good bass playing

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JMarcomb

JMarcomb

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just listening through some songs and noticed the fine bass work on what i am by edie brikell

interesting are the triple time finger scampers @ :45 and 1:28 and nice slide stuff too
also, subtle vibrato @ 1:01

bass that moves around this much in this type of a song does a whole lot in exciting the listener

a fine guitar guitar solo w/ cry baby


It sounds like the engineer tried patching some tape together @ 2:41 .... I wonder what happened there... radio edit?


what i am
 
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check out Susan Vega if you haven't heard any, I think Edie Brickel copied her singing style perfectly. Although Vega was way cooler to me.
 
Listen to the bassline on 'Livin' On A Prayer' by Bon Jovi, 'It's my life' by No Doubt and 'Heaven Is A Place Called Earth' by Belinda Carlisle.

Not so much intricate, but hard-driving and nicely mixed...Robert
 
Dust off Something, on Abbey Road, and crank up the bass on your player.... THAT'S an awesome bass line. Of course Come Together is right up there too. Finally, Taxman, Rain and Paperback Writer - that 1966 sound and style - are hard to beat.

Fab
 
yes... the bass lines aforementioned are good bass lines.



but, what i picked up was the unique/intricate quality of what this bass player is doing.
 
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Fab4ever said:
Dust off Something, on Abbey Road, and crank up the bass on your player.... THAT'S an awesome bass line. Of course Come Together is right up there too. Finally, Taxman, Rain and Paperback Writer - that 1966 sound and style - are hard to beat.

Fab
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though im very much influenced by the beatles, i try not to surrender myself to one style of thinking. it corners your creativity
 
Well I agree wholeheartedly - my listening goes far beyond the Beatles. But to those to whom the Beatles are mere historical oddity, a good fresh listen wouldn't hurt!

Fab
 
The guitar on that is more likely a Mutron3 or similar envelope filter. Definately not a wah-wah-pedal.

Check out Phil Lesh sometime. The New Bohemians were influenced by the Dead, and at one point there was talk of Jerry producing a record with Edie Brickell, and also one with Suzanne Vega.

Another good bassist was John Entwhistle. Tragic loss there. Check out Quadrophenia.
 
The genius of Sir Paul is that he was the first bass player who approached the instrument from the standpoint of a lead instrument, and from that approached the bass line from an almost classical contrapuntal view. Listen to a digital mix (or watch the Ed Sullivan tape) of "I Saw Her Standing There." He was all over the fretboard on that song.
Some other great bassists to listen to are James Jamerson on all the early Motown stuff, Jack Bruce with Cream, Noel Redding with Jimi Hendrix, and Duck Dunn on the 60s Stax-Volt records (along with his work with Booker T. and the MGs).
 
stanley clarke was one of the first to turn the bass in too a real solo instrument. just listen to 'lopsy lu' or 'school days', both from '75 i believe. he plays the bass like jimi played the guitar : combining solo phrases and a strong rythmic background, an amazing "drive"
 
c7sus said:
The guitar on that is more likely a Mutron3 or similar envelope filter. Definately not a wah-wah-pedal.

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I stand corrected... it does sound like one of those units


I also think the bass could be an acoustic stand up?
 
I've always really liked what Colin Moulding does with the bass in XTC. In particular, that wonderful line in "Mayor of Simpleton" from Oranges and Lemons.
 
My favorite bass lines are on sides 1+2, of Led Zeppelin II. JPJs' tone on HeartBreaker gives me a woody. :D
 
Check out the bassline on the live version of Brian Wilson from the Barenaked Ladies. I am not really a fan of this band, but I use to cover this song. Pretty difficult to play...

It can be found on Rock Spectacle
 
Cream's "Crossroad" is a pretty good one too for bass and guitar dueling it out.

If you dig acoustic bass check out Todd Phillips. He's played with all the top bluegrass guys. Another good acoustic player was Roy Huskie Jr. He played on some of the best bluegrass and country (REAL C&W, not the shit they pimp today) records of all time.
 
les claypool, what that guy does on a six string fretless is simply amazing, just listen to primus' "brown album", full of dark and deep basslines.
 
I dig what you guys are saying about McCartney approaching the bass as a lead instrument, but I see it differently. I don't think he saw it as a lead instrument so much as he realized that the bass wasn't just limited to playing the tonic all the time.
Probably my least favorite bass player of all time is Billy Sheehan. He could do all this tapping and fancy playing, but he completely missed the point, and that is: the bass is not a lead instrument. That is not its function or purpose. It is a rythmic instrument that plays notes. The kick drum and bass together are the backbone of the song. Intricate, busy bass lines do not necessarily make a song exciting. Playing the bass is about three things: tasteful note choice, playing in the pocket with the kick drum, and tone.
Sir Paul was masterful at choosing notes that enhanced without cluttering. He was a perfect bridge between the kick drum and the vocal line. Listen to Michelle sometime. Wow. Come Together is another great example, as you mentioned. There are about a million others. Sting is very good at this as well.
If you want a very technical and "flashy" bass player that still understands the role of the bass, I nominate Vic Wooten.

A
www.aaroncheney.com
 
I absolutely think that bass is a lead instrument. So are the drums, guitar, keyboards, everything else. If you have the ability to rip off some crazy shit, go for it! I don't think you should EVER limit yourself musically in order to conform to old conventions such as "Bass is not supposed to be a lead instrument." That's my take on it, anyway.

My favorite bass players are Eddie Jackson from Queensryche, Geddy Lee of Rush, John Myung of Dream Theater, Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult (real nice guy), Marc Langis from Cirque du Soleil, Celine Dion, etc, the bass player from Journey, Vic Wooten, Tony Levin, the guy from Symphony X, and many more.

Specific songs:
Queensryche - Thin Line, Eyes of a Stranger, Della Brown
Rush - YYZ, Subdivisions, Big Money, Turn the Page, etc
Dream Theater - Take the Time, Learning to Live, Erotomania, Ytsejam, Lifting Shadows off a Dream
Pearl Jam - Jeremy (12 string bass, nice!), Even Flow (nice fretless)
Blue Oyster Cult - I don't know, everything!
Cirque du Soleil - Kumbalawe, Alegria, Nocturne
Journey - After the Fall, Send Her My Love
Tony Levin - Anything with Peter Gabriel
 
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