The perfect bass line?

[MultiScaleMale]

Hugh McDonald’s work on Slippery When Wet with the Holy Trinity. Livin’ On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name and Wanted Dead Or Alive.

 

[Feral Feline]

Man, tons of perferct bass-lines in the thread already!
So many more that deserve mention, so ask again tomorrow and you'll get a different answer, but...


Here's one I can't stop playing right now, "I Can't Tell You Why".
Timothy B Schmidt not only played bass but also co-wrote the song and sang the lead (which I only just found out while looking for the video link for this thread) — it may not be the all time perfect bass-line (really there can be no such thing, it's all subjective), but I think it's damn near the most perfect Eagles' bass-line.





Full disclosure: While I appreciate what the Eagles accomplished, I OD'd on the Eagles when they were at peak popularity — only listen to them now to dissect and learn bass-lines.

 

[J Wilson]

So very many come to mind, but to me, this is the greatest 3:34 minutes of a bass lesson you'll ever hear: The great Carol Kaye under 'Good Vibrations'

 

[J Wilson]

And my oft-quoted 'This is why he's James Jamerson and You're Not' tune: Gladys Knight and the Pips, 'Heard It Through the Grapevine'.

ONLY Jamerson could play all over the place as he does here and never put a foot wrong, sound like he's playing too much, just dumbfounding the way he drives this song with no obvious repeating riff or figure, breathtaking the more you listen to it over and over.



Out of a big stack of records he played on, to me, this is Jamerson in one take, the notes, the timing, the shapes. God help us, what would he have done if he played with TWO fingers ? ? ?

 

[J Wilson]

THIS is why the best bass lines always happen with GREAT drummers. Here's Aretha's take on Stevie Wonder's 'Till You Come Back to Me', and the rhythm section? The great Bernard Purdie (the owner and originator of the 'Purdie Shuffle') on drums and the great Chuck Rainey on bass. This groove just floats, Bernard swinging as steady as an atomic clock and Chuck wrapping over and around and through when they're not pairing on the punches.

I could eat this with a spoon.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Loads of great ones mentioned already, including many of my favourites, but I'm afraid they all seem so overly busy, and unnecessarily fussy when put up against the distilled perfection of "Stir It Up" by Bob Marley, care of the Family Man.

 

[RedHotFuzz]

So very many come to mind, but to me, this is the greatest 3:34 minutes of a bass lesson you'll ever hear: The great Carol Kaye under 'Good Vibrations'

I might include Good Vibrations in a conversation regarding the perfect song.

 

[Michedelic]

The perfect bassline doesn’t exist…

 

[ijump206]

A few off the top of my head…
The Jam - A Town Called Malice
Ian Dury and the Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
Rezillos - It Gets Me
House Guests - My Mind Set Me Free
Blue Oyster Cult - Burning For You
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Someday I Suppose
The Barney Miller theme

Barney Miller for the win!!!! TV themes just don't theme like they used to theme.

 

[Jhass]

Well… now I have a bunch of great new bass lines to add to my practice list

 

[Kubicki Fan]

I am afraid to say which one is the best, someone might steal it.

 

[HolmeBass]

War "Slipping Into Darkness" has to be one of the ten funkiest bass lines know to man.
The Ohio Players "Sweet Sticky Thing" during the chorus is my idea of ideal groove. The changes during the verses ain't bad either.
Of course James Jamerson's masterpiece on Marvin Gaye's What's going on. Maybe that should go first

War has some epic basslines! I also really dig The World is a Ghetto and Cisco Kid.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

And my oft-quoted 'This is why he's James Jamerson and You're Not' tune: Gladys Knight and the Pips, 'Heard It Through the Grapevine'.

ONLY Jamerson could play all over the place as he does here and never put a foot wrong, sound like he's playing too much, just dumbfounding the way he drives this song with no obvious repeating riff or figure, breathtaking the more you listen to it over and over.



Out of a big stack of records he played on, to me, this is Jamerson in one take, the notes, the timing, the shapes. God help us, what would he have done if he played with TWO fingers ? ? ?

J.J. played the bass with his whole body funnelled into a single digit. He used two fingers to smoke.

 

[dogbrained]

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I’m going with the unconventional but obviously-correct answer: Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac. It’s not flashy but you know every single person who hears it - bass player or not - is leaning back, flashing a bass face, and hitting those two specific notes on their air bass. You know the ones. The highest of the 2nd and 4th bars of the chorus. That off-beat quarter note just hangs there for the right amount of time. Man I could listen to that song a million times, and the bass part totally makes the song. Perfection.

In one of the Rumours documentaries... when that line is solo'd and played back, Mick Fleetwood comments; "You're a monster, Johnny!"

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Way too many for even a list of 100 best, so I’m not even going to name a song, but my bet is that if there was a way to quantify every aspect of a bass line and find one or a dozen that come out on top, the one or some of the dozen will be by Jamerson.

 

[tofi]

 

[bassdog]

Everyday People

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I’m going with the unconventional but obviously-correct answer: Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac. It’s not flashy but you know every single person who hears it - bass player or not - is leaning back, flashing a bass face, and hitting those two specific notes on their air bass. You know the ones. The highest of the 2nd and 4th bars of the chorus. That off-beat quarter note just hangs there for the right amount of time. Man I could listen to that song a million times, and the bass part totally makes the song. Perfection.

A very tasteful bassist indeed.

 

[SDC1-ClickClack]

THIS is why the best bass lines always happen with GREAT drummers. Here's Aretha's take on Stevie Wonder's 'Till You Come Back to Me', and the rhythm section? The great Bernard Purdie (the owner and originator of the 'Purdie Shuffle') on drums and the great Chuck Rainey on bass. This groove just floats, Bernard swinging as steady as an atomic clock and Chuck wrapping over and around and through when they're not pairing on the punches.

I could eat this with a spoon.

Gorgeous! Not just the bass or the rhythm section, but also the entire arrangement and lead performance.

A bit off-topic, as it is not necessarily a "perfect" bass line, but no discussion of the pairing of Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie would be complete without another reminder to check out the isolated bass + drums from Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne." A solid groove, to be sure, and the bass is likewise in the pocket — but with some wild fills and detours.