What Really Makes A Memorable Bass Line

[Lowender]

Time and time again I see people talking about great bass parts and time and time again I see articles written about the best bass songs and the coolest bass players etc, etc.

And they almost all have have the same thing in common.

They're mostly bass parts that are either [b]loud[/b] or [b]busy. [/b]

I'm not saying every BC'er feels that way, but think about it... When was the last time anyone raved about a bass part that was low in the mix ?

I Second That Emotion has a killer bass part but it's buried and no one considers that one of Jamerson's classic tracks. If it were louder, it would be.

Meanwhile songs like London Calling, My City was Gone, Orion, Another One Bits The Dust, Money, Pigs, Seven Nation Army, Beat It, Go Your Own Way -- they're all revered for their bass parts and many of them are cool but they're hardly anything special -- they're just "up front" and that's what makes it cool.

[Funky Dunky]

It's a funny one this, it's subjective to an extent but not entirely when you see how masses of bassists tend to agree on the great basslines of all time. See, I agree with you on loud and busy, but then I listen to a bassline like "Good Feeling" by Reef and it's just a groove on an octave that DOESN'T even move with the chords and is stupidly simple, yet somehow works an absolute treat.

I'm kinda of the opinion that it's horses for courses to an extent, I dunno that there's a formula - but then, I'm a novice and a more experienced bassist would no doubt see it completely differently. But I'm typically drawn to a busier bassline with a groove or a swing to it.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Funky Dunky

[Highfox]

The overall content of the song has to be pretty good as well, a great bass line alone won't get much recognition imo.
Most of the songs you have listed there have a fair bit more going on in them than just a decent bass line... It's a combination.. and yes having the bass higher up in the mix will get it noticed a lot more by non museos .
The subtle parts like Jamerson plays are lost on a lot of non players I think.

So it's the bands themselves that make the bass lines memorable, all knowing when and what to play to complement each other properly..

edit. spelling lol

Edited August 1, 2013 by Highfox

[xgsjx]

Your title is misleading to the question. "Memorable" isn't the word you're looking for.

I think a lot of the "best" basslines that are in the top whatevers are there because most of the songs are very well known pop songs.
A good example would be how many jazz songs make it into these lists? The Waking by Kurt Elling has a tremendous bassline that if a band like Queen, Muse or someone else famous had written it, it would then be a "top" bassline.
It's not just Jazz, you could take any non pop genre & find some killer basslines that put most of the pop top down the overall list. Funk is a great example of cool & groovy basslines. Not that many folk listen to actual funk though. The closest most seem to get to funk is RHCP, & whilst they're funky, they're not funk.

So what makes a "memorable" bassline? One in a popular song.

[chris_b]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A memorable bass line is one that stands out by being a better crafted line. It’s not faster or louder.

You've Got A Friend by Carol King is a great number, but her version has an ordinary, bog standard, bass line and who remembers it?

James Taylor's version with Lee Sklar's bass line is exactly what you’re talking about. Great bass lines are pushed up in the mix exactly because, in the studio, they discover they've got a gem of a bass line on their hands.

I don’t think I Second That Emotion is a memorable line. On a good day, anyone could have played it. On the other hand For Once In My Life really is JJ at his memorable best.[/font][/size]

Edited August 1, 2013 by chris_b

[Lozz196]

For me, memorable means once you hear the bass-line, you know the song.

Eton Rifles, Billie Jean, Peaches, Another One Bites The Dust are great examples of this.

[Hobbayne]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1375351027' post='2160058']
For me, memorable means once you hear the bass-line, you know the song.

Eton Rifles, Billie Jean, Peaches, Another One Bites The Dust are great examples of this.
[/quote]

Agree, the Boomtown Rats song Rat Trap has a great bassline. I wish I could come with something like that linking G and E minor. Simple, effective and memorable.

[iamtheelvy]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1375351027' post='2160058']
For me, memorable means once you hear the bass-line, you know the song.

Eton Rifles, Billie Jean, Peaches, Another One Bites The Dust are great examples of this.
[/quote]

I think a lot of the time it comes down to this. A lot of Jamerson and Pastorius' et al basslines would be put up there as 'top' lines to listen to, but if it's memorable we're talking about, then it's a different ball game!

Think Peaches or Another One Bites the Dust - three notes and anyone who's anyone knows which song is coming!

[BobVbass]

for me it needs to be memorable, melodic and have something to it that makes me go "oh I'd never have thought of playing that bit"

[zero9]

[b][size=3][sub][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] If the question was "who really makes a memorable bassline...", I'd say James Jamerson [/font][/sub][/size][/b]

[flyfisher]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1375351027' post='2160058']
For me, memorable means once you hear the bass-line, you know the song.

Eton Rifles, Billie Jean, Peaches, Another One Bites The Dust are great examples of this.
[/quote]

Agreed. It's like the bass line becomes the 'ear worm' rather than the melody.

[xgsjx]

But then the bassline to Billie Jean was directly inspired by I Can't Go For That, which itself is every bit as a unique bassline, & although a well known song to the older generation, just not as famous a song as Billie Jean.
I wonder if Hall & Oates had written Billie jean & MJ wrote I Can't Go For That, which of the basslines would be the most memorable?

[Bolo]

Memorable.... that's pretty subjective and my memory is dodgy at best.
Something like Anthrax's Caught in a Mosh seems to stick.
Not all great lines are loud and busy, and not all loud and busy lines make a memorable song.

I like em way louder and busier than the examples from OP though

[Jazzneck]

Frank Wilson's 'Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)'
Stonkin', Smokin', Rollin' - who played it?

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

[Dingus]

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1375317300' post='2159811']
Time and time again I see people talking about great bass parts and time and time again I see articles written about the best bass songs and the coolest bass players etc, etc.

And they almost all have have the same thing in common.

They're mostly bass parts that are either [b]loud[/b] or [b]busy. [/b]

I'm not saying every BC'er feels that way, but think about it... When was the last time anyone raved about a bass part that was low in the mix ?

I Second That Emotion has a killer bass part but it's buried and no one considers that one of Jamerson's classic tracks. If it were louder, it would be.

Meanwhile songs like London Calling, My City was Gone, Orion, Another One Bits The Dust, Money, Pigs, Seven Nation Army, Beat It, Go Your Own Way -- they're all revered for their bass parts and many of them are cool but they're hardly anything special -- they're just "up front" and that's what makes it cool.
[/quote]

. The fundamental difference between I Second That Emotion and those other lines you mention is the way in which they are memorable , and why . Jamersons line is beautifully complex in terms of its' agility , timing and syncopation . The other examples you cite are relatively simple but memorable "hooks " that have a very different but more immediate appeal .

[bonzodog]

You also have to remember that we, as bass players listen out for them more. Memorable bass lines to me don't necessarily jump out of the song as being the main riff. So a memorable bass line to a bass player is a lot wider than to anyone else.
Its surprising how a lot of the 'joe public' do'nt know what the difference is between guitars and basses. When I have told people I play bass in band, it surprises me how many people ask me to play something they'd recognise and I have to show them 'Town called Malice'.Even then they say they didn't know that was the bass.

[Jazzneck]

And another [b]two[/b] memorable bass lines.......

Simple, innit?

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wNknGIKkoA[/media]

Edited August 1, 2013 by Jazzneck

[cybertect]

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1375373797' post='2160518']
You also have to remember that we, as bass players listen out for them more. Memorable bass lines to me don't necessarily jump out of the song as being the main riff. So a memorable bass line to a bass player is a lot wider than to anyone else.
Its surprising how a lot of the 'joe public' do'nt know what the difference is between guitars and basses. When I have told people I play bass in band, it surprises me how many people ask me to play something they'd recognise and I have to show them 'Town called Malice'.Even then they say they didn't know that was the bass.
[/quote]

I've always admired the beautifully controlled bass on Tasmin Archer's 'Sleeping Satellite' - it's one of these songs I mentally reference when I want to build up from nothing at the beginning of a track.

http://youtu.be/NYqh6_GLwU4

Edit: (the amazing) Danny Thompson is the only credit for bass on one track on the rest of the album, but there's no bass credit for this song

http://www.discogs.com/Tasmin-Archer-Great-Expectations/release/2069272

Is that really a Fairlight? :-/

Edited August 2, 2013 by cybertect

[4 Strings]

For me, it's one you can sing.

Here's a whole album full.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZulzvVnFzo

[Colonel36]

Great post 4 Strings.

[Cat Burrito]

Playing just slightly the wrong notes can also achieve this objective - different angle though

[BILL POSTERS]

Only read half of the thread, so sorry if this has been said.

I'm tot a technical player by any stretch of the imagination, some people, including myself, would probably say I dont actually know what I'm doing. So to me it has to be a good song to start with, and usually a simple bass line. But its the way its played, the feel, that makes a difference. Plus of course, its in the mix so you need to hear it.

Edited August 3, 2013 by BILL POSTERS

[leroydiamond]

love the bass line on 'Dancing in the Moonlight' by Thin Lizzy. Its melodic, has a lovely percussive vibe with the pick on the P bass and is really a groovy . Also a relatively simple bass line (so long as you have a pick and a p bass)

[skej21]

The bass lines I tend to class as 'memorable' are only memorable for one reason... I've heard/played them so many times that I'm forced to remember them!

'Brown eyed girl' would be a prime example. Personally, I think it's one of the most boring bass lines ever but it's memorable (probably to the majority of bass players) because we've all played/heard it so much.

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1375337456' post='2159853']
Your title is misleading to the question. "Memorable" isn't the word you're looking for.

I think a lot of the "best" basslines that are in the top whatevers are there because most of the songs are very well known pop songs.
A good example would be how many jazz songs make it into these lists? The Waking by Kurt Elling has a tremendous bassline that if a band like Queen, Muse or someone else famous had written it, it would then be a "top" bassline.
It's not just Jazz, you could take any non pop genre & find some killer basslines that put most of the pop top down the overall list. Funk is a great example of cool & groovy basslines. Not that many folk listen to actual funk though. The closest most seem to get to funk is RHCP, & whilst they're funky, they're not funk.

So what makes a "memorable" bassline? One in a popular song.
[/quote]

like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYX0sjP6Za8

Edited March 24, 2014 by icastle
Link fixed.