sakedelic
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Bass solos that don't suck
Aug 12, 2008, 18:52
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Bob Babbit in Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio" - when the guitar drops out, the mighty Funk Brothers rhythm section kicks the tune into orbit. Bob Babbit's solo isn't showy, just fun. You'd have to be a witless, drooling mouth-breather to hate on this beast.
Bootsy Collins - When Bootsy gets live with his Mutron & Echoplex, it's always a highlight of the gig.
Geezer Butler - N.I.B., the sound Al Cisneros copped for Sleep's "Dragonaut" (Al's bass solo at the end would be the fourth bass solo that doesn't suck).
Does Chris Squire's 'The Fish' (Yes) count as a solo? It's kind of a bass concerto, but it truly kicks butt (until Jon Anderson comes in at the end with his vegetarian vocals).
Janik Top (Magma) should pay a personal visit to anyone who said bass solos suck. He will change your mind for you!
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vince
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Re: Bass. How hard can it be ?
Aug 12, 2008, 18:59
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Entwistle. My Generation.
'Nuff said.
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vince
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Re: Bass. How hard can it be ?
Aug 12, 2008, 19:00
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And there should never, ever be more than four strings on a bass.
More than that = wanker.
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IanB
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Edited Aug 12, 2008, 19:15
Re: Bass solos that don't suck
Aug 12, 2008, 19:11
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sakedelic wrote: Bob Babbit in Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio" - when the guitar drops out, the mighty Funk Brothers rhythm section kicks the tune into orbit. Bob Babbit's solo isn't showy, just fun. You'd have to be a witless, drooling mouth-breather to hate on this beast.
Bootsy Collins - When Bootsy gets live with his Mutron & Echoplex, it's always a highlight of the gig.
Geezer Butler - N.I.B., the sound Al Cisneros copped for Sleep's "Dragonaut" (Al's bass solo at the end would be the fourth bass solo that doesn't suck).
Does Chris Squire's 'The Fish' (Yes) count as a solo? It's kind of a bass concerto, but it truly kicks butt (until Jon Anderson comes in at the end with his vegetarian vocals).
Janik Top (Magma) should pay a personal visit to anyone who said bass solos suck. He will change your mind for you!
"The Fish" certainly is a bass solo. Wonderful thing it is too with those chiming guitar harmonics underneath. If one can get over those post-punk prejudices.
Andy Fraser's solo on "Mr Big" from Free Live comes into this section.
Oh and Donna Summer's "Love To Love You Baby". Not a solo as such though the track would barely exist if you take the bass away. Ditto The Stones' "Fingerprint File".
What is it about the English that they are so suspicious of technique? Whether it is centre halves, painters, bass players or opening batsmen. God forbid you should be seen to be ... y'know .... make an effort at developing your craft.
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handofdave
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Re: Bass. How hard can it be ?
Aug 12, 2008, 19:20
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I play a tenor banjo which has four strings. I never learned to play it properly. Actually, even saying that I 'play' it is potentially misleading.
But I have stuck with it over the last 20 years. Somewhere along the way I developed a very odd and singular approach to the instrument. It's not very practical for group playing, however.
Chords are fucking hard. I've never been able to contort my left hand into all those confident and lightening-quick configurations. But a lifetime of tapping my fingers led to a right-handed approach that can drum up some pretty good sounds in concert with some primitive left-handed fretting. I use a lot of open tunings... rarely the 'correct' one (same as a violin, and probably a bass as well).
Stick with it, tho. Everyone should play an instrument... it's an important part of being human, to make music.
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Dog 3000
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Re: Bass solos that don't suck
Aug 12, 2008, 19:55
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Even when he's just riffing along, I think Larry Graham's bass always sounds incredibly expressive (the Family Stone guy.) Supposedly invented the slapping style, though like Entwistle, seems to come from a musical school all his own (no one else plays like either of these guys.)
The death march version of "Thank You" from "There's a Riot Goin' On"!
Any live Who recording shows Entwistle's chops -- he was the glue that held that crazy mess together.
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Five
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Re: Bass. How hard can it be ?
Aug 12, 2008, 19:56
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IanB wrote: . Not being able to play and choosing to play simple are two very different things.
I agree for sure! And I can also generally appreciate both, though a middle way is usually my preference.
Ever hear the story about Miles Davis (allegedly) playing a recording for some high-society types of a bunch of kids playing around with musical instruments, telling them first that it was his new album? They LOVED it, assuming that if the Miles had recorded it, then it must be the THANG! (I have heard the same story told about other folks, though, so who knows what there is to it...)
Also comes to mind the recordings made in various asylums which (supposedly - I haven't heard them myself) resemble pre-commercial tribal music of various kinds
Myself, it's always a struggle between technique and theory being more of a guide than I really want them to be on the one hand, and being capable of doing what I want to do (on the other)... Could probably write a small book about that
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Five
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Re: Bass. How hard can it be ?
Aug 12, 2008, 20:01
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vince wrote: And there should never, ever be more than four strings on a bass.
More than that = wanker.
Aw, c'mon... You can't reach the Brown Note without that low B! Guess you could always tune down...
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sakedelic
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Re: Bass solos that don't suck
Aug 12, 2008, 20:18
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Damn, Entwistle's killer break on "My Generation"!!!
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handofdave
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Re: Bass solos that don't suck
Aug 12, 2008, 20:33
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The whole Who catalog would be seriously altered if Entwhistle hadn't been there.
Hells bells... the Who are one of my all time favorites. They all had weird styles. Together, it somehow meshed into brilliance.
I always liked the horns Entwhistle introduced to the Who sound, too. You cannot deny the power of that riff in '5:15" from Quadrophenia.
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