Rockin' Basslines
November 15, 2023 4:34 AM
Bass players: what do you consider the canonical rock/metal bass lines every rock bass player should learn?
I understand the question tends to favor 'classic' rock, but I'd be super happy to get recs for contemporary music as well as boomer/gen-x stuff.
All rock/metal genres welcome.
Extra devil horns for 5-string bass.
I understand the question tends to favor 'classic' rock, but I'd be super happy to get recs for contemporary music as well as boomer/gen-x stuff.
All rock/metal genres welcome.
Extra devil horns for 5-string bass.
(Upon waking slightly further up, I may be making a category error here. Does indie pop, in terms of this question, fall under "rock"?)
posted by less-of-course at 5:42 AM on November 15, 2023
posted by less-of-course at 5:42 AM on November 15, 2023
London calling or magnificent seven by the clash.
Sikamikanico by red hot chilli peppers
Like nearly anything that's a hit from new order
posted by chasles at 6:07 AM on November 15, 2023
Sikamikanico by red hot chilli peppers
Like nearly anything that's a hit from new order
posted by chasles at 6:07 AM on November 15, 2023
Cliff Buton's intro to For Whom The Bell Tolls is iconic and a great example of a bassist who loved getting into the upper register.
posted by howbigisthistextfield at 6:10 AM on November 15, 2023
posted by howbigisthistextfield at 6:10 AM on November 15, 2023
Some 90s songs that bass player friends and band mates have had fun learning and playing, from fun to, er, aspirational:
Chick Magnet by MxPx
Longview by Green Day
Maxwell Murders by Rancid
Winona’s Big Brown Beaver by Primus
posted by General Malaise at 6:19 AM on November 15, 2023
Chick Magnet by MxPx
Longview by Green Day
Maxwell Murders by Rancid
Winona’s Big Brown Beaver by Primus
posted by General Malaise at 6:19 AM on November 15, 2023
The Ocean by Led Zeepelin (that was a typo but I’m sticking by it)
Seven Nation Army by White Stripes
Master of Puppets by Metallica
Freddy’s Dead — the Fishbone version
posted by umbú at 6:34 AM on November 15, 2023
Seven Nation Army by White Stripes
Master of Puppets by Metallica
Freddy’s Dead — the Fishbone version
posted by umbú at 6:34 AM on November 15, 2023
Journey to the End of the East Bay by Rancid
posted by leastlikelycowgirl at 7:12 AM on November 15, 2023
posted by leastlikelycowgirl at 7:12 AM on November 15, 2023
Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Cannonball by The Breeders
Joy Division - Isolation, Love Will Tear Us Apart, These Days - fairly easy but fun
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Young MC - Bust a Move
I honestly can't stand snapping and popping [worst most grating sound ever], but if you can, then Flea ruled the '90s, and was pretty good.
If you are asking for prominent bass from 1980s metal - a lot of those guys played straight 8ths and buried the bass, except for maybe a showy opener - like Peace Sells But Who's Buying from Megadeth. Van Halen and AC/DC and a lot of those pop metal guys are guilty of this. That's my way of saying they are kind of boring to play on bass.
A long ways from metal:
Vampire Weekend has an excellent bass player
So does Spoon - both are like modern versions of Paul McCartney, and bass tends to be fairly prominent in the songs.
REM
'60s soul bands.
Belle and Sebastian has a simple fun bass lines, like Like Dylan in the Movies
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:25 AM on November 15, 2023
Cannonball by The Breeders
Joy Division - Isolation, Love Will Tear Us Apart, These Days - fairly easy but fun
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Young MC - Bust a Move
I honestly can't stand snapping and popping [worst most grating sound ever], but if you can, then Flea ruled the '90s, and was pretty good.
If you are asking for prominent bass from 1980s metal - a lot of those guys played straight 8ths and buried the bass, except for maybe a showy opener - like Peace Sells But Who's Buying from Megadeth. Van Halen and AC/DC and a lot of those pop metal guys are guilty of this. That's my way of saying they are kind of boring to play on bass.
A long ways from metal:
Vampire Weekend has an excellent bass player
So does Spoon - both are like modern versions of Paul McCartney, and bass tends to be fairly prominent in the songs.
REM
'60s soul bands.
Belle and Sebastian has a simple fun bass lines, like Like Dylan in the Movies
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:25 AM on November 15, 2023
Pixies -- Gigantic (maybe not seen as canonical but in my world it is and the bass line is so recognizable and sells the whole song)
posted by *s at 8:02 AM on November 15, 2023
posted by *s at 8:02 AM on November 15, 2023
Starter pieces: Down On The Corner (Creedence) and Monkey Man (Toots and the Maytals).
Gazing up at the dizzy heights in awe: Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
posted by Pallas Athena at 8:18 AM on November 15, 2023
Gazing up at the dizzy heights in awe: Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
posted by Pallas Athena at 8:18 AM on November 15, 2023
Another band with an excellent bass player: The Jam. Start and A Town Called Malice and Nirvana Lounge Act .
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:08 AM on November 15, 2023
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:08 AM on November 15, 2023
Caveat - I am not a bass player but I listen to a lot of stuff.
Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom" needs to be mentioned somewhere in here. The band even called attention to that at the "Live Earth" mega-concert event in the late aughts and brought out the bass players of 18 other bands to sit in on the song with them.
I also always dug Adam Clayton's bass for U2's Bullet The Blue Sky.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:18 AM on November 15, 2023
Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom" needs to be mentioned somewhere in here. The band even called attention to that at the "Live Earth" mega-concert event in the late aughts and brought out the bass players of 18 other bands to sit in on the song with them.
I also always dug Adam Clayton's bass for U2's Bullet The Blue Sky.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:18 AM on November 15, 2023
Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
And at the really tricky end: Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Dury.
posted by rongorongo at 9:18 AM on November 15, 2023
And at the really tricky end: Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Dury.
posted by rongorongo at 9:18 AM on November 15, 2023
For a short little bit that will exercise your chops and make old people grin like crazy, learn the bass line from the Theme to Barney Miller
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:48 AM on November 15, 2023
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:48 AM on November 15, 2023
Thanks for all the answers so far. To calrify, I'm specifically looking for rock & metal.
posted by signal at 11:31 AM on November 15, 2023
posted by signal at 11:31 AM on November 15, 2023
Iron Maiden 's Powerslave! A workout, and very 80s without being straight eighth notes buried in the mix.
STP's Tripping On A Hole In A Paper Heart.
posted by She Vaped An Entire Sock! at 11:34 AM on November 15, 2023
STP's Tripping On A Hole In A Paper Heart.
posted by She Vaped An Entire Sock! at 11:34 AM on November 15, 2023
I'd add "Hey" by Pixies. Kim is really the best. (I'm not a bass player though, sorry to horn in here.)
posted by kensington314 at 12:40 PM on November 15, 2023
posted by kensington314 at 12:40 PM on November 15, 2023
My Generation by the Who
posted by TwoWordReview at 12:52 PM on November 15, 2023
posted by TwoWordReview at 12:52 PM on November 15, 2023
> Fugazi - Waiting RoomCame here to post just this.
posted by farlukar at 1:14 PM on November 15, 2023
Black Sabbath - Paranoid, War Pigs, Sweet Leaf
Iron Maiden - Run to the Hills, Powerslave, Number of the Beast
Metallica - Orion, Pulling Teeth, Seek and Destroy
posted by box at 2:01 PM on November 15, 2023
Iron Maiden - Run to the Hills, Powerslave, Number of the Beast
Metallica - Orion, Pulling Teeth, Seek and Destroy
posted by box at 2:01 PM on November 15, 2023
I can't name one "classic" line or riff in particular, but the body of bass-playing work of Mike Watt, from the Minutemen (all over the map from punk to rock to sorta fusiony jazz, in a way) then fIREHOSE (more typical punk), then solo (mostly rock/punk), is all pretty spectacular. A good place to start might be his solo record Ball-Hog or Tugboat, which is a collection of songs featuring a rotating cast of pretty much every Gen-X alt rock superstar.
As for that title, it's also a reference to bass playing:
"The title references the difference between being a team player or being a glory hog. Watt explained it as "Are you going to be the tugboat which helps boats dock in rough surf safely? Or are you going to be like some glory hound who shoots the fucking ball every time you get it?"
posted by pdb at 3:34 PM on November 15, 2023
As for that title, it's also a reference to bass playing:
"The title references the difference between being a team player or being a glory hog. Watt explained it as "Are you going to be the tugboat which helps boats dock in rough surf safely? Or are you going to be like some glory hound who shoots the fucking ball every time you get it?"
posted by pdb at 3:34 PM on November 15, 2023
Pulling Teeth is also great. Maybe the first question should have been fingers or pick?
If fingers over pick, then just about anything from Metallica's first 3 albums will probably be fun to play. The counterpoint to similar era bands' bass getting buried in the mix and playing boring parts is that Metallica's first album gave their bassist a whole solo track. They were obviously in love with Burton as a musician and it showed.
If pick, I don't know. The problem with music to me is that the things that are fun to listen to and the things that are fun to play are generally (but not always) different. If you just want fun things to play, get esoteric with it. There was a recent post about Prince playing a bass solo. Maybe try that out and see where it goes?
posted by howbigisthistextfield at 3:35 PM on November 15, 2023
If fingers over pick, then just about anything from Metallica's first 3 albums will probably be fun to play. The counterpoint to similar era bands' bass getting buried in the mix and playing boring parts is that Metallica's first album gave their bassist a whole solo track. They were obviously in love with Burton as a musician and it showed.
If pick, I don't know. The problem with music to me is that the things that are fun to listen to and the things that are fun to play are generally (but not always) different. If you just want fun things to play, get esoteric with it. There was a recent post about Prince playing a bass solo. Maybe try that out and see where it goes?
posted by howbigisthistextfield at 3:35 PM on November 15, 2023
If you want to get a little cray-cray, there's Primus & Les Claypool's solo work -- "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" and "Tommy the Cat" being two of the most familiar/famous/popular. I'd also recommend "Too Many Puppies", "Here Come the Bastards", "American Life", "DMV", all from the earlier albums
posted by Saxon Kane at 4:24 PM on November 15, 2023
posted by Saxon Kane at 4:24 PM on November 15, 2023
Lounge Act by Nirvana is still one of the most satisfying iconic basslines, and I tend to play it nearly every time I pick up my bass.
No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age. It’s easy but your rhythm has to be impeccable and there’s a SOLO!
posted by kapers at 7:13 PM on November 15, 2023
No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age. It’s easy but your rhythm has to be impeccable and there’s a SOLO!
posted by kapers at 7:13 PM on November 15, 2023
Led Zeppelin -Dazed and Confused, Ramble On, Immigrant Song
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Rage Against The Machine - their whole first album
Jane's Addiction - Three Days
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
posted by STFUDonnie at 3:47 AM on November 16, 2023
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Rage Against The Machine - their whole first album
Jane's Addiction - Three Days
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
posted by STFUDonnie at 3:47 AM on November 16, 2023
A lot of great answers here already. I'd add:
46 & 2 by Tool.
Lovesong and Close to Me by The Cure.
Would by Alice in Chains.
Roundabout by Yes.
posted by saladin at 5:56 AM on November 16, 2023
46 & 2 by Tool.
Lovesong and Close to Me by The Cure.
Would by Alice in Chains.
Roundabout by Yes.
posted by saladin at 5:56 AM on November 16, 2023
I can't believe that this thread has gone 24 hours without any reference to this video, this song, this band or this bass player.
The Who- Won't Get Fooled Again - John Entwistle's isolated bass (live)
It's on my short list of greatest music-related videos of all time, and should be mandatory viewing for anybody who plays bass or is considering it.
It starts quiet and slow for the first minute, but stick with it. (And if you somehow aren't familiar with the song, the entire performance, with the more active members of the band shown, is here.)
posted by intermod at 6:30 AM on November 16, 2023
The Who- Won't Get Fooled Again - John Entwistle's isolated bass (live)
It's on my short list of greatest music-related videos of all time, and should be mandatory viewing for anybody who plays bass or is considering it.
It starts quiet and slow for the first minute, but stick with it. (And if you somehow aren't familiar with the song, the entire performance, with the more active members of the band shown, is here.)
posted by intermod at 6:30 AM on November 16, 2023
Modest Mouse - Dramamine
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 6:44 AM on November 16, 2023
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 6:44 AM on November 16, 2023
Dang hit post too soon:
Climbin Up The Ladder and Fight the Power by The Isley Brothers.
The Barbarian by Emerson Lake and Palmer.
Elephant Talk by King Crimson (technically a Chapman stick though?).
Watcher of the Skies by Genesis.
Night Goat by Melvins.
Aimless Lady by Grand Funk Railroad.
Viet Nam by The Minutemen.
One of These Days by Pink Floyd.
A Song for All Seasons by Renaissance.
National Anthem and Exit Music (For a Film) by Radiohead.
The Day I Tried to Live by Soundgarden.
Emerald by Thin Lizzy.
Green Eyed Lady by Sugarloaf.
posted by saladin at 6:49 AM on November 16, 2023
Climbin Up The Ladder and Fight the Power by The Isley Brothers.
The Barbarian by Emerson Lake and Palmer.
Elephant Talk by King Crimson (technically a Chapman stick though?).
Watcher of the Skies by Genesis.
Night Goat by Melvins.
Aimless Lady by Grand Funk Railroad.
Viet Nam by The Minutemen.
One of These Days by Pink Floyd.
A Song for All Seasons by Renaissance.
National Anthem and Exit Music (For a Film) by Radiohead.
The Day I Tried to Live by Soundgarden.
Emerald by Thin Lizzy.
Green Eyed Lady by Sugarloaf.
posted by saladin at 6:49 AM on November 16, 2023
Some key choices by The Ox, but no one’s mentioned The Who’s “The Real Me” yet.
posted by whuppy at 6:54 AM on November 16, 2023
posted by whuppy at 6:54 AM on November 16, 2023
Green Eyed Lady by Sugarloaf.
That one's a lot of fun to play, as is the one for "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealers Wheel.
Also fun but more challenging are Rush's "Freewill" and "Spirit of Radio", thought that may be more prog than you're wanting.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:36 PM on November 16, 2023
That one's a lot of fun to play, as is the one for "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealers Wheel.
Also fun but more challenging are Rush's "Freewill" and "Spirit of Radio", thought that may be more prog than you're wanting.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:36 PM on November 16, 2023
I was just sitting on the couch, and then I thought... MOUNTAIN SONG.
posted by credulous at 10:31 PM on November 16, 2023
posted by credulous at 10:31 PM on November 16, 2023
I can’t name one “classic” line or riff in particular, but the body of bass-playing work of Mike Watt, from the Minutemen (all over the map from punk to rock to sorta fusiony jazz, in a way) then fIREHOSE (more typical punk), then solo (mostly rock/punk), is all pretty spectacular. A good place to start might be his solo record Ball-Hog or Tugboat, which is a collection of songs featuring a rotating cast of pretty much every Gen-X alt rock superstar.
Watt got seriously ill about 20-something years ago and as part of his recovery he had to relearn to play bass. So he started with Stooges songs, in particular the basslines on Fun House, because they’re relatively simple but tuneful and groovy. Lo and behold, within a few years he’s in the freakin’ Stooges.
posted by macdara at 4:28 AM on November 18, 2023
Watt got seriously ill about 20-something years ago and as part of his recovery he had to relearn to play bass. So he started with Stooges songs, in particular the basslines on Fun House, because they’re relatively simple but tuneful and groovy. Lo and behold, within a few years he’s in the freakin’ Stooges.
posted by macdara at 4:28 AM on November 18, 2023
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posted by less-of-course at 5:38 AM on November 15, 2023