Pop Basslines THE POLL

[burk48237]

Well here it is, First a few criterion for a line getting included:

The song had to be a true "pop" song, I love "Roundabout" as much as the next guy but it languished on the fringes of the charts.

The bass-line needs to stand on it's own. When you hear the bass-line the song should be instantly recognizable. Their is some great bass playing in pop tunes, Chicago's "beginnings" for instance that doesn't meet that standard. All of the Joe Jackson stuff droped off the list with this criterion, GREAT bass-lines but not instantly recognizable.

Jammerson is IMPOSSIBLE, I could have easily done a "just Jammerson" poll, maybe I'll leave that to JimK and SamJ

I chose "Peg" over "Rock Steady" because their both Chuck Rainey and I think Peg is GREAT example of an exceptional pop tune.

I'm weakest on Pop in the late 80's and early 90's so I relied on you guys to chose the tunes for that era.

I chose Everytime you go Away for Paul Young because in the Year it came out it was #1 on billboard for almost ten weeks, most of the other Paul Young stuff didn't have near the staying power.

Also, NO STINKIN SYNTH BASS LINES!

The maximum we can include in a poll at TB is twenty, that severely limited the options, I really wanted to add Sting's "Walking on the moon" but alas that would have been twenty-one.

[gkbass13]

"are you in" by incubus has a really fat bassline.

"rappers delight" come on....awesome.

"jungle boogie" by kool and the gang....one of my favorite lines to play.

"lowrider"....how often do you get asked to play this? happens to me daily it seems.

"we want the funk" that line swingssss

[Matt Till]

Making this poll isn't really a good idea, there are so many "good" pop songs.

[DWBass]

You also have a couple tunes in your poll that are not the originals which are better than the covers, IMHO.

But I think "I Want You Back" was groundbreaking as far as basslines go!

[pretaanluxis]

I can't believe you included Higher Ground insted of Around The World

[Baryonyx]

Originally Posted by pretaanluxis

I can't believe you included Higher Ground insted of Around The World

Why? it's ceraintly a more obvious choice since we can only have one Chili Peppers song.

[clayton]

I really think that With or Without You by U2 should be there. That line gets instantly recognized everywhere.

[markjazzbassist]

i voted for peg by steely dan. great jam.

[Winemule]

I just cannot ever vote for anyone other than Jamerson in a poll like this. Every r&b bassist stands on his shoulders, as do most pop bassists. Odd to think that Entwistle was a contemporary of Jamerson's; and Entwistle was certainly influential in his own right, but man, no, I just can't go for anybody else, not even Larry Graham...

[vindy500]

where is offspring pretty fly for a white guy???

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by Winemule

I just cannot ever vote for anyone other than Jamerson in a poll like this. Every r&b bassist stands on his shoulders, as do most pop bassists. Odd to think that Entwistle was a contemporary of Jamerson's; and Entwistle was certainly influential in his own right, but man, no, I just can't go for anybody else, not even Larry Graham...

I agree. I did vote for Wilton Felder (I want you back) though who I think was just as good a pop bassist!

[burk48237]

Originally Posted by DWBass

I agree. I did vote for Wilton Felder (I want you back) though who I think was just as good a pop bassist!

I actually think you can argue that "I want you back" is the best line, and better then any of Jammersons Lines. IMHO. BUT, Wilton, while being a very good player still stands in Jammersons shadow. And for the depth and breadth of work no one compares to Jamerson. If the poll could have fifty spots Jammerson might have twenty five of them while Chuck Rainey would probably be number two with about three! No question that Jammerson was the quintessential studio bassest and has a tier all his own. The next tier might well include Wilton Felder, Chuck Rainey, Duck Dunn, Abe Laborial, Nathan East, Will Lee, Marcus Miller, Jerry Jammont, Joe Osborn, Tommy Cogbill, David Hood, Lee Sklar, Carol Kaye, Pino Pallidino, and Bruce Babbit. And I'm sure ALL of them with the exception of Carol Kaye (whose a bit loopy) would give credit to Jammerson as THE MAN!

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by burk48237

The song had to be a true "pop" song, I love "Roundabout" as much as the next guy but it languished on the fringes of the charts.

I thought "pop" was defined as a genre of music - not just by how many units sold...

Originally Posted by burk48237

The bass-line needs to stand on it's own. When you hear the bass-line the song should be instantly recognizable...All of the Joe Jackson stuff droped off the list with this criterion, GREAT bass-lines but not instantly recognizable.

Huh? Ever hear JJ's track Steppin' Out? That's gotta be one of the most instantly recognizable pop basslines of the past 25 years...

I see where you're going with this, but it's kind of a peculiar mix of tunes, IMHO. Several are more R&B than pop. Some alternate suggestions:

• Rio - Duran Duran
• Paradise - Sade
• Maneater - Hall & Oates
• Take Me To The River - Talking Heads
• My City Was Gone - The Pretenders
• She Moves In Mysterious Ways - U2

MM

P.S. I voted for Pump It Up. I'm a big Bruce Thomas fan...

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by burk48237

I actually think you can argue that "I want you back" is the best line, and better then any of Jamersons Lines. IMHO. BUT, Wilton, while being a very good player still stands in Jamersons shadow. And for the depth and breadth of work no one compares to Jamerson.

He may be in Jamerson's shadows but Wilton has a huge body of work himself......on 2 different instruments! I agree, Jamerson has had a huge impact on R&B bass playing. Imagine what he could have done if he had used more than 1 finger!?! We're both from the same era and we were there when it all started!

[rotero]

I voted for "I Want You Back" from this particular list. That groove is so deep it is comical and the way it kicks in and grabs you is undeniable. That said, every one of those players who made the list is worthy and all of those tunes are goldmines of groove. And yes Jamerson has a bigger overall impact than Wilton, but you got to give it up on this one!

Off the list: I'll give a BIG +1 to Rio by Duran Duran. John Taylor is a dutiful disciple of the late, great Bernie Edwards and he is still way underrated. That bassline is his most in-your-face, but pretty much everything he played was about as funky and tasteful as it gets. AND to top it off he got the ladies like no other bass player ever...really...it's not even close. (Of course, I'm only basing this on observing women react to him for twenty-something years, what he did with it is his own bizness!) To quote Ali G: "Respec!"

[burk48237]

Originally Posted by DWBass

He may be in Jamerson's shadows but Wilton has a huge body of work himself......on 2 different instruments! I agree, Jamerson has had a huge impact on R&B bass playing. Imagine what he could have done if he had used more than 1 finger!?! We're both from the same era and we were there when it all started!

The other interesting thing about that is, Wilton refused to play Sax for anybody but the Crusaders. He stressed in an interview I read that it was such an integral part of their sound he felt he would water it down if it was showing up on pop tunes all over the dial. Ironically Robert "pops" Popwell and Abe Laborial did an awful lot of the Crusaders work, probably more then Wilton.

[matrok]

I went for "I want you back" as well. classic

I will also disagree on the Joe Jackson/Graham Maby. Steppin Out and Sunday Papers are very recognizable basslines.

Overall, too many to choose from to make a "definitive" list, but it has made for a great playlist in my iTunes folder.

thanks all.

[musicman5string]

For the Love of Money/O'Jays (Anthony Jackson)
I want you Back/Jackson 5 (Wilton Felder)
My Generation/Then Who (John Entwhistle
Come Together/Beatles (Sir Paul McCartney)
Thank You for Letting me Be Myself/Sly (Larry Grahm)
Money/ Pink Floyd (Roger Waters)
Soul Man/Sam and Dave (Donnald "Duck" Dunn)
Sweet Emotion/Aerosmith (Tom Hamilton)
Everytime you go Away/Paul Young (Pino Pallidino)
Sunshine of Your Love/Cream (Jack Bruce)
I was Made to Love Her/Steveie Wonder (James Jamerson)


This is what I narrowed your list down to; I couldn't pick just one. There are some things to point out though: "Money" is the epitome of "classic rock", not "pop". "Soul Man" is surely a great line, but not instantly recognizable by itself. "Everytime You Go Away" is great but it's only because of the fills that we know it; it's not the "bassline" itself. Aerosmith is also classic rock, and anyway it's just that intro that everyone knows, not the bassline to the tune.
For me, the most "important" or "best" pop basslines from your list are these:
"Come Together"
"Thank You"
"For The Love Of Money"
"I Want You Back"
"Sunshine Of Your Love"
Because those lines ARE the songs themselves really. Everyone knows them instantly, and the songs could not stand without them. Plus, they have been ingrained in pop culture through movies, tv, commericials, and of course radio.

As far as the Jamerson stuff, surely every line is a masterpiece from a bass stand point, but I'd say the average person would know "Get Ready" and "My Girl" the most.

[7flat5]

I've just got two additions that come to mind of a possible 200 or so, but these do stand out.
Good Vibrations Beach Boys w/Carol Kaye
Lovely Rita from Sgt Pepper/Beatles/McCartney

Sorry to not help with the newer stuff.

[bearcubs9497]

What about "Silly Love Songs"? That whole bass line is like a song within the song.