Ray Manzarek's left hand.
+999,999
some of my favorite bass lines have originated from this dude's left hand!
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Ray Manzarek's left hand.
Dan Maines of Clutch is one of my favorites. He has some killer grooves and a great tone.
+999,999
some of my favorite bass lines have originated from this dude's left hand!
You do know that the studio recording bass lines were laid down by a group of legendary session bassists. Here is an excerpt from the BP article:
If you think the Doors didnt have a bass player, youd be only half right. While the band never recruited a full-time bassist, it called upon some of Los Angeless finest to lay it down on tape between 1966 and 1970. Recently remastered and annotated by Doors engineer and producer Bruce Botnick, these expanded editions of the six original Doors albums reveal some unsung bass work that deserves a fresh listen.
The psychedelic blues-rock of the Doors 1967 debut featured the low end of Larry Knechtel, whose other credits include the Monkees, the Beach Boys, Billy Joel, and Bread. Knechtels greasy thump makes Soul Kitchen go down easy, and his driving feel ignites the blues burner Back Door Man.
Douglas Lubahn was on hand for Strange Days, Waiting for the Sun, and The Soft Parade. Lubahns mood-setting intro riffs on Youre Lost Little Girl and My Eyes Have Seen You mark a few of the many bass highlights from Strange Days. Thats his jaunty octave pedaling powering the shuffle of Love Me Two Times. Lubahn shows an even wider range on Waiting for the Sun, from the fat and lumbering bounce of Love Street to the nasty blues drive of Five to One. The album holds guest spots by Kerry Magness (The Unknown Soldier) and Leroy Vinnegar, who plays upright on the psychedelic flamenco dirge Spanish Caravan. Los Angeles session man Harvey Brooks tracked bass for The Soft Parade, the most musically varied and unconventional album of the lot. While it doesnt include the recognizable hits of the other records (just the horn-y Touch Me), it contains some magical bass moments, nonetheless.
Of all the discs, Morrison Hotel benefits most from expanded treatment, with over 45 minutes of studio outtakes from the albums centerpiece, Roadhouse Blues. The bonus tracks include fascinating control-room instruction from producer Paul Rothchild (and some bizarre ramblings from frontman Jim Morrison) and feature bass by blues guitarist Lonnie Mack. Elsewhere, Ray Neapolitan lays down some stanky grooves on Peace Frog and Ship of Fools.
Elvis Presley bassist Jerry Scheff brought a Memphis vibe to the bands final offering, L.A. Woman, channeling Duck Dunn on The Challenging and delivering a dirty blues stomp on Been Down So Long. Scheff shines on Love Her Madly, seasoning the tunes boogie-woogie with some well-placed slides and slurs.
Of course, no low-end analysis of the Doors would be complete without a shout-out to organist Ray Manzarek, whose classical music studies yielded some of the prettiest bass lines in rock. His left hand was all over the place on all these records, leaving some great untapped bass fodder for the rest of us. If you already own the originals, the bonus tracks and new packaging dont exactly make these discs must-haves (with the exception of Morrison Hotel). But if you have yet to really check out the Doors, nows the time.
Aston Barrett!!!! BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS
AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF SOUL IN HIS PLAYING > RHYTHMIC MASTER
!
+1 to Family Man