What riff hooked you on bass?

[Passinwind]

Sunshine of Your Love

Same here, when it came on the AM radio in my mom’s station wagon. It seemed like the first time the farty bass was actually intentional.

 

[DTRN]

Not Fragile by BTO. The whole LP.

OMG! You beat me to it. Still own that album which I bought with my paper route earnings. Although I remember I had to borrow 50 cents from my mom which wasn't easy. Those were the days when you could buy groceries for a family of 7 for $35.

 

[MAJOR METAL]

Without a doubt, as a 12 year old in the Summer of 1996 this got me hooked on bass -

 

[matti777]

Its hard to put my finger on it but I would say all the great basslines from the great Canadian bands I grew up listening too such as Rush, The Guess Who, April Wine, Chilliwack, Streetheart and even Loverboy. I didn't start playing until I was 40 but the bass line in CCRs Grapevine got me.

 

[El Güero]

The Guess Who

Never knew his name, but I remember back in the 60s thinking he was a really good bass player. Reminded me of Paul with his high notes and style.

 

[Barry Vestal]

"Chameleon" (Maynard Ferguson chart)

This!!! I still randomly throw this into songs all the time

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

I was a 14 year old crappy electric guitarist obsessed with distortion punk-like soundscapes when this came out. I was drawn to it for the guitar playing - not at all punk and not a distortion soundscape - but kept coming back to it over the years. When I picked up the bass just five years ago, this was the song that inspired me, bass-wise. Not many people love MM on this record, but I do. If you can make it past the milquetoast intro, some of you may understand why.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Subconsciously, as a kid, probably this:



In my teens probably this:



And this:



When I switched from guitar to bass later in life, probably this:



And just about an hour ago, this :

 

[Fishheadjoe]

My first Rush concert was A Farewell to Kings tour, I was not a Rush fan at the time. I did not know any of their song except Closer to the Heart. When I heard this bass line and it nearly ripped my face off, I knew I had to play this!
In fact, I hopped on a train to Toronto and bought my first bass, a RIC 4003!
Fishheadjoe

 

[Watchootognbout]

Stanley Clarke's machine gun 32nd note bass solo.

 

[tvbop]

Bad Company back in 74...that was it I was hooked.

 

[bobyoung53]

For me it was the opening bass line to "Let's Hang On" by The Four Seasons. I think this was in 1963 or 1964. It was one of the first licks I learned on bass when I picked up the instrument in late "65. Amazingly enough , the first time I got to play it on stage in a band setting was probably around 2012.

Great bass on that tune, it was the last one to feature Nick Massi, always loved the bassists on he Four Seasons' tunes. I was about 12 when that hit and a trumpet player, then switched to guitar and then my first love bass sometime in 1967.

 

[bobyoung53]

The other was a situation was where there was space for the bass, a cool riff unto itself, and during the sitar solo(at 2:46), it’s like there’s a tandem bass solo going on as well. It’s too bad Danny McCulloch didn’t do much beyond his time in the band...

McCulloch was a great player, great tone and lines, he played a semi hollow active Vox, I forgot the model, the are not cheap basses though even now.

 

[Jazzdogg]

For me it was a Geddy riff during the solo in Digital Man on Signals. (yeah, maybe 40 years ago.) That line is somehow imprinted in my soul When I heard it, long before I came a bassists, I felt a calling I still feel today. It vibrates within me to this day.

Just about anything played by Rocco Prestia, James Jamerson, Leland Sklar, or double bassist Ray Brown, captured the soul of this budding bassist back in the sixties.

 

[WG Plum]

Probably Money by Pink Floyd or any number of Beatles tunes.

 

[vincent69]

Cure - the holy hour
Bauhaus - she's in parties

 

[TOOL460002]

"Aerosmith - Back In The Saddle," although I didn't know that was a bass until years later. The one bassline that sticks out is "Folk Implosion - Natural One." Simple enough for a beginner yet still grooves hard!

 

[bearhart74]

 

[Guiseppe]

I love the version of Heavy Music on Bob's live album.

 

[Guiseppe]

OMG! You beat me to it. Still own that album which I bought with my paper route earnings. Although I remember I had to borrow 50 cents from my mom which wasn't easy. Those were the days when you could buy groceries for a family of 7 for $35.

My first concert, UPS Fieldhouse in Tacoma, WA by BTO on the Not Fragile tour. I was hooked on live music past that point.