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The Worlds Most Recognisable Bass line.


Hobbayne
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[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1451832131' post='2943769']


The standard Rock 'n' roll bass line as recorded in hundreds of songs. Easily recognised by just about anyone at all.
[/quote]

Well. It's certainly recognised as a bass line. Getting someone to agree which song it's from would be a different matter.

I'd say for sheer record sales and plays you'd be looking at Billie Jean, Come Together or Money.

Probably in that order.

It depends whether we're talking 'widely' in terms of geographic or just 'widely' in terms of numbers of people who know it.

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For me it's the ones that instantly identify the song- the initial signature of the song if you like.

If I had to make a "pointless" style prediction, based on playing a snippet, I'd think that summer nights would get the highest score on instant recognition

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Van der Graaf: "Pioneers over C"
Tune in at slightly before 2:19 or 5:47 or 14:33 (or just listen to the whole thing of course - it's only 17 minutes long).
For the uninitiated: yes, they are indeed Van der Graaf Generator.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juPZ-oJBd10[/media]

Edited by BassTractor
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The most recognisable to me, means that the listener doesn't even need to know the correct title, band, whether it's actually a bass or anything other than that they're aware that they've heard the song a million times before.

My girl or Stand by me probably have the longevity to achieve this seeing as they're still played a lot.

Edited by leschirons
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[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1451936910' post='2944824']
Van der Graaf: "Pioneers over C"
Tune in at slightly before 2:19 or 5:47 or 14:33 (or just listen to the whole thing of course - it's only 17 minutes long).
For the uninitiated: yes, they are indeed Van der Graaf Generator.

[/quote]

I thought of that one too, but "Van der Graaf Generator" and "recognisable" don't sit together well :lol: They remain one of my favourite bands ever... which may appear a little ironic as they don't have a bass player (except for short stints around 1970 and, of course, in the late-70s version in this clip).

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[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1452078411' post='2946094']
I thought of that one too, but "Van der Graaf Generator" and "recognisable" don't sit together well :lol: They remain one of my favourite bands ever... which may appear a little ironic as they don't have a bass player (except for short stints around 1970 and, of course, in the late-70s version in this clip).
[/quote]

Edit: of course they recorded one recognisable tune: Theme One. Which they didn't write. And on which their "Hendrix of the voice" vocalist and focal point of the band doesn't sing :rolleyes: (And there's no bass player on it either.)

Edit edit: that was supposed to be an edit and not an act of self-quotation! As you were...

Edited by ras52
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[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1452079343' post='2946112']
I suppose Town Called Malice by The Jam...
[/quote]

I very much doubt it. Outside of the U.K. Is virtually unknown.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_Called_Malice

There's quite a lot of songs being mentioned here that hardly anyone other than bass players in the UK would have heard of.

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As part of our Christmas celebrations, we have a quiz/games day. We were hosting the extended family this year & I did a Bassline quiz, point each for artist & song title. Plugged in my bass & played 20 or so memorable bass lines. Some were intros, others riffs or passages of what I thought were very memorable lines, was amazed at how difficult the guests found it! Only a couple of them got them right. List below as best remembered.
The Chain - F. Mac
Shakin all over - JK & the pirates
Another one bites the dust - Queen
Money - Pink Floyd
Walking on the moon - Police
Black Knight - Deep Purple
Down in the tube station - the Jam
Rat Trap - Boomtown Rats
Le Freak - Chic
London calling - the Clash
Love cats - the cure
Good times - Chic
Eton rifles - the Jam
Walk on the wild side - Lou Reed
Uptown funk - Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars
Bohemian Rapsody - Queen (waynes world bit!)
Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix (ascending riff bit)
7 nation army - White Stripes
Papa was a rollin' stone - the Temptations
PiL - PiL
Peaches - Stranglers
etc etc
I thought they were too easy but it was only my missus & the musos who got 'em, the masses didnt have a clue!

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[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1451500425' post='2941045']
I would imagine in the modern era, Seven Nation Army would be the most recognisable, and that ain`t even a bass.
[/quote]

This gets my vote as well. Even though it's not actually played on a bass, it might as well have been and it's definitely a bass line.

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[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1452078411' post='2946094']
"Van der Graaf Generator" and "recognisable" don't sit together well :lol:
[/quote]

:)
You know, I probably didn't understand the word "recognisable" really well.
From the last pages of this thread, I get the impression it's about "many people recognising", whereas I took it to mean something like "so specific that you'd recognise it under any circumstance (given of course that you'd heard the song before)".

You Brits are a strange lot, using your own language in a way that you yourselves understand perfectly! ;)

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[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1452091871' post='2946288']


:)
You know, I probably didn't understand the word "recognisable" really well.
From the last pages of this thread, I get the impression it's about "many people recognising", whereas I took it to mean something like "so specific that you'd recognise it under any circumstance (given of course that you'd heard the song before)".

You Brits are a strange lot, using your own language in a way that you yourselves understand perfectly! ;)
[/quote]

Yes. Kind of the bass line that the most people in the world would recognise.

And not...

The bass line in the world that you'd recognise the most.

I assume?

Edited by TimR
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"Take my breath away" from "Top Gun" OST

Don´t know if it is bass or not, but everytime I play it on bass (with a nice amount of chorus), to get the crown laughing, I get real close to the original, and people recognize it immediatelly!

Edited by Stance
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