Brian Fife's Top Ten Great Bass Lines

[Marcio**]

Bass players are the unsung heroes of rock and roll. Bass is the harmonic foundation upon which a song is built, yet most bass players toil in anonymity while the singers and lead guitarists grab the spotlight. I had the opportunity to meet the bassist for a prominent 70s rock band and when I told him that I thought he never got enough notice for his contribution to the band, he said “Oh, that was by design. The big hair would go one way and everyone would follow them, and then I could slip off by myself in the other direction". This seems to be the typical demeanor of a bass player. I for one have always been enthralled with bass lines. When I was around 10, I would listen to the soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar and become captivated by the wonderful grooves down at the bottom of the mix. While many a great bass player goes by unappreciated by the masses, there is no denying the importance of their contribution. In light of this, I have compiled my list of top ten bass lines in rock or pop songs, in no particular order. Whether it be for the skill displayed or just the catchiness of the line, these all have stood out for me over the years. Believe me, it is extremely hard to narrow it down, but here we go…

1. Reflections (Supremes)- The Motown sound owes much of its unique character to the nimble, omnipresent bass lines of James Jamerson, who could be heard prominently on nearly every Motown hit and whose playing redefined the instrument. The hardest task is choosing one example out of countless gems. “Reflections” is one of his best and my personal favorite. The bass quietly and hauntingly wraps itself around the lamenting Diana Ross vocal without ever intruding on it, leaving the listener feeling the heartache oozing from this song.

2. Funk #49 (James Gang)- The muscular bass groove puts the funk in Funk #49. When I was in high school, I once listened to this song on my brother’s stereo with one of the channels accidentally turned off. Joe Walsh’s lead guitar was muted, and all I heard was Dale Peters’ magnificent bass, slithering its way out of the speakers and into my ears. It was an experience I never forgot.

3. Low Rider (War)- The energetic, driving bass line is practically the whole song, which works for me.

4. Good Times (Chic)- Bernard Edward’s bass line in this song more than atones for the many sins of the Disco era. In the late 80s, I was staying in a youth hostel in Budapest, Hungary. A live band was playing in the dance club and all I could hear was the bass line to this song, over and over again. Let me tell you, I was loving it!

5. Ramble On (Led Zeppelin)- The Zeppelin catalog is littered with classic riffs, and not all of them came from Page’s guitar. John Paul Jones had many a great bass lick but this is perhaps his finest work. The mesmerizing, lilting, almost melodic, bass line in the verse gives way to a pounding, throbbing explosion of bass riffage in the chorus, an amazing and beautiful contrast.

6. Forget Me Nots (Patrice Rushen)- In the post Disco 80s, popping and slapping became synonymous with the bass guitar, and the dexterity and ability of the great bass players was showcased like never before. Nowhere will you find a better example of that style than on this song. The bass work by Freddie Washington is simply awe inspiring.

7. Spirits in the Material World (Police)- Long before he was churning out self-absorbed lite-rock drivel, Sting was the bassist and lead vocalist for the Police, whose reggae-infected sound opened up lots of opportunities for great bass parts, including this one.

8. Owner of a Lonely Heart (Yes)- Anyone familiar with this band’s extensive body of work knows that this song doesn’t even come close to being bassist Chris Squire’s most impressive work. Still, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” pulled Yes out of techno-rock dinosaur status and into the pop charts, and in my opinion, the catchy, rock solid bass line had a lot to do with that.

9. Lithium (Nirvana)- Kurt Cobain was usually the force behind Nirvana’s songs, but on this one, bassist Krist Novoselic shines. The bass carries the verse, outlining the unconventional chord structure, and then deftly weaves in and out of the menacing power chords on the chorus.

10. Love Cats (The Cure)- This snappy number had a jazzy dance hall feel to it, pre-dating the retro-swing craze by more than a decade. It features a tasty acoustic bass which is sure to get your toes tappin’. My sister brought it home during her ‘new wave’ phase and I loved it immediately.

Well, that concludes my top ten. Rock on, my friends, and remember to turn up the bass!

Peace

Brian Fife


from
http://www.emusiq.com/index.php/archives/2004/12
:)

[Paulo]

Owner of a Lonely Heart (Yes)- Anyone familiar with this band’s extensive body of work knows that this song doesn’t even come close to being bassist Chris Squire’s most impressive work. Still, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” pulled Yes out of techno-rock dinosaur status and into the pop charts, and in my opinion, the catchy, rock solid bass line had a lot to do with that.

Since he is familiar to Yes' extensive work, how come he mentions Owner Of A Lonely Heart?

He'd better have mentioned Chris Squire "soloing" bass foundation in HEART OF THE SUNRISE from 1972 Yes Album FRAGILE... or his live bass set + improvisation THE FISH SCHINDLERIA PREAMATURUS... or his work on the 1975 Relayer album

[Paulo]

Forgive my ignorance, but who is Brian Fife?

[Paulo]

Believe it or not, William Michael Lewis from El Coco, Le Pamplemousse, Rinder & Lewis, Saint Tropez and Tuxedo Junction fame has been a ROCK keyboard player in many Rock'n'Roll USA West Coast Bands... 60s and 70s garage rock bands like The Standells and We Five... 60s and 70s acid-rock bands like Quicksilver Messenger Service.

I've read a post by Quicksilver's members saying that they consider Michael Lewis to be one of the best "bass" players they've heard.

What they know but didn't mention is that Michael does his "bass" lines on keyboards (like the Cocomotion or Mondo Disco bass line).

[Mr.Ree]

I'd have to say my favorite bass line of all time is the one in James Brown's "The Payback". Simple enough for even me to play, but almost unbearably funky. And Andy Fraser, formerly of Free, is a jaw-dropping bassist....he could make his bass sound like a tuba. Bootsy and Larry Graham are stunning bassists also. Of more recent recordings, Talk Talk's "It's My Life" has a WONDERFUL bass line.

[kdavid13]

Some of my favorites :

Brothers Johnson Stomp ! [the break at 2:41]

I recently bought Change's Glow Of Love CD and the grooving bass stood out on A girl's affair and Angel in my pocket.
In fact it made me listen to all the Change stuff I had.
I absolutely love the bass work on Hold tight,Hard Times and The very best in you.

And let's not forget...

Diana Ross Have fun [Again]
Fat Larry's Band Act like you know
Vanity 6 If a girl answers , don't hang up
Gloria Gaynor Let's mend what's been broken
A Taste Of Honey Do it good and Boogie Oogie Oogie
Mary Jane Girls Boys
Teddy Pendergrass Get up,get down,get funky,get loose
Aurra Baby love
Mona Rae Do Me
Gene Chandler Get down

[sharon333]

Those are good as well.

[drlove]

Also consider the opening bassline to 1977's Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowah, Yowsah). That particular groove kicked off Chic's career.

[SandraDee]

2 of the most impressive examples of bass playing I can think of are both from 1980 tracks - 'Dont Make Me Wait Too Long' by Roberta Flack & 'I Need Your Loving' by Teena Marie.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Gimme an early Munich Machine bassline any day of the week!

Simple...yes. But the tracks would just rock-steady, right on top of 'em.
Make my hips wanna grind.

I Wanna Funk With You Tonight
Trouble Maker
Get On The Funk Train (let's lay down some baaaaass)
Love To Love You, Baby
Classically Elise (US mix)
Chase

[thommy2458]

"Bad Luck" by Harold Melvin...

Thom

[Disco Funk]

Did someone say Lowrider? These guys clearly enjoyed the song:



That list was clearly made by someone who's heavily into rock or pop music. Not much mention of some obvious and not so obvious great bass licks:















And the guy who played bass on this track, a member of Instant Funk, Raymond Earl, should get big props for awesome bass playing in the 70s:



He also played on this:



And the bass on this track is very simple, but really catchy (but I can't say I like the elbow dancing by the Silver Convention ladies. I find it annoying that they did it on every show they were on):



Here's another song with a not so complicated riff, but it's just so tight, it really propels the song along:



And we can't forget good ole Larry Graham, of Sly & The Family Stone and Graham Central Station:



And this Herbie Hancock album featured some really nice bass playing from Headhunters:



And one from the Headhunters by themselves:



Disco Funk

[MARK D.]

I got a few:I SHOULDA LOVED YA/TONIGHT I'M ALRIGHT(NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN)
DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY/IF YOU FEEL IT(THELMA HOUSTON)
I KNOW YOU,I LIVE YOU(CHAKA KHAN)
GROOVIN' YOU(HARVEY MASON)
I JUST WANT TO BE(CAMEO)
AIN'T NO STOPPIN US NOW(MCFADDEN & WHITEHEAD)
THE GLOW OF LOVE(CHANGE)
SPANK/IS IT IN(JIMMY"BO"HORNE)
SWEET DYNAMITE(CLAUDJA BARRY)
GOT TO BE REAL/STAR LOVE(CHERYL LYNN)
BAD LUCK(HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES)
ONLY YOU(TEDDY PENDERGRASS)
SHAKE YOUR BODY(THE JACKSONS)
GET ON THE FLOOR(MICHAEL JACKSON)
(FUNNY)BONE (CHIC)
SUPERMAN(CELI BEE & THE BUZZY BUNCH)
DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO/SATURDAY NIGHT(T-CONNECTION)
MY LOVE IS FREE(DOUBLE EXPOSURE)
LOVE SENSATION/HIT 'N RUN/DREAMIN'(LOLEATTA HOLLWAY)
......I COULD GO ON & ON.........!