What bass lines influenced you the most?

[sigmafloyd]

Throughout my time playing bass there have been many key basslines that have influenced my playing and have helped guide my progression. These, for me, were what made up my 'formative' years on the bass. What are yours?

Pink Floyd (Roger Waters) - Echoes - Live at Pompeii:
YouTube - ‪Echoes - Part I - Pink Floyd‬‏ (starting at 6:20ish)
I was a huge Pink Floyd fan in junior high/early high school. After a failed attempt at picking up guitar it was Roger Waters role in PF that prompted me to pick up the bass. Specifically, the jammed out section of Echoes in the live at Pompeii video. At the time that was the height of cool for me, still hard to beat.

Allman Brothers - Trouble No More - Live at the Fillmore:
YouTube - ‪The Allman Brothers Band - Trouble No More‬‏
Berry Oakley is, and will always be, my favorite bass player. I pretty much learned how to play bass listening to the first disc of live at the fillmore. To this day if I had to pick one bass player that I would hope to be compared to, it would be him.

Cream - Spoonful - Live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nrJOllAbYQ
Besides ABB, cream was what I used to learn to play. I had the box set with every cd plus some live stuff. There is a really loose, jammy version of Spoonful on it that is 20+ minutes long. Wore it out.

Phish (Mike Gordon) - Weekapaug Groove - Slip, Stich and Pass:
YouTube - ‪Phish - Weekapaug Groove‬‏
I played in what you would call 'Jam Bands' through most of high school and college. This meant a lot of funk and gratuitous slap. I must have listened to this opening bass solo of Weekapaug a million times. In my mind, this is THE slap sound.

Flecktones (Victor) - Sinister Minister - Live Art:
YouTube - ‪Bela Fleck and The Flecktones The Sinister Minister‬‏
While still in my jam/slap phase, the solo on Sinister Minister, the Lie Art version, was the pinnacle. My college roommate and I would play this song almost every day, up until the solo.

Talking Heads (Tina Weymouth) - Making Flippy Floppy -Stop Making Sense:
YouTube - ‪Talking Heads - Making Flippy Floppy‬‏
Radiohead (Colin Greenwood) - Airbag - OK Computer :
YouTube - ‪1. Airbag‬‏
As my college band evolved, I got out of the jam phase and more into indie music. Along with that progression came a respect for simpler bass lines. These 2, in particular, influenced my playing more than any for years. The airgbag bassline, in particular, taught me more about leaving space than any other. Years later I read that he had always planned on adding more to the part to connect the disjointed lines but never got around to it.

[bassybill]

Many, many bassists have influenced me and inspired me with their playing. I still think Jaco is the greatest ever. But the one who influenced my own playing the most? Probably Bernard Edwards with stuff like this:

YouTube - ‪Chic - My Forbidden Lover‬‏

[rymiraflores]

Feliz Pappalardi ( Mountain)
Theme for an imaginery western
Nantucket sleighride

Gary Thain ( Uriah Heep)
Sweet Freedom

Andy Fraser ( Free)
Mr Big

Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie)
Thursday´s child

These 5 bass lines influenced almost everything I have ever composed.

[Sketchy]

At The End Of The Day - Spock's Beard

What has influenced my bass playing more, after all, then the bassline that made me take up the bass?

Also, +1 on Echoes. It's brilliant.

[Gormsgade]

Pino Palladino
"Tear your playhouse down"
Played live at a concert broadcasted in
European TV back in March 1985.

Forget the studio work Pino did with Paul Young.
Live he propelled a cascade of groovy tasteful
perfectly timed and beautifully harmonic lines off stage,
leaving nobody in question who played the crowd pleaser.
Still a major inspiration all these years later.

What a man!

[oniman7]

Tool - Everything, especially Schism and The Pot

Dream Theater - Everything, especially Panic Attack

Symphony X - Domination, The Divine Wings of Tragedy (This song Live on their album Live On the Edge of Forever is AMAZING. 20 minutes of ecstasy)

Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall, Comfortably Numb

Mudvayne - World So Cold

I love metal, especially prog. Playing Schism on Guitar Hero convinced me I wanted to pick up a bass. I swore that I'd one day be able to play that and Panic Attack. 2 years later, I'm still working on them

[afranks]

John Paul Jones bassline for Ramble On still gets me today.

[dperry]

Most everything Joe Osborn did. "Twelve Thirty" by Mamas and Papas. "Aquarius", of course. "I Think I Just Stay Here And Drink" by Merle Haggard. Most Carpenters tracks.

[bolophonic]

I don't know how much actual bass guitar is in it, but "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" was the first song I remember playing air bass to.

[chaseman]

I would say so far, My Lovely Man by RHCP has really changed my style the most. The verse bass line is so cool!

[k2aggie07]

Originally Posted by afranks

John Paul Jones bassline for Ramble On still gets me today.

+1 to this. Add in What is and what should never be and the funkier grooves in Livin' Lovin' Maid. But for me I bought a bass specifically to play What is and what should never be.

[Nick901]

Originally Posted by k2aggie07

+1 to this. Add in What is and what should never be and the funkier grooves in Livin' Lovin' Maid. But for me I bought a bass specifically to play What is and what should never be.

You'd also have to add The Lemon Song

[staindbass]

barney miller intro/theme YouTube - ‪Barney Miller Intro‬‏

[Billnc]

Roger Waters: Echoes
David Gilmour: A Pillow of Winds (no way this is Roger sorry)YouTube - ‪Pink Floyd - A Pillow of Winds‬‏
Bernadette, whoever played it
What is Hip: Rosco
If You Want Me to Stay: Larry Graham (I don't slap)

[lowendgenerator]

Originally Posted by staindbass

barney miller intro/theme YouTube - ‪Barney Miller Intro‬‏

I totally hear this in your playing too.

[stratovani]

Probably just about everything Geddy, Macca, and The Ox have ever played.

[lowendgenerator]

Billy Cox from the Band Of Gypsys album. That album is the reason I play bass. Solid pentatonic pocket playing, almost zen like.

Who Knows - YouTube - ‪Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys - Who Knows‬‏

Them Changes - YouTube - ‪Jimi Hendrix - Band Of Gypsys Changes 31/12/69 2nd show‬‏

[twocargar]

Cool thread!

Mine:

Mike Rutherford, No Reply At All

Geddy Lee, The Camera Eye

Masayoshi Yamashita (Loudness), Dream Fantasy

Chris Squire, Yours Is No Disgrace

Paul McCartney, Obla Di, Obla Da (spelling?)

[SonourBrum]

Paul McCartney - Silly Love Songs
The Who - Can You See the Real Me
Frankie Valli & 4 Seasons - Swearin to God
Todd Rundgren - Hello It's Me
Black Sabbath - Walk Away
Rush - Red Barchetta
Eric Matthews - Everything So Real
Blinker the Star - Pretty Pictures

Pretty varied taste... but it just goes to show that most times, I really am only listening to the bass.

[Exploiter8]

So many to choose from, but I'll narrow it down to The Moody Blues and John Lodge's playing on "The Story In Your Eyes" and "Question." Of course the opening bass on "The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" would always rattle the EPI's in my bedroom!

Smooth and melodic.

X8