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Bad basslines

#8
WrapRough said:
Sure, but I think the OP is looking for a song where the bassline actually makes the song suck, rather than it just being a crap or boring bassline.
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That's right. Surprisingly difficult to come up with that much of a stinker that it ruins the song.
Like for drum parts, I think the 80's snare hit placement on Tom Waits' Downtown train ruins the song. And some Leonard Cohen's choices with (again, quite 80's) sounds make the songs hard to listen to.
 
#10
The only semi-bad bass line I can think of is in this Kinks song. But it's not the bassist's fault. Sounds to me as if Ray Davies ran through the chords just once in the studio and Pete Quaife didn't get a chance to memorize them. He gets a little more comfortable as the song goes along, but there are plenty of clinkers along the way, including spots where he gets lost and stops playing for a couple of seconds.

Edit: just noticed while listening to it this time that he seems to be trying out different approaches, expecting that there would be another take where he'd play the riff he settled on, but the producer, Shel Talmy, probably said that it's fine as it is, because nobody listens to the bass anyway.

 
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#16
Guitalia said:
The only semi-bad bass line I can think of is in this Kinks song. But it's not the bassist's fault. Sounds to me as if Ray Davies ran through the chords just once in the studio and Pete Quaife didn't get a chance to memorize them. He gets a little more comfortable as the song goes along, but there are plenty of clinkers along the way, including spots where he gets lost and stops playing for a couple of seconds.

Edit: just noticed while listening to it this time that he seems to be trying out different approaches, expecting that there would be another take where he'd play the riff he settled on, but the producer, Shel Talmy, probably said that it's fine as it is, because nobody listens to the bass anyway.

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That video isn't available in my neck of the woods, so can you name that song?
 
#17
InhumanResource said:
Huh, their basslines are sons of my favorites. Groove like a freight train.
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Yes I guess with this kind of question it comes down to taste. Like, a truly bad bass line wouldn't make it to the recording, unless we are talking homemade records, producers are here to validate things. I really dislike "Money" and "Another Brick In The Wall" bassline for example, although they are the most iconic of Pink Floyd, I recognize it's my taste.
 
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#19
2thAche said:
Agree with 80s hair metal completely uninspired basslines, but also agree that they weren't "bad" per se, but just mind-numbingly un-creative.
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A LOT of 80's hair bands had basslines that served the song because the flavor of the day was shredding guitars and vocal aerobics. Having said that,

- Listen to anything by Queensryche (specifically the Operation Mindcrime and Empire albums) and tell me that the basslines are boring or uncreative.
- Take a listen to DLR's "Eat'em and Smile" album and tell me that Billy Sheehan was playing boring basslines.
- Listen to Skidrow's debut album or Slave To The Grind and tell me that Rachel Bolan's basslines were boring or uncreative.
- Take a listen to Duff's playing on Gn'R's Appetite For Destruction
 
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