Hit songs recorded with fretless?

[DaveKirkpatrick]

Rick Danko from the Band played an Ampeg fretless on some of their later stuff. Anybody know details?

 

[The Owl]

"
"Black Velvet" - Alanna Myles---

I could've sworn that was synth bass and not a real fretless

 

[Coward Of Reali]

Anyone have a list of which Pearl Jam songs Jeff Ament uses his fretless on?

 

[kevteop]

Pearl Jam - Even Flow
Oleta Adams - Get Here
Public Image Ltd. - Rise
Primus - Tommy The Cat
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy (and probably all their other embarrassing hits)

 

[nysbob]

Didn't Wyman use that fretless framus on most all of the early stuff?

 

[kevmc28]

Morphine had some songs on the radio here in Massachusetts. I don't know if I'd call them hits.

Sandman ruled.

 

[Baryonyx]

The entire Graceland album comes to mind....

+1

Despite the fact it wasn't all done on a fretless, the hit songs were.

 

[Alan Vorse]

I could've sworn that was synth bass and not a real fretless

Well. I'm the one who has to play those fills on gigs.

 

[emblymouse]

'Take a Walk on the Wild Side'-Lou Reed

Sounds to me like upright AND fretless electric, fretless playing the counterpoint higher octave on the choruses.

 

[SC Bassboy]

Morphine had some songs on the radio here in Massachusetts. I don't know if I'd call them hits.

Sandman ruled.

Amen brother. Although, technically I think Mark's bass had frets. He just played it with a slide. I've been trying to find more information on that bass for years but I can't even find pictures of it much less exactly what he did to it.

"I hear them cry out, we want something good". - Mark Sandman

 

[MonetBass]

Morphine had some songs on the radio here in Massachusetts. I don't know if I'd call them hits.

Sandman ruled.

I don't know, but "Honey White" was probably a semi-hit.

Listened to one this morning that I'd forgotten about:
"Saved By Zero" - The Fixx

 

[rogerbmiller]

I believe that first Pearl Jam album was recorded all fretless.

 

[Sahm]

While this is not at all a hit song, the theme from Northern Exposure was popular enough that I used to use it as my default song when trying to describe the frettless sound to lay people!

 

[tkozal]

Keith Wilkinsons work with Squeeze should be mentioned, the tune "Hourglass" and others from the 85-95 or so version of Squeeze

 

[McDreads]

Weren't Sledgehammer and Kajagoogoo ( Too Shy) played on chapmanstick?

 

[MonetBass]

Sledgehammer, yes. Too Shy, no.

 

[SweetMelisma]

I believe about half the Law and Order: SVU theme is on fretless. It probably gets more airtime than most other songs.

What about some Police songs? That slow fall on Every Little Thing She Does is Magic comes to mind.

Locomotive Breath. Or is he prebending all those notes on the verses?

 

[Alan Vorse]

Sledgehammer, yes. Too Shy, no.

I think Ton Levin said in an interview that "Sledgehammer" is a fretless with a pick through an octave pedal. That's how he plays it on "Secret World Live."

 

[Joeykun]

"Everything Little Thing" The Police

 

[anomalybass]

the first track off of deadboy and the elephantmens(dax riggs) if this is hell then im lucky...is played with a fretless. cant remember the song title though. i think most of those songs have fretless bass now that i think of it. also, long gone day from mad season has fretless parts. unless thats a standup. -joe p