Top five songs a bassist should know

[scottyd]

To improve his or her technique what 5 songs should a bass player at least be able to play?

Mine are,
Teen Town- Jaco
Portraits of Tracy- Jaco
Running in the Family- Mark King- level 42 (just cause its my easy slap favorite!! )
Cliff Burtun bass solo (My first bass accomplishment)
Me and My Bass Guitar- Vic Wooten (just cause I cant come close to playing it correct. still trying.. )

Just wondering what some of the more accomplished players think.

[bubinga5]

Incognito- Julian Crampton- Jacobs Ladder

Jaco - Teen Town(just bloody fast)

Donny Hathaway - Willie Weeks - Little Ghetto Boy(fantastic groove)

Level 42 - Mark King - Mr Pink

Jamiroquai - Space Cowboy(not really that hard but loads of great fills on the album version)

Jacobs Ladder is dang hard for anyone who knows it!?

[VanillaO]

I don't thik I've ever even tried playing any of those songs because I either don't give a damn about learning it, or I know it's beyond my current abilities and don't care enough to work at practicing something that isn't going to help my own writing process, or my band's.

[scottyd]

Originally Posted by VanillaO

I don't thik I've ever even tried playing any of those songs because I either don't give a damn about learning it, or I know it's beyond my current abilities and don't care enough to work at practicing something that isn't going to help my own writing process, or my band's.

Ok your sure to go far with that attitude...

Bubinga 5, I didnt even think of Mr. Pink! awesome song great chop builder too.

[Pacman]

The Blues

Rhythm Changes

[bass phan]

i just think its more important (for me it is) when you write a new lick that you really dig, as opposed to learning some killer song by vic or jaco. Nothin is better than writin your own stuff and being able to play some original stuff is pretty killer.

[Joe Nerve]

blitzkrieg bop
smoke on the water
sweet home alabama
with or without you
dammit

[RareBear]

Good Times - Chic
I Fought the Law - The Clash
One of the Survivors - The Kinks
The Real Me - The Who
Third Stone from the Sun - Jimi Hendrix Experience

(Actually I can't rank things in a top 5 way but these are fun and build confidence when you really begin to handle them well.)

[kipsus]

Another One Bites The Dust
badabum bum bum...

[slapslappopslap]

anthem part two by blink mann!!!! that bass solos really hard

1) Portrait of Tracy, just learning to get your harmonics to sound anywhere near as good as his is a mish and a half...
2) Maxwell Murder, who cares if its just scales, it sounds so cool hahah.
3) Wootens Amazing Grace/Classical Thump/Norwegian Wood/Me and My Bass Guitar, coz if you're playing like Vic you know your doing something right.
4) Sienfeld. Enough said.
5) Flea's "Super Rare" Bass Solo. haha. because its so "Super"

[The BurgerMeister]

the lemon song - led zeppelin
what's going on - marvin gaye
dead goon - mr bungle (all kinds of juicy bass licks in that one!)
.........(actually, i'll just go ahead and say ALL of mr bungle's first album. trevor dunn is the S*!T.)
portrait of tracy - jaco pastorius
without you i'm nothing - placebo (pick technique!!)
vital signs - rush (and of course, yyz!)

and whoever said "jacob's ladder," good one! one of my favorite rush songs to play.

[jonpeck]

gotta agree with joe nerve
With or without you its great to sing with
seven nation army(im gonna get burned)
Hysteria
dammit
smells like teen spirit and in England God Save The queen

[tplyons]

12 Bar Blues

[Jeff Moote]

Originally Posted by tplyons

12 Bar Blues

I'm going to extend this and say that a bassist should know how to play a full set of blues changes (some call this a "jazz-blues").

Also, +1 to Pacman on Rhythm Changes.

A grasp of samba (Brazilian) and other latin styles is indispensable as well.

[bubinga5]

Originally Posted by VanillaO

I don't thik I've ever even tried playing any of those songs because I either don't give a damn about learning it, or I know it's beyond my current abilities and don't care enough to work at practicing something that isn't going to help my own writing process, or my band's.

I think you would be suprised at how much of learning these greats would help your writing process. I have picked up so much from these bassist's, be it rythmically, harmonically. Dont get me wrong, learning songs parrot fashion all the time isnt gonna turn you into a great bassist or song writer, and i certainly dont want to be a clone of anyone!.... In my opinion the music is there to be analised, then interpreted into your own style. We all have to learn from someone. Unless your last name is Beethoven?

[Kid Charlemagne]

Originally Posted by Pacman

The Blues

Rhythm Changes

+1

[Lord Henry]

Originally Posted by bubinga5

I think you would be suprised at how much of learning these greats would help your writing process. I have picked up so much from these bassist's, be it rythmically, harmonically. Dont get me wrong, learning songs parrot fashion all the time isnt gonna turn you into a great bassist or song writer, and i certainly dont want to be a clone of anyone!.... In my opinion the music is there to be analised, then interpreted into your own style. We all have to learn from someone. Unless your last name is Beethoven?

Well Beethoven learnt from Mozart and Handel, all of whom learnt from Bach. The second guy to ever hit a hollow log with a stick learnt from the first and it has so been ever since.

Learning from what has gone before, and what is going on now, is essential. If everyone started from base principles (pun intended) then every generation of music would be basically the same and there would be no progression.

I can't really name a top 5 but I will say that I find the process of figuring tunes out by ear, rather than learning from a book, is every bit as helpful to development as being able to actually play the parts.

Cheers

[Kid Charlemagne]

Another one: "Kiss" by Prince.

[gkbass13]

another +1 on blues changes, walking lines, latin rhythms. it is great for your playign to knwo hwo to let harmonics ring like jaco, or to be able to get a muted slap flurry of notes liek vic, but ultimately as a bass player in real life gigging situations, the other techniques and abilities mentioned above will be more practical and beneficial.

[Flameknight_00]

hmm

Led Zeppelin - Moby dick ( cause its kinda cool )
Metallica - Orion ( the harmony of the song is great )
Dream Theater - Dance of eternity ( its complex , makes u learn other songs faster )
John Myung - Solar Groove
Metallica the cunning stunt's thingy :P, this and solar groove are pretty easy and sound cool