Top 100 Basslines

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Circus Lupus - Cyclone Billy
My Bloody Valentine - Feed Me With Your Kiss
808 State - Cubik
Rhythm & Sound w/ Tikiman - Never Tell

(or is anyone bothering to count anymore?)

― That's a Goddamn Lie (Liar), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Verdine White on Earth, Wind & Fire's Shining Star.

Anything by James Jamerson, most notably the aforementioned "Signed, Sealed Delivered," as well as the Four Tops' "Bernadette" (which Carol Kaye claims to have played on; the truth is inconclusive), Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and the Gladys Knight and the Pips version of "Heard It Through the Grapevine." (Please learn his name, and credit him, and not the singers, for the bass parts on Motown songs.)

Mike Watt on just about everything, nost notably fIREHOSE's "Down With the Bass" and anything on Double Nickels.

Bruce Thomas for "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?" and "Every Day I Write the Book."

"but it isn't like the Attractions had a real guitar player filling up space."

And your point is? Is this attitude widespread? Is this why there are so many lame rock bass parts on this list?

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Bruce Thomas Rules!

Accident's Will Happen - Elvis Costello
Bomb The Bass - Bug Powder Dust
The Stranglers - Curfew
Minutemen - The Punch Line
Echo & The Bunnymen - All That Jazz
Jane's Addiction - Three Days

― mzui, Friday, 23 January 2004 19:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Can't believe it took so long for "Bernadette" to get a mention.

So I'll just add Macca on "Paperback Writer" and whoever's playing on the Animals' "Monterey." And Lighthouse, "One Fine Morning," though it's lost in most mixes to all those horns.

― Joseph McCombs, Friday, 23 January 2004 23:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies
Nada Surf - Hyperspace
Pixies - Break My Body
Kelis - Milkshake
Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

― Chris Jones (Crackity Jones), Saturday, 24 January 2004 00:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Medium Medium- Hungry, So Angry
Otis Redding- Mr. Pitiful
Beatles- Tomorrow Never Knows (Paul invented a sick strain of techno on this track--seriously; sounds like the nucleus of a Porter Ricks track)

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Saturday, 24 January 2004 03:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Devo - Mongoloid. No one's mentioned this yet?

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 24 January 2004 04:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"Carrie Ann" - Hollies (McCartney-like / Rain)
"The Boys Are Back In Town" - Thin Lizzy
"Do What You Like" - Blind Faith
"Space Invader" - Pretenders
"My City Was Gone" ? - Pretenders
"Take Me To The River" - Talking Heads
...but the king of them all is "Mr. Big" - Free - Anybody...?

― jim wentworth (wench), Saturday, 24 January 2004 05:35 (twenty-two years ago)

In 'Trance as Mission' was a bass line that intensely annoyed me. I thought of it as a sub-U2 or sub-JD bassline at the time. The cross-rhythm is i guess what makes it attractive or memorible, but the notes themselves, the pitches, they're so banal (this seems to detract from the song, which i also have trouble not finding banal).
I thought Simple Minds were very funky around '81-'82-'83, but here they were putting their unfunkiest song first on their funky double album, getting it out of the way, or so it seemed. The cross-rhythms thing they were doing then was very danceable, but too cross-rythmic on 'In Trance as Mission' (and maybe the words and music too cruisy).

(i'm only posting this because it seems worth pointing out that 'In Trance as Mission' is also least favourite Simple Minds bass line for at least one person out there)

― george gosset (gegoss), Saturday, 24 January 2004 22:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Well I do love it.

Someone already got Sisters of Mercy "Lucretia My Reflection" which would be one of the first I would think of. But there needs to be some more goth rock in this bitch so howsabout, "Dance With Me" by Lords of the New Church.

― sucka (sucka), Sunday, 25 January 2004 01:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Not that I am your typical bassline guy :-) but it seems "Thriller" hasn't got a mention yet

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 25 January 2004 01:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Did I miss the rule that said you can't mention "I Feel Love"?

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Sunday, 25 January 2004 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

Dennis Brown - "Money in My Pocket"

― oops (Oops), Friday, 12 March 2004 00:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Joey Beltram - Energy Flash

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 12 March 2004 00:09 (twenty-two years ago)

(both of them)

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 12 March 2004 00:09 (twenty-two years ago)

The Smiths - Barbarism begins at home

Anything by Graham Central Station esp. Earthquake & Now do you wanna dance.

― holojames (holojames), Friday, 12 March 2004 21:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Mary Jane Girls - All Night Long

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 12 March 2004 21:25 (twenty-two years ago)

ten months pass...

Les Rallizes Denudes "Night Of Assassin"

― Ian John50n (orion), Saturday, 29 January 2005 18:50 (twenty-one years ago)

angry that ilm has forgot "dexter" by ricardo villalobos

― harshaw (jube), Saturday, 29 January 2005 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Eric B & Rakim - "Paid In Full", although I would imagine it's sampled from somewhere or other.

― Nick H (Nick H), Saturday, 29 January 2005 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

MF Doom - Potholderz

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Saturday, 29 January 2005 22:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Eric B & Rakim - "Paid In Full", although I would imagine it's sampled from somewhere or other.

That'd be "Don't Look Any Further", by Dennis Edwards.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Saturday, 29 January 2005 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Ones that I get stuck in my head:

Nappy Dugout by Funkadelic

Brendan #1, Reclaimation and Waiting Room from

Whatever songs got sampled by A Tribe Called Quest's for Sucka Nigga and Buggin' Out

Chemical Wire is my favorite Mike Watt one, but there are lots of others

Duff McKagen's little riff at the beginning of Sweet Child o' Mine is pretty nice

Digital from Joy Divison

Dramamine by Modest Mouse

Lots of other ones from Kim Deal, Les Claypool, and especially Eric Avery - in my opinion the best part of Jane's Addiction.

― joygoat (joygoat), Sunday, 30 January 2005 04:45 (twenty-one years ago)

The bestest bassline ever is the one on "Trust Me" by Roni Size.

― Kornél Kovács (Kornél Kovács), Sunday, 30 January 2005 05:26 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

Tina Weymouth's bassline on "Slippery People" is surely an overlooked contender.

― chris sallis, Friday, 4 March 2005 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

let me down again - catherine wheel, sistine chapel ceiling - adorable

― JC (JC A.), Friday, 4 March 2005 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Mystery Achievement--The Pretenders

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 4 March 2005 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm in awe of Pino Palladino's bassplaying on D'Angelo's "Voodoo". I've never heard anything reomotely like it. He's invented a completely new way of feeling time.

― frankiemachine, Friday, 4 March 2005 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

"Signed Sealed Delivered," yes. "Stop (the Love You Save)" also needs more attention.

I'm a sucker for "Paperback Writer," and I don't care who knows it.

What about "Cemetry Gates"?

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Friday, 4 March 2005 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I cannot believe Chic's "Good Times" wasn't cited.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 4 March 2005 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Pere Ubu - "The Modern Dance"

Rick Nelson - "Garden Party"

― PB, Friday, 4 March 2005 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

eight months pass...

"Oh Yeah" - Yello (from Ferris Beulers Day Off)

― Bill Martin, Tuesday, 8 November 2005 02:40 (twenty years ago)

paperclip people, "throw"

― pretentiosexual rights activist (haitch), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 02:49 (twenty years ago)

Dan I. OTM re: Spacehog

― Fetchboy (Felcher), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 02:55 (twenty years ago)

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
King Tubby - Dark Destroyer Dub
Neil Young - Old Man (good plod!)
Lightning Bolt - Assassins

Some jungle picks...
Micky Finn & Aphrodite - Drop Top Caddy
Alex Reece - Pulp Friction
Deep Blue - Helicopter tune

― MESTEMA (davidcorp), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 15:05 (twenty years ago)

....and ESG - Moody

― MESTEMA (davidcorp), Tuesday, 8 November 2005 15:06 (twenty years ago)

Earth, Wind & Fire's "Happy Feeling"

― footlog, Tuesday, 8 November 2005 15:16 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

Where is the love for Kenny Aaronson's work on "Brother Louie"? It walks the thin line between faux-funky and actually being funky.

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Wednesday, 29 August 2007 20:47 (eighteen years ago)

nine months pass...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC5MIwpQvwQ

― Granny Dainger, Saturday, 14 June 2008 07:41 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFdO01AFFC8

― Granny Dainger, Saturday, 14 June 2008 07:42 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuUy2ShGLyo

― Granny Dainger, Saturday, 14 June 2008 07:42 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPoAHAf8owQ

― Granny Dainger, Saturday, 14 June 2008 07:53 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK9803HKrb0

― Granny Dainger, Saturday, 14 June 2008 07:56 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcyLoLsUn9Q

― Granny Dainger, Saturday, 14 June 2008 08:00 (seventeen years ago)

DJ Zinc - 'Super Sharp Shooter'

― Mister Craig, Saturday, 14 June 2008 14:18 (seventeen years ago)

Jaimeson - Urban Hero.

― chap, Saturday, 14 June 2008 17:25 (seventeen years ago)

i wanna do something freak to you. i'd love to slide down into your canyon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFSiU1naRPY&;feature=related

― Granny Dainger, Friday, 20 June 2008 21:53 (seventeen years ago)

Adonis - No Way Back

― mehlt, Saturday, 21 June 2008 15:01 (seventeen years ago)

Stranglers - nice n sleazy

― Zeno, Saturday, 21 June 2008 15:02 (seventeen years ago)

and if you don't believe me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYqllpnyWrY

― Zeno, Saturday, 21 June 2008 15:04 (seventeen years ago)

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