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Paul McCartney

#101
Paul McCartney is THE bassman!

I love his playing, we do quite a few Beatles numbers in my band and his basslines are fun as hell!

Learn ALL MY LOVING?

Try playing bass and singing it at the same time! Paul did it like he was drinking water.
 
#105
The Beatles were into chords/harmony and Paul's basslines supported the harmony. He played bass like a songwriter. Not to say he wasn't a good riffer and groover, he was those too.
Definitlly tastfull.

JHMAVRO said:
I heard some Beatles on the radio this morning and started thinking about Paul.IMO he's the man.His basslines were great. Nothing fancey or hard to play but, (how should I put this) tastfull ? Just well thought out basslines I guess.I never really thought about it before but I think he is a big inspiration to my playing. Anyone else??

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insert somthing funny here
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#107
Great comments, PM's one of my major influences (along with 2 or 3 others). He has a way of putting the bass in some part of the foreground without overwhelming the other parts and generally as a perfect complement to the song itself. His bass gives me the courage to plot more dynamic lines myself and a model for using restraint until I've really got something to say musically. I like listening to isolation tracks of Macca to get a better feel for what he's hearing himself do (and how it fits the mix).
+1. About ripping off the riff, McCartney quickly volunteers that he stole it (in some interview), and I thought he mentioned "Little Richard", but regardless - Paul is so humble that even if he didn't rip it off, he would say he did if anybody even began to accuse him of it.
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So much of good music is based on other good music. The point is never perfection and complete originality - What PM did (particularly in the early days) is resynthesize what a lot of other players and styles did on the electric bass in an active, upfront way that used the old stuff in a different dynamic. The Beatles and others in the day did so much to change rock, blues and even jazz to an electric medium with different potential from the original. As far as Paul's Little Richard "imitation", I think he took it far beyond LR's capabilities and adapted it to lots of other styles. I think I recall reading a quote from LR somewhere that was extremely complimentary about PM's vocals.
Try playing bass and singing it at the same time! Paul did it like he was drinking water.
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Some of those lines are pretty demanding. However, once you get them (practice, repeat, practice, repeat, play it out, play it out,...) it does get easier to sing with them. On one hand, Paul was remarkable for being able to do this at the age of 20. On the other hand, he had great preparation: The Beatles' time at the Star Club in Hamburg required them to play six (IIRC) shows a day for something like six months straight (again, IIRC). What a woodshed experience! If you wanted to learn to play bass while brushing your teeth, smoking a cigarette and talking on the phone, that would be the way I'd try it.;)
 
#108
The man knew how and when to play. He was a master of melody and it can help he can write a song. Hes one of the guys that inspired me, and still does, to pick up a GUITAR and try to write a song. He is a master at his craft. I think he changed the face of music and especially the role of the bass player in any band. It still amazes me what Paul and the Beatles accomplished in the short time they were together. Blows my mind. The Beatles and Paul were and still are a major influence on me in so many ways, not just bass playing.
 
#109
Paul's bass lines are excellent opportunities to hear what a master composer can do, because they are single notes that work so beautifully off of the beat (generally a simple beat), each other, and the best songwriting you or I will ever hear. Paul repeatedly and effortlessly shows the world, one single note at a time, what melody can be in the hands of a true genius. As I listen in my head to bass lines like the aforementioned "All My Loving," "Come Together," "Silly Love Songs," or "Getting Better" (and I could go on forever) I feel goosebumps just like I did when I first discovered his music forty years ago.

For some reason, it seems that there are two basic types of musicians - writers (people generally known for their compositional skill) and players (people generally known for their technical mastery). It's hard to find people who have both (and EASY to find people who have neither), but Paul is the exception to the rule - a great technician and, well, his compositional skills can never be overstated. Oh, BTW, he has a GREAT voice (range, tone, control, expression), can play a dozen other instruments with amazing proficiency, and is a terrific showman.

I've got to put on some early Beatles now... thinking of the bass line in "Close your eyes and I'll kiss you / Tomorrow, I'll miss you / Remember I'll always be true." JUST WOW.
 
#110
The man knew how and when to play. He was a master of melody and it can help he can write a song.
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Wow. Don't bury him yet. I'd like to see him play out once more...

Actually, though his more recent solo work hasn't been especially commercial, it's worth a listen. Memory Almost Full has some pretty cool stuff. "Dance Tonight" is sweet and "That Was Me" is a full-fledged hoot about the things he's been part of in his career. He's still great and seems to still be learning. What a career.
 
#111
bassman10096 said:
Wow. Don't bury him yet. I'd like to see him play out once more...

Actually, though his more recent solo work hasn't been especially commercial, it's worth a listen. Memory Almost Full has some pretty cool stuff. "Dance Tonight" is sweet and "That Was Me" is a full-fledged hoot about the things he's been part of in his career. He's still great and seems to still be learning. What a career.
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I didn't mean it like that, sorry. He IS a master at his craft. And yes, I dig his later solo stuff a lot. Probably my fav of all Beatles solo stuff.
 
#112
Last week I learned "Day Tripper" for the band I'm in. The bassline in the chorus of that song is fantastic. Actually, what he plays in each chorus is a slight variation from the previous chorus and wow, do they groove!

Very, very simple but as others have asked....could I have come up with what he did? Probably not.
 
#113
Apologies if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but fans of Macca's bass playing (i.e., everybody here on TalkBass!) should check out the new reissue of "Wings Over America." The double CD (Best Buy offers a bonus CD with additional tracks) sounds great, with Paul's amazing bass playing very prominent in the mix. Listening to it is like getting a master's class in bass playing. The original album and CD were pretty awful sonically, with muddy production. This is crisp and bass-heavy. Just wonderful.
 
#115
Here is my persective:

First, perhaps the most striking thing about The Beatles’ early material is how utterly polished they were. They didn’t happen overnight. By the time anybody outside of Germany and Great Britain heard about The BEATles (clever name, BTW), that band had spent the previous couple of years playing. Playing often. Daily. Sometimes playing well over four hours per day. Their skill, and their sound, were well-honed. Today’s musicians cannot seem to come anywhere near their vocals. For the first half of their library, almost every song involves BOTH Paul and John singing lead. Yup. Listen carefully. That’s not one voice. That’s two.

Here’s a controversial statement: While John provided immense creative energy and challenged the others to higher levels of achievement, the towering musical genius of that band was Paul. I can tell a Paul song from a John song, and Paul’s songs were much more musically ‘interesting’ and also tended to be more melodic. Beatles music is very much “outside the box.” Song structures are unique and imaginative. And yet, each song sounds like it has existed since the dawn of time and was simply ‘discovered.’ Sing-along quality of the highest order.

And so…..when I hear bassists (ignorantly) sneer about Paul’s bass-playing, I smile because it’s funny. It’s funny to hear a musician denegrade a guy who is probably the most popular, creative and productive songwriter of the 20th century. (The Beatles made twelve albums in eight years. That’s a new album, chock full of hits, every eight months. In addition to other activities like touring, making movies, etc. 45 Gold albums, 39 Platinum, 24 Multi-Platinum and 9 Diamond albums) When people ask “What was the greatest of all R&R bands?”, there is an unspoken “…..besides The Beatles…” phrase we all assume. When I want to appear smart, I don’t sneer at guys like Paul McCartney.

As far as his bass-playing goes, guys who sneer at Paul’s lines have apparently not tried to play them those lines. The ‘simplicity’ is deceptive. Then…..try to sing while playing them. And make various different endearing facial expressions paying particular attention to eye and eyebrow movement.

Paul’s bass style never changed. I was listening to a fairly recent song by him lately, and noticing that his style has not changed. At all. Sure, different bass lines can be written for those songs. But they were done ‘right’ the first time.

There is only one man who can perform at any venue on the planet and have people singing and crying together. One man stands, alone, atop the Rockstar pedestal. The others are grouped far below.
 
#116
Old Fart said:
Here is my persective:

First, perhaps the most striking thing about The Beatles’ early material is how utterly polished they were. They didn’t happen overnight. By the time anybody outside of Germany and Great Britain heard about The BEATles (clever name, BTW), that band had spent the previous couple of years playing. Playing often. Daily. Sometimes playing well over four hours per day. Their skill, and their sound, were well-honed. Today’s musicians cannot seem to come anywhere near their vocals. For the first half of their library, almost every song involves BOTH Paul and John singing lead. Yup. Listen carefully. That’s not one voice. That’s two.

Here’s a controversial statement: While John provided immense creative energy and challenged the others to higher levels of achievement, the towering musical genius of that band was Paul. I can tell a Paul song from a John song, and Paul’s songs were much more musically ‘interesting’ and also tended to be more melodic. Beatles music is very much “outside the box.” Song structures are unique and imaginative. And yet, each song sounds like it has existed since the dawn of time and was simply ‘discovered.’ Sing-along quality of the highest order.

And so…..when I hear bassists (ignorantly) sneer about Paul’s bass-playing, I smile because it’s funny. It’s funny to hear a musician denegrade a guy who is probably the most popular, creative and productive songwriter of the 20th century. (The Beatles made twelve albums in eight years. That’s a new album, chock full of hits, every eight months. In addition to other activities like touring, making movies, etc. 45 Gold albums, 39 Platinum, 24 Multi-Platinum and 9 Diamond albums) When people ask “What was the greatest of all R&R bands?”, there is an unspoken “…..besides The Beatles…” phrase we all assume. When I want to appear smart, I don’t sneer at guys like Paul McCartney.

As far as his bass-playing goes, guys who sneer at Paul’s lines have apparently not tried to play them those lines. The ‘simplicity’ is deceptive. Then…..try to sing while playing them. And make various different endearing facial expressions paying particular attention to eye and eyebrow movement.

Paul’s bass style never changed. I was listening to a fairly recent song by him lately, and noticing that his style has not changed. At all. Sure, different bass lines can be written for those songs. But they were done ‘right’ the first time.

There is only one man who can perform at any venue on the planet and have people singing and crying together. One man stands, alone, atop the Rockstar pedestal. The others are grouped far below.
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Dude, you just said it all plus more about how I feel when people talk smack about Paul or the Beatles in general. Thank you!! Well said my friend, well said indeed.
 
#117
Well, one shouldn't underestimate the importance of Lennon. But after Lennon's death, people tended to credit him above Paul, which is equally wrong headed. Paul didn't just contribute tuneful ditties of no substance -- far from it. He was at least as much of an artist as John, though John was much more boastful about his genius. And anybody who doesn't credit Paul as among the all time best bass players is just ignorant.
 
#118
Come Together has a great bass line one of the most memorable after beethovens 5th. If people are talking head about sir Paul I'm not going to read prior pp of this thread.
Ever notice how low-if sounding each instrument is on the Beatles albums? Yet together they sound enormous.
It's against tb rules to dislike McCartney or geddy or Larry Graham or james Jamerson or Babbitt or Esperanza or jaco.
My friend said after every song McCartney raises his hands in the air like he scored a goal.
I've never seen any of th Beatles live.
 
#119
I've never really heard anyone bash Paul musically, his singing, songwriting, and bass playing have always seemed to be above reproach. Maybe some people took sides against him when the other Beatles dissed him after the breakup, that was personal and more to do with business than anything else. His music always delivers.
 
#120
soitainly said:
I've never really heard anyone bash Paul musically, his singing, songwriting, and bass playing have always seemed to be above reproach.
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I've seen people right here on TB do it. I've had discussions with some of them. They often claim that his playing was too simple. They don't understand that playing the RIGHT notes at the RIGHT time is more important than playing a lot of notes.

Paul's playing always made the song better. It wasn't just chops for chops sake. I can play the bass line to "Something" in practice and everyone knows what song I am playing just from the bass line (this has happened several times with several bands). He had a lot of bass lines like that. His melodic bass lines weave around the melody of the song and become an integral part of it.
 

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