Busy, Roving Pop Basslines?

[jaypee]

Elvis costello Everyday I write the Book, culture club do you really want to hurt me, kajagoogoo too shy shy, paul young every time you go away, oleta adams get here ..

Its been a long day. Forgive me for not punctuating....

 

[Nic.]

This might be entirely different from what you're looking for, but whenever I think of busy counterpoint-ish basslines, I think of this Japanese pop-rock band called L'Arc En Ciel. Their bassist gets very busy either with a melodic line, or just holding a groove and doing fills that (IMO) lock in with the vocal melody.

Learning and covering a lot of their songs when I first started out on bass influenced my playing style a lot. It helped that they usually mix bass quite forward in the mix!

Some of my favourite songs from them (ignore the crazy visuals if that's not your thing, just listen to the music for what the bassist is playing) -




Incidentally, while I've always felt this bassist was one of my key inspirations for melodic basslines with groove, somehow I think his solos are just terrible, no groove or melody at all.

p.s. - you can hear the influence that bassist had on my own basslines in this song from my band.

 

[Octavio]

While not a pop song, The Real Me by the Who.

 

[ThuzzleFump]

How about?

 

[ThuzzleFump]

And certainly...

 

[ThuzzleFump]

Or...

 

[ThuzzleFump]

Just one more. And BTW, this video, well, you just need to see it. And look at that bass!

 

[bikeplate]

Smilin face/James Taylor. Lee Sklar on bass

 

[blindrabbit]

 

[FilterFunk]

"Steppin' Out" - Joe Jackson:

 

[Old Blastard]

Previous Monkees tunes and What Am I doing Hanging Round as well. Bass for pleasant valley and what am I doing was played by ex Turtle Stanley Livingston. Great tunes

 

[Davbassdude]

I may take some heat for this, but: "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 seems to fit your description and has always done it for me. Also, anything Randy Jo Hobbs played on Johnny Winter's album "Still Alive and Well". Especially, the title track, "Rock Me Baby", "Can You Feel It" and "Let It Bleed".

 

[eekamike]

 

[othefool]

I have always had a fondness for this one:



and while I agree with this:

And certainly...

It shares the same album with one of the Rovingist pop bass lines I can think of...

 

[ThuzzleFump]

I have always had a fondness for this one:



and while I agree with this:


It shares the same album with one of the Rovingist pop bass lines I can think of...

A bass player could learn a lot from that whole album, right? And probably something new every time.

 

[bass12]

"Something" by The Beatles.

Also, forget about the corny film and listen to the killer bass playing by Nathan East :

 

[AlexanderB]

The song is not complex, but there is a very busy bass player... Wham - Wake me up before you go go:

 

[AlexanderB]

Swedish band Kent "Musik non stop". Hypnotic bass line driving the song:

 

[AlexanderB]

One million little licks... Abba, Summer night city

 

[JimK]

I may take some heat for this, but: "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 seems to fit your description and has always done it for me.

Why would you take some heat?
That particular tune is iconic...at least, around here. Same goes for most of the Jackson's catalogue. Even their Christmas album pops.
Great R&B bass & great rhythm section work.
"Darling Dear" from their Third album has Jamerson. Try playing that one up a few notches in tempo...it comes off sounding like Jaco.
The outro section to "Maybe Tomorrow" kills.
Many more are equally superb.