> Stewart Copeland
Now we're talking. Very tasty, underrated player.
Awesome contributor to the Police catalog.
Now we're talking. Very tasty, underrated player.
Awesome contributor to the Police catalog.
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Paul McCartney
- Thread starter zack01
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Sir Paul is definatley one of my favorite bassist (and probaly my favorite pick player). While he wasn't always flashy, he was always memorable. I think every bass player who wants to achieve something on their respectable instrument, should at least understand what Paul was getting at.
"Silly Love Songs" is the pentacle of what a Rickenbacker (played with a pick) should sound like, IMHO.
"Silly Love Songs" is the pentacle of what a Rickenbacker (played with a pick) should sound like, IMHO.
Gee, i am going to have the listen to that "silly" song again just to see what everyones is talkin' about. It is my least favorite paul tune and i lost some respect because of the lyrics.
however, i am trying to play "She came in through the bathroom window" bass line lately and love it.
Other's "Get Back" simple but is perfect for the song
The walking line in "all my loving". "taxman" and "8 days a week" as mentioned. "Come together" more.
however, i am trying to play "She came in through the bathroom window" bass line lately and love it.
Other's "Get Back" simple but is perfect for the song
The walking line in "all my loving". "taxman" and "8 days a week" as mentioned. "Come together" more.
My style isn't really that influenced by McCartney--among pop and rock bassists I lean more toward avant-groovers like Tony Levin, Tina Weymouth, Mick Karn, George Murray (criminally underrated), etc.--but Sir Paul's lines always bring a smile to my face. Once he really got going, probably with Help! or Rubber Soul, he created a body of work that every bass guitarist should make a point of studying in depth.
Ha Ha Ha.
This is a joke right?
I am not a huge Beatles fan but wow if anyone thinks that Paul wasn't/isn't a great bass player. . .
Whatever I am at a loss for words.
Go Practice.
This is a joke right?
I am not a huge Beatles fan but wow if anyone thinks that Paul wasn't/isn't a great bass player. . .
Whatever I am at a loss for words.
Go Practice.
YES!!!
Oh, why can't my dad like the Beatles or Pink Floyd! Why the Rolling Stones?
But on topic, I think Paul has some of the best basslines in pop.
It's not what he plays, that I don't care for, it's how he plays it. His tone, his bass choice, and his style . Every bass player has their own style, and I don't like his. I'm thinking mostly of his later stuff that I've heard emulating '50's rock'n'roll and doing a lot of covers. He seems to do a lot of palm muting and almost play guitar-like sometimes. I never said he was a bad player--it's just his style.
I don't dislike Paul McCartney and The Beatles because their too soft and I like "harder" music. I listen to a lot of doo-wop, and, as I said before, other music from the '50's and early '60's. If anything, The Beatles are just too modern for me.
The Rolling Stones, on the other hand, are a band from a similar time period that I think is absolutly fantastic. It's apparent that some people here don't like The Rolling Stones--just goes to show you every one has different tastes and opinions. You don't like the Stones, I don't like McCartney or The Beatles--to each his own.
I realize The Beatles are probably the most influential band in modern music, but I don't like a lot of modern music either. What are you gonna do?
My opinion was asked in the heading of this post--I gave it. Would it be an interesting post with only a bunch of yes men? Just giving the other side. I don't mean to offend at all.
-K
I don't dislike Paul McCartney and The Beatles because their too soft and I like "harder" music. I listen to a lot of doo-wop, and, as I said before, other music from the '50's and early '60's. If anything, The Beatles are just too modern for me.
The Rolling Stones, on the other hand, are a band from a similar time period that I think is absolutly fantastic. It's apparent that some people here don't like The Rolling Stones--just goes to show you every one has different tastes and opinions. You don't like the Stones, I don't like McCartney or The Beatles--to each his own.
I realize The Beatles are probably the most influential band in modern music, but I don't like a lot of modern music either. What are you gonna do?
My opinion was asked in the heading of this post--I gave it. Would it be an interesting post with only a bunch of yes men? Just giving the other side. I don't mean to offend at all.
-K
It's cool, man...
Now, just so I'm with the program-
When you say "mostly his later stuff emulating '50s Rock 'n' Roll & doing covers"...are you talking about his post-Beatles' period?
(The Beatles' era...early stuff was covers & '50s-ish RnR; later stuff was "something else").
FWIW, I'm mostly familiar with The Beatles' era; Wings & later bands...eh.
As far as his palm muting-
Could that be he's playing a modern bass(pre-amp & all that) & is attempting to capture the dull thud of a Hofner with some dead flatwounds?
...& since he is more of a 'melodic' player(vs. rhythmic player), I can see why you say he plays "guitaristic"("Something"?).
All in all, IMO, he does play some pretty pedestrian bass figures-
...could be Root/5, walking bass, RnR bass, droning pedal bass, "funk" bass, etc.
Oh yeah-
Considering the equipment available at the time, I always thought George Martin got a pretty phat bass tone happenin'.
StrudelBass: "Can't we just delete this topic and remake it so the anti-beatle replies disappear?"
What's the point of a discussion if you don't even want to hear the other side? I'm not just here to bash The Beatles because I've got a mean streak; I'm here to offer my opinion in a discussion about opinions--I'm sorry if you don't like it.
To respond to JimK, the stuff I'm mostly thinking of is late '90's material with a '50's-type rock and roll band doing covers of Elvis and such. There were even some TV specials. He was playing the Hofner for this. Maybe the sound is just the bass with dead flatwounds, not palm muting. I'm not sure.
What's the point of a discussion if you don't even want to hear the other side? I'm not just here to bash The Beatles because I've got a mean streak; I'm here to offer my opinion in a discussion about opinions--I'm sorry if you don't like it.
To respond to JimK, the stuff I'm mostly thinking of is late '90's material with a '50's-type rock and roll band doing covers of Elvis and such. There were even some TV specials. He was playing the Hofner for this. Maybe the sound is just the bass with dead flatwounds, not palm muting. I'm not sure.
I agree completely. McCartney influenced a whole generation of bass players, very probably including bass players that the "anti-McCartney" people like. There are so many things to learn from him that can be applied to almost any style of music. If you are a bass player that hasn't studied his playing, do yourself a favor and listen to some Beatles (the "1" album is a good starting point). I promise it won't be a waste of time.
Police: You completely forgot the 
! I was being sarcastic and this face 
didn't fit the way I wanted to express my sentence. Basically I hope you don't think of me as an evil servant of the dark lord. BTW, I completely respect your opinion.
! I was being sarcastic and this face didn't fit the way I wanted to express my sentence. Basically I hope you don't think of me as an evil servant of the dark lord. BTW, I completely respect your opinion.I like The Beatles, but am not a huge fan of theirs. However, Paul McCartney is, in my opinion, one of the great bassists of rock music. To anyone here who is disrespecting him or who hasn't listened to much of his playing, I would say to do youself a favor and listen to his playing on "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" off "Abbey Road". One of the finest pieces of bass playing I've ever heard.
Paul McCartney is the Indispensible Man of rock bass. His body of work is some of the greatest instruction in bass guitar available. His mastery of counterpoint is unmatched. His technical ability is dazzling in spite of its comparitive understatement. He NEVER plays the bass as a guitar, which is something bassists routinely complain about people doing.
Yeah, he's not Jaco, he's not Geddy Lee, he's not John Entwistle. He'll never take a bass solo or play two-fisted hammer ons. However, I still class him as a virtuoso in view of his exceptional ability to compose bass parts that are complementary to the music he's playing. His bass really sings, and it did so all the way back in the first Beatles recordings. His bass playing is always fun and unique and creative.
I don't always appreciate the directions in which he takes his music, nor the sometimes goofy and undignified way in which he sometimes presents himself (like on the new cover for Driving Rain, which makes it look like a comedy record), but I can never doubt his contribution to the bass guitar. His approach to the bass should be taught in every music school to every student who's serious about the bass.
Yeah, he's not Jaco, he's not Geddy Lee, he's not John Entwistle. He'll never take a bass solo or play two-fisted hammer ons. However, I still class him as a virtuoso in view of his exceptional ability to compose bass parts that are complementary to the music he's playing. His bass really sings, and it did so all the way back in the first Beatles recordings. His bass playing is always fun and unique and creative.
I don't always appreciate the directions in which he takes his music, nor the sometimes goofy and undignified way in which he sometimes presents himself (like on the new cover for Driving Rain, which makes it look like a comedy record), but I can never doubt his contribution to the bass guitar. His approach to the bass should be taught in every music school to every student who's serious about the bass.
To a large extent, they made R&B idioms accessible to a worldwide non-black audience, initially, before venturing to play more avant-pop.
he certainly wasn't a Jamerson, but in his day, his reach extended much further. In some small subtle way, we've been influenced by his work. I remember "silly love songs", and recalled that the bassline basically held the song together.
he certainly wasn't a Jamerson, but in his day, his reach extended much further. In some small subtle way, we've been influenced by his work. I remember "silly love songs", and recalled that the bassline basically held the song together.
Huh??????
I thought it was The Stones who brought people like Muddy Waters,Robert Johnson et al to the publics attention? not the "Beatless"
Oh yeah.... I think McCartney "Lost it" a LONG time ago .... someone should tell him...
I thought it was The Stones who brought people like Muddy Waters,Robert Johnson et al to the publics attention? not the "Beatless"
Oh yeah.... I think McCartney "Lost it" a LONG time ago .... someone should tell him...
I was just going to mention "Something" which, though obviously a beautiful song and two thumbs up to George, would have been a much less intersting tune without Macca's bass line.
I happen to think that he's the greatest and I get heart palpitations at the mere thought of someone not digging his work (especially someone with the Sound of the Police in their ID, Forgive me if I'm just making assumptions here, but if you mean the band the Police, friggin' Paul McCartney invented Sting, brother). I suppose the Beatles are overrated... like oxygen.
I would challenge anyone who doesn't rate Paul very highly to actually learn some of his later bass lines (from about Revolver on)- I mean, really check them out note for note and notice the counterpoint, the way that the lines evolve as the song goes on. You want a little fun? actually learn "Something" and you'll hear a great use of chromatic leading tones and ryhtmic acceleration that show a highly developed musical mind. Also, notice how his tone is concentrated around a limited frequency range and leaves such a huge spot in the mix for the other instruments (which is why some very quickly recorded tunes done on very limited gear remain the standard by which most most recordings are measured- that and the songs didn't exactly suck)
I happen to think that he's the greatest and I get heart palpitations at the mere thought of someone not digging his work (especially someone with the Sound of the Police in their ID, Forgive me if I'm just making assumptions here, but if you mean the band the Police, friggin' Paul McCartney invented Sting, brother). I suppose the Beatles are overrated... like oxygen.
I would challenge anyone who doesn't rate Paul very highly to actually learn some of his later bass lines (from about Revolver on)- I mean, really check them out note for note and notice the counterpoint, the way that the lines evolve as the song goes on. You want a little fun? actually learn "Something" and you'll hear a great use of chromatic leading tones and ryhtmic acceleration that show a highly developed musical mind. Also, notice how his tone is concentrated around a limited frequency range and leaves such a huge spot in the mix for the other instruments (which is why some very quickly recorded tunes done on very limited gear remain the standard by which most most recordings are measured- that and the songs didn't exactly suck)
Paul as a bassist is more than SOLID .
And if you don't hear that in his work with the Beatles and you play bass, Then you aren' t hearing the bass lines and should consider taking up another instrument.
Peter, the eyebrow thing is Great. when did you do that?
And if you don't hear that in his work with the Beatles and you play bass, Then you aren' t hearing the bass lines and should consider taking up another instrument.
Peter, the eyebrow thing is Great. when did you do that?
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