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What's your favourite James Jamerson bassline?

Fender32

Fender32

Jun 23, 2005
4,945
581
West Sussex, England
#1
Let's face it, there are plenty to choose from, but which of James Jamerson's basslines to you like best and why :)?

Here's a couple of my faves:



  • "Don't Make Hurtin' Me a Habit" - The Marvelettes. Although the song is a fairly simple chord progression in 4/4 time, JJ just weaves in and out of the beat the way an ace soccer striker goes through defenders, as if they're not even there and still scores his "goal" - to make you tap your feet and nod your head uncontrollably :p. The clarity of the recording on his bass part is better than a lot of the early Motown stuff too, so it's really easy to hear how cleanly and evenly he could play (when he wanted to).



  • "I'm in a Different World" - The Four Tops. Again, James is just all over the shop with his lines for the first part of the verse, until he hits the second (more up beat section) and then he just locks effortlessly into the groove and let's the vocals and drums really come to the fore. Unusually, his note choices in the chorus sections are almost the same as the guitar (maybe the guitar was put on afterwards :hmm:), but it just shows how well he knew his role in the studio - a self-disciplined accompanyist, but able to show flashes of his genius at the appropriate time. What a guy :cool:!

So, what are your favourites :)?
 
#4
chaunceytoben said:
brick house-commodores
Click to expand...

That was Ronald LaPread.


My favourite Jamerson lines (and it's so hard to choose, because they're all phenomenal), are probably:


The Four Tops - Bernadette - just keeps the tune bouncing along.

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On - an astonishing composition, especially considering he was lying half-drunk, flat on his back recording it!

Stevie Wonder - For Once In My Life - just amazing how at points he lays back, and at others he just pushes it enough.

Stevie Wonder - I Was Made To Love Her - how to take a four bar bassline, and make it completely different from measure to measure.

There are so many, but these are a few that come to mind right at the moment. I'd say that, both consciously and sub-consciously, Jamerson is the player who has most shaped my own playing. The man was a complete genius.
 
#10
The bass part is a study in counterpoint, rhythmic placement, chord substitution and just plain ol' groove. And I still wonder where he got the idea for the bass part from, especially in the verse when he rumbles to the ii chord then back to the I....

My second fave by him is the original "Grapevine" with Gladys Knight singing it. Check those arpeggios on the chorus- cross string fans built on principle chord tones.

If you do not have the book "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", get it today.
 
#12
EddieG said:
That was Ronald LaPread.


My favourite Jamerson lines (and it's so hard to choose, because they're all phenomenal), are probably:


The Four Tops - Bernadette - just keeps the tune bouncing along.

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On - an astonishing composition, especially considering he was lying half-drunk, flat on his back recording it!

Stevie Wonder - For Once In My Life - just amazing how at points he lays back, and at others he just pushes it enough.

Stevie Wonder - I Was Made To Love Her - how to take a four bar bassline, and make it completely different from measure to measure.

There are so many, but these are a few that come to mind right at the moment. I'd say that, both consciously and sub-consciously, Jamerson is the player who has most shaped my own playing. The man was a complete genius.
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:smug: Amen, to absolutley all of the above comments.

jkramer5 said:
Bernadette is right up there for me. Darling Dear is too. mmmm man so hard to choose.

I opt out and vote for the one I haven't heard yet or didn't know it was him. I'm sure there's one out there that's gonna blow my mind when I hear it.
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I know what you mean there. I've bought a few old Tamla Motown and Northern Soul compilation CDs lately, with artists I'd never heard of before and sometimes, right out of the blue, I hear that familiar "thump" and the bassline explodes in a hundred unpredictable ways and you know it's James :hyper:. The main reason that I started this thread was to see which songs people here like, that I haven't heard yet. Then all I have to do is find some CDs with them on :hmm: ....


azureblue said:
The bass part is a study in counterpoint, rhythmic placement, chord substitution and just plain ol' groove. And I still wonder where he got the idea for the bass part from, especially in the verse when he rumbles to the ii chord then back to the I....

My second fave by him is the original "Grapevine" with Gladys Knight singing it. Check those arpeggios on the chorus- cross string fans built on principle chord tones.

If you do not have the book "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", get it today.
Click to expand...

Oooohhh yeah :smug:! I have that book and the soundtrack CD and of course, the excellent "SITSOM" DVD :hyper:. That should come free with Supporting Membership of TB, IMHO :p.

Mojo-Man said:
:cool:
No way to pick just one.

But, I've been digging "You Met Your Match" lately.
Click to expand...

I don't know that one :), who was the artist (scratch that :hmm:, James Jamerson was "the artist", who was the singer :p)?
 

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