Songs every Bassist should know/learn....

[ffutterman]

Just about any James Brown tune will be approachable and give you a much better sense of time. Get On The Good Foot helped me, and it's got a cool little solo.

 

[masonsjax]

"I Will Survive". Good circle of fifths exercise.

 

[Bradass]

I haven't knowingly heard Rush.

I was under the impression this was a requirement for posting on TB...?

 

[capnsandwich]

The Meters-Cissy Strut
Junior Wells-Messin' With The Kid
Stevie Wonder-Superstition

 

[Stick_Player]

I was under the impression this was a requirement for posting on TB...?

Apparently not.

 

[msaone]

Since someone put Sade into the mix, I will suggest Anita Baker. She has a pretty damn good bassist on her albums.

Her album "rapture" is great.

 

[gearhead1972]

Can't think of five right now, but the first 3 songs I learned, or tried to learn when I started are.
Burning Love
I want you back
Africa

 

[MostlyBass]

What Bill Wyman plays on the verses of the studio recording of "Honky Tonk Women", which is surprisingly much like the verse part of Andy Fraser's line on "Alright Now", and bears an eerie similarity to Prince's electric bass line on "When Doves Cry".

+1 to All Right Now. And the ending has two bass lines that you can cover.

 

[Reyimarz]

I suggest "The Real Folk Blues" by Japanese composer Yoko Kanno. It's in the soundtrack of the anime Cowboy Bebop, and though the bass line is very difficult, it's amazing...

 

[D.M.N.]

All Right Now has been mentioned, but honestly, Andy Fraser has some way more interesting bass lines, including:

Mr. Big
Remember
Trouble on Double Time
Sugar for Mr. Morrison
Woman

Actually, pretty much any Free song has a great bassline. Seriously, the guy is fantastic. I've learned a lot from listening to and learning his lines.

I'm about to drop a heck of a list. These are just songs I think are great ones to practice for variety and keeping up chops:

Whipping Post: Allman Brothers Band
Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
Something - The Beatles
Eight Days a Week - The Beatles
Paperback Writer - The Beatles
I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles
All My Loving - The Beatles
Fairies Wear Boots - Black Sabbath
War Pigs - Black Sabbath
I'm a Man - Chicago Transit Authority
Sunshine of Your Love - Cream
Born Under a Bad Sign - Albert King/Cream
Susie Q - CCR
Highway Star - Deep Purple
Disco Strangler - The Eagles
Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis (actually, there's so much Elvis that's great, I spent a LOT of time learning most of the songs off of Elvis 30 #1 Hits)
Stay With Me - The Faces
Shake It- Five Corners Quintet (Hot Corner is a fantastic album)
I Just Want To Make Love To You - Foghat
The entire Live: 1971 Tour album by Grand Funk (one of my all time play along favorites)
The Love You Save - Jackson 5
ABC - Jackson 5
Funk #49 - James Gang
The Hangman's Knee - The Jeff Beck Group
Spanish Boots - The Jeff Beck Group
3/5ths of a Mile in 10 seconds (off Bless its Pointed Little Head) - Jefferson Airplane
Power of Soul - Jimi Hendrix (Live at The Fillmore East)
Manic Depression - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Traveling Riverside Blues - Led Zeppelin
What is and What Should Never Be - Led Zeppelin
Good Times Bad Times - Led Zeppelin
Ramble on - Led Zeppelin
Hots for Nowhere - Led Zeppelin
Workin' for MCA - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Cissy Strut - The Meters
Nantucket Sleighride - Mountain
Never in My Life - Mountain
Brontosaurus - The Move
Mannish Boy - Muddy Waters (find the Electric Mud album, that version)
Young Lust - Pink Floyd
Space Invader - The Pretenders
The Millionaire Waltz - Queen
Steady as She Goes - The Raconteurs (Consolers of a Lonely Heart, the album, also has lots of great lines)
I Just Want To Celebrate - Rare Earth
I Know I'm Losing You - Rod Stewart
Sympathy for the Devil - Rolling Stones
Under My Thumb - Rolling Stones
Reptilian Blues - Rose Hill Drive
Working Man - Rush
Anthem - Rush
Soul Sacrifice - Santana (especially the Woodstock version)
Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
Dragonaut - Sleep
Sing a Simple Song - Sly & the Family Stone
Livin' in the USA - Steve Miller
Jungle Love - Steve Miller
Couldn't Stand the Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughn
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
I was Made To Lover Her - Stevie Wonder
Ball of Confusion - The Temptations
Shaky Ground - The Temptations
The Stomp - Ten Years After
Pinball Wizard - The Who
Substitute - The Who
Where Eagles Have Been - Wolfmother
Love Train - Wolfmother
Roundabout - Yes
Precious and Grace - ZZ Top
Tube Snake Boogie - ZZ Top

 

[Jordan S.]

Well that's got me sorted for the next 40 years.

 

[hufe]

"Maggie May" - Rod Stewart
"Born To Be Alive" - Patrick Hernandez
"Town Called Malice" - The Jam (with pick)
"Pump It Up" - Elvis Costello
"I Can't Get Next To You" - The Temptations

 

[Stick_Player]

"Maggie May" - Rod Stewart
"Born To Be Alive" - Patrick Hernandez
"Town Called Malice" - The Jam (with pick)
"Pump It Up" - Elvis Costello
"I Can't Get Next To You" - The Temptations

I believe Ronnie Wood played bass on this recording.

Here he is playing through one of those Rickenbacker Transonic rigs.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]


Another with Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, and ???.

Link Removed

 

[Steamtronic]

"Hit me with your rhythm stick".

Norman Watt Roy plays a 16th note bubbly bass line that even
interests none bass players.

Another vote for NWR. This is THE track that got me wanting to learn bass. The most enjoyable finger exercise you can ever play for building speed & accuracy! Sadly Ive never heard anyone cover this in all my years of watching live music, which is just nuts because it is a fantastic track for the whole band to jam on. I'd love to hear Jamiroquai have a bash at it..........

What I've picked up is that the the ability to play musically is more important than technical mastery. As James Jamerson said: "If you don't feel it, don't play it!" So FWIW, my approach is pick a bunch of songs I really like (like the one above) and practice playing them as if I was going to be auditioning for the actual band. I record myself and ask what I need to do to (or more often than not stop doing) to sound as good or better than the guy on the record. Its amazing what you hear yourself doing when you put yourself in a third party position.

 

[stratovani]

DISCO INFERNO!

 

[t77mackie]

1. Lemon Song - Led Zeppelin
2. Any I-IV-V blues song
3. Phantom of the Opera - Maiden
4. La Villa - Rush
5. The complete Motown catalog

 

[CauliColin]

Don't know if anyone has said Ramble On by Led Zep. The verse riff makes me happy, and I reckon it could sound better on a fretless

 

[N.F.A.]

I am going to go with
Mayor of Simpleton - XTC
Pump It Up or Radio Radio by Elvis Costello
Stepping Out - Joe Jackson
Not too stuck in the 80's am I?

 

[Riverhead]

I'll 4th (or 5th ) "Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick" and "Pump It Up", they are long time favourites of mine. I also like playing (or trying to play) "Rio" by Duran Duran.

And I'll add:
"Slow Hands" by Interpol
"Sich Offnen" by Not From There.

 

[Marty Forrer]

What Is Hip.... Tower of Power (Rocco Prestia)
Spain.... Chick Corea (Stanley Clarke)
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick... as already suggested
Nice and Sleazy.... the Stranglers (JJ Burnel)
One More Once.... Michel Camilo (Anthony Jackson)