Really annoying basslines

[lowdown]

12 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

"Dream a litle dream" always annoyed me, not the whole line, but the way it starts with a diminished 5th.

It works, but still...

 

Is that the tune Mama Cass sang lead on? 

[chris_b]

The Word. . . . he's trying to do that D'Angelo thing of playing so far behind the beat that its almost the wrong timing. D'Angelo does it better. The bass line doesn't annoy me, but the producer does.

 

[NikNik]

14 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

Every single song by Keane

My pet-hate band, followed by Nickleback and Coldplay.

[Rich]

0:15 to 0:30 of 'Give It Up' by KC and the Sunshine Band -- ugh https://youtu.be/IeqtAB1WgEw

'He Ain't Heavy' by the Hollies -- sloppy timing and out of tune https://youtu.be/z_Jx9nqnxOM

'The Boss' by James Brown -- the first 5 seconds are fine but then it all goes horribly wrong... the bass is so out of tune it makes the whole thing completely unlistenable https://youtu.be/jC2ZY2loo74

 

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Rich

[Leonard Smalls]

2 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

why people feel they have to critique someone else's opinion?

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, which may be counter to someone else's... In which case there's a good chance the counter opinion will be aired!

 

[MacDaddy]

3 hours ago, lowdown said:

 

Is that the tune Mama Cass sang lead on? 

Yup.

[Linus27]

Gorgeous tone though, just everything else about it is so very wrong.

[squire5]

'My Love' by Macca.His 'E' string is so out of tune its not real.But my 'favourite'(?) is Barbara Dicksons "January,February" chorus.I spent weeks hearing it on a little transistor radio at work,but one night,on TOTP,when I could hear the bass properly,I seriously thought the bassist was on something.Really.Have a listen.Maybe its in the name of art,and trying to sound clever,but I still cant believe someone said "You nailed that bassline mate" at the recording.😁

[EssentialTension]

18 hours ago, squire5 said:

'My Love' by Macca.His 'E' string is so out of tune its not real.

 

Wouldn't 'My Love' be Denny Laine on bass and McCartney on piano?

 

As for out of tune, I'll have to listen to it.

 

EDIT: The studio version does sound dodgy.

Edited February 2, 2022 by EssentialTension

[cetera]

45 minutes ago, squire5 said:

But my 'favourite'(?) is Barbara Dicksons "January,February" chorus.I spent weeks hearing it on a little transistor radio at work,but one night,on TOTP,when I could hear the bass properly,I seriously thought the bassist was on something.Really.Have a listen.Maybe its in the name of art,and trying to sound clever,but I still cant believe someone said "You nailed that bassline mate" at the recording.😁

 

Maybe I'm hearing something different but I can't hear anything wrong?

Likely played by Alan Tarney too, who is no slouch on bass...... you can hear him on all the well known Cliff Richard records from that 80's period....

[BigRedX]

The song in the OP sounds like someone found four random stems on their computer and stuck them into the DAW to see what they were.

[lowdown]

4 hours ago, cetera said:

 

Maybe I'm hearing something different but I can't hear anything wrong?

Likely played by Alan Tarney too, who is no slouch on bass...... you can hear him on all the well known Cliff Richard records from that 80's period....

 

It is Alan Tarney on Bass. I can't hear anything wrong either. Super player.

In fact, he wrote and produced the track as well.

 

Like you also said, he played on some of the 80's Cliff Richard tracks, he also wrote 'We Don't Talk Anymore' (although, that was '79).

Edited February 1, 2022 by lowdown

[lowdown]

5 hours ago, Rich said:

0:15 to 0:30 of 'Give It Up' by KC and the Sunshine Band -- ugh https://youtu.be/IeqtAB1WgEw

 

 

Do you mean the 'clunks'? If so, yes. They don't annoy me, but do make me snigger.

That breakdown appears again in the middle (after the Brass and Flute section), but the clunks are not there, just during the intro.

I think I did read somewhere that they were overdubs.

 

[Rich]

Oh god yes, the clunks. What were they thinking? Ugh.

[SteveXFR]

On 31/01/2022 at 16:41, matski said:

 

I just heard this song on the radio and the bassline was so annoying I just had to vent my spleen, and what better place than here on BC? Anyone else got any examples of basslines that really get on your tits?

 

Bloody hell that's a disgrace. I can fart with better timing and tone than that and it won't stink as bad.

I find most slap annoying. Slap solos in particular. I know I can't say that here but it just sounds bloody awful to me. 

[iconic]

Isn't that Clam on bass again? 

 

Hmm, nice.... 

 

 

[iconic]

I remember watching this and, the popping at the start, is erm, a little sudden?

 

 

[Barking Spiders]

On 31/01/2022 at 16:41, matski said:

 

I just heard this song on the radio and the bassline was so annoying I just had to vent my spleen, and what better place than here on BC? Anyone else got any examples of basslines that really get on your tits?

Ay caramba. I checked out quite a number of tunes on YT where I suspected the bass might be a tad shyt3. But no, this is the worst. I suspect the 'player' might've been listening to stuff by 80s synth/new romantic combo Fashion.

[Linus27]

16 hours ago, iconic said:

I remember watching this and, the popping at the start, is erm, a little sudden?

 

 

That's the amazing Derek Forbes but he was having a bit of an off day at the beginning

[NikNik]

4 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

Ay caramba. I checked out quite a number of tunes on YT where I suspected the bass might be a tad shyt3. But no, this is the worst. I suspect the 'player' might've been listening to stuff by 80s synth/new romantic combo Fashion.

It does sound a bit like Fashion, even the vocal. But the bass is all over the place.

[matski]

On 02/02/2022 at 10:20, Barking Spiders said:

Ay caramba. I checked out quite a number of tunes on YT where I suspected the bass might be a tad shyt3. But no, this is the worst. I suspect the 'player' might've been listening to stuff by 80s synth/new romantic combo Fashion.

 

23 hours ago, NikNik said:

It does sound a bit like Fashion, even the vocal. But the bass is all over the place.

I remember Fashion - saw them live in London once - they weren't as bad as that, but the bass tone is oddly reminiscent of their sound in retrospect.

[Grimalkin]

I heard that the bassist had a falling out with the producer, apparently:

 

"So I guess you're going to scrub my track then, are you?" Said the bassist.

 

"Nooooooo, I can do better than that", said the producer, "I'll make you famous, for all the wrong reasons..."

 

So he chopped up and edited his line and timing...