Forgotten bass gems of the eighties.

[Blazer]

Let me put up some titles of songs that had amazing basslines but are largely overlooked or simply forgotten.

"Ooh to be ah" Kajagoogoo.
Bassist: Nick Beggs.
Currently Nick Beggs is with the John Paul Jones band where he plays a Chapman stick but on this track of his old band he showcases what an amazing player he was in the eighties. He slaps amazingly fast runs and triads during the song's intro.

"Wham Rap" Wham
Bassist: Miron Dove (if I have his name wrong please correct me.)
This one has one of the funkiest basslines of the entire decade, try to imagine having Rocco Prestia and Bernard Edwards combined into one player...

"Good thing" Fine Young Cannibals
Bassist: David Steele
Nothing too fancy about the bass playing on this record but it's just such an instant "feel good" funny hopping around bassline.

"Without you" David Bowie
Bassist: Bernard Edwards
This is the only track of Bowie's "Let's dance" album on which Edwards played but what a track it was; Edwards provides backbeats and he does just that so effordlessly, and then there's also that minimalistic solos provided by the equally amazing Stevie Ray Vaughan.

"Sweet love" Anita Baker
Bassist: "Ready" Freddy Washington.
Do I really need to explain that one?

feel free to share or add more.

[LA]

You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want) by Joe Jackson. Graham Maby is the bassist.

[HeavyDuty]

Originally posted by Blazer
feel free to share or add more.

Yeah, but not in Basses. Moved.

[watspan]

ABC's "Lexicon of Love" had some tasty bass--some slap, some fretless--can't remember the bassist--Mark white?

Also saw Haircut 100 do a fun "Lowrider" live

[Woodchuck]

"Eyeswater Falling" - Level 42 (I don't have to explain, do I?)

"Mr. Briefcase" - Lee Ritenour. Louis Johnson on bass. GREAT slap line.

[Wrong Robot]

I think pretty much any level 42 song could be considered a forgotten eighties gem, even if it was recorded in the late 70s or early 90s

[JimK]

Originally posted by Woodchuck
"Mr. Briefcase" - Lee Ritenour. Louis Johnson on bass. GREAT slap line.

That's David Hungate.
I still have the LP...I just checked, too!
I recall attempting that back then; I remember thinking "Damn David Hungate is kicking my a**". I thought the same thing when trying to get the outro on "99". That little slaps bit he does on "Rosanna" was another one.
...and have you heard him 'attempt' "Home Cookin'"
on the Standing In The Shadows Of Motown book/cds?

[JimK]

There was a similar thread about '80s bass gems-
I think I mentioned-
"Do You Really Want To Hurt Me"(just heard this a couple days ago in a sports bar).
"Give"-Missing Persons
Vivid-Living Colour...the whole damn album.
"Promises, Promises"-Naked Eyes
"Saved By Zero", "One Thing Leads To Another"-The Fixx
"Things Can Only Get Better"-Howard Jones
"Footloose"-Kenny Loggins(Nathan East on bass)


Numerous tunes by The Police("Bombs Away"), The Producers("I Love Lucy"), Duran Duran("Girls On Film").

You guys have mentioned-
Wham!
...their other bassist, Dion Estes, was decent, too.
Haircut 100
...I still have their 1st album. I still dig it.


*NOTE*
VH-1 is about to run a special series about '80s bands(Berlin, A Flock Of Seagulls, Kajagoogoo, etc)...I think each gets to play LIVE again. Looks promising.

[peteroberts]

Every Time You Go Away - Paul Young (Pino right?)
Girls on Film - Duran Duran

[Passinwind]

"Wham Rap" Wham
Miron Dove (if I have his name wrong please correct me.)

Hmmm, a quick Google says John Mackenzie.

Myron Dove's done a lot of cool stuff, so I was pretty curious to see if this was one of his. I've mixed him in a tiny local club, yowsa!

[gmarcus]

I doesn't get any more 80's than this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vycip...eature=related Who needs Bass?

Okay this one has a good hooky bass line

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORc5T...eature=related

[HeavyDuty]

Holy thread necromancer, Batman!

[talktalk]

"It's My Life" - Talk Talk

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by Blazer

"Without you" David Bowie
Bassist: Bernard Edwards

I love that track! The whole Let's Dance album is chock full of some killer grooves. With Bernard Edwards & Carmine Rojas on bass, and Omar Hakim & Tony Thompson of drums, how could it not?

Originally Posted by watspan

ABC's "Lexicon of Love" had some tasty bass--some slap, some fretless--can't remember the bassist--Mark white?

I always get that album confused with...um...brain-fart...

Oh, wait, no, I know what I was thinking of: Cupid & Psyche 85 by Scritti Politti. Has some killer basslines by none other than Marcus Miller.

Yeah, ABC had some cool stuff too, but I have no idea who played that.

[Hoover]

I just remembered another semi-obscure 80's album with killer bass tracks:

Thomas Dolby's Aliens Ate My Buick, with the late Terry Jackson nailing the groove into the pocket with a pneumatic airgun.

[Salvatore'sLady]

Glad someone else appreciates Bowie's "Without You". Great song.

[dougjwray]

Originally Posted by JimK

That's David Hungate.
[snip]
...and have you heard him 'attempt' "Home Cookin'"
on the Standing In The Shadows Of Motown book/cds?

Yes! It's ridiculously hard and he does an amazing job. Not bad for a country bass player...

[thedude77md]

The Smiths' entire catalog. Andy Rourke was a machine!

[JPrinos]

Simple Minds (the early stuff) - Listen to 'Theme for Great Cities'
Derek Forbes did some great work there.

[5StringBlues]

Originally Posted by Hoover

I just remembered another semi-obscure 80's album with killer bass tracks:

Thomas Dolby's Aliens Ate My Buick, with the late Terry Jackson nailing the groove into the pocket with a pneumatic airgun.

Great record!


Almost anything Fishbone put out in the 80's had good bass.