Even today if I hear this song I can't get it out of my head for hours and will be humming or singing it... in fact, I am now! 'I'm Just a singer in a Rock and Roll Band' da da da da...

When I was at an Oxford uni (staff) in the late 80s there was one art student who was absolutely obsessed by the Moody's. She was 10 yrs younger than me so probably first seen them in the late 70s early 80s - then again, there were lots of kids brought along by parents to the Isle of Wight, so...

I digress, I'm going off topic...



Of course, strangely as I don't think it's been mentioned at all in this thread, but FM's The Chain - again not a killer bass but McVie is an old master and while this is not difficult it has to definitely be the most memorable bass line ever surely, especially for pistonheaders?

For a real killer base I'll go back to my mid teens when Tamla Motown was huge here. James Jamerson's bass on the Four Tops' Reach out I'll be there.


An extracted bass track from the original Motown master tape of him doing it alone as an isolated bass track from the record.

[Jake899]

gazza285 said:

Jake899 said:

…punk isn't supposed to be skilfully played…

It isn’t? Who says?

Joe Strummer?

[Ronstein]

[quote=underwhelmist]Great to see all the love for Mick Karn, I don't think he got enough recognition while he was alive. As much of an innovator as Jaco.

Tony Levin is another fretless genius - I only know his stuff with Peter Gabriel, I'll have to investigate King Crimson and the rest.


Check out Liquid Tension Experiment as well. Insanely good playing!!

Edited by Ronstein on Monday 30th May 10:53

[paulguitar]

Have we had Pino Palladino on Don Henley's 'New York Minute' yet?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk38Ukv-GuI

[Halmyre]

Jake899 said:

gazza285 said:

Jake899 said:

…punk isn't supposed to be skilfully played…

It isn’t? Who says?

Joe Strummer?

Heh, I was just thinking the same thing. I remember a frustrated engineer/producer trying to get Strummer to use some process or other, can't remember what it was, in the studio. "I don't know what that is and I don't like it" was the response.

I also vaguely remember him, Rick Wakeman and Nick Kent on the OGWT discussing 'musicianship' although I don't remember anything other than that Kent was definitely on something. Rick said later that Kent was so wasted he could barely sit in his chair.