Grease - "You're The One That I Want" - Who Played It?

[jaywa]

I heard this song on the radio again the other day and the bass work just killed me. Who did it, and do they have any other work on record that I could check out? It's great.

Also any info on the equipment used? Sounds to me like a Jazz Bass, possibly with flatwounds, played with a pick and recorded direct, but I could be wrong.

Thanks

[Sonicfrog]

From what I've been able to find, the bass players listed on the Grease Soundtrack album are: Mike Porcaro, William David Hungate, Max Bennett, David Allen Ryan, Wm. J. Bodine, Dean Cortez and Harold Cowart.

Haven't been able to find out exactly which one laid down the line. I only really know of the two Toto players on the list, and if I were to guess which of the two played it, if it were one of the two, I would say it was Porcaro, though that is simply a guess. It just doesn't sound like a Hungate line to me... which probably means it's Hungate!

[Adam Bomb]

Isn't that song something? My little sometimes-band at work was going to do that song for a function, and I was like, "Yeah yeah fun ha ha" but I was thinking "MAN have I got my work cut out for me"! Then I learned it. (Mostly.) Then the gig got cancelled!

Grew up listening to that song. Heard the bassline for the first time a year ago.

No idea who plays it. He/she knows their stuff.

--Bomb

[jaywa]

What I really like is that it's mixed old-school... I mean, the bass is way up there, definitely equal to the drums and almost as loud as the vocals. You have to be on top of your game when your part is that prominent in the mix, and that guy definitely is.

[paul_wolfe]

I remember reading somewhere that it was David Hungate.

And it's a great piece of bass playing in what is otherwise a piece of schlock!

[billjr]

I was learning that bass line as part of the "Grease Remix" that came out for dance clubs. It's a medley of three or four Grease songs and it is still really popular at dances around here. But since I play in a classic rock band, no one else is interested in dance music, so I let it go.

I really like the bass line,though.

[jaywa]

I would buy that it's Hungate. The part is definitely played with a pick and it would appear that of the bassists credited on the album, Hungate is probably the most pick proficient.

[jaywa]

Originally Posted by billjr

I was learning that bass line as part of the "Grease Remix" that came out for dance clubs. It's a medley of three or four Grease songs and it is still really popular at dances around here.

I've heard that remix... it sucks. I hate medleys as a rule and so do a lot of other people I know, both musicians and not. Either play the whole song, or don't bother.

I've never had the chance to do the song but it would definitely be a chops-buster, especially for a guy like me that doesn't play much with a pick.

[crucislancer]

The Grease soundtrack is loaded with some great bass work. I often wondered who played that song and I would have to say it was Hungate as well.

[billjr]

[quote=jaywa;8449527]I've heard that remix... it sucks. I hate medleys as a rule and so do a lot of other people I know, both musicians and not. Either play the whole song, or don't bother.

Listen, if you have an opinion, don't be afraid to express it. Come on out with it. Don't be shy.

[mccartneyman]

Bill Bodine is a killer player who writes and produces. He's from Youngstown, Ohio, but currently lives in LA. He runs a program for getting musical programs to children.

[Jluckie3]

i played the broadway version at a local theater and as this song isn't part of that score, we learned it for curtain call, minus the vocals. it is one of my favorite lines and i often use it to warm up for shows and such. totally fun line though. fun side note, sha na na helped with a lot of the music in the film and featured a young trumpet player named billy crystal, you can catch a brief glimpse of him during the dance scene

[Musician924]

It was Max Bennett that played bass on "you're the one that i want" on the Grease soundtrack. Max comes from a string bass jazz background (Ella Fitzgerald etc), and his approach to this song i feel reflects this. It would have been his Fender 62 P with LaBella flatwound strings, which was his set up in the 70's. Max also used an Acoustic rig at the time. I don't know if Max played using a plectrum or his fingers, but I do know that playing live or recording through an Acoustic rig does allow settings with lots of attack which may explain the appearance (or fact) of play using a plectrum. Max demonstrates the "attack" abilities of the Acoustic Amplifiers of the time live, and just with his fingers too, on the "Old Grey Whistle" test recordings of Joni Mitchell and the LA Express at London's Victoria theatre in 1974. The film quality is good, and can be seen on Youtube for those interested. I have had a bit of contact with Max over the years, so if anyone really wants the truth behind how the recording was played, let me know and I shall see if Max remembers it well and is willing to share some information. Thanks, Tom.

[Skitch it!]

Grease is the Word is a cool track to play, funnily enough I liked playing the bass part for Hopelessly Devoted too, smoochy

I always wondered who was responsible for the bass parts on that album, some nice work there.