Top 3 recorded bass tones

[KeithPoker]

too many to choose from. off the top of my head :

Jamerson - What's Goin On album
Jaco - Hejira album
Anthony Jackson - any track late 70s to early 80s

honorable mention : TB's very own Justin Meldal-Johnsen - Sea Change album

 

[caligula]

Gary Willis - on anything that says "Bass - Gary Willis."
Eddie Jackson - on Queensryche's "Empire" and "Operation Mindcrime."
Mark Egan - on Mike Stern's first album "Upside Downside" (I remember sending Mark an email asking him how he recorded his bass).


Honorable Mention:
Marco Mendoza - on Blue Murder's "Nothing but Trouble."
Billy Sheehan - on DLR's "Eat em and smile" and Mr Big's "Bump Ahead."
Jimmy Johnson - on U.K. live in Japan.
Randy Hope Taylor - on Incognito's "Tribes, Vibes and Scribes."
Tony Levin - on Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer."

 

[obimark]

Prince- Let's Work
Eddie Jackson- Jet City Woman (and all of Operation Mindcrime)
Steve Severin- Israel (and most Siouxie Songs)
Duff- Sweet Child and Rocket Queen
Geddy- Cygnus X-1
Geezer- War Pigs and Fairies

 

[Spirit of Ox]

Rob Wright from Nomeansno- Wrong
Mike Watt- Minutemen Double Nickels on the Dime
Gary Zito- The Unlucky Few, How to take a punch

 

[Darren Lipper]

01. Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse) - Bleeding album

This... my favorite Death Metal bass tone of all time

 

[OldDirtyBassist]

I have to add Anthony Jackson's tone on Linn's Garden Blues.

 

[mrefjl]

Danny Bowens on Winter in America (Gil Scott-Heron)
Doug Wimbish on Wood, Brass and Steel
Ric Danko on Music from Big Pink

 

[static0verdrive]

Paul Jackson (Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, Thrust, Man-Child, etc)
Mike Watt's tone on both Il Sogno Del Marinaio albums is phenomenal, as with a few Minutemen albums.
Rob Wright on Wrong from Nomeansno.
David Wm. Sims on just about any Jesus Lizard album.

 

[halfjackson]

I dig a lot of the tones already mentioned (James Jamerson, Paul Jackson, Robert Deleo, Pino, etc). I'll add:

*Dave Shogren's (I think) on "Taking it to the Streets" by The Doobie Brothers.
*Garrett Sayers - The Motet
*Mark Sandman - Morphine
*Willie Weeks on Donny Hathaway Live