Bass Influences and Favourites

[bluesno1fann]

Fairly recently, in February I got myself a Squire Jazz Bass for $210 at a Cash Converters at a suburb called Craigieburn. I've found myself to be a lot better on bass than guitar and have mainly focused on playing bass since. 

I've mainly been learning songs by the Rolling Stones, with some Animals and Jimi Hendrix Experience as well. So it's fairly safe to say that Bill Wyman is my biggest influence, as well as the underrated Chas Chandler. Noel Redding is pretty underrated as well, though I'd never say he's one of the greats.

Though I'd say John Entwistle is the Bass God, and he's the greatest of all time on the instrument.

What do you say? What are your main influences on the bass, and your favourite bassists?

[zachrwolfe]

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[bringahorseinhere?]

Macca is 'The God' of bass guitar and tone........... especially those 60's recordings.....

RickB

[slippingonthrough]

Like the others above, Paul McCartney is my main influence on bass. Although, Beach Boys did some amazing stuff with bass aswell

P.S. You should try and learn Dance Dance Dance on bass. It's freakin fun to play.
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/b/beach_boys/dance_dance_dance_ver2_btab_1142319id_02042012date.htm

[Niko]

Though I'd say John Entwistle is the Bass God, and he's the greatest of all time on the instrument.

Ah, you're an Entwistle-ista, how interesting.

Don't use tabs, you'll improve more learning songs by ear than by tabs.

[Niko]

Entwistle might be fast, but I've never found him very interesting past 1969. His basslines are rarely memorable, and its really his style and speed that get the attention. Macca has written tons and tons of incredibly creative lines that embellish the song. 'Something' might be his best.

[bringahorseinhere?]

I also love 'The Eagles' Timothy B. Schmit and his playing and tone.....

I wish Brian had gone more in that direction with his playing, because his 'touch' is also quite unique...

RickB

[bluesno1fann]

Though I'd say John Entwistle is the Bass God, and he's the greatest of all time on the instrument.

Ah, you're an Entwistle-ista, how interesting.

Don't use tabs, you'll improve more learning songs by ear than by tabs.

I mainly don't anyway, but it's mainly because it's sometimes hard to understand. I mainly either learn by ear or watch someone play on YouTube (Not lessons, however). I've learned a lot from this guy (Very talented for a 14 year old, and he learned everything by ear):
http://www.youtube.com/user/BillWymanFan2000

Entwistle might be fast, but I've never found him very interesting past 1969. His basslines are rarely memorable, and its really his style and speed that get the attention. Macca has written tons and tons of incredibly creative lines that embellish the song. 'Something' might be his best.

Interesting. It seems like it's Come Together that everyone recommends. But Entwistle and McCartney are a little advanced for me at this stage, so I'll eventually get to them as I advance.

[Niko]

My advice is, when learning songs, to not look at how a musician played a specific part but what you can take from it to form your own style of playing. Playing bass like Bill Wyman isn't boring if you're with a band, because he did what was needed for The Rolling Stones, but playing bass along to the records is so dull. Play with other people as much as you can now. It'll speed up your development in quite a few ways.

[JK]

Free is one of the very few bands (like The Band) where everyone was equally important----and unmissable.

Andy Fraser's bass work is so well thought-out. In Free's big hit, "All Right Now", he stays silent during the verse----a masterstroke. Many of his bass lines are miracles of restraint and ingenuity. This is a live performance of "Mr. Big". The studio version is equally stunning. At their best, Free were unbeatable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FhCilozomo 

[Lowbacca]

I've been fiddling around with a bass for a couple of months now as well. Whole lotta fun. I've always admired the electric bass (and its players) as a pop/rock instrument and finally got one myself. As of now, I mostly like to try blues stuff, though.


Come to think of awesome bass players - I saw Sabbath last year (the 2013 reunion tour) and Geezer really brought the house down.

[Orange Crate Art]

I have a lot of favorite bass players...Trevor Bolder, Glen Cornick, Tim Bogert, Dennis Dunaway, Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, McCartney, Lemmy Kilmister, Dee Dee Ramone...all whom have different and unique styles.

[retrokid67]

I've always wanted to play the bass, it seems like a really cool instrument to play 

[Ron]

I play a little guitar, never tried bass... but I love music and find myself paying attention to things like basslines a lot. My favorites are:

1. McCartney.  He's actually somehow underrated as a bassist, because he's so legendary at everything else.  His melodies on the bass are the best, ever, in my opinion.  Even something like "Silly Love Songs", or "Paperback Writer"... or even the early stuff like "I saw her standing there"... or something like "Goodnight Tonight".  He is FANTASTIC on the bass, in my opinion, the best pop bass player ever.

2. James Jamerson - played most of the great motown basslines.  Stuff like "Going to a go go" and "Tracks of my Tears"... or how about "What's going on" , or "I heard it through the Grapevine" ?  Incredible.

lots of other great bass players, I really like Jackson Browne.  Really though you can hear a great bassline on all kinds of great music, lots of times I have no idea who's playing it but I really love when they have the balls to play a melody or a walking bassline instead of just doubling the root or whatever.

Oh, wanna blow your mind?  Check out McCartney's bassline on "Something".  Took me years to even notice it because it's George's song, and I was always listening to the guitar.  McCartney's even BETTER and it's not even his track. 

[bluesno1fann]

1. McCartney.  He's actually somehow underrated as a bassist, because he's so legendary at everything else.  His melodies on the bass are the best, ever, in my opinion.  Even something like "Silly Love Songs", or "Paperback Writer"... or even the early stuff like "I saw her standing there"... or something like "Goodnight Tonight".  He is FANTASTIC on the bass, in my opinion, the best pop bass player ever.

Just FYI, McCartney didn't write the bass line for I Saw Her Standing There. That bass line was originally on an underrated Chuck Berry song called "I'm Talking About You", written by whoever played bass for Chuck Berry (don't know who it was). McCartney decided to use that bass line for his song, and it fitted perfectly.

[D Cunningham]

Richard Davis -- Astral Weeks   (absolutely thrilling tones and impulses)

John McVie -- Pretty much everything he did (organic understated excellence)

[alf wiedersehen]

Bass is really fun to play. One of the first times I ever played it was in front of an audience, so I had to learn quickly.
Luckily, I'm pretty average at guitar, so making the jump wasn't so bad.  Haven't played it for a while though, but I would love to pick it up again.

You've really got to understand rhythm and be able to stay in a groove to be good at it. Try throwing in some flourishes every once in a while, like walking up to the note your transitioning to - easy way to make a bass line sound nice.

I've never really picked out a favorite bass player, but Paul's work on "Rain" and "Something" blows my mind.
And of course, Brian was a master at writing bass lines.

[JK]

1. McCartney.  He's actually somehow underrated as a bassist, because he's so legendary at everything else.  His melodies on the bass are the best, ever, in my opinion.  Even something like "Silly Love Songs", or "Paperback Writer"... or even the early stuff like "I saw her standing there"... or something like "Goodnight Tonight".  He is FANTASTIC on the bass, in my opinion, the best pop bass player ever.

Just FYI, McCartney didn't write the bass line for I Saw Her Standing There. That bass line was originally on an underrated Chuck Berry song called "I'm Talking About You", written by whoever played bass for Chuck Berry (don't know who it was). McCartney decided to use that bass line for his song, and it fitted perfectly.

"ITAY" is a Berry composition. It seems the bass line is courtesy of Reggie Boyd: http://latejoysblog.blogspot.nl/2010/01/sotd-talking-about-you-by-chuck-berry.html

What a great song. Love it when the bass pops on through during the breaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2i8Z-c35y4   

[the captain]

I love the aforementioned McCartney and Jamerson quite a bit. John Deacon (Queen) was very interesting and versatile. John Paul Jones had some really good moments. Larry Graham (Sly Stone) is fabulous.

In jazz, Ron Carter is really amazing. Check out the "second great quintet" of Miles Davis for some great examples, though he has many, many credits with people like Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, Andrew Hill, Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, and on and on. Also from the jazz world, I love Oscar Pettiford, Wilbur Ware, Dave Holland, Paul Chambers, and (from a whole different thing than the above) Stanley Clarke sometimes.

[Alex]

Sid Vicious!!


On a more serious note, has the thread really gone on this long without a single mention of Duck Dunn??!!!

[JK]

has the thread really gone on this long without a single mention of Duck Dunn??!!!

It has, to its eternal shame.

Speaking of The Band reminds me that Rick Danko was a great and sensitive bassist, who listened to what the others were playing and "filled in the gaps".

One of the most perfect examples of judicious bass work I can think of comes care of Jaco Pastorius on Joni Mitchell's "Refuge Of The Roads": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qGTeMBNuGM     

[Little Pad]

Macca and Geezer Butler are the first two that come to mind.

[bluesno1fann]

Jack Casady. Wow.

[Aum Bop Diddit]

Lots of great ones mentioned -- I'll just say that if Paul McCartney never sang or wrote a song he would still be considered one of the greatest bass players ever.

[Jukka]

^
This. My two greatest early influences were Duff McKagan and Krist Novoselic. Their lines are quite simple and easy to pick out. And both had a very distinctive tone, you immediately know who it is! After those two, I got into Mike Dirnt and Matt Freeman. Both amazing!