Home Forums Guitar Discussion Bass Guitar Favourite bass riffs

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  • #22761
    1bassleft
    Participant

    Doesn’t have to be just bass players with an opinion, and you don’t have to limit it to a top 5 or pad it out to a top ten. Just mention those basslines that wobble your sloop. Here’s some of my faves:

    Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc” (Is this a sample? and of what?)
    “Starless” – from King Crimson’s Red album
    White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army” (it’s a bass riff, even if not on a bass guitar)
    “Love will Tear us Apart” – Joy Division

    I’ll think of some more later, but pip in with your own.

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    • #66501
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Norman Watt Roy ’twas, and a good shout. He came up in another forum’s Bass cat, and I’d forgotten him – shamefully.

    • #66533
      lee_UK
      Participant

      Alright now – Free -doo doo do doo doo do do , bim bop bim bop
      Hit me with thy rhythm stick – was it Norman Watroy?
      Anything by the late but still great Bernard Edwards.
      Nathan Watts – for most of Songs n the Key of Life.

    • #66507
      Tim
      Participant

      I’ve just discovered Led Zep II, OMFG…too good, Heartbreaker, The Lemon Song…

      John Paul Jones/John Bonham must be a very close second to Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk (personal pref, obviously…)

    • #66529
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I don’t think any bass player truly “influenced” me, but JJ comes very close. I loved that huge attack and not a little distortion. I carried on playing like that well into the late 90s, until my current band got really annoyed with me (we were, after all, writing Tarantino-style “coolblues” stuff). I was playing at a gig-cum-rock disco with this band and the DJ played “Walk on By”. I was bobbing my head, torso, etc and finally noticed the other band members laughing at me. Even though I’d never mentioned JJB, they could all figure out where my sound was coming from.

    • #66409
      Pat McCunny
      Participant

      If you’re looking for great bass lines then the first 4 Stranglers Albums are a must. Rattus Norvegicus has Peaches and Princess of the Streets, No More Heroes has Dead Ringer and Peasant in the Big Shitty, Black And White has Nice ‘N’ Sleazy, Toiler on the Sea (which opens with the greatest nasty bass chugging ever) and the bass driven Do You Wanna, The Raven has Ice (with almost classical bass runs) and Shah Shah A Go Go which couldn’t exist without the bass line. Also on The Raven is the track Genetix which has a thrilling bass solo at the end, really showing off JJ Brunel’s ear for a riff that is both melodic and gives you a right old beasting!

    • #66419
      acoustica1
      Participant

      Hi everyone
      I like this video.Most of you will think there’s no feeling, but Felipe knows the meaning of the word show!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYpfMsJDjz4

    • #66420
      Tim
      Participant

      Hahaha…muppet…

      Monkeyboy.co.uk should do it, wish i’d thought of that earlier!

    • #66410
      Tim
      Participant

      I had an EP by a band with just two bass players and drums, some inbred scum nicked it when they cleaned out my flat but I’m sure the band was called ‘Monkey Boy’ Anyone heard of them? it may well have been a promo.

    • #66382
      1bassleft
      Participant

      ps, I watched some MTV programme with Paul Young talking about stuff (bear with me) and he was saying how the band he’d most like to reform with original lineup would be The Who. So MTV played pretty much the whole of “Who Are You”.

      I’d never noticed before but, during the middle knockabout phase, Entwhistle does this fantastic, percussive, speed tapping on the strings with his pluckng hand. Made it sound like another instrument. Wish I could do that.

    • #66381
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Skunny, I also like a lot of Hooky’s very melodic and attention-grabbing bass. Almost a lead bass player (like Stanley Clarke). Speaking of lead bass, I do like the occasional band that has two bass players. I remember one on the British chart show Top of the Pops either late 70s or very early 80s but I can’t remember either the band name or song title.

      Another 2-bass band was Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and I love the interplay between rumbling root notes and high-string melody on “Happy”. Wonder if there’s a listenable somewhere on the web?

    • #66390
      Tim
      Participant

      Hey Skunny, totally agree on the Black Sabbath stuff, Geezer Butler is a big inspiration, I like how he can be really subtle sometimes or totally in your face at others.
      They’ve got some samples including ‘Minute to Forever’ (I assume it’s the same track?!) at Freekbass.com, cut a bit short but very cool…a bit too funky for me but undeniably good.

      Tim.

    • #66396
      Skunny
      Participant

      Hey guys… I agree with post above, war pigs has a great bass. Another top song from Black Sabbath is N.I.B

      Even though i could get away with saying Peter Hook, bassist for Joy Division and New Order was a bit before my time, he really is a really truly great bass player and very underated.

      There is also a song named Minute To Forever, which was part of D’Adario Strings Original Sounds, a free promo cd i recieved with a pack of strings. I cant seem to find any tab for this song. I must say that this is the most awesome bass line i ever heard and cream my pants listening to it every time. LKISTEN TO THIS SONG! and if anyone can source a tab for this, please post a link 😉

      Cheers

    • #66413
      Bassman5000
      Participant

      well then… My list has to start with Cliff Burton of mettalica. anything he did from to live is to die to Hit the lights, you can’t say enough about a life that was wasted so soon. My list of riffs is long so I will try to name some gooders:

      -wild nights-John mellencamp
      -Detroit rock city -Kiss
      -Duece-Kiss
      -lucretia-Megadeth
      -are you gonna go my way -Lenny Kravitz
      -are you gonna be my girl-Jet
      -the trooper-iron maiden
      -aces high- iron maiden
      -war pigs-black sabbath
      -smoke on the water-deep purple (surprise surprise but how it walks during the solo……*drool*drool*drool*)

      Man so many just popped in my head I’m gonna stop there!! You’d be readin all nite hehehe 😀

    • #66404
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Not getting a download on this song, but I’ll find one 🙂

    • #66376
      Tim
      Participant

      ‘Yesterday to tomorrow’ by ‘Audioslave’ Tim Commerford is great but this is really subdued and just sweet bass work, IMO. (p.s. listen to the whole album…and buy it… p****s on their first offering)

    • #66377
      1bassleft
      Participant

      If you goto my chum Arni’s site for lefty bass players, http://www.leftybass.com/e_start.htm, you can click on a link to play the scene from “Kids are Alright” where Entwhistle leaves the house stuffed wall to wall with his basses. Some very nice instruments and worth watching just for the envy factor.

      Purely on tone rather than the actual notes played, HardFi have a great bass sound; no doubt Kai’s HiWatt bass amp being a big part of it. It’s most obvious in the single Cash Machine which is a decent bass riff but better for its clean-valve sound; a HiWatt trademark.

    • #66379
      Tim
      Participant

      ‘My Generation’ any other band it wouldn’t have worked but Pete Townsend leaves so much space in the sound that it actually fits perfectly and, strangley, works with Keith Moon’s somewhat enthusiastic style.

      And I want all his basses.

    • #66411
      1bassleft
      Participant

      😆 😆 Mrs Bass also, and Bass Jr (he’s 7, about the KC’s target market). Mrs Bass asked me to write in that song for her (monophonic) ringtone. I laughed myself silly and did the chorus for her. She could hardly believe it’s all the same note, with a couple different at the end.

      BTW, if you’re stuck for a middle eight, try “Whoaoaoaoaoaoaoaoao, oaoaoaoaoaoao, aaaaaaaarrrghggh”. It’s worked for three of their hits now (“I Predict a Riot”, “Oh My God”, and “I Love You Less and Less”, for all anoraks out there).

    • #66393
      Tim
      Participant

      [quote=”1bassleft”]And another good bass line. Maybe not a favourite or future classic, but listen to the opening of Kaiser Chiefs’ “Oh My God”. Simon Ricks does a lovely walk on what is, vocally, one of the most tedious melodies I’ve heard.[/quote]

      I was trying not too mention it (the Mrs likes) but, ok, I put this track on voluntarily the other day…it is kinda bouncy…still think they’re shiv (as my predictive text would say)

    • #66387
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Thanks, KJP, and according to Amazon’s reviews, Gary King kerplunked on “Mister Magic” so that’s the guy on Black Frost. Ignorant type that I was, I’d listened to the clips and just assumed they were same player; different basses. Suddenly struck me as obvious that Grover would’ve brought in whoever was available and good enough for the rhythm section.

      Frost is the better riff, but I love that thump of Johnson’s.

    • #66378
      KJP
      Participant

      [quote=”1bassleft”]Do you have the album sleeve notes or credits KJP?[/quote]
      According to a comment on Amazon’s page about the “Feels So Good” album, Louis Johnson is the four-stringer.
      Click here for Wikipedia’s article about him.

      Oh… and here is Amazon’s link for the album.

      Thumbs up for “Oh My God”; good choice! 🙂

    • #66397
      1bassleft
      Participant

      And another good bass line. Maybe not a favourite or future classic, but listen to the opening of Kaiser Chiefs’ “Oh My God”. Simon Ricks does a lovely walk on what is, vocally, one of the most tedious melodies I’ve heard.

    • #66399
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I’m afraid I don’t know, but it leaves an annoying hangaround that doesn’t go until you shut down. Even more annoyingly, I can’t even find the name of the bass player or if it’s the same player on both songs. I’m assuming the bassist is a “he” which is a bit sexist. The guitarist and piano player’s names crop up but not the four-plucker, as per usual. Wonder if different seession players were used? Certainly different instruments on the two tracks, surely. Do you have the album sleeve notes or credits KJP?

    • #66421
      Tim
      Participant

      Not that I’m slack or anything but where did you find it? saves me looking it up in my bit of free-time, sob sob, poor me, etc

      Thanks

    • #66400
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Not being a funky thumber, I had to look up and listen to the track. I’m not so much interested in the riff as that tone of his. Particularly on “It Feels So Good”. Any idea what/how he was playing to get that sound?

    • #66391
      KJP
      Participant

      OK, so many to list it’s pointless trying.

      But only one has dominated my mind lately:

      Grover Washington Jr – “Black Frost”

      That extremely cool line (unison with a sax) that enters at 0:17 makes me wet my pants.

    • #66389
      Tim
      Participant

      ’tis a good line, sounds fiddlyish but a dream to pogo along to, what more could you want? Aside from D’arcy playing it?

    • #66395
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I was going to put up that suggestion, Tim. It sounds a bit stilted when Novaselic does the first two bars alone but it’s all-holy when everyone kicks in. As a total plucker, it’s one of my faves on the “Nevermind” album.

    • #66417
      Tim
      Participant

      ‘Lounge Act’ by Nirvana, I always wanted to learn that line as a kid but at the time I was at more of a ‘…Teen Spirit’ level of playing

    • #66374
      1bassleft
      Participant

      And I’m very fond of those private booths in London… 😳

      Lurching back on topic, a favourite bass line is McFadden-Whitehead’s “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now”. There’s no point at which the bass is uninteresting, yet no note is in there for the sake of it. Melodic all the way through. I’m not a funkyman myself, but Bernie of Chic also had butter oozing from his fingers. Some great lines that he made look irritatingly effortless.

    • #66403
      Tim
      Participant

      A mate of mine was going to buy an Orange amp from A1 in Manchester but then Oasis (the story goes) bought it before he could get there.

      I do remember that vibe though, the kind of ‘a guitar shop’s a place to hang-out you don’t want to buy something do you?!’ feeling you get when you walk in. My usual reaction is ‘No, I don’t. Bye.’

    • #66408
      1bassleft
      Participant

      [quote]I held the guitar up to look along the neck to see the state of play and the truss-rod mechanism slid out and hit me on the forehead. etc[/quote]

      That is the best store story I’ve heard; I’ve got a great mental picture of that. In the days when I scribbled for Making Music (RIP) I’d’ve loved to pass that one onto them.

      The largest store in my area was one of the “A1″s (not the Manchester one, now bought out) and they were the opposite of the pushy type. In a word; “indifferent”. I remember a couple of real examples.

      Around the mid-90s, I was only one of two lefty bassists regularly playing in the area so, when I walked in, they did point to a s/h early 70s Jazz that had just been traded in. I looked at the £300 tag (not insubstantial; in those days, 70s Fenders were still regarded as the deadbeat era) but, hey, it was a lefty. I went back home, squared it with Mrs Bass and took my lowliest backup, telling her I’d only buy the Jazz if it was at least twice as good as the backup. As soon as I walked in, one guy said “You can forget about p/exing that POS.”

      Er, that wasn’t my intention, but nice start, fellas. I plugged the Jazz into some Mesa 400+ (IIRC) and it sounded bloody awful, like a sock. So did the crud backup, but at least I could tweak something reasonable out of it; everything on the Jazz was terrible. So, I tried a JCM800 (closer to my own amp) and the backup seemed near enough but the Jazz was still ghastly. “It probably needs new strings, mate.” And that was it. Buy the bass, buy some strings, probably be OK. Shrug, back to coffee and NME. Of course, I didn’t.

      The other one was getting my guitarist mate a present. Thought I’d get him the Marshall “Blues-something” pedal, but maybe the DriveMaster would be better for him. They placed two empty cardboard boxes in front of me. Same price, take my pick. I’d like to know which one’s best suited. The boxes actually containing a pedal are in the backroom. Read the descn on the boxes, make a decision, hand over £45 and they’ll go and get it for me. Great people; no pedal present for the guitarist.

    • #66412
      Rocklogicxxxxx
      Participant

      [quote=”1bassleft”]I’d heard of Levin using Funky Fingers, didn’t realize it came about that way, Dave. It doesn’t surprise me the recorded version uses sticks; there’s something ultra-percusive about the sound….[/quote]

      It’s all in his book “Beyond the Bass Cleff” http://www.papabear.com/store/store.html… so buy one today!

      [quote=”to continue…1bassleft”] I’m hoping guitar-store tryouts are changing (buyers and sellers). I used to absolutely hate pushy sales types not pushing their product but their bent thumb “technique”. The first thing I’d do with a bass is listen to the sound and arsing about with pops, taps and slaps is no use at all (same with amps). I remember taking an interest in a used cab in a shop. Plugged in, just grabbed a righty bass and played some very simple, Swell-type of bass line. Something sounded not right but, next thing I know, this guy yanks the bass off me and does the “I’ll show you what it can do” routine.[/quote]

      I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve worked with some really great music shop assistants and only one wanker of a prorietor. I used to have the policy of selling somebody something that they truly wanted and not something that they thought they wanted. I once sold a young chap the most expensive black-finished gold-plated bass in the shop which was £300 more than he had. I suggested he waited until he had the money. He came back and took away with him something that he truly wanted and then thanked me profusely. Occasionally he’d return to the shop and was all smiles.

      In some shops the experience is more akin to Sumo wrestling than actual service.

    • #66398
      Rocklogicxxxxx
      Participant

      [quote=”Tim”]I hate testing gear in shops, feels like everyones expecting the performance of your life, feels more intimate than a tiny pub gig (which are always the scariest) in reality nobody gives a chuck what you do but it feels scary.

      I’m the same with sound-checking I tend to play: E-E-E-E-A-A-A-A-D-D-D-D-yeah, thats fine. At half my gigging volume then get every thing adjusted during the set, not the best technique! Doesn’t make you very popular.[/quote]

      Some of the shops in Denmark Street have now got booths wherein you can widdly-widdly-widdly and thwang-dakka-do-dow till your heart’s content. And again some shops havn’t.

      Last time I bought a guitar I was put in a little booth and having played the guitar for a while, decided that the truss-rod needed tightening – much to the fear of the shop assistant- which I then did after convincing him that I was qualified to undertake such an action. I bought the guitar.

      And talking of truss-rods… when at the Bass Centre (p’ta!) Cass Wassiz-name bought a pink Warwick which had a problem with the neck. If you tightened the truss-rod the neck became more bent rather than strighter. I held the guitar up to look along the neck to see the state of play and the truss-rod mechanism slid out and hit me on the forehead. I had no idea that they were not secured. However this solved the problem as I was able to re-insert it the right way up and straighten the neck.

    • #66380
      Tim
      Participant

      I hate testing gear in shops, feels like everyones expecting the performance of your life, feels more intimate than a tiny pub gig (which are always the scariest) in reality nobody gives a chuck what you do but it feels scary.

      I’m the same with sound-checking I tend to play: E-E-E-E-A-A-A-A-D-D-D-D-yeah, thats fine. At half my gigging volume then get every thing adjusted during the set, not the best technique! Doesn’t make you very popular.

    • #66373
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I’d heard of Levin using Funky Fingers, didn’t realize it came about that way, Dave. It doesn’t surprise me the recorded version uses sticks; there’s something ultra-percusive about the sound. Must’ve looked weird watching it done! I’m not into slapping around for the hell of it but, as mentioned above, Levin drops it in there for the lug-grabbing effect and wisely doesn’t repeat it. One of my favourite little bass snips.

      I’m hoping guitar-store tryouts are changing (buyers and sellers). I used to absolutely hate pushy sales types not pushing their product but their bent thumb “technique”. The first thing I’d do with a bass is listen to the sound and arsing about with pops, taps and slaps is no use at all (same with amps). I remember taking an interest in a used cab in a shop. Plugged in, just grabbed a righty bass and played some very simple, Swell-type of bass line. Something sounded not right but, next thing I know, this guy yanks the bass off me and does the “I’ll show you what it can do” routine.

      budukka budduka gdank gdank diddle oodle widdle oddle danketty danketty yoooooh

      meanwhile, the “in need of recone” driver is being ripped to pieces by this berk. I must’ve coughed “excuse me?” three or four times but he had his eyes closed as he carried on with this anal blast. Even the ring from the shop door as I walked out didn’t stop him.

    • #66394
      Rocklogicxxxxx
      Participant

      [quote=”Tim”] I’d much rather play root notes and little runs and focus on filling or leaving space in the timing, I think that’s where a bass can really bring a song to life……………..

      Tim. [/quote]

      There is a wonderful passage in T-Lev’s book, done in a biblical warning style of language, where he has a dig at the “fast and furious”( my quotes) bass players who tend to play high up the neck, the point being to “keep it low”.

      Mark King and Jaco have a lot to answer for… I worked at The Bass Centre in Wapping when these guys were popular and it was days filled with young kids wanting to play a Status bass through a Trace Elliot stack all going “thwakkada-thwakkada-thwakkada-thwackkada” all fu*king day.

      Then, one day, a Canadian walked in and asked to play an old Gibson “EB something-or-other” semi… that was part of the John Entwistle collection we were selling (when he was still alive). This Canadian played so well and made the instrument sound so beautiful… then bought the guitar on the spot. We chatted for ages and he even gave me his contact details. He ended up playing on the k.d. laing album.

    • #66405
      Rocklogicxxxxx
      Participant

      [quote=”1bassleft”]

      Just a brief interlude, but Tony Levin’s thumbwhacker after the first chorus of Gabriel’s “Big Time” is all the better for never being repeated in the rest of the song. Give ’em what they want, then take it away while they’re still clamouring for more…[/quote]

      If I’m not mistaken this riff was played with the assistance of the drummer hitting the strings of T-Lev’s bass with drum sticks. For touring purposes, T’Lev’s need to recreate the sound live necessitated the invention of “Funky Fingers”… mini drum sticks attached to the fingers with elastic loops. Musicman subsequently built a 3-string bass to assist futher the thwacking of the strings which were much wider apart then normal.

      Billy-B and T-lev reprised this effect when playing with the remainder of Yes.

    • #66418
      Tim
      Participant

      I can quite enjoy listening to some of those kind of bass players but I’ve never had the desire to play that way, nailing a technical peice just isn’t what blows my goat, especially live. One of our songs had a melodic bassline in 5/4 which covered the whole neck, despite it not being that technical I’d spend half the gig thinking damn, I’ve got to play THAT song in 3 songs time, 2 songs time etc.
      I’d much rather play root notes and little runs and focus on filling or leaving space in the timing, I think thats where a bass can really bring a song to life.
      I once had a big arguement in the pub with a guitarist who was convinced that Les Claypool was the best bassist in the world, he may be one of the best bass technicians (although that isn’t my opinion) but he doesn’t PLAY BASS as I see it. The obvious middle ground would be players like Flea, excellent technician on the bass but an also excellent bassist. In my opinion.

      That must be about a months worth of posting for me!

      Tim.

      Possibly some of the longest sentences ever posted too, sorry!

    • #66414
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Twisted is a good call, but I can think of another Skunk Anansie bass line (Cass deserves his own page anyway). “I can Dream” is one of the few covers I’ve done and, apart from it’s a great bass riff, it nearly killed my tendons. I’ve never welcomed a song’s chorus with more relief. And, killer point the riff is the basis of the song.

      Just a brief interlude, but Tony Levin’s thumbwhacker after the first chorus of Gabriel’s “Big Time” is all the better for never being repeated in the rest of the song. Give ’em what they want, then take it away while they’re still clamouring for more…

      Thomas Dolby’s “Hyperactive” had a knuckle-breaking bassline, but I read that it was done on a Fairlight CMI. That was after I broke the knuckles even attempting it. Anybody in Webland that plays it no sweat? I’m the first to admit I’m not uber-tech bass player.

    • #66402
      Tim
      Participant

      Ok, I think I’ve got this down to 10, in no particular order and with many notable absences:

      Velvet Revolver – Sucker Train Blues
      Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the Name
      The Beatles – Come Together
      The Pogues – Hell’s Ditch
      Tupac – California Love (about 3 notes)
      Marilyn Manson – I Put a Spell on You
      Cream – Tales of Brave Ulysses
      Skunk Anansie – Twisted (Everybody Hurts)
      Fun Lovin Criminals – Passive/Aggressive
      The Prodigy – Breath (If this counts?!)

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