Favorite Bass Riffs

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VirtualSamana

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Getting started on bass and want some more inspiration. It made me think about my favorite bass licks. Something which I hadn't really given to much thought to before.

Here are a few of my favoirtes/and or ones that often get stuck in my head:

Jane's Addiction: Three Days

Primus: My name is Mud

Theme from Barney Miller
 
Tom Waits' "Step Right Up."

Hendrix' "Manic Depression."

Beatles' "Drive My Car" and "Yer Blues."
 
Silly Love Songs - Mcartney wings

Depeche Mode -violator- World in my Eyes

Foreigner- Urgent

Pearl Jam- W.M.A

Stu Hamm (Joe Satrianis bassist :) )- Peanuts theme
 
Here`s a few that seem to hang.

Leave my blues at Home - A. Brothers

Cucumber Slumber- Weather Report

'It`s getting better" - Beatles

The Fish- Chris Squire

Pick up the pieces- Average White Band
 
Ditto Cucumber Slumber, also Teen Town (same band, different bassist)

Peg - Steely Dan (Carl Radle?)

Disco Inferno - Trammps

Back In Love Again - LTD

Watermelon Man - Headhunters

Tom Sawyer - Rush

Crossroads - Cream (the tone had a lot to do with it)

Never Tell Your Mother She's Out of Tune - Jack Bruce (ditto)

Nantucket Sleighride - Mountain (different bassist, but ditto anyhow)

Ohio Players - Skin Tight (check out the spot where the drummer plays a 3/4 bar and the bassist keeps going in 4/4 - the licks still there, but the emphasis is on different beats - cool little trick)

All Right Now - Free

Too High - Stevie Wonder

Flashlight - P-Funk

Life During Wartime - Talking Heads

Beans and Franks - Rubber Miilk Orchestra (local obscure cats - watch this bassist, though - SCARY good - and scary weird)
www.rubbermiilkorchestra.net/home.htm

So What - Miles Davis (the original tune-built-around-a-bassline)

Daf
 
For me, the complexity of the bassline has always been secondary to the tone. I aboslutely love Ross Valory's tone on Journey's Escape.
Vic Wooten also has an absolutely monsterous tone. Listen to Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (the song) sometime! Also listen to just about any other Flecktones album or catch them live sometime. YOu will be astounded.
Sting remains underated as a bassist. His ability to groove, especailly in odd meters, is unique and infectious. Walking on the Moon is a perfect example of a well written and executed bassline that drives the song, yet makes good use of space. There is enough room in that song for a whole 'nother song!
I'll add to the Paul McCartney sentiment. Listen to Michelle closely sometime!

got mojo?
www.voodoovibe.com
 
Man you cant go wrong with anything that McCartney played with the Beatles or afterwards. I like the bass on the Stones "Paint It Black" where Wyman sides up and down the neck near the end of the song. Gene Simmons is a pretty under-rated bassist, he didnt lock in with the drummer like a lot of players do, he was playing riffs and slides all over the place. Tom Hamilton is great on "Sweet Emotion" And let me also give two thumbs up to Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. He took the bass right out front like a guitarist!!
 
Anything Motown...........

Theme from Barney Miller..Chuck Berghofer

Pet Sounds............Carol Kaye

Treena
 
Aerosmith- Sweet Emotion

Queen-Body Language, Under Pressure

5th Dimesion- Let the Sunshine In
 
Here's my list...

Primus - "DMV", "Jerry Was A Racecar Driver", "Tommy The Cat", "Laquerhead", "John The Fisherman", and probably others i'm forgetting about.

Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade - "Buzzards Of Green Hill", "Whamola" (lol), "Ding Dang"

Stu Hamm - "Flow My Tears", "Dangerous Curves", "Quahogs Anyone?" (One of my all-time faves!!)

Jaco - "Portrait Of Tracy" (!!!), "Teen Town"

RHCP - "Pretty Little Ditty"

and of course, everything here and here. :D

</shameless plugs>
 
Forgot Money by Floyd

Anything by Jack Bruce also gets a calloused thumbs up.
 
I'll just name some players, I can't ever pick a favorite:

Charles Mingus
Rick Laird (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
Reid Anderson (The Bad Plus)
Jaco
And whoever played bass on Cecil Taylor's "Unit Structure" - Good lord that dude can play...

Later,
Musik

I almost forgot, I can't remember his name, but the bass player from the Sam Rivers Electric Trio... woohoo!!!! I saw them live and about pissed myself, he played a six-string fretless electric, standup and bass clarinet... amazing stuff! If you ever get the chance to see Sam (and love jazz) don't hesitate, the man is a legend!
 
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