Smokin' bass lines from the 80's

[nutdog]

Thomas Dolby, from Aliens Ate My Buick:

Airhead
The Keys to Her Ferrari

I recall some hack playing with Peter Gabriel. Managed to fumble through Sledgehammer.

 

[pvriesinga]

I've always loved the bass line in The Promise by Arcadia

 

[iridiumrocks]

The Tubes..."She's A Beauty"(Nathan East?), "Talk To You Later", & one of my favourites, "Tip Of My Tongue"(they almost sound like Earth, Wind, & Fire).

The Tubes were one of the most underrated bands of the 80's. The entire "Completion Backward Principle" has some excellent funky bass lines. Talk To Ya Later was the big hit from that album, but check out some other cuts like Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Amnesia, Think About Me, and many others. Rick Anderson does some excellent bass lines on that album. Tip of my Tongue is one of the funkiest songs ever.

 

[huckleberry1]

Joe Jackson's Right or Wrong +1

 

[20db pad]

Vintage Pino Palladino, a couple years before Paul Young:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6nmepWa3fE

 

[Fleegetastic]

Sade - Smooth Operator

Edie Brickell - What I Am

Nena - 99 Luftballoons

 

[Richland123]

Lots of Huey Lewis & The News songs from the 80s have good bass lines.

The Smithereens - Blood And Roses

 

[kenneffdupriest]

Red Hot Chilli Peppers :

Buckle Down, No Chump Love Sucker, Sex Rap
and the entire Mothers Milk album.

IMHO some of the funkiest stuff put out in the 80's came from this group. the Freaky Styley album was produced by George Clinton. Great bass lines from all of their 80's records. I'm just saying

 

[ilovenofrets]

Pretty much the entire Til Tuesday-"Voices Carry" album. Aimee Mann was/is such an underrated player; not to mention one of my favorite female vocalists.

 

[Milk]

Most anything from The cure, Bow wow wow (leigh gorman is very underrated) or The Smiths. Oh yeah and Duran Duran, naturally.

The Clash too (magnificent seven, london calling, Lost in a supermarket to name a few of my favorites)

 

[TomCHunley]

"Big Bottoms" -- Spinal Tap

 

[The Mighty 'V']

...Bow wow wow (leigh gorman is very underrated)...

I read not long ago that these guys (minus the singer) were actually Adam's original 'Ants'! No wonder there are similarities in sound! Have to check out Gorman's work with Adam & the Ants! The band's 2nd bassist, Kevin Mooney, was a great player, too.

 

[Thundar]

Pretty much the entire Til Tuesday-"Voices Carry" album. Aimee Mann was/is such an underrated player; not to mention one of my favorite female vocalists.

+1
And everything on the "Everythings Different Now" album

 

[geddeeee]

Anything by New Model Army... Awesome tone and up front bass lines, chords, harmonics.... Superb stuff!!!!

 

[The Mighty 'V']

Anything by New Model Army... Awesome tone and up front bass lines, chords, harmonics.... Superb stuff!!!!

I had kinda lost track of these guys' activities after their '93 album 'The Love Of Hopeless Causes'; Nice to know they're still around and also sad to hear that drummer Rob Heaton died 10 years ago! They definitely deserve to be mentioned here! I mean, already their debut album 'Vengeance' was all bass, bass and even more bass, from the first note

 

[Richland123]

Phil Collins - Something Happened On The Way To Heaven (Nathan East on bass)

 

[WalterBush]

Heaven 17, Passion and Pavement

 

[rojo412]

Everything that Curt Smith ever played!! Tears For Fears basslines are all fantastic.

Naked Eyes - Promises, Promises
Simple Minds - Speed Your Love To Me
Thompson Twins - Watching You (Watching Me)
Style Council - Long Hot Summer
English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom
XTC - Mayor of Simpleton

I could go on...

 

[ERIC31]

ABC-The entire Lexicon of Love album. Brad Lang and Mark Lickley. Quite excellent.

Oh hell yeah! I’m listening to that cd right now! So full of tasty, funky, grooving (synth and electric) bass lines! Date Stamp is a personal fave. I think that is Mark Lickley on that track.

 

[db59]

XTC...... Mayor of Simpleton