Classic Rock recordings featuring bass OD

[etoncrow]

The first "distortion" I remember was the 1958 hit "Rumble" by Link Wray. He purposefully took a pencil and poked a hole in his speaker to get the distortion sound. However not bass distortion.



The first album I remember where everything was pushed in overdrive was Vincebus Eruptum (1968) by Blue Cheer:

 

[Cave Puppy]

Pre Classic Rock - Sir Paul’s fuzzed out bass on Think For Yourself from Rubber Soul. Does that count?

 

[fishdreams]

Live at Leeds, the Who, Entwistle

 

[Thumper]

My first bass, bought in 1968 was a Vox Delta 4, it had built-in fuzz. I never found a use for it. Sadly, I traded it for a Warwick Fortress 4 in 1998, what a sterile thin sounding bass that was.

 

[RayWithFlats]

Live at Leeds, the Who, Entwistle

Even earlier there was Substitute, a pretty overdriven EB-3 sound to begin with and then he maxed out the volume for the solo section, glorious, the OD bass contrasts so well with the acoustic guitar.



Ignore the gear in the video, it was recorded on the EB-3, according to interviews quoted on the very thorough whotabs website.

 

[Steve Cooke]

 

[sgiacomo]

This is a classic, forty years ago! Damn…

 

[Guitalia]

I hate that time limit on editing. What is the point in that?

My guess has been that a few heated exchanges led to some posters going back and rewriting history, so to speak, so that they could claim that they never said whatever it was, or at least not so nastily (or dumbly). Maybe the moderators would be willing to allow exceptions, case by case.

 

[Guitalia]

Pre Classic Rock - Sir Paul’s fuzzed out bass on Think For Yourself from Rubber Soul. Does that count?

First result from a search:

"The rock music that dominated radio stations in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s is often collectively grouped under the banner of classic rock."

 

[Guitalia]

The first "distortion" I remember was the 1958 hit "Rumble" by Link Wray. He purposefully took a pencil and poked a hole in his speaker to get the distortion sound. However not bass distortion.



The first album I remember where everything was pushed in overdrive was Vincebus Eruptum (1968) by Blue Cheer:

Here's a Blue Cheer reminiscence from a guy whose band (the somewhat obscure Silver Apples) performed live on the same bill in the late '60s.

----Once, too, we were on the bill in Chicago with Blue Cheer. Blue Cheer was not only the name of a dishwashing detergent but of a particular type of acid going around at the time.

They had the reputation of being the loudest rock and roll band in the world. They had stacks of Marshall amps that lined the whole back of the stage. When we walked into the hall and saw that, we were quite impressed. After all, that was the point, I'm sure.

We were to go on after them so we set up our gear off to one side, minuscule by comparison, ran through a sound check, and then went to the dressing room. Everybody shared the same dressing room. The Blue Cheer guys were snorting speed like crazy getting ready to go on, and when they were ready, they broke out the cotton balls and started stuffing their ears with great wads of the stuff, using pencils to pack it in. Danny and Barry and I gave each other the silent signal that meant, this is gonna be good, lets go watch, so we crawled under the curtains and hid behind the stacks of Marshalls.

They lit into their first number, which sounded like a tornado had hit the building, and Danny crawled over to where he could see the drummer. He started laughing and waved me over. I crawled over and stuck my head around the corner of a stack and we could see him in profile. It was easy to read his lips, even though it was impossible to hear him over the roar. You couldn't even hear the PA system for that matter. He was screaming at the top of his lungs "Turn it the shag down you stupid shitheads! I told I was quittin' if you did this again! I quit! You stupid shagheads! You hear me? I quit!!!"

That was from this interview. There are a few diehard archivists of such ephemera on Talkbass who might be willing to read the whole thing. (I did.)

For those interested, here's Silver Apples' best-known song. ("Made the top 10 in Philadelphia!," Simeon of Silver Apples said later in the interview. Simeon played a home-made synthesizer that he cobbled together from WWII surplus oscillators and filters; Danny played a gigantic drum kit that he had pieced together before any of the prog rock guys started doing that.)

 

[Michedelic]

First result from a search:

"The rock music that dominated radio stations in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s is often collectively grouped under the banner of classic rock."

Which in itself is a distorted, prejudiced, incomplete view of much music that was innovative, groundbreaking and in many cases, influential. Radio in the 60’s, in particular the FM variety, cast a much wider and inclusive stylistic net than that of the 70’s and 80’s, with the more restrictive playlists and ignoring of large number of artists and acts. That’s why the concept of “classic rock” is a fraud, a mere marketing tool.

 

[Guiseppe]

GREAT pull. I'd forgotten that bass line, and as soon as I read your post it jumped to mind.

 

[Guiseppe]

Totally agree. I've been experimenting with pedals and trying to emulate his tone. I think it mainly comes from oversaturated tubes, i.e. overdriven. I have the Boss GT-1000 and I know that type of OD is in there but I'm still learning the GT-1000 so I haven't found it yet.

Mel and Mark Farner were both using West amps early in the day and GFR in the day played their live shows full blown. I think I got my Mel "fuzz tone" by experimenting with both my EHX Deluxe Bass Big Muff and my Source Audio Aftershock's "fuzz" side by setting them both to full on fuzz and then backed it off until I felt it more or less matched what I was looking for (that tone on the Live Album).