Great bass lines hide in the most unusual places!

[Damonjames]

On the weekend I was away camping with my family and my sister in laws family (she is the worlds biggest fan of Duran Duran, and John Taylor in particular) and she was trying to convince me that JT was the greatest bass player who ever lived.
Now me being a hard rock/metal kinda guy I never really got into pop music and was rather dubious about her claims, so she put on "rio" and lo, there it was, a down right groovy little bass line!
I must admit it caught me off guard, and had to eat a little humble pie, but it got me thinking... Have you ever experienced this? What was YOUR surprise bass line tucked away in a song you would Never have looked at?
I feel slightly emasculated by saying this.....but I'm off to learn a Duran Duran song now 😳

[Lowender]

Taylor is great -- the one real musician in the band and they exploited that. He also had the look though. Lots of trite pop stuff from the 60's and 70's had great bass players. I think some death metal bassists are amazing but I can't stand the music.

[Graham]

Our eldest likes Hey How You Doing by Little Mix, which is an awful song but has a great basslin I had a go at playing it and found it quite challenging.

[borisbrain]

Indeed, JT was/is a fine player

BB

[bubinga5]

possibly not the best example but this playing is very cool on an unusual track. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIdzGh01QIA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIdzGh01QIA[/url]

[kevin_lindsay]

Ah, Call Me by Go West - Pino Palladino providing yet another great bass line.

[Kiwi]

Abe Laboriel put down some blistering and growly basslines on a stringray as incidental music for the later series of CHiPs.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CBnzDWkBn8[/media]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbuDiq4VHs0[/media]

[ead]

There's some nice fretless playing on Joni Mitchell's album Hejira. Jaco's work but very unlike his other stuff.

Edited August 28, 2013 by ead

[paul_5]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1377674342' post='2190064']
There's some nice fretless playing on Joni Mitchell's album Hejira. Jaco's work but very unlike his other stuff.
[/quote]

Try [i]All American Alien Boy[/i] by Ian Hunter, he does the same on there too.

[BassTractor]

It's of course old by now, but exactly 30 years ago, I was taken aback by some christian faith music that some girl in love with Jesus was eager to present to me. Didn't want to hear it of course, knowing full well what I would get to hear (or so I thought), but there was no chance of escaping, so I did listen to this stuff with half an ear ...

Oh, and they called themselves Koinonia ...

[ead]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1377674776' post='2190071']
Try [i]All American Alien Boy[/i] by Ian Hunter, he does the same on there too.
[/quote]

Thanks for the heads up. Is that Ian Hunter as in Mott The Hoople?

[Zenitram]

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1377642687' post='2189923']
Now me being a hard rock/metal kinda guy I never really got into pop music and was rather dubious about her claims, so she put on "rio" and lo, there it was, a down right groovy little bass line!
[/quote]

Do you have any examples of groovy bass lines in hard rock/metal? It's a type of music I know nothing about.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Zenitram

[paul_5]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1377687296' post='2190292']
Thanks for the heads up. Is that Ian Hunter as in Mott The Hoople?
[/quote]

Yup. Most of Queen are on the album too. The songwriting's really good and the performances are great. Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-American-Alien-Boy/dp/B001GUGCL4/ref=sr_1_16?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1377688245&sr=1-16&keywords=Ian+hunter

[BobVbass]

How about Slither by Velvet Revolver for a Hard Rock song....

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKz2U4fvA4U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKz2U4fvA4U[/url]

Song that surprised me for a great bassline- Dancing Queen by Abba - great line

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s[/url]

Edited August 28, 2013 by BobVbass

[ead]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1377688267' post='2190305']
Yup. Most of Queen are on the album too. The songwriting's really good and the performances are great. Highly recommended.

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-American-Alien-Boy/dp/B001GUGCL4/ref=sr_1_16?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1377688245&sr=1-16&keywords=Ian+hunter"]http://www.amazon.co...ords=Ian+hunter[/url]
[/quote]

Cheers, copy duly acquired

[ras52]

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1377687938' post='2190302']
Do you have any examples of groovy bass lines in hard rock/metal? It's a type of music I know nothing about.
[/quote]
Would Rush or Deep Purple qualify?

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1377688733' post='2190315']
Cheers, copy duly acquired
[/quote]

check out 'nearly did me in' great song in hunters famous style nice sax and queen on backing vocals

[Zenitram]

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1377689863' post='2190345']
Would Rush or Deep Purple qualify?
[/quote]

Dunno, would they?

I know Rush, but find anything of theirs thing but their Exit Stage Left record really airless and stilted (and so haven't explored much)

Deep Purple brings back memories of muddy, cheerless, desperate sadness.

[Damonjames]

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1377689863' post='2190345']

Would Rush or Deep Purple qualify?
[/quote]

Yes on both fronts. Personally I would find it hard to express metal/rock bass lines in terms of being "groovy" due to the guitars being so heavily riff driven. It doesn't leave a lot of room for bass players to be too expressive, but two of the best examples (besides Geddy already mentioned) would be Cliff Burton from Metallica and Steve Harris from Iron Maiden. Both of those guys are/were very good at fitting a lot in to a small space

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1377642963' post='2189929']
Taylor is great -- the one real musician in the band and they exploited that. He also had the look though. Lots of trite pop stuff from the 60's and 70's had great bass players. I think some death metal bassists are amazing but I can't stand the music.
[/quote]

Yes, I used to say that all the bass was done on Nick Rhodes`s synth, as JT angered me by my (then) girlfriend fancying him far more than me.

Since having matured, I can honestly say that JT is a fantastic bassist who as well as playing good riffs/lines, has a fantastic fell for melody in his playing.

Still wish he was uglier though

[Graham]

on a metal front, Rex Brown from Pantera/Down has a great sense of groove, very underated player who gave up a jazz scholarship to go on tour with Pantera

[paul_5]

Timmy C from Rage against the machine's got a whole box full of groove...

[Ghosts Over Japan]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1377705384' post='2190609']
Timmy C from Rage against the machine's got a whole box full of groove...
[/quote]

Or even his stuff in Audioslave, he had some awesome grooves in that!

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m2q5Fw8gwI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m2q5Fw8gwI

A[/url]wesome Video as well

[paul_5]

Audioslave. What's not to like? Chris Cornell and Timmy C in the same band! Awesomes.

[Ghosts Over Japan]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1377705874' post='2190616']
Audioslave. What's not to like? Chris Cornell and Timmy C in the same band! Awesomes.
[/quote]

Oh I very much like, I own all three albums and was pretty cheesed off when they parted ways! I just read a previous comment asking for good basslines in something a bit heavier
Cai