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Basslines That Inspired you to Play

#62
bassguitarist08 said:
Well I guess I'll start out by saying I'm new to TalkBass, and I've spent alot of time reading over other's threads, before I decided to make this one....So Tell Me what Inspired you to Play Bass...

For Me it Was Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer" - My Dad Is a huge fan, so when I was growing up, well it grew on me and I couldn't get enough, I've been playing for 3 years now..

I Have other influences but I would most definately say Bon Jovi Did it Best.

Tell me Yours!:bassist:
Click to expand...

You mean inspired me to take up the instrument, or inspired me to go grab my bass?

Presuming you mean the former, that would be Josh Fairman, the bassist of my old band (back when I was a guitar player), on an original tune we did back then called "Say No More." When we were first jamming on that riff, I said, "Hey man, show me what you're doing there." Later, he was selling a Spector NS-5 to buy another Warrior, and I bought it from him.

I can't believe I still have this online (8 years old now) but here you go:

http://www.perfectnine.com/audio/songs/samples/say_no_more_perfect_nine_say_no_more.mp3

P.S. Don't make fun of my lyrics; I was 16!

Here's a pic of Josh, the guy who inspired me to switch from guitar to bass. He plays with a band called The Kinetix out of Denver, CO now.

josh_at_honest_john%27s.gif
 
#63
the bass guitar part to 'Perfect Kiss' by New Order was very inspiring, even though it wasn't strictly a bass line.. it was more like a lead melody played on bass guitar.. and even though I don't play anything like that.. I still thought it was very dramatic and cool

and the bass line to 'The Real Me' by The Who ... the movie soundtrack version, not the album version... was also very inspiring to me

and 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' by the Smiths was also a tune that made me realise that bass could be really cool & interesting.. and not just something the shy ugly one at the back played
 
#64
As with most, when my friends wanted to start a band, it was I who drew the short straw.

But really, is there any one bassline for anybody that captures every reason they wanted to play or taught them their personal role as the bassist? For that matter, is there any amalgam of lines other than every single one they've ever heard?

Otherside by RHCP - I started off with Blink 182 covers, just cause that's what my guitarist wanted to play, and I couldn't have really cared less. I liked them, that was my age, blah blah. One day, Otherside came on the radio and I decided to check out taborama and find the line. And I had difficulty with it simply because I'd never before played a line that didn't match the guitarist note for note. That was when I realized it didn't have to.

N.I.B. by Black Sabbath - What can I say? He just picked up the bass and wailed on it. Didn't know people did that.

Apollo I: The Writing Writer by Coheed and Cambria - Mic Todd's philosophy on playing bass isn't so much to play crazy complicated and fast (although he can and does when appropriate), but rather to hold down the fort and throw in little ideas that will make you nod your head a little. It really shows here, where he hits the down beat in the verse consistently. Something so simple was revolutionary for me, especially in my genre, where bassists are usually hammering a low D like it's cool (hell, maybe it is).



Those are just 3 important lessons, but I really believe that every line I've ever heard does it.

Marcus Miller, Jaco, Victor, Stanley Clarke...all of those greats. Okay, I gotta stop.
 
#65
Not one song in particular, but the following -

Most of Pink Floyd's stuff, with the top prize going to the Animals album.
Most of King Crimson's stuff, with the top prize going to the RED album.
Most of Gentle Giant's stuff, with the top prize going to the Octopus album.
Most of the The Stranglers stuff. First four albums are knockouts.

Great music to check out.
 
#69
Interesting....I think I could guess the approximate ages of most posters so far, based on the songs they cited! ;)

As for me, the first time I can remember noticing the bass in a tune and thinking "bass is cool" was while listening the Barney Miller show theme (played by Jim Hughart).

Once I decided I wanted to play an instrument, I can remember listening to "Behind the Lines" by Genesis, and thinking "it's gonna be bass for me" (Mike Rutherford on bass).

Yes, I grew up in the 70's/80's. :smug:
 
#72
I know I'll probably get flamed for this but for me it was the bassline to Dance Dance by Fall Out Boy. I know most of you hate Pete Wentz, and I'm not a fan either (at the same time I'm not a hater) but IMO its a fun sounding bassline and thats what drew me to bass, the fun sounds you can get from it.
 
#73
Back when I first started playing bass (moving from piano), I remember learning the bass part to 'Something' by the Beatles when it came out (1970... somewhere around that time).

It was an eye opener, since that was the first bass line I became aware of that really was a 'song within a song'.... a melody running underneath the tune.

On the rare occasion that I still have the honor to play that tune these days, it always brings a smile to my face... one of the great, great basslines IMO.

After that, it was all the amazing basslines in the Disco era... Gap Band stuff, Cameo, Earth Wind and Fire, etc..... basslines that literally defined the tune. Those were the tunes that made me aware of the beauty of an accurately played (time and technique) repetitive line that could really drive a groove and tune.
 
#77
Good Thread.

Someone posted something to the effect: Post an influence that made you pick up the bass... not an influence after...

Well here are mine:

Queen - Dragon Attack. This is the first song I heard as a kid that really had a bass line that drove the whole song. John Deacons bass grabs you by nose while Freddy's voice kicks you in arse.

The Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun. I just love the bass line in this song. It was the first song I learned how to play. I still play with one of my bands. Also, it is one of the few songs that I can play and sing on the bass (solo) at a party.

Metallica - Disposable Heroes. This song jams. I used to sit in my room and listen to Metallica, Dokken, and Iron Maiden at a very low volume so my Mom wouldn't find out.... "devil music."

James Brown - Sex Machine. Because when you are 14 years old, "Sex Machine" is just a really cool song. At 35, it is still cool.

Rush - YYZ. I can remember listening to Moving Pictures over and over and over... my Dad actually threatened to break the cassette tape. (However, he did turn me on to Black Sabbath). I promised myself when I first started playing that I would learn how to play YYZ. I still haven't. For Shame.

CCR - I Heard It Through The Grape Vine. I love this jam.

Thats it. If you don't know any of these songs (Dragon Attack is kind of out of the mainstream), look them up.

G
 
#79
IN THE BEGINNING, there was...

Weezer - Only In Dreams
RHCP - Californication
Pink Floyd - Money
Rage - Calm Like a Bomb
Primus - Jerry Was a Racecar Driver


As of late (past 2 years), the following inspired me to play even more...

Jaco Pastorius - Continuum
Weather Report - Teen Town (Jaco)
Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell - Ain't No Mountain High Enough (James Jamerson)
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (Jamerson)
Stevie Wonder - My Cherie Amour (Jamerson)

You can see where my current influences lie...:p
 

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