Paul McCartney

[Skokiaan]

Could you recommend some of his solo work songs ? I play a few Beatles songs, but only know Dance Tonight from his solo material.

Twelve recommeded post-Beatle McCartney bass lines:

Too Many People
Band on the Run
She's My Baby
Silly Love Songs
Letting Go (live version from Wings Over America)
Time to Hide (live version from Wings Over America)
Old Siam Sir
My Baby's Request (he plays Bill Black's upright)
Goodnight Tonight
This One
Distractions
My Brave Face

 

[OPBASSMAN1994]

My point on Sir Paul:

He was not flashy at all. However, he was the first real "Lead" bassist. He was the first bassist in popular music to crank up the bass to a really hearable and distinct level (especially at and after the Sgt. Pepper's era), play these complex, melodic fills, and sing all at the same time. He didn't slice through the mix with blazing riffs like Geddy Lee or Chris Squire, but he greatly influenced just that same playing style. Without McCartney, we'd have no Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, Steve Harris, or Cliff Burton. Plain and simple. Even if you can't stand the Beatles, listen to "Dear Prudence", "With a Little Help From My Friends", "I Saw Her Standing Here", or "Hello Goodbye" and you'll understand.

 

[Tony2011]

That was mainly during Sgt Pepper sessions and perhaps a few after that.

It had to be sometime after Geoff Emerick took over as first engineer in 1966 with the beginning of the "Revolver" sessions

 

[Tony2011]

Clarification of my previous statement. Not saying that it was during Revolver, just sometime after "66".

 

[BuffaloBass]

Well, I have listened to almost all of the Beatles albums over a course of a few years, and my impression always is that he almost always sounds too "poppy", too eager to please.

Not questioning his technique, just the feel.

Interesting. Challenging the validity of a subjective interpretation is moot, so I wont. It is "pop" music, but when it wasn' t a pop song, Sir Paul had a great 'feel' as well.

He's the reason I took up the instrument, so I am eternally grateful to him. Yet, I didn't follow him as a player's rabbi, because I became MUCH too interested in learning every one of Geezer's lines, verbatim as I could. So I could play in a garage band with a bunch of other ten year old punks!

 

[N.F.A.]

Thanks so much for the recommendations! I only recognize a few of these, so I have my work cut out for me.
Cheers,
G.

Twelve recommeded post-Beatle McCartney bass lines:

Too Many People
Band on the Run
She's My Baby
Silly Love Songs
Letting Go (live version from Wings Over America)
Time to Hide (live version from Wings Over America)
Old Siam Sir
My Baby's Request (he plays Bill Black's upright)
Goodnight Tonight
This One
Distractions
My Brave Face

 

[Rocker949]

Great points there.
I'll add that facets of his playing are quite "technical", such as his conscious deployment of long vs. short notes, and his fantastic time. The former might come under "compositional ability" but you also have to have control over the instrument to phrase the way he does and not lose the flow.
Just off the top of my head, "Lovely Rita":
YouTube - Lovely Rita- The Beatles

I can only add that I, like many others, wouldn't even be here without Sgt. Pepper.

 

[wade_b]

Paul loves the major third.

Jamerson was more into 2nds, fifths, flat 7's and a lot of syncopation.

Paul got a ton of mileage out of the major third. If you watch his fingering, you'll see that he often frets the low E with the second finger, and puts his first finger on the major 3rd one string down.

So I think he started that trend of fretting notes in that way, instead of always leading with the first finger and working up and down through the pentatonic box.

Randy Meisner of the Eagles is to me the one guy that really took Paul's influence and made it his own. IF you watch him, you'll see him doing the same thing as Sir Paul, always fretting that major third.

 

[pedro]

I always rather liked this one.

YouTube - Paul McCartney & Wings - Coming Up [Live '1979]

Perhaps not complicated but works well, IMO.

 

[Old Fart]

When you start to read the accounts of the studio personell who had a chance to witness it, this is exactly what McCartney did. He usually saved composing the bass line for last, and spent considerable amounts of time getting every note and nuance just so (at least after the first few full-length recordings, which were made very quickly). It makes sense. Many of his bass lines are just as creative as the songs they support.

FWIW, my personal style is like this. I work on a song for a long time, until I have determined exactly what notes I want to play. I'll try various cadences and ancillary notes, to see if they improve the song or not. Often, not. Over time, I determined EXACTLY how I want to play that song, and then I play it THAT way every time. Because again, I have tried making it fancier, or more staccato, or whatever, and have determined that those additional decorations hurt the song presentation more than they help it. It's not about speed and complexity. It is about taste. And frankly, emphasizing a particular beat or moment in a song is usually more about what I DO NOT play than what I do play. Skipping a particular note that another bass player would play.....often places a very effective emphasis somewhere, either on that particular beat/note, or perhaps the one after. It's a delicate thing, this bass-playing. A heavy responsibility.

 

[Old Fart]

I was listening to him play bass to the live version of I Saw Her Standing There at Shea Stadium 1966 (I think.). He was singing lead vocals to that song and playing the bass at the same time. A very, very fast song and done even faster live. Even though it's a fairly simple bass line, I can hardly even keep up with the break neck speed of this live version.............but was not only playing bass at high speed but he was singing too...........damn it! A very talented bass player, singer, song writer!!!!!!! Many, many Beatles songs are MUST LEARN for us bassist!!!!

Again, a keen listen to the first one or two or three Beatles albums should fairly amaze most working musicians in terms of how very accomplished those guys were. There was no peering at fingers. There were no nods to each other or missed notes or any of that. I Saw Her Standing There is a HARD, HARD song to play and sing. At that time, Paul could do it in his sleep. He had spent probably five thousand hours over the previous three years standing on various stages with those same three other guys, playing their asses off.