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Most Iconic (not best/most technical) basslines

If you ask a bunch of bass players for the greatest bassline of all time you're bound to end up with some The Chicken on the list or things like YYZ, and rightfully so both are great.
Great topic!
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye
Come Together- Beatles
I Wish- Stevie Wonder
There are so many, but these a few that mean a lot to me.

But, I'm looking for most iconic basslines of all time, the basslines that start to play and even people who don't listen to music know it and start tapping their foot. So on this list 'The Chicken,' wouldn't crack the top few hundred, but 'Feel Good Inc,' might end up in single digits. On this list Paul McCartney > Victor Wooten.

If there is a good thread on this, please lead me to it. I have found a bunch of 'best bass line,' threads, but they all seem to include a lot of things that only deep dive music fans or bass players would be super into.

I've got a few faves:

Want You Back
Another One Bites the Dust
Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)
Stand by Me
Come Together
Feel Good Inc
Bill Jean
I'll also say there are like 15 Motown hits that could make the list so I'm just

I know I'm missing tons.
 
Lol. Cheesy and Yacht Rock. Wow.
Hey, I don’t make this stuff up, but look at just this one play list, track #24 especially, although it’s all subjective(there’s a few I’d disagree with)..,
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAFGrbCBXI7Le1fskpifhfJFFI8fmPhwE
With all the Yacht Rock bands springing up playing at tribute band friendly venues, it’s only a matter of time; not my jam, but I went to see a friend playing in one such ensemble, and they knocked out “Turn To Stone”. And when I went to see this clown a couple of years ago, the crowd went wild…
 
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Hey, I don’t make this stuff up, but look at just this one play list, track #24 especially, although it’s all subjective(there’s a few I’d disagree with)..,
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAFGrbCBXI7Le1fskpifhfJFFI8fmPhwE
With all the Yacht Rock bands springing up playing at tribute band friendly venues, it’s only a matter of time; not my jam, but I went to see a friend playing in one such ensemble, and they knocked out “Turn To Stone”. And when I went to see this clown a couple of years ago, the crowd went wild…

I believe you. People have just gotten lazy or just need to put things in boxes they like. I dig ELO. Sure, they had some cheese, but I think they were a great Pop band, and I don’t mean that as a slight in any way, but they’re not Yacht Rock.
 
I believe you. People have just gotten lazy or just need to put things in boxes they like. I dig ELO. Sure, they had some cheese, but I think they were a great Pop band, and I don’t mean that as a slight in any way, but they’re not Yacht Rock.
I know; it always pisses me off when I hear people indifferently refer to all the great Stax and Atlantic soul classics as “Blues Brothers music”.
 
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If you ask a bunch of bass players for the greatest bassline of all time you're bound to end up with some The Chicken on the list or things like YYZ, and rightfully so both are great.

But, I'm looking for most iconic basslines of all time, the basslines that start to play and even people who don't listen to music know it and start tapping their foot. So on this list 'The Chicken,' wouldn't crack the top few hundred, but 'Feel Good Inc,' might end up in single digits. On this list Paul McCartney > Victor Wooten.

If there is a good thread on this, please lead me to it. I have found a bunch of 'best bass line,' threads, but they all seem to include a lot of things that only deep dive music fans or bass players would be super into.

I've got a few faves:

Want You Back
Another One Bites the Dust
Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)
Stand by Me
Come Together
Feel Good Inc
Bill Jean
I'll also say there are like 15 Motown hits that could make the list so I'm just

I know I'm missing tons.

"Stand by Me", for sure!
"White Rabbit", oh yeah.
The Pretenders had more than one, though. Stone simple but iconic:

And even though Deep Purple had it on Hammond *and* Fender, I'd throw in "Child in Time".
And let's not forget "Third Stone from the Sun" (Jimi Hendrix Experience, and the SRV versions)
 
One of the coolest solos (simple - just cool) -- Rudy Sarzo -- Quiet Riot -- Bang Your Head. that little bass sols really does rock. It is beautiful.

Of course, studio version -- radar Love.

there are many. When they learned how to get the recordable frequency down lower -- it became apparent what Bass can do.

One of the 1st bands to really get some LOW frequencies was the old 3 Dog Night. ONE is the loneliest numbers. really deep pounding bass.

HOWEVER, not to forget -- Roger Glover -- entire bass part to No One Came. That is rock & roll baby.
 
If you ask a bunch of bass players for the greatest bassline of all time you're bound to end up with some The Chicken on the list or things like YYZ, and rightfully so both are great.

But, I'm looking for most iconic basslines of all time, the basslines that start to play and even people who don't listen to music know it and start tapping their foot. So on this list 'The Chicken,' wouldn't crack the top few hundred, but 'Feel Good Inc,' might end up in single digits. On this list Paul McCartney > Victor Wooten.

If there is a good thread on this, please lead me to it. I have found a bunch of 'best bass line,' threads, but they all seem to include a lot of things that only deep dive music fans or bass players would be super into.

I've got a few faves:

Want You Back
Another One Bites the Dust
Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)
Stand by Me
Come Together
Feel Good Inc
Bill Jean
I'll also say there are like 15 Motown hits that could make the list so I'm just

I know I'm missing tons.

FUBB, Wishbone Ash
Stranglehold, Ted Nugent
Rain, the Beatles, or many after Paul became "Faul"...
Born on the Bayou, CCR (very understated bassist, Stu Cook is...)
Rhonda Smith on You Know You Know, Jeff Beck Live +, especially the bass solo AND all of her work on the entire LP...my GAWD, she's great!
...aaaand the list goes on...
 
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One of the coolest solos (simple - just cool) -- Rudy Sarzo -- Quiet Riot -- Bang Your Head. that little bass sols really does rock. It is beautiful.

Of course, studio version -- radar Love.

there are many. When they learned how to get the recordable frequency down lower -- it became apparent what Bass can do.

One of the 1st bands to really get some LOW frequencies was the old 3 Dog Night. ONE is the loneliest numbers. really deep pounding bass.

HOWEVER, not to forget -- Roger Glover -- entire bass part to No One Came. That is rock & roll baby.

Radar Love, of course! And lots of Deep Purple. With you on No One Came!
 
Wow. Just read through 14 pages of this thread. Most of the ones that came to mind were already mentioned. A few I either missed or were not mentioned yet were:

Night Court theme
Whip it - DEVO
Sunday papers - Joe Jackson
Time - Joe Jackson
Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics
We got the Beat - Go Gos
Walk like an Egyptian - Bangles
Stray Cat Strut- Stray Cats
Runaway Boys - Stray Cats
Silly Love Songs - McCartney
 
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