Beatles bass lines....wow!

[iconic]

I've only started listening to Beatles in the last few months, very late in life considering I'm 50 next year, I, erm, err, had them down as a sort 60's teeny pop group, Love Me Do, funny suits etc...yeah I know

.....well, the more I try and noodle along to the songs, the more I think that Sir Paul is becoming my new bass god, possibly topping Mr Edwards, Mr Adams and Mr Taylor (I'll still have them as godettes' )....these Beatles basslines are the most creative lines I've heard over chords so far, and is teaching me so much...some of his notes 'n runs simply shouldn't work as excellently as they do, to my feeble knowledge of theory anyways?

...been twangling allong to some of the busier songs, Penny Lane, Lucy, Paperback, I'm looking Through You and this morning Magical Mystery Tour (the title track?) a good example, which seems to be just E,G,A 'n a tad of a chromatic run...ohh, no, there soooooo much more going on....so many of those later songs have the bass driving the songs.

I know his name crops up from time to time, but from where I'm reading he seems to often dumped in the 'solid, dependable, reliable bass player' mould, a polite way of saying roots, octaves n 5ths, dull & boring, unless I'm reading the wrong stuff ...Ok the early stuff maybe 'solid' but the later stuff....

So from a noobie Beatles fan to the hardcore Beatle 'bass', what else should I be listening too?

many thanks

[xgsjx]

The White album is an excellent listen.
I also like playing things like Taxman, Come Together, Rain Dear Prudence & Something. All good fun.

[Highfox]

There are not many that do as much melody as Maca on bass, even the earlier stuff .. This guy does some nice covers.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwwnhYPHkUc&feature=related[/media]

...and Maca says he stole the bass line from here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2i8Z-c35y4

Edited November 10, 2012 by Highfox

[Happy Jack]

For the early stuff, also check out [i]All My Loving[/i] ... Macca was superb right from the start.

[iconic]

Ahh, that's the difference, he plays a great melody over the lines....sort of an Andy Rouke thing... a tune over a tune, forgive my poor terminolgy!

Taxman, great choice, (Jam-Start!)....All My Lovin'....I had a go on that, can't get that one right yet, superb walking bassline!

keep it coming!

[iconic]

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1352547054' post='1864410']
There are not many that do as much melody as Maca on bass, even the earlier stuff .. This guy does some nice covers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwwnhYPHkUc&feature=related
[/quote]


I love this guys playing, my kids call always him "Mr Spooky Fingers"....I have never seen such economical playing, fingers like eels...

[rushbo]

I could go on and on (and frequently do...) about the genius of Sir Paul. His Bass playing often gets overlooked, but man he could play. Try 'And Your Bird Can Sing' for a left field, obscureish Beatlegem. And then have a go at 'Silly Love Songs'. Ahhhh, Wings...the band the Beatles could have been...

[philparker]

Where have you been for the last 49 years!

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1352547669' post='1864423']
I love this guys playing, my kids call always him "Mr Spooky Fingers"....I have never seen such economical playing, fingers like eels...
[/quote]

But looking at the angle of his wrist makes my joints ache in sympathy ...

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 16, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[philparker]

I first learnt bass guitar as a 15-year old in 1977 playing to the record and having the album score to revolver and learnt the 'subtle' changes from major and minor(7th) to Here There & Everywhere. Luckily, I could already read music, but it was a new revelation to me then like I was discovering bass lines harmony for the first time!

Keep searching and trying all the different songs the beauty about them is they're not technical difficult or demanding, but they're exactly what a bass line should be - adding pulse, colour and harmony without distracting from the melody.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='andyjingram' timestamp='1352548065' post='1864437']
... often much busier or more syncopated than apparent on first listen ...
[/quote]

For the perfect example of that, listen to one of his (supposedly) best-known basslines - [i][b]Taxman[/b][/i].

Some of the stuff going on around the famous riff is simply jaw-dropping, and goes unrecognised by pretty much everyone. Try playing it and you may - like me - revert to just playing the famous riff.

[iconic]

found some isolated bass tracks around youtube, not sure if genuine, sound good to my ears, bit of bleed from the other players...for example?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkxi-3omo4o

[flyfisher]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1352548241' post='1864442']
For the perfect example of that, listen to one of his (supposedly) best-known basslines - [i][b]Taxman[/b][/i].

Some of the stuff going on around the famous riff is simply jaw-dropping, and goes unrecognised by pretty much everyone. Try playing it and you may - like me - revert to just playing the famous riff.
[/quote]

Everybody 'knows' the bass riff to Taxman but you're so right about stuff around it. I've played along to it for years without really getting it. This video is a good example.

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

Macca's basslines are full of this sort of stuff. I've read somewhere, perhaps his autobiog, that after the beatles had all been working on a new song, Macca would stay behind in the studio, or return later on his own, specifically to work out the detailed bassline. Whatever he does, he has certainly amassed a sublime body of work.

[Rothers]

IMHO his best bass performance is in 'Something'. You need to listen to it with bass turned up or on headphones to fully appreciate what he is doing. It's sucha beautiful song the bass passes you by unless you tune into it.

Here is just the drums and bass from the original tapes.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1xzJZ7BXkQ[/media]

Edited November 10, 2012 by Rothers

[iconic]

[quote name='Rothers' timestamp='1352550277' post='1864476']
IMHO his best bass performance is in 'Something'. You need to listen to it with bass turned up or on headphones to fully appreciate what he is doing. It's sucha beautiful song the bass passes you by unless you tune into it.

Here is just the drums and bass from the original tapes.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1xzJZ7BXkQ[/media]
[/quote]

thanks for that, I really never knew all this was going on.....drums sound great too!

[essexbasscat]

Have a listen to 'Yes it is'. Not your standard bassline by any means....

[xgsjx]

A lot of the Beatles albums had Bass & drums on one channel & guitars & singing on the other, or similar (a good use of stereo for us musicians).

[flyfisher]

A couple of favourite Macca basslines:

Lovely Rita: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0w21RWJ6bA

and Hey Bulldog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyNOs-MqsTU

[danhkr]

Nowhere Man is a personal favourite of mine.

Bizzarly he's probably [i]the[/i] most underrated bassist ever, yet happened to be a brilliant, brilliant player in pretty-much the biggest and most highly-rated band of all time.

I guess when people think McCartney they think great singer, great songwriter. Very few realise he was a virtuoso on bass as well.

[Hobbayne]

The whole of the Sgt Pepper album is bass heaven for me, especially The Benefit Of Mr Kite!

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='danhkr' timestamp='1352561925' post='1864657']
I guess when people think McCartney they think great singer, great songwriter. Very few realise he was a virtuoso on bass as well.
[/quote]

I don't know if 'virtuoso' is the right word. Certainly he's very clever and worked hard to add hooks with the bass, which is what we should all aspire to do. I suppose it comes down to him being so musical, generally, that he got a lot out of the bass.

[louisthebass]

"Lady Madonna" is a classic McCartney bassline.

When I first started playing bass, McCartney wasn't on my radar at all (didn't rate him) until I bought a copy of The Beatles 1967 - 1970 on CD and it changed my mind completely. A guy who doesn't have to play a lot of notes to get his point across (a bit like Mr Sumner & Mr Palladino).

[xgsjx]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1352565887' post='1864707']
I don't know if 'virtuoso' is the right word. Certainly he's very clever and worked hard to add hooks with the bass, which is what we should all aspire to do. I suppose it comes down to him being so musical, generally, that he got a lot out of the bass.
[/quote]

I don't know. I would have thought that being able to play a busy bassline & sing really well would be classed as a virtuoso skill.

[Telebass]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1352566450' post='1864719']
I don't know. I would have thought that being able to play a busy bassline & sing really well would be classed as a virtuoso skill.
[/quote]

Exactly - even early on! Try playing and singing 'All My Loving' like he did! Hard...