Not everything about the bass is great .....

[Barking Spiders]

😱...no sirree . That sounds like sacrilege but over the weekend I heard two songs from yesteryear that have always bugged the hell out of me and one of the main reasons is each have dull, repetitive, undemanding basslines that simply hurt my eardums . One is the irritatingly twee ditty Lovefool by The Cardigans, a half forgotten and unlamented pop band from Sweden

and the other is this tedious noodelthon by the terminally terrible (IMO) Ted Nugent

So what basslines do you think are a poor advert for the instrument? I'm not saying simple basslines are bad by any stretch but monotonously repetitive ones  are.

[thepurpleblob]

May I nominate the hardy covers band perennial, "Sit down" 😂😎

Regarding the Cardigans - who cares about the bass line? I'm looking at Nina Persson 😘

Edited January 14, 2019 by thepurpleblob

[ianrendall]

We play this in my band. It’s a real struggle to stay awake. Even worse than the Glenn Miller stuff we also have to trot out at every gig.

 

Edited January 14, 2019 by ianrendall

[leftybassman392]

Presumably Smoke on the Water will find its way onto this list sooner or later...

[wateroftyne]

This one literally makes me angry:

An Eric Clapton-assembled tribute to his friend JJ Cale. Slavish attention to detail, capturing and recreating the rhythm and soul that made those original recordings so great...

...until Nathan East (who I've never been a fan of) puts his bass part down, at which point QC mysteriously flies out of the window.

GAH!!!

It's an insult to what we bring to the table.

 

[upside downer]

All those unimaginative lines played by the chap from Coldplay. I can't be bothered to look up his name in much the same way that he can't be bothered to make his playing more interesting.

See also Snow Patrol.

[Graham]

I like The Cardigans - First Band On The Moon and Grand Tuerneo are both good albums.

I also like the ethos behind the band which was essentially four metal musicians decide to write pop songs and recruit an art school student who's not sung before to front it. Sounds daft, but somehow works

[Cat Burrito]

I think if you play rock or pop you usually have to accept that some bass parts will be pretty easy. Personally as long as I have a moment or two in any set or in any album where I can stretch out a little, I don't mind having a few songs that are relatively simple or repetitive. I guess if I didn't like that I would be playing another instrument or genre.

[fleabag]

21 minutes ago, Graham said:

I like The Cardigans - First Band On The Moon and Grand Tuerneo are both good albums.

 

Think It's Grand Tourismo - and a good album, yes. 

[Hobbayne]

Hmm. We were recently asked to do Sweet Child Of Mine for a birthday party. Expecting some dull root note plodder, I didnt give it a proper listening until the night before. A good bassline in fact, which I struggled with!

The bloke out of The Manic's bores me sh1itless.

[wateroftyne]

I generally don't mind - and am happy to play - simple lines. It only bothers me when they detract from the song.

U2 for example: people slag Clayton's lines, but they work fine. It's march-y anthemic stuff.

 

[Geek99]

16 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:

I think if you play rock or pop you usually have to accept that some bass parts will be pretty easy. Personally as long as I have a moment or two in any set or in any album where I can stretch out a little, I don't mind having a few songs that are relatively simple or repetitive. I guess if I didn't like that I would be playing another instrument or genre.

Tony Levin said exactly this

[Graham]

10 minutes ago, fleabag said:

Think It's Grand Tourismo - and a good album, yes. 

You know, I nearly checked, but then just ploughed on anyway

[fleabag]

No matter - we both think it's a good 'un.  Not particularly a bass players album, but great songs.  IMO of course 

[Merton]

34 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

I generally don't mind - and am happy to play - simple lines. It only bothers me when they detract from the song.

U2 for example: people slag Clayton's lines, but they work fine. It's march-y anthemic stuff.

 

 

48 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:

I think if you play rock or pop you usually have to accept that some bass parts will be pretty easy. Personally as long as I have a moment or two in any set or in any album where I can stretch out a little, I don't mind having a few songs that are relatively simple or repetitive. I guess if I didn't like that I would be playing another instrument or genre.

Both of these.

[4000]

2 hours ago, leftybassman392 said:

Presumably Smoke on the Water will find its way onto this list sooner or later...

You may wish to check out the isolated bass on Youtube. There's more going on than you'd think.

[4000]

47 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

I generally don't mind - and am happy to play - simple lines. It only bothers me when they detract from the song.

U2 for example: people slag Clayton's lines, but they work fine. It's march-y anthemic stuff.

 

This.

Think about the song, not the bass playing. The bass playing is supposed to be there to support/enhance the song.

[EliasMooseblaster]

1 hour ago, upside downer said:

All those unimaginative lines played by the chap from Coldplay. I can't be bothered to look up his name in much the same way that he can't be bothered to make his playing more interesting.

See also Snow Patrol.

At least the basslines they play are consistent with the rest of the band - which is to say, tedious beyond belief!

[chris_b]

Are you guys actually bass players?

Call Me The Breeze and every thing else by JJ Cale, has great, simple and effective bass lines that push the song along perfectly.

Never Met A Girl Like You, anything by U2, Status Quo or ZZ Top and many others. . . all simple bass lines that are nothing by themselves but are exactly right in their place.

If the bass line is good for the song then it's a good bass line.

[wateroftyne]

Just now, chris_b said:

Are you guys actually bass players?

Call Me The Breeze and every thing else by JJ Cale, has great, simple and effective bass lines that push the song along perfectly.

Yes, I am a bass player. Well done for completely missing the point of my post :-)

[chris_b]

Just now, wateroftyne said:

Yes, I am a bass player. Well done for completely missing the point of my post 🙂

Why are you assuming I was talking to you?

[chris_b]

I was actually addressing every one with an "If the cap fits. . . " approach.

[wateroftyne]

Just now, chris_b said:

Why are you assuming I was talking to you?

Because I'm literally the only other person on this thread who has mentioned Call Me the Breeze...?

[Hobbayne]

8 minutes ago, 4000 said:

You may wish to check out the isolated bass on Youtube. There's more going on than you'd think.

True dat. 😊

[thebigyin]

3 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

😱...no sirree . That sounds like sacrilege but over the weekend I heard two songs from yesteryear that have always bugged the hell out of me and one of the main reasons is each have dull, repetitive, undemanding basslines that simply hurt my eardums . One is the irritatingly twee ditty Lovefool by The Cardigans, a half forgotten and unlamented pop band from Sweden

and the other is this tedious noodelthon by the terminally terrible (IMO) Ted Nugent

So what basslines do you think are a poor advert for the instrument? I'm not saying simple basslines are bad by any stretch but monotonously repetitive ones  are.

Got to disagree on Stranglehold admittedly the Bassline is virtually same hypnotic groove throughout but the song and Teds solo are legendry probably the best solo of all time but each to there own