LITTLEWING Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 Don't laugh, but sitting chillin today, the missus got Alexa to play some Abba stuff. My ears (as per usual) automatically hooked onto the bass and I was amazed how inventive and just dead right it is to every song. Some of the little riffs and fills are exactly what any aspiring player should give an ear hole to. Instead of young'uns slapping the shite out of their basses, it would give them invaluable tips on chord structures and the 'right' notes to compliment a song by listening to other genres and give people like Carol Kaye, Mo Foster and James Jameson half hour an evening before bed. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 Agree! I learned a few lessons when my band played Knowing Me Knowing You. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 These are great lines. I believe Rutger Gunnarsson started as a classically trained guitarist. Great bass playing is easier to achieve when underpinned by impeccable musical knowledge and technique. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seashell Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 I'm not much into Abba, but have recently been learning 'Dancing Queen' for a band I may be depping with. I managed to get the 'dots' on line - I don't sight read but can pick it out slowly and it did really help. It's a very interesting bass line and would have taken me ages to learn by ear.. and I'd probably have got it wrong anyway. I'm quite enjoying playing it now 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 Although, Rutger Gunnarsson played on most tracks, there were a couple of other Bassists involved, one being an English player called 'Mike Watson'. A decent little read below, about ABBA and the Bassists, the Basslines, along with what Basses were used etc... https://philwbass.com/2014/01/02/the-bassists-of-abba/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 Very interesting read that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 We do Voulez Vous and the more I listen to it, the more I'm convinced that it's a synth playing the bass. Unless the synth is doubling the bass line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouMa Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 Most of the bass lines are doubled with synth. I had a good book on them about recording at polar studios. Benny was a synth wizard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 We've decided to add Waterloo to our 70's Glam Rock covers band set. Great to play. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 On 23/02/2019 at 14:53, dmccombe7 said: We've decided to add Waterloo to our 70's Glam Rock covers band set. Great to play. We've just added it to our Glam Rock section, goes down very well indeed. Plus, it's a fun bass line. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 1 hour ago, gary mac said: We've just added it to our Glam Rock section, goes down very well indeed. Plus, it's a fun bass line. I've still got to work the detail on it but the basics are relatively easy and just nice to play. Played alng with it a couple of times so far but that's it at the moment. Maybe this week i'll sort out the wee runs during the chorus. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mep Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 We play Mamma a Mia and used to play Does Your Mother Know. Both have fun baselines to play. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 A band I depped with had Gimme x 3 in their set. Lots of fun and a great opportunity for a cheese solo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigsmokebass Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 (edited) On 23/02/2019 at 12:49, Adrenochrome said: Agree! I learned a few lessons when my band played Knowing Me Knowing You. ....I'll get my coat 😂🙈 Edited February 24, 2019 by bigsmokebass 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigsmokebass Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 I think Abba were in a golden age of great bass lines to be fair. Never played them myself but I've heard them many times... An ex made me watch Mamma Mia 6 times when it first came out. I could sing it better than Pierce Brosnan too 😂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppet Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Visited the Abba museum today in Stockholm and they have some isolated bass lines from Mike Watson that you can listen to. There's some fantastic intricacy in them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 On 24/02/2019 at 20:19, mep said: We play Mamma a Mia and used to play Does Your Mother Know. Both have fun baselines to play. We do does your mother know - generally towards the end as it goes down so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Fantastic songs, basslines and production - what's not to like? Rutger & Mike played some lovely, melodic lines - almost songs in themselves and should be standards in any bassist's arsenal! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 1 hour ago, cetera said: Fantastic songs, basslines and production - what's not to like? Rutger & Mike played some lovely, melodic lines - almost songs in themselves and should be standards in any bassist's arsenal! Couldn't agree more. Makes me smile - every now and again a thread starts about Abba as if people are amazed that great pop songs can have great basslines! I suppose on a site where a large number of contributors appear to favour metal / prog / heavy rock etc it is maybe inevitable that people view Abba as a guilty pleasure rather than just the great band they were. As you were.....😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 If you go back through the annals of "disposable pop" songs you'll mostly find strong performances from all the instruments and high production values. Those guys weren't fooling around. They were at the top of their game and proving it every day of their working lives Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 2 hours ago, casapete said: Couldn't agree more. Makes me smile - every now and again a thread starts about Abba as if people are amazed that great pop songs can have great basslines! I suppose on a site where a large number of contributors appear to favour metal / prog / heavy rock etc it is maybe inevitable that people view Abba as a guilty pleasure rather than just the great band they were. As you were.....😄 I love Prog, rock and metal and yet ABBA are one of my favourite bands. I've never understood why some people underestimate them so much or find them a guilty pleasure. In fact I tend to view them as kind of Prog Pop; there's a lot of classical stuff in there. Listen to SOS, for instance. Anyone seen the Ritchie Blackmore documentary on Sky, where he's talking about how a particular incarnation of Rainbow - himself included - all admitted they loved ABBA? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigthumb Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 'One of us' is probably my favourite play along ABBA songs followed by Gimme (x3). Bloody good stuff IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Indeed great lines, undeniable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 The Day Before You Came is their masterpiece. Sadly, not much bass guitar action in it. Grew up in my teens with them on the periphery; ended up thinking they were pop pap. Then, one night in the early '90s I was out on the road and spotted one of the truck drivers and a lampie dancing around their cans of Red Stripe to ABBA, as the pretty girls around them danced around their handbags. I had an epiphany and hit the floor like a rocket!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 I did a stint in an Abba tribute band and had a glorious time playing these lines. One of my favourites (and good exercise!!) was Lay All Your Love On Me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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