Also, I’d pick Soul to Squeeze by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea kills it on that one. It’s not as prominent as some of the other songs listed in the thread, but you can hear it clearly without any tweaking to the audio.
I can’t possibly say it’s the best–there’s just so many to choose from–but I love John Paul Jones in Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On” and that’s the first one to come to mind for me.
James Jamerson was widely regarded as the king of Motown bass players. As a member of The Funk Brothers, he played on most of the soul records that were cut during the day. There are some videos that isolate his playing, such as this one.
Scott Walker’s “The Old Man is Back Again” is awesome but the best bass line would probably be something from Mick Karn (Japan).
“Taxman” didn’t get mentioned until post #25??!!?
I can’t believe there’s someone else on here who loves Scott 4!
How about Don’t let me down by the beatles?
You can count me in, too, but I’m not surprised, as Scott 4 is held in pretty high regard in music circles. ETA: At least the music circles I run in. It’s one of the standards, I’d say.
Colin Moulding’s bass part on XTC’s “One of the Millions” is amazing.
A Taste of Honey’s “Boogie Oogie Oogie”
The Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”
Lot’s of good ones. “Jump into the Fire” and “My City Was Gone” were the two I was thinking of.
I also really always dug Flea’s line in “Give it Away,” RHCP.
You…can…not…touch…THIS!
Another good Flea bass line: “Bust A Move”, Young MC.
And how about “Groove is in the Heart,” Dee-Lite.
Uh oh. I think I might be at the event horizon of a YouTube rabbit hole. Save yourselves!
That’s the first one I thought of too.
Oh shit. Another one.
“Sausalito Summer Nights,” Diesel … wait for the solo.
And hell, if it’s a simple line that grabs you, you can’t beat, “Psycho Killer,” The Talking Heads.
Oh god, it’s too late for me. It’s sucking me in. Go on without me!
These Boots Are Made For Walkin’
Next question?
White Lines- Grandmaster Flash…
the base line after he would say “Base” was my notification ringtone for years…
granted, it was the Shawn of the Dead version, right after the night at the pub!
I love a good bass line, but the one that always got me out of my chair was Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress by the Hollies. 