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BEST "POP" BASS LINES

#61
Wow, How could I forget about "Soul Man". My favorite so far is "I want you Back" such a damn complicated part with serious time over a total "lollypop tune". If you were to sit down and play that tune unaccompanied with an acoustic guitar you would LOL! Another One Bites the Dust and Good Times are strong possibilities and may nip the Sade tune off the poll. Funky Broadway is also a great possibility and which tune would you pick off Graceland? I'm leaning toward "you can Call me Al" because I believe that got the most Airplay.
 
#69
burk48237 said:
Here is an updated list for the poll: It's still open to correction or addition all though I'd like to keep the poll choices to about a twenty:


Your Smiling Face-James Taylor (Lee Sklar)
For the Love of Money-O'Jays (Anthony Jackson)
I want you back- Jackson Five (Wilton Felder)
Money- Pink Floyd (Roger Waters)
Every Little thing She Does is Magic -The Police (Sting)
Peg-Steely Dan (Chuck Rainey)
Thank You for letting me be Myself Again-Sly and the Family Stone (Larry Graham)
Come Together-The Beatles (Paul Mccartney)
Every Time you go Away-Paul Young (Pino Pallidino)
Saturday in the Park-Chicago (Peter Cetera)
Strawberry Letter 23-Brothers Johnson (Louis Johnson)
Higher Ground-RHCP (Flea)
Too Shy-Kajugogo(Nick Bergs)
Sweet Emotion'Aerosmith (tom Hamilton)
Pump it up- Elvis Costello (Bruce Thomas)
I'll take you There"-Staples Singers (?)
It's My Life-No Doubt (Tony Kinnal)
I Was made to Love Her-Stevie Wonder (James Jamerson) I could have listed hundreds of Jamerson tunes, If someone has a better suggestion, let's here.

A few questions, Should Saturday in the Park (Chicago) stay? Who played bass on I'll take you there? What is the consensus Joe Jackson Pick? What about Smooth Operator by Sade?
Click to expand...
Sorry burk - just too many good records missing from that list! I know, I know....

BTW, just put together a dang fine playlist for my mp3 player using this thread! :)
 
#70
burk48237 said:
OK, Jim you asked for it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DhgP8fydHQ&search=osmonds
Click to expand...

I posted that link a few weeks back on the youtube thread...kinda as a joke.
;)

Anyway, a few months ago, Joe Chemay was in Bass Player; a portion of his line on "One bad Apple" was transcribed. I looked at it(of course, I couldn't recall what the bass was playing since it was about 1971-2 when I last heard it) & proceeded to buy the tune off iTunes.
Chemay's line is like Jamerson meets Jaco.

The only Chemay stuff I'm familiar with is his playing on Martine McBride's Wild Angels & Lionel Ritchie's album with "Hello", "Running With The Night", etc
...is that album called Can't Slow Down?

Anyway, nice thread 'cause I'm a Pop music boob, too. Especially the stuff from the '60s-'80s.
 
#71
tZer said:
Also - and I won't keep cluttering this thread with afterthoughts - there was a song by Bow Wow Wow called, "Do you want to hold me?" - which has a bassline for the ages.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised Bow Wow Wow didn't surface `til now. Aside from "Do you wanna hold me", how about the classic "Sexy Efiel Tower" or "Baby oh no"? And if you dig deeper there's a fretless gem called "King Kong". And if you want a frantic bass line, check out "Golly, golly go buddy!". Link Removed

And speaking about cheesy 80's pop tunes. What about anything APB? Link Removed
 
#74
bassybill said:
Sorry burk - just too many good records missing from that list! I know, I know....

BTW, just put together a dang fine playlist for my mp3 player using this thread! :)
Click to expand...

I've already decided I'll have to go to at least twenty five if I can offer that many choices in a poll. One of the characteristics I'm looking for is a tune where you hear the bass part you recognize the tune. Peg or I want you back are classic examples. I do believe will have to add "My Generation". Anyway I'm out of town till friday, I will still check this thread periodically. I will probably Start the poll next Saturday. So Kids" Keep them hits coming":p
 
#75
Too Shy .................................................. . Kajagoogoo
Love Plus 1 .............................................. Haircut 100
Click to expand...

Oh yeah!! Two fave bands with absolutely monster bassists....Nick Beggs and Les Nemes.

Go-Go's - Head Over Heels...I play this one frequently. I remember the first time I heard it in 1984...I freaked. Kathy Valentine really laid it down on that one!

Pick up Haircut 100's debut "Pelican West". Full of grooving basslines!! :D

One more from that era I'd like to add is....Do you really want to hurt me by Culture Club. Mikey Craig!!!
 
#76
JVA said:
I'm surprised Bow Wow Wow didn't surface `til now. Aside from "Do you wanna hold me", how about the classic "Sexy Efiel Tower" or "Baby oh no"? And if you dig deeper there's a fretless gem called "King Kong". And if you want a frantic bass line, check out "Golly, golly go buddy!". Link Removed

And speaking about cheesy 80's pop tunes. What about anything APB? Link Removed
Click to expand...

The absolute funkiest Bow Wow Wow song ever is called Mickey, Put It Down. Leigh Gorman goes off in that one!
 
#80
Just reading through this thread I noticed one thing that was - er - noticeable.

On nearly all these records, the thing that makes the bass great is the line that's being played, not necessarily the tone of the bass. It doesn't really matter what bass was used, or rig, or effects, etc...

Funny, that. ;)

Yes, I agree, there are one or two exceptions to this rule. But look back again and I think you'll agree that most of them could have been done quite adequately on more or less any bass you care to mention, with any half decent tone.

Conclusion? What you play is more important that what you play it with, if you get what I mean. Yeah, as if we didn't know that already :rolleyes:

Don't misunderstand me here, BTW. I'm guilty of being as gear obsessed as any of us - with the possible exceptions of the likes of Tombowlus and Munji. :D
 

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