Paul McCartney

JHMAVRO · #1 07-13-2000, 08:20 AM

I heard some Beatles on the radio this morning and started thinking about Paul.IMO he's the man.His basslines were great. Nothing fancey or hard to play but, (how should I put this) tastfull ? Just well thought out basslines I guess.I never really thought about it before but I think he is a big inspiration to my playing. Anyone else??

------------------
insert somthing funny here

Prashant · #2 07-13-2000, 01:12 PM

100% with you there...some of the tastiest bass lines...period. I learned a lot about voice leading from Paul McCartney, both subconsciously as well as consciously.

When I was little (still am, as far as I'm concerned), my father would play Beatles albums all the time. I loved their music then, and, after thinking that I was "too good" for it circa the ages of 12-16, I rediscovered them when I got to college.
(That middle period was ripe with BS theories and cocky ideas...but I suppose puberty is supposed to be embarassing.)

Anyway, I think that it's fantastic stuff, and Mr. McCartney has DEFINITELY had a lot to do with the way I hear bass lines, as well as music in general.

JimK · #3 07-13-2000, 04:55 PM

Prasphant-
Same thing happened to me; I first got into The Beatles very young(like 7-8 years old in '66), kinda lost touch when I hit my early teens, & really lost touch as I became a "Jazz-Nazi" through college. I finally got back into them when their stuff was finally issued on cds(about 14-15 years ago now).
I was just checking out the ANTHOLOGY VOL 1 last night; on disc 1, the FIRST false start to "One After 909"(a rather quick double-timed rocker)is hilarious. The song breaks down & Lennon(I think)asks "What are you doing"? Paul sez something like this "...it's murder, I can't keep it up"! Then someone asks about his plectrum & Paul yells "I don't have one"! Check it out...pretty funny(especially in their British accent ;-)

**Blackbird** · #4 07-13-2000, 06:01 PM

I agree with all that's been said and I have the Beatles anthology with the "One after 909" incident. It's funny hearing John asking him if he has a "Plec", or "Plectrum". See? There are advantages to learning pizzicato...

Will C.

------------------
You can't hold no groove if you ain't got no pocket!

JHMAVRO · #5 07-13-2000, 06:02 PM

Ya! thats how I got into the beatles!My old man used to listen to them all the time!!When I started playing guitar I learned as many of there songs as I could, but Then I switched to bass and Pauls stuff was too complicated for the first couple of years.

------------------
insert somthing funny here

[This message has been edited by JHMAVRO (edited July 13, 2000).]

NukeBass · #6 07-13-2000, 07:35 PM

McCartney made me want to play bass. Simplicity is one of his strong points, I think. My favorite bassline is Hello Goodbye. Easy? yes Could I come up with something better for the song? No.

He could complicate things a little like in I Want You or Old Brown Shoe (or was that Harrison on bass?...)

Hey, I got my Rick 4001 because of him

gweimer · #7 07-13-2000, 11:05 PM

Sir Paul is deceptively complex. I never gave him a lot of thought until I got into a wedding band and had to learn a few early Beatles tunes. Man, what a workout! One of the really well-known ones (except it slips my mind now!) has a bass line that walks over the chords in passing and never stops. It's a concentrated effort from start to finish. I put him in that rare class of players that know WHAT to play as much as HOW to play.

JimK · #8 07-14-2000, 05:32 AM

Gweimer-
That sounds like "All My Loving"; Mac swingin' through the changes

Mac could also lay down a "Funky" groove-
"Taxman"(ending guitar solo is also by Mac), "Come Together", & "Paperback Writer".

NukeBass · #9 07-14-2000, 07:54 AM

Hold Me Tight is a nice little workout, too
--I meant simple in that he knows when not to play complicated

gweimer · #10 07-14-2000, 02:45 PM

THAT'S IT!

pedro · #11 07-14-2000, 04:06 PM

I never thought of Paul McCartney's basslines as being overly simple. He can be quite busy and unexpected. IMO he most resembles Jamerson in the way he construct basslines melodically, especially on Sgt Peppers. He never over plays but always serves the song.

While many younger bass player discovering McCartney/Beatles for the first time may think he's over looked in his day, he was highly regarded and voted top rock bassist several times, if memory serves. Many of us older bassist, name McCartney as our first big influence.

One last thing that I feel should be noted about Paul progression as a bassist. When listening to early Beatles, please keep in mind that McCartney had been a guitarist up until the departure of Stu Sutcliff in 1963(?) so he had very little experience playing bass on those early records. Never the less, I think he did quite nicely.

NukeBass · #12 07-14-2000, 11:55 PM

The thing about McCartney I think that stands out the most (especially since he is my biggest influence) is that he is a musician first. He switched from guitar to bass easily because he knew how it was supposed to work, maybe because of his musical childhood or something. He plays piano and guitar effectively and knows what sounds "good". I'm sure developing musically around Lennon and Harrison didn't hurt either, both of whom learned to play a decent bass (Lennon-Let it Be, Harrison-Helter Skelter, some of Abbey Road)

I have to wonder what it was like to develop a style when rock and roll was developing...

JimK · #13 07-15-2000, 11:00 AM

I didn't know Lennon played bass on "Let It Be"; in George Martin's book(ALL YOU NEED IS EARS), Lennon is credited with playing the bass on "The Long & Winding Road"...Martin calls Lennon's "efforts" the equivalent of "musical sabotage".

*Tangent Alert*-
I'm listening to Aretha's YOUNG, GIFTED, & BLACK cd; she does a cover of "The Long & Winding Road" that is awesome! Chuck Rainey on bass in a very Gospel-ish/R&B groove.

Dave Castelo · #14 07-16-2000, 12:24 AM

well i´m a beginner and i really love the simplicity of "Obladi Oblada"

i play it very often

bye

ZoomBoy · #15 07-25-2000, 12:16 AM

In an indirect way Paul is the reason I began to play bass. When I was a kid the first album I picked out by myself was "The Beatles Second Album". I couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old at the time. I thought that Paul was the coolest and I took to pretending I was Paul by strumming along with a tennis racket lefty! I didn't even know what a bass was at this point. Little did I know that almost 10 years later I'd find myself in a music store buying a cheap P-bass copy! He is such a tasteful player.

MrGump · #16 07-25-2000, 01:16 AM

Recently I heard all the basslines on Sgt.Pepper were recorded last,is this true?I think Paul is excellently melodic,but plays too much,and too varied(within the same line)I think he wouldnt get alot of gigs,if he was an unknown.Hes too busy.Listen to Nowhere Man.

Brad Johnson · #17 07-25-2000, 02:09 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JimK:
I didn't know Lennon played bass on "Let It Be"; in George Martin's book(ALL YOU NEED IS EARS), Lennon is credited with playing the bass on "The Long & Winding Road"...Martin calls Lennon's "efforts" the equivalent of "musical sabotage".

*Tangent Alert*-
I'm listening to Aretha's YOUNG, GIFTED, & BLACK cd; she does a cover of "The Long & Winding Road" that is awesome! Chuck Rainey on bass in a very Gospel-ish/R&B groove.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That period for Aretha...

I've got that LP, need to dig it out. Thanks, Jim.

Brad Johnson · #18 07-25-2000, 02:13 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MrGump:
Recently I heard all the basslines on Sgt.Pepper were recorded last,is this true?I think Paul is excellently melodic,but plays too much,and too varied(within the same line)I think he wouldnt get alot of gigs,if he was an unknown.Hes too busy.Listen to Nowhere Man.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Maybe guys like Paul shouldn't do pickup gigs

Take him in the context he played in. Go back and check out some 60's and 70's bass playing. It wasn't all repetitive and simple. Of course you're entitled to your opinion

dancehallclasher · #19 07-25-2000, 10:59 AM

i'm leaving for freshman year at college in the fall, and last night i made a compilation cd of my favorite beatles songs, because i can't take my parents' albums with me. listening to it made me realize how much i love mac's playing... it's supportive, yet so melodic it's like he's playing lead... one of my favorite lines ever is "with a little help from my friends." gorgeous.

------------------
we hope you are ok.

JimK · #20 07-25-2000, 11:28 AM

Gump-
I never really considered McCartney as a "busy" player; "Nowhere Man", IMO, isn't busy...IMO(again), it's a pretty straight forward tune in an 1/8 note feel. Try playing that tune less "busy"; that is, play around on primarily beats 1 & 3...does the tune work in that kinda two-beat feel? I dunno...

On the other hand, I can see where Jamerson might be called "busy"...he surely "varied within the same line" a whole lot more than Mac. The "varying"(IMO)is the bassist knowing the feel + the changes & PLAYING; he may have a certain bass figure in mind, but he's not a slave to it. Make sense?