"Wrong" notes in basslines on record..

[nipperooney]

One of my favourite basslines is the Ronnie Wood classic from Maggie May. However it is littered with wrong notes (IMHO), where Ronnie misses the tonic of the chord and lands (briefly) on a variety of notes before hitting the right one.

One of the more noticeable 'bummers' comes at 2'44" just after the first guitar solo when Rod sings "I suppose". The chord is an A and Ronnie hits a G, cuts it very short and then quickly changes to an A for the rest of the bar. There are loads more like this, some very subtle, but they all add to the charm.

Are there any other stonking "wrong" notes in any commercial recordings that you know of, and I'm talking about bass notes that sound like actual mistakes, rather than an attempt at being "edgy" by just playing a dodgy note?

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

On the final chord of "Rock And Roll All Nite" ("Alive!" version), Gene Simmons hits a D instead of an A which should be the last note (He picked the wrong string, most likely), but the mistake isn't that noticeable because he slides down the note. Anyway, just check the first attack of that chord and you'll clearly hear the guitars playing an Ab power chord and the bass hitting a Db (Half-step downtuned guitars and bass), which is definitely wrong in that context.

[notdavey]

There's a rather noticeable wrong note played in Unchained Melody. I was in a wedding band years back and actually used to play the mistake (mainly to be a wise asss).

Sting also made a noticeable mistake in Driven to Tears on the Life Earth broadcast (but hell that's live and not even on a CD / Recording).

[Johnny Crab]

We cover some Hendrix stuff.
Since listening to it 8 zillion times and each time trying to hear anything I'm either not playing or could play....I've heard a couple of similar millisecond wrong note-jump to right note things. I'll try to note the songs and timestamps this week and re-post.

IMO, you will only find such human moments on older, one-take things or super-low budget things. 99.9999% of any "grace notes" today get digitally repaired. Even on live stuff.

[Rickenbrad]

in Mahavishnu Orchestra's "one word" during the beginning of the bass solo, Rick Laird slides up to the wrong note briefly (hes still a great bassist tho)

[Johnny Crab]

Wind Cries Mary about 1:18...seems to slide to the "correct" note...unless it's a very unique way of using a hammer-on to start at a lower note.

Little Wing 1:16~1:17 oops/stop note/play "corrected" note

First thing out the chute in Red House(studio version) about 0:15~0:16.

There may be more but I gotta practice since The House Ain't A Rockin(home alone, gig tomorrow, children at marching band practice).

[bassist15]

I wouldnt say they were really mistakes...I mean theory wise maybe they are but they might just play them that way ( in the case of Hendrix or Ron wood) .

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Unfortunately I can't remember in which magazine it appeared, but I have somewhere an interview with Noel Redding saying that he started playing a different section in the outro for "Fire" and quickly realized his mistake, but the track was left that way.

[lunarpollen]

I know there's a noticeable bad note or two in the Dave Clark 5's "Can't You See That She's Mine"

[browner]

Originally Posted by nipperooney

One of my favourite basslines is the Ronnie Wood classic from Maggie May. However it is littered with wrong notes (IMHO), where Ronnie misses the tonic of the chord and lands (briefly) on a variety of notes before hitting the right one.

One of the more noticeable 'bummers' comes at 2'44" just after the first guitar solo when Rod sings "I suppose". The chord is an A and Ronnie hits a G, cuts it very short and then quickly changes to an A for the rest of the bar. There are loads more like this, some very subtle, but they all add to the charm.

Are there any other stonking "wrong" notes in any commercial recordings that you know of, and I'm talking about bass notes that sound like actual mistakes, rather than an attempt at being "edgy" by just playing a dodgy note?

Isn't that Ronnie Laine?

[nipperooney]

Originally Posted by browner

Isn't that Ronnie Laine?

Well, I'll be honest, I didn't know who played it until I researched before I started this thread and I found this on Wiki..

Of Course, Wiki isn't the most reliable, but who am I to argue.

"Maggie May" is a song written by Rod Stewart and musician Martin Quittenton and recorded by Stewart in 1971 -- a solo work under the Mercury Record label, not involving his group The Faces, who were contracted with Warner Brothers (though several members of The Faces appear on the album that this song comes from, Every Picture Tells a Story; and Ronnie Wood plays all the guitar and bass parts). The song expresses the ambivalence and contradictory emotions of a young man involved in a relationship with an older woman, and is thought to have been written from Stewart's own experience.

[dvh]

Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

Unfortunately I can't remember in which magazine it appeared, but I have somewhere an interview with Noel Redding saying that he started playing a different section in the outro for "Fire" and quickly realized his mistake, but the track was left that way.

I just picked up on that for the first time the other day. You can hear him going back to the opening riff right at the end the fade.

[hbarcat]

In "The House of the Rising Sun", the well known cover version by The Animals, there is a very obvious clinker toward the end of the solo. The bass lands squarely on the wrong note right on the one (I think he hits an 'E' instead of 'C') but then corrects it.

[Atoz]

Originally Posted by dvh

I just picked up on that for the first time the other day. You can hear him going back to the opening riff right at the end the fade.

You mean that wasn't intentional? I've always liked that fadeout part.

[MixBass]

Sting on "So Lonely" in, IIRC, the gtr solo. Plays the 6 where 5 chord happens. Mind you from what I've read, they did the whole record in a couple days.Great record.

[gustav]

theres two songs i for looong has.. oh, english is hard.. dont manage to write..

lazy sunday with the small faces.
man.. now i dont here it.. but i think its somewhere in that brake 1:20.. anyone else that has heard it? he like.. dosnt let his tone ring out..


born to be wild
oh.. im to tired.. cant hear it here either.. well, its like the same as in lazy sunday. somwhere in the riff. anyone?
haa NO!! NOW. after three times.. in like 0:40 he misses a note..

maybe this is irellevant in this thread.. haha piss..

ooh: theres a small one in hocus pocus to.. where he does a little crazy thing.. 5.15.

wrongdetective for life

[Baryonyx]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

In "The House of the Rising Sun", the well known cover version by The Animals, there is a very obvious clinker toward the end of the solo. The bass lands squarely on the wrong note right on the one (I think he hits an 'E' instead of 'C') but then corrects it.

However, that song is so horrible it probably goes largely unnoticed!

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Originally Posted by MixBass

Sting on "So Lonely" in, IIRC, the gtr solo. Plays the 6 where 5 chord happens.

Yes. I remember that. He plays the 6 (B) and immediately slides down to the 5 (A) during the guitar solo.

[Feast]

in turn it again by the red hot chili peppers, it is very suttle but at about 54 seconds, the lead guitar part seems to have slid to a wrong note or muted it.

[BassLand]

One Word "Moondance"