The Smiley Smile Message Board

So I absolutely love bass, when I played the instrumental for 'Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)' on my stereo system for the first time, I was BLOWN away by the amount of bass in it.

I'm trying to find other Beach Boys songs that are heavy in bass...so far my top 5 would have to be:

1) Song For Children - SMiLE (purple chick)
2) Aren't You Glad - Wild Honey
3) Don't Talk - Pet Sounds
4) The Little Girl I Once Knew - Summer Days era
5) Little Bird - Friends

Any other songs come to mind?

The SMiLE version of Windchimes (or, box set Windchimes) is kinda neat. Especially the lines that are played during the 'Now and then, a tear runs down my cheek' part.

Good Vibrations, hands down.

I second Good Vibrations and also put forth Sloop John B, brilliant bass line, I wish I could play it!

You're talking quantity of bass here, not quality, right? The original "Here Comes The Night" on Wild Honey makes my windows rattle.

If we're talking quality bass lines, I agree with Paulos on "Sloop John B". Both the original and the In Concert versions kick some serious butt.

Talking of 'In Concert' the Bass playing throughout is superb !!! Ed and Blondie on top form , just listen to the bass lines on 'Surfin USA' Phew !!!!!
In terms of Studio recordings , Yes Sloop is superb (and de-tuned I believe) and Anna Lee has a great tight Bass Line BUT the greatest  Bass line ever by anyone to my ears (which is near impossible to play) is on God Only Knows

The bass on "'Til I Die" is some good too, especially the 'Desper' mix.

I think the bass lines on the entire WILD HONEY album are phenomenal.  And yeah, IN CONCERT is great too.

Brian took his bass lines to a new level on all of Pet Sounds.  I Just Wasn't Made For These Times stands out for me.

Another I like:  Funky Pretty.  (especially the end bit)

I think Mike Love is the best bass in the Beach Boys

In terms of bass presence, in addition to what has already been said, I'd go with Don't Worry Baby, Warmth of the Sun, Help Me Rhonda, Vegetables (Smiley version), I Was Made to Love Her (and most of the Wild Honey album), Be with Me, All I Want to Do, Celebrate the News, and Here She Comes.

Totally - very silky.

I vote for:

The Little Girl I Once Knew
Don't Worry Baby
I'm So Young
Cabinessence
Mrs. O'Leary's Cow

"Marcella" is a kickass bassline.

I totally overlooked I'm So Young. That is a good one, too!

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Let's remember that Brian often would use two or three basses on his productions, too. A Fender electric bass and an upright acoustic bass were the norms, although he might have used Danelectro in conjunction with the Fender and upright basses. And don't forget the bass pedals on the organ if he had organ on the session.

"I Just Wasn't Made For These Times".

3 favorites:

That's Not Me
A Thing or Two
Busy Doin Nothin

Wha???? I'm amazed nobody has mentioned my favorite bb's bassline, "SALT LAKE CITY!"  !!!! Yeah man! that one is awesome. 

"Carol... it goes like this... boom boom boom.... boom, booom.... booom boom da DOOP DAH DAH!!!!"

LOL

That's my understanding as well.  If that's what you're looking for, the DCC Pet Sounds and the Japanese Pastmasters cds of Smiley through 20/20 are all very bass heavy.

Absolutely LOVE the bassline in Wild Honey during the bridge...

Favourite bass lines: I Just Wasn't Made For These Times and the bass on the bridge of Wouldn't It Be Nice. The 'Wild Honey' album also contains some nice bass sounds - Let The Wind Blow and Darlin' for example.

Whoa! I never noticed that! There is a TON of variation in that segment.

I totally overlooked Cabinessence for some reason...totally agree.

maybe I'm out in left field here but check out the bass playing on "Morning Beat" during the "Hear those guitars gently strummin'
Hear the voices softly hummin'
It's hard to feel down living in this town;
But you're so far away It's a long long way from January
All the way to December"  section

also staying with solo Brian the bass in "I Do" from Sweet Insanity BLOWS my mind away!

Thats Not Me.    Yeah.    When I hear a tune and start playing air base..........to me, thats a good base line......and the drum rolls that go with it......killer


............................it usually takes Jamerson to get me playing air base.........who does Thats Not me?  Carol?

No way to pick just one...so many come to mind:

God Only Knows (who the hell thinks up a bass melody like that?)
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Sloop John B
(everything on Pet Sounds really - all incredibly melodic bass parts)
Don't Worry Baby
Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
Let Him Run Wild
Dance, Dance, Dance
Salt Lake City
Help Me Rhonda
Cabinessence (especially the tag)
California Girls

According to Wikipedia it's Carol (and Lyle Ritz on upright bass)

I love that bass line too. This was one of the first Beach Boys songs I learned how to take apart, learn the lines, and record
using a MIDI keyboard. Not as hip as Carol's playing though

Off "In Concert"
Sloop John B.
We Got Love (anybody REALLY listen to that Bass line? It's Amazing!)
Surfin' USA

 Bri

I agree with the Wild Honey album. I would also include the Friends and Love You albums.

One of my favorite bass lines has always been Salt Lake City. Others include: Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows, and The Little Girl I Once Knew.
Dance, Dance, Dance is wonderful and I love the feel of the bass in Don't Worry Baby. The line in Help Me Rhonda (Summer Days version) is killer,
so unique (and really hard to learn!!)

Errrrrrrr... I think we're talking bass guitar, not Moog bass.  ;D

The main point is that all of it is played by Carol Kaye.

OK.  Here is the devisive question.   Who is best?   JJ or Carol?   >:D

Jamerson, no contest.

I actually wonder how any given Beach Boys song would've sounded with The Funk Brothers playing rather than The Wrecking Crew.

Not at all devisive. Almost anyone will tell you JJ was by far the better player, drunk or sober. Anyone who disagrees probably has the initials CK.

Says who?

My favorite bass in a Beach Boys song is that of Wouldn't It Be Nice. The whole song, not just the bridge. Actually, Wouldn't It Be Nice has been my favorite song for many years.

I won't concede that Carole Kaye is a less talented bassist than James Jamerson. While I've played bass (in the best garage band tradition) I certainly don't have the expertise to rate, much less rank,  the professionals. And my initials aren't CK.

"You're So Good To Me" would have turned out much better, IMO. (Yes, I know it was the Beach Boys themselves on that one.)

Any Beach Boys song recorded at Motown would have sounded distorted, that much I can guess.  :lol

I agree with the choices of all you guys but one that always grabbed me from the early days is the wonderful bass line that kicks off  "Farmer's Daughter".  it has popped up on a few other tunes but it drives the whole song on F.D. Is that Brian Wlson?

The bass guitar on "Farmer's Daughter" was played by Brian, if I'm not mistaken.

Call me crazy but I always liked the bass in ANNA LEE, THE HEALER. It's got a little punch to it. On the TIME TO GET ALONE discs, they have the instrumental of THE LITTLE GIRL I ONCE KNEW. The bass just stands out on that, unless the person who put this together did a little mixing themselves.

Ted

The other day I was groovin' my ass off to the bass on "Here She Comes", especially on the intro and outro, and the bass puncuation followed by the great descending slides on the "Listen...listen...hear the music play" section.  Anyone know who played bass on this track?

I'm thinking Blondie but that's pure guesswork

The bass line to Sloop is not that hard to play once you get it down.  I remember thinking when I figured it out "wow this is pretty mathematical" lol What I mean is that it follows a strict repeating part...with the exception of the "poor cook he got the fits.." part...there is no improv or every bar is slightly different...I'm thinking now...for instance on Pepper, Macca slurs and slides; every verse has a slightly varied line.  That means if you want to play along with the record you have to really engage your brain.  The sloop bass line is super cool but is very uniform.  I also remember thinking that the parts were that way because maybe you had 2 - 3 bassists playing the same lines...you cannot put your own little "lick" into the next bar...no, this is the pattern, follow it! You double or triple the line I think alot of BW's Bass lines are like that...not overly complicated but brilliant nonetheless.  Anyone agree or am I off the mark?

I totally agree. Sloop and Wouldn't It Be Nice (the A-phrases, that is) are pretty easy to pick out on a bass if you play along to the record. I think what makes WIBN and Good Vibrations on the chorus really swing is that they're walking bass lines ... which were considered old fashioned by 1966. The IN CONCERT Sail On Sailor is fantastic too---way more propulsive than the studio version.

My personal faves (including ones played on moog bass):

Catch a Wave/ Don't Back Down
I Get Around (verses)
Here Today (that break!)
Caroline No
Let the Wind Blow
I'll Bet He's Nice
Johnny Carson
Honkin Down the Highway
It's OK
Walkin' the Line
Night Time

and the all-timer for me:
California Girls (repeated on HOLLAND's California)

The first time I ever even really noticed the quality of bass on a song written by Brian Wilson was on Let Him Run Wild.   So melodic and always changing. I think I'll listen to the bass on the Wild Honey album now. Thanks for reminding me of this often forgotten component of BWs music!

I dig "WIBN"

....

But the Surf's Up Tag wins my vote.

CIFOTM is my favourite bass line, along with Don't Talk perhaps.... ^-^

Gotta go with "Little Deuce Coupe"....fantastic playing by Brian.

was gonna say, I'm with you on that.
the bass line played on the piano that is, the syncopation makes me feel like a craving junkie

I ruined a friend's great pair of speakers at a big party playing Marcella from In Concert. No other BB song has that kind of bass sound. It is actually devasting, as in my case. Try it, turn it up. And another one that has not been mentioned is Getcha Back. Listen to the bass line especially around the "he may have money and a brand new car" part. Killer deep bass.

Please Let Me Wonder.

I Get Around! I can't believe no one has said it! Just watch a video of them playing it. Brian's going nuts on that thing.

Also:
Pet Sounds (the bridge especially)
Here Today
Good Vibrations
Sloop John B
Don't Talk

Al Jardine and Ray Pohlman play the bass on the hit recording of I Get Around. Brian plays keyboards.

Sorry, I meant on a live recording I saw in high school, right when I started playing bass. I remember seeing it and thinking it was the craziest bass line ever because he wasn't just playing root notes.

This one i believe  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDIBMaCTwFw

I don't know if its the "best" but I always loved the bass line in "Farmer's Daughter" especially the intro. It sounds like a pick may have been used as well. I suppose its Brian.

Little Deuce Coop!
Marcella (In Concert version)
Dance Dance Dance
A Thing Or Two
Trader (moog bass, I know, but isn't there an actual string bass track on there too?)
Feel Flows (moog again?)
California Girls (one of the best basslines of all time)

A couple of years ago on this very thread I suggested THATS NOT ME as a best bass line on a BB song.

But that is all so subjective.  Some lines are more technically interesting, some have a groove, some lite, some heavy, and some are so well recorded/engineered that even in their simplicity they are beautiful.

Truth is, the Beachboys have a lot of great bass moments over many years played by different musicians, recorded by several different studio technicians.

Hello long time beach boys fan this is my first post although i have been a regular reader over the years.

Best bass in a BB song for me is IJWMFTT closely followed by Its about time.

Susie Cincinatti :hat

All of PS!

But in particular, Here Today.  I've never heard a bass line so all-over-the-place, and in a good way!  And then there's the break....all I can say is WOW!  8)

Not surprisingly, Beach Boys' music is peppered with terrific bass lines and playing.  I've always felt that BB music was slammed as too "white" (whatever that means).  So many of their tracks are "in the pocket" (I think I know what that means) -- they swing!

"Here Today" btw.

I agree with Erik who I think is the only person so far to have cast a vote for Trader.  That's my personal favourite right now.

Yeah Al played bass on a whole bunch of the Beach Boys '64 sessions, way more than he played guitar on.

Real nice walking bass line in WIBN.

I think:

Good Vibes
Rhonda
IJWMFTT

And I think it's easy to overlook CA girls but I love that it's like swaying back and forth within the chord.

.

 Is that a beach boys song?  :P

"Here Today".  You can even hear how Paul McCartney was influenced by it as far as his bass playing on "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" for example. 

See that's what i always ask to myself, how is that a Beach Boys song ? they could at least have a Beach Boy sing the lead (Carl would have been great) if the song isn't wrote by them or even played by them

But then, it's presented as a Beach Boys song since it's on an original Beach Boys album.

So yes. HERE SHE COMES ALL THE WAY

Blondie and Ricky were official members of the Beach Boys. the song is written by Beach Boys and the lead vocal is sung by a Beach Boy.

The best bass is the one in the underwater fish chant, from Psycodelic Sounds.

Oh wait...you meant bass, with a long A?

Never mind.

Speaking of bass, who do you think the best actual Beach Boys bassist was? Brian? Bruce? Al?

Ed Carter. ;D

Jeff Foskett. He's a Beach Boy more than Blondie and Ricky ever were. There was no reason to make those two full members. They were the Poochie element of the BBs for a while, and lasted just as much as was to be expected. They're great musicians and I'm sure they're nice people, but why full time members? 

You're shitting me.

Best bassist of the band...I would actually probably vote for Carl.  Other than the 15 BIG ONES album I'm not sure of too many studio performances, but when you watch him playing bass live in the '60s on various clips, he's pulling off some very tricky stuff AND singing lead.  And he taught both Brian and Bruce how to play.  So I think you'd have to say the best bassist in the band was probably Carl.

Win the yes needs the no to win against the no.

I think it's Brian.  Well, let's put it this way.  If it's 1964 and I had to hire one Beach Boy to play bass on my record, I'd get Brian.

Any of those videos up on youtube?

Which is interesting because Al played bass on more '64 sessions than Brian did.

I can't believe no one's said Carol Kaye

Carol Kaye was never a member of the Beach Boys.

I know. Sorry my sense of humor is terrible. It was a joke.

I think Brian was the best player of any of the Boys.

To be honest I've never been impressed with any of their abilities on instruments, with the possible exception of Brian's piano style which always seemed pretty expressive and stylized.  That's probably why I don't mind that they used session musicians so much.  Vocally of course is a different story, they all had above average voices and a couple of those mo'fos were LEGENDS. 

Is that actually Brian which I've always suspected, playing keys on "Sail on Sailor" ? 

O.K., I always wondered that.  It has his heavy handed style, so I thought it may have been an early track or something. 

There's this one.  I grant you it's a lipsync, but he's very clearly playing the tricky correct bass line and singing it.  A similar one would be, IIRC, Carl singing "God Only Knows" on LEI'D IN HAWAII.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwrKKbaClME

It's not evidence in the sense that he's not actually doing a live performance, but he clearly CAN, technically.

Carol told me to say she was the best bass on every BBs song, but I think someone already posted that. 

The turn around in Surfer Girl.
Brian doing some complex stuff on an incredibly simple song.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXCOafmCyO4

Also, I like the broken bass line approach in I'm waiting for the day.

I was just going to say "Surfer Girl" too. I listened to it on the way home from work today and paid particular attention to the bass line. I love Brian's tone on that song.

Please Let Me Wonder - bass is so subtle and yet the way he mixes it makes it amazing. Love that plucky 60's bass sound

Moon Dawg - it drops in low and mean, like a B17 on a bomb run.