# Favorite Basslines **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661 "2007-10-05T18:00:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/21 "2007-10-05T20:57:17Z")
Ohio Players: SkinTight ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/22 "2007-10-05T21:02:26Z")
Yes - “Heart of the Sunrise.” Mesmerizing. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/23 "2007-10-05T21:46:39Z")
I taught myself two of my favorite basslines. Bach’s Cello Suite, and the afore mentioned Barney Miller Theme song. I personally would throw in a Getty Lee song, but I don’t want to pick only one. YYZ maybe, maybe Spirit of the Radio. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/24 "2007-10-05T21:59:31Z")
The Pretenders, Ohio Also, check out Edgar Meyer, and look into Klaus Voorman’s work with Nillsson (Jump Into The Fire, for example.) ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/25 "2007-10-05T22:05:17Z")
“I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5 - a rare example of an upbeat dance record with a descending bass line and “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye - and both parts are played by the same guy, Wilton Felder. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/26 "2007-10-05T22:08:19Z")
not sure if this is what you have in mind for “fun” but Tool’s Undertow is pretty much a bass driven album with the guitar playing rhythm and accents while the bass takes a very very strong role. still one of my favorite albums. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/27 "2007-10-05T22:24:41Z")
All of the bass playing on Abbey Road is amazing, particularly in the “medley.” They’re not really even bass lines, they’re lead melodies that happen to be played by a bass. Some other favorites of mine (I play bass by the way) _She is Staggering_ by Polaris (from the soundtrack to _The Adventures of Pete and Pete._) _Swimmers_ by Broken Social Scene. _Jamaica Say You Will_ by Jackson Browne (Leland Sklar on the bass) _Introduction_ and _Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is_ by Chicago _Watching the Detectives_ by Elvis Costello ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/28 "2007-10-05T22:51:45Z")
**The Rezillos** , \*Flying Saucer Attack \*and _No_ just kick ass with a steel toed shoe. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/29 "2007-10-05T22:55:29Z")
the Jefferson Airplane cover version of Fred Neil’s “the Other Side of This Life.” ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/30 "2007-10-05T23:18:54Z")
White Boys and Heroes, The 1930s Rust and We Take Mystery To Bed, all by Gary Numan from his I, Assassin album. He had discovered the fretless bass, and played around with New Wavy Funk. He found Pino Palladino and had him play the bass lines on the album. White Boys and Heroes is just amazing to me. Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/31 "2007-10-05T23:38:38Z")
It sounds challenging to me but from the musical Hair, the song Black Boys White Boys, during the “White Boys” part. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/32 "2007-10-05T23:54:35Z")
Soul to Squeeze, Aeroplane - Red Hot Chili Peppers Rio - Duran Duran Ruby Soho, Timebomb - Rancid Is this it? - The Strokes The Beer Song - Reel Big Fish Jenny was a friend of mine - The Killers In the Meantime - Spacehog “Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)” - Incubus For the Love of Money - O’Jays, simple but a classic bassline Although Victor Wooten is beyond a lot of people many of his basslines with the Flecktones are very easy to play…Reflections of Lucy, Half Moon Bay, Sunset Road ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/33 "2007-10-06T00:01:50Z")
As far as songs that taught me techniques: Portrait of Tracy - Jaco Pastorius pretty much teaches you everything harmonics Victor Wooten songs helped me learn the double thumb technique, which I’m still perfecting. Primus and Wooten both have a lot of good slap and two hand tap bass parts. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/34 "2007-10-06T00:17:51Z")
“Slow Ride” - Foghat “Cinderella Man” - Rush “Cowboy Song” - Thin Lizzy Lately–as a goof–my stuck a chunk of “In-a-gadda-da-vida” into the middle of “Sunshine of your Love”. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/35 "2007-10-06T00:24:50Z")
[QUOTE=Labdad] There are so many great James Jamerson bass lines it’s hard to narrow them down. If I had to pick two, I’d say “You Can’t Hurry Love” by the Supremes, and “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson. The bass in both songs gives me chills! [/QUOTE] I came in here to post something about Jamerson, one of the greatest bass players ever. He played extensively for The Funk Brothers, who were the studio group for all of the top acts from Motown. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/36 "2007-10-06T00:50:25Z")
“You’re the first, the last, my Everything”, Barry White ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/37 "2007-10-06T00:55:31Z")
You know, another of the all-time great bass lines is on The Stones, “Miss You.” ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/38 "2007-10-06T01:47:32Z")
“Let The Sunshine In” from Hair as done by The Fifth Dimension. As seen in this [quite remarkable video](http://youtube.com/watch?v=KFj09TEbXBw) starting at 2:22. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/39 "2007-10-06T01:52:41Z")
_“Strapped For Cash”_ by Fountains of Wayne. Adam is the perfect bassist for the band, I think. I sometimes hear Macca’s influence when he plays live. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661/40 "2007-10-06T02:16:21Z")
I’ve been really getting into Japanese music lately, and I recently came across this old '80s song, “Vanity Angel”, by a group called “Rebecca”. I’m completely hooked on the bass line, though I haven’t tried to learn it yet: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekFC-O7h7qQ) (Also, for that video somebody posted the best comment I’ve ever seen on YouTube: “And thus I have found the very last music video in which a black man is smiling.” 😛 ) Another Japanese band called Zone had a song called Hanabi with a freaking awesome bass line: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlw84-zb2Q4) It’s even cooler when you know that Maiko Sakae, the bass player, was maybe 16 or 17 years old when the song was recorded. And yes, the girls in this band really played their own instruments. (They were all students at a performing arts high school, similar to the one portrayed in the movie _Fame_.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-basslines/421661.md?page=3)