Bilbo Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I remember in the late 80s/early 90s getting hold of the famous 'In The Shadow of Motown' book/cd set and spending a few weeks or months looking at what were generally some very sophisticated and demanding bass-lines (and great reading practice, if nothing else). Some of these lines were fantastic (the line to the bridge on the Diana Ross live version of 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' springs to mind as an absolute diamond). After a while, however, and after visiting the original recordings of the tunes involved, I clocked the fact that, despite these wonderfully complex and intelligent lines, I didn't actually LIKE most of the songs - a lot of it is bubblegum and some of it just plain bad! I have since tried (with varying degrees of success) to listen to all music wholistically and not just from a bassophile point of view. As a result, massive amounts of music that other bass players find exciting bores my rigid - great bass playing, lousy music. So, my question is, what are the tunes where the basslines make you think 'wow' but you never listen to them because the tunes are s***e? Some of mine..... 'Le Freak' by Chic - great line, naff song. 'Car Wash' by Rose Royce - we all like that fill but....yeeeeeeeeeeuch! Almost anything by Tower of Power! Loads of Jeff Berlin tunes, especially that awful train effect on 'Runaway Train' on 'In Harmony's Way' - criiiinge!! All of Steve Bailey's 'Dochontomy' cd. Stu Hamm's 'Radio Free Albymuth' Wooten's 'Amazing Grace' The list goes on and on and on..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 See: all of marcus miller's stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fumps Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I like Le freak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbloke Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I'm noticing a trend with your list. If more people were willing to accept the clear distinction between great musician and great songwriter and that being one OR the other is still an achievement, we'd be spared an awful number of, well, awful solo albums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I'd agree with your comments on the more muso music - there's some particularly appalling writing in jazz fusion. The pop tunes, particularly the Motown ones, are arguably some of the better songs of the last fifty years so in those examples it's simply a matter of taste as opposed to absolute quality. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obi 2 kenobi Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 [quote name='bilbo230763' post='290629' date='Sep 24 2008, 10:19 AM']I remember in the late 80s/early 90s getting hold of the famous 'In The Shadow of Motown' book/cd set and spending a few weeks or months looking at what were generally some very sophisticated and demanding bass-lines (and great reading practice, if nothing else). Some of these lines were fantastic (the line to the bridge on the Diana Ross live version of 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' springs to mind as an absolute diamond). After a while, however, and after visiting the original recordings of the tunes involved, I clocked the fact that, despite these wonderfully complex and intelligent lines, I didn't actually LIKE most of the songs - a lot of it is bubblegum and some of it just plain bad! I have since tried (with varying degrees of success) to listen to all music wholistically and not just from a bassophile point of view. As a result, massive amounts of music that other bass players find exciting bores my rigid - great bass playing, lousy music. So, my question is, what are the tunes where the basslines make you think 'wow' but you never listen to them because the tunes are s***e? Some of mine..... 'Le Freak' by Chic - great line, naff song. 'Car Wash' by Rose Royce - we all like that fill but....yeeeeeeeeeeuch! Almost anything by Tower of Power! Loads of Jeff Berlin tunes, especially that awful train effect on 'Runaway Train' on 'In Harmony's Way' - criiiinge!! All of Steve Bailey's 'Dochontomy' cd. Stu Hamm's 'Radio Free Albymuth' Wooten's 'Amazing Grace' The list goes on and on and on.....[/quote] Tower of Power !!! The early stuff has some great choones...'so much oil in the ground, etc'. The rest I concur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 (edited) I agree with Bilbo's view of Motown's output. Great bass playing, but once you get past the hit singles the rest of the songs were very average. Tower Of Power have some of the strongest bass lines and the worst lyrics ever recorded, but then that is the same for 99% of Soul, Funk and Disco! Most of the stuff I've played on!!! Edited September 24, 2008 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fudge Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Most of The beatles. Never understood their appeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenshirt Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Most ABBA songs have great bass lines...... but I just don't like the songs. Mart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Individual musical taste will come into play here... So i look forward the forth comming list ... I have started to look from another side of this. Like some good songs i have heard... And what a f**ing piss poor Bass line. For someone to say 'yer but she/he played only what what was needed' Seems like creativity is starting to wain these days. And i am not talking about overplaying. I like TOP.. Great arrangements, more than tunes. Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Tub Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Anything by U2. Generally good and interesting bass playing, mired in pretentious sh!t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Sounds like a lot of pop music! Often excellent basslines, catchy hooks with complete sh1te lyrics. I sometimes play along to stuff like Moloko/Goldfrapp to try different kinds of basslines but I don't listen too hard to the lyrics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fumps Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 [quote name='Mr Fudge' post='290651' date='Sep 24 2008, 10:33 AM']Most of The beatles. Never understood their appeal.[/quote] Ooooo finally i find someone who makes me feel i am not alone in this world........i have tried but i just dont get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdy Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 For me its anything by level 42. Great playing but I have never 'got' the songs. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybassplayer Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 First and foremost it has to be a good song with something "special" that captivates me and if it has a great bass line then that's a bonus however I do have to admit to songs "growing" on me that I previously wasn't too keen on. When I see a full dance floor loving what we are playing ie mama mia, disco inferno, I want You Back etc then I start to love the song !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 (edited) [quote name='dlloyd' post='290662' date='Sep 24 2008, 10:53 AM']I don't know... is it possible for a great song to have a poor bass line?[/quote] Like i said.. It is all individual taste.. A great song to you might not mean a great song to me. I do happen to like a lot of the Motown stuff. Over the years i have noticed how good [to me ] the arrangements are. Other than just listening to the great Jamerson. Garry Edited September 24, 2008 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 [quote name='tonybassplayer' post='290675' date='Sep 24 2008, 11:08 AM']When I see a full dance floor loving what we are playing ie mama mia, disco inferno, I want You Back etc then I start to love the song !![/quote] Then what you are enjoying is not the song but the effect the song has on your audience. Perfectly understandable but, remember, if you play for applause, that is all you will ever get . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 [quote name='bilbo230763' post='290686' date='Sep 24 2008, 11:12 AM']Then what you are enjoying is not the song but the effect the song has on your audience. Perfectly understandable but, remember, if you play for applause, that is all you will ever get .[/quote] Oh god we're not going back over this again are we....?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 [quote name='crez5150' post='290689' date='Sep 24 2008, 11:15 AM']Oh god we're not going back over this again are we....?????? [/quote] I have no idea what he's on about. If you play for applause you could get applause, but you could get booed. You could get paid, or you could get fobbed off. You could get wasted, or you could drive home. You could get laid, or you could get dumped. You could take inspiration from the applause and create some amazing music, or you could continue to bash out classic covers. What is your point Bilbo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3V17C Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 [quote name='Mr Fudge' post='290651' date='Sep 24 2008, 10:33 AM']Most of The beatles. Never understood their appeal.[/quote] agreed!! c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 (edited) [quote name='birdy' post='290673' date='Sep 24 2008, 11:06 AM']For me its anything by level 42. Great playing but I have never 'got' the songs. Steve[/quote] ha ha I'm the opposite .. Some great songs mired by MK's "tuned percussion" .... IMHO, of course ... Lady in Red... I avoided paying it any attention at all until someone pointed out recently that it's Pino on bass.. then I braved the puke inducing contribution by Chris and his eyebrows and listened to the bass .. fab! Edited September 24, 2008 by OldGit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Motown. Stax. Beatles. Jamiroqui. Primus. RHCP. Not sure about Level 42, I quite like the music but MK's voice doesn't do it for me at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 [quote name='tauzero' post='290717' date='Sep 24 2008, 11:44 AM']Motown. Stax. Beatles. Jamiroqui. Primus. RHCP. Not sure about Level 42, I quite like the music but MK's voice doesn't do it for me at all.[/quote] I am a massive Level 42 fan but I have to agree... songwriting was never their strong point apart form the odd few songs.... they should have stuck to the early instrumental stuff really.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fudge Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Personally I thought Retroglide was a master class in song writting. I still like Level 42. There .. I said it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 My point was simply that liking a song was not the same as valuing its effect on the masses. I like loads of things that would clear a dance floor in seconds. My original post was about not liking songs with great bass lines not about not liking songs that are dancefloor fillers. So if the poster in question says he likes a poor song because of the effect of that song on his audience, it doesn't mean he likes the song on its own merits. Maybe I should have just said that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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