Macca's Jazz Bass..

[Jazzbassguy]

Never realized that Paul played a Jazz Bass on seven Beatles tunes.. Ran across this info on a website about the Beatles gear..


"Yer Blues," "Glass Onion," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Sun King", "Mean Mr. Mustard", "Helter Skelter", and "Back in the USSR" evidently were played on Paul's lefty Jazz..

[Stick_Player]

Originally Posted by Jazzbassguy

Never realized that Paul played a Jazz Bass on seven Beatles tunes.. Ran across this info on a website about the Beatles gear..


"Yer Blues," "Glass Onion," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Sun King", "Mean Mr. Mustard", "Helter Skelter", and "Back in the USSR" evidently were played on Paul's lefty Jazz..

One can't rely on those speculative websites. No one but the Beatles were there and they can't even remember who played what.

Having said that, it's most likely that John Lennon played bass on Helter Skelter. And George played bass on Back in the U.S.S.R. (maybe even with John).

[Ivan R]

I hear a Bass VI in Helter Skelter. The isolated track is on Youtube.

[Stick_Player]

Originally Posted by Ivan R

I hear a Bass VI in Helter Skelter. The isolated track is on Youtube.

Yes, I agree with you. I should've been more specific - Fender Bass VI.

[mjac28]

Originally Posted by Stick_Player

One can't rely on those speculative websites. No one but the Beatles were there and they can't even remember who played what.

Having said that, it's most likely that John Lennon played bass on Helter Skelter. And George played bass on Back in the U.S.S.R. (maybe even with John).

+1000 You are going to have a few dozen "experts" chime in and say they know for sure who played what when? based on some interview from some guy or from one the Beatles it always drives me crazy.

[fabubass]

You can tell that's the bass V1 on Helter Skelter by the thin tone, thin sounding strings and the hard plucking style, in which it's played, sounds like Lennon

[drTSTingray]

Having seen the other thread on this subject, I started looking up some of these matters in other reference books on the Beatles aand there doesn't seem to be consensus on who played on some of these later tracks or what instrument was used.

I think the phrase - even the Beatles can't remember - is a good thing to have in mind.

And in terms of The Beatles, this seems to me as relevant as discussing Hendrix possibly playing a Gibson on odd tracks - if it happened it would be seldom and not really relevant to the overall thing. I have listened to one of the isolated tracks purported to have Bass V1 and it sounds possibly like a Ric with a different EQ to me. Doesn't Bass Vi sounds like Duane Eddy etc? I don't hear that tic tac sound.

However, PMcC did play a Jazz in the 70s at times - I seem to remember him shown with them several times - but then the general sound of the music had changed by then.

[bassgod0dmw]

There's a big debate on who and what bass was played on While My Guitar Gently Weeps too.

Some say it was Macca with a Ric, some say Macca with a Jazz, and others say it was George with a Jazz. They say George because it the bassline flows so well with the guitar and it's not possible that Macca could have doubled it so well.

I think there is a whole thread in the Recordings Forum arguing ten ways from Sunday about it.