Favorite Albums for Bass, Who Played On Them, and Why You Love Them.

OPBASSMAN1994 · #1 10-10-2010, 05:16 PM

What is your all time favorite album, who was the bassist on that album, and why is it your favorite?

For me, it's a toss up between 2112 and Moving Pictures by Rush (Obviously, Geddy Lee was the bassist on those albums.)

2112 is amazing to me because it tells a long, dynamic story through great music. It also is a hallmark of prog rock bass. Geddy's tone in the whole thing, and the way he plays on many songs (including non 2112-side songs like Something for Nothing and A Passage to Bangkok.) is very aggressive, powerful, yet fits perfectly with the rest of the music.
Besides the bass-oriented reasons, the entire band is just on it. Alex has such a dynamic, emotive playing style throughout. Neil is pounding the crap out of the drums (as usual), and doing so with such precision that he's probably within a milli-millisecond of a digital click track. The entire album is awesome, and makes an impact on me every time I listen to it.

Moving Pictures is just as incredible to me, because it is so diverse, musically. You go from YYZ's slightly symphonic, hard virtuoso rock, to the reggae styled syncopation of Vital Signs, and you can have the standard feeling, almost mainstream Limelight, then the synth-driven 10+ minute, epic-feeling The Camera Eye. As with all of Rush's stuff, Geddy's bass playing is astounding, and growls with the tone that he's famous for. Alex is, again, demonstrating great dynamic, emotive ability in addition to forming great, powerful solos and riffs. Neil is just as fantastic as ever, if not better.

Now I want to hear from you guys.

lmfreeman9 · #2 10-10-2010, 05:22 PM

Mountain. Twin Peaks. Felix Papillardi.
Jaco's first album ain't bad either.

Classickbass · #3 10-10-2010, 05:29 PM

Favorite album for bass is Master of Puppets and the bassist was Cliff Burton. A perfect mix of thrash with classical inspiration. Each song stands on its own and not a bad one in the bunch. Of course, the highlight of the album is Orion.

shastaband · #4 10-10-2010, 05:34 PM

What's Going On by Marvin Gaye. First time James Jamerson was credited on a record jacket, I believe. Before that, very, very few had ever heard his name. Even Paul McCartney knew him only as "that Motown guy" before that. But all Jamerson's parts are killer, on all his cuts. See Standin' in the Shadows of Motown, the book or the movie.

CaptainWampum · #5 10-10-2010, 05:34 PM

Black and White by the Stranglers. J..J. Burnel.

Really really creative basslines, and the nicest p-bass tone I've ever heard.

johndough247 · #6 10-10-2010, 05:52 PM

Really Hard to name one favorite so I guess my top 10 (in no particular order...)

1. Marvin Gaye - What's going on (James Jamerson)...he's my #1 inspiration to be a better bassist...end of story
2. Donny Hathaway - Extension of a Man (Willie Weeks)...A bit of Jamerson with his own style, amazing feel
3. Beatles - Abbey Road (Sir Paul McCartney)...Paul really put his foot in this one IMO, Abbey is my favorite beatles album (don't know why it doesn't get more attention...Octopus' Garden maybe? haha)
4. Chris Squire - Fish Out of Water (Chris Squire)...IMO the best solo bass album
5. Yes - Close to the Edge (Chris Squire)...Still remember when I first learned Close to the Edge (song)...incredible stuff
6. Steely Dan - Aja (Chuck Rainey on all but 1 track i believe)...It's Chuck! groove and sensibility like no one else...knows when to step out and to step back
7. and 8. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication and Blood Sugar Sex Magik (Flea)...Just brings a smile to my face everytime I hear him play...he's very melodic, don't know why ppl give him so much ****
9. Weather Report - Heavy Weather (Jaco Pastorius)...ummm do I need to explain this one?
10. D'angelo - Voodoo (Pino Palladino, Rafael Saadiq and Charlie Hunter)...Pino AND Saadiq on one album. Arguably the funkiest album to have come out since it's release in 2000.

Honorable mention:
Stevie Wonder's left hand on too many albums...(I wonder if it's cause he hung out with Jamerson at Motown...hmm lol)

Deluge Of Sound · #7 10-11-2010, 11:10 PM

Picked it up right when it came out, and the smile hasn't left my face since.

Everything about it, from the tones of the bass to the very idea of doing so much with so little (notes, instruments, etc.) did nothing less that absolutely change the way I look at music.

Also, its got the greatest mid-tempo/slow head-nodding groove from start to finish... Its just an all around classic. (IMO, of course)

OPBASSMAN1994 · #8 10-12-2010, 08:18 AM

I totally forgot about Heavy Weather. That is another of my favorites. Jaco is a genius.
Oh, and add Hemispheres and Permanent Waves to my favorite Rush album toss up.

Genericbassname · #9 10-12-2010, 10:37 PM

Absolution by Muse. Not my favorite album of theirs (though I still love it), but Wolstenholme lays down some killer riffs on that album. Also, In Rainbows by Radiohead has some tasty bass playing from Colin Greenwood.

seabassplaysdat · #10 10-12-2010, 10:40 PM

Sam's Town by The Killers. Mark Stoermer steals the show with his tone
Any album by Yes
I think the way Roger Waters plays on Dark Side of the Moon is also very interesting

bass_lord_mutha · #11 10-12-2010, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seabassplaysdat

Sam's Town by The Killers. Mark Stoermer steals the show with his tone

+1, and I much like his lines on Hot Fuss as well (I.E. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine).

For me, my favorite album for bass playing is the first album I ever learned in its entirety: Grassroots by 311. Before I ever started listening to the band, I just saw electric bass playing as sort of a hobby and an excuse to hang out and jam with my buds after school and on weekends and drink beer, as I was a devoted orchestral double bass player at the time. Then I was introduced to 311 and soon, the Grassroots album. P-Nut's bass lines to me are just incredible. The phrasings he used were new to me at the time (very rarely did I hear a band on the modern rock stations that played a separate, yet equally melodic bass line from the guitarist). Gave me more interest in electric bass playing. As a result, I've been playing electric bass with great devotion for 11 years and I have hardly played a double bass in 7 years (though I'm getting back into it lately). To this day I am a hardcore 311 fan and Grassroots is still my favorite album of theirs.

bunkaroo · #12 10-13-2010, 06:47 AM

Really obscure one here that came to mind - Crimson Glory - Transcendence. One of the prototypical prog metal releases of the 80's. Jeff Lords' playing was always spot on and really melodic.

James A. Voss · #13 10-13-2010, 06:54 AM

Graceland by Paul Simon- Baghiti Khumalo - Funky Frettless Grooves. Check out alternate version of "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"

Music_for_life · #14 10-13-2010, 07:14 AM

Richard Bona on space revisited by Larry coryel. Incredible tone, feel and groove. The album where I borrowed all the ideas to play over bossa-jazz

shackled · #15 10-13-2010, 07:20 AM

Fields of The Nephilim- The Nephilim

Bassist Tony Pettitt really gets the vibe on this classic goth/guitar rock album. My favorite by far.

fishtx · #16 10-13-2010, 09:07 AM

Allman Bros "Live at the Fillmore East"...Barry Oakley was the man....

sarlscharisma · #17 10-13-2010, 12:47 PM

Stone Roses - Mani - basslines are pop perfection!
Rattus Norvegicus - JJ Burnel - Best p bass tone ever from the greatest bass player ever
Disintegration - Simon Gallup - Beautiful and ethereal bass pop
Best of the Bauhaus - David J - Masterclass of simple but effective
Abbey Road - Macca - Need I say more!

OPBASSMAN1994 · #18 10-13-2010, 01:57 PM

I think, personally, Macca had his shining moment on Sgt. Pepper. Extremely diverse, stylistically, fantastic tone (the 3rd best Ric tone of all time I think 1 being Squire, 2 being Geddy), great melodic and counter-melodic approach. Anchors the whole sha-bang, and strikes me almost as lead-oriented. Fantastic stuff, very fluid, and well crafted.

plangentmusic · #19 10-14-2010, 04:33 PM

Both Pepper and Abby Road are master classes in brilliant bass composition. His counterpoint, voice leading and sense of harmony is so logical yet so inventive. His feel is so natural, yet at times, unlike what most anyone else would think of doing.

The other albums I've probably practiced to more than anything else...

The Yes Album

Powerslave

The Stanley Clarke Brown Album

The Grand Funk Railroad Red album

All things Motown

All things James Brown

Everything with Scott La Faro on it.

Thunderchicken · #20 10-14-2010, 04:40 PM

"Wheels of Fire" - Cream - Jack Bruce
"Quadrophrenia" Who - John Entwhistle
ANY Beatles album - DUH!
"Aqualung" - Jethro Tull - Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond