Favorite bass song: a confession

[Basvarken]

In 1978 I was ten years old. The Police had their smash hits Roxanne and Can't Stand Losing You. It was the first time I became aware of the bass guitar in a band.
I thought it was very cool. I wanted to be a bass player too. I made my own "bass guitar" out of chipwood. I used coca cola bottle caps for the knobs. It had no strings 

In 1983 I joined my first real band. And I wanted to play bass like Steve Harris. I studied hours and hours on "Murder in the Rue Morgue" and "Phantom Of The Opera"




I'm no longer an Iron Maiden fan but I do think Steve Harris was a big influence for me. I still hit the strings pretty hard, I really dig in.

[Basvarken]

I never was a Duran Duran fan. I cannot get past that horrible voice of Simon le Bon.

But I really dig Power Station (with John and Andy Taylor)
Here's a cool video of John Taylor and Bernard Edwards working on the bass part of Bang a Gong (Get it On)

[gweimer]

I don't have a favorite. Here's one of my favorites, from local boys Crow. This did make the Top 40 in 1969. Always liked the bass lines. Bassist was Larry Wiegand.

Ever heard the Black Sabbath cover of this?   It's pretty close.

[gweimer]

My favorite bass song is kind of a toss-up.  It's this:



or this:


or "Snakes and Swallowtails" from Sharks, the short-lived band with Chris Spedding and Andy Fraser.

[Dave W]

Ever heard the Black Sabbath cover of this?   It's pretty close.

Never heard it until Uwe pointed it out earlier in the thread. Never even knew they covered it.

Incidentally, Crow also had the first release of King of Rock and Roll (written by Jeff Thomas). The Long John Baldry version seems a lot better known today but Baldry's version never charted. Crow's version did.

[uwe]

So Dave liked horn rock, you live and learn.

Actually, as regards bass playing tracks for me, I should have mentioned those two here:





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aztub_hMXTc&feature=related

[ack1961]

I just erased a long diatribe about one of the previous videos.
I like this board and don't want to turn this thread into a basher, but listening to Paul Stanley trying to speak the language of the uprights (before I have breakfast) is a no-no.  What a hairy little tool. The bass playing in that video is quite good.

[Droombolus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aztub_hMXTc&feature=related

Loved to play that one back when .....

[Chaser001]

As for sheer inspiration, Paul McCartney's bass on the Sgt. Pepper album.  Also, Hey Bulldog, a song which Geoff Emerick said had the most inventive bass line since Pepper.  It's really John's song, but I do like Paul's bass on it.  Of course, trying to single out specific Beatles songs is not exactly something which can be done without some forethought, and I've never tried being a Beatles expert anyway. 

[Dave W]

So Dave liked horn rock, you live and learn.

Not particularly, although I didn't dislike it either.

Crow didn't have horns, those were added after the song was recorded. The band didn't like that at all-- until the song became a hit.

[ack1961]

..and speaking of Roxy Music, I remember loving this album when it came out - bass is all over the map here:

[mc2NY]

I probably got hooked on this one way back when... still really rate Mr Dunnaway...

I've played with a number of great guitarists over the years. One of them is Dunnaway's current guitarist. He also happens to own Mick Ronson's old Les Paul that is one of the more infamous LPs of guitar lore.

[uwe]

I just erased a long diatribe about one of the previous videos.
I like this board and don't want to turn this thread into a basher, but listening to Paul Stanley trying to speak the language of the uprights (before I have breakfast) is a no-no.  What a hairy little tool. The bass playing in that video is quite good.

Why? It's alright to dislike or make fun of Kiss here. I like Kiss, but that doesn't mean I have to take them serious. And I think it would be perfectly in line with Gene Simmons convictions that being discussed negatively is better than not being discussed at all. As for hairy Paul, he's always smarting when he's not taken as a "serious musician", but then perhaps he shouldn't have played in Kiss in the first place? It's a bit like Steven Segal complaining that he doesn't get serious roles to play.

Perhaps, if you're from Queens you shouldn't make fun about how other people pronounce things, huh?

[uwe]

Not particularly, although I didn't dislike it either.

Crow didn't have horns, those were added after the song was recorded. The band didn't like that at all-- until the song became a hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rjMB0JotHM&feature=related

[ack1961]

Why? It's alright to dislike or make fun of Kiss here. I like Kiss, but that doesn't mean I have to take them serious. And I think it would be perfectly in line with Gene Simmons convictions that being discussed negatively is better than not being discussed at all. As for hairy Paul, he's always smarting when he's not taken as a "serious musician", but then perhaps he shouldn't have played in Kiss in the first place? It's a bit like Steven Segal complaining that he doesn't get serious roles to play.

Perhaps, if you're from Queens you shouldn't make fun about how other people pronounce things, huh?

Even though I'm originally from the area and worked in NYC for a very long time, yet I never got the whole Kiss thing - even when they first popped. What I detest about Kiss is not really about their music.  I've never taken to them because I always felt that everything about them was a gimmick and I didn't want to be suckered into liking a band that had this ulterior motive for selling records to people.  

I like Gene Simmons' approach to the business end of things.  If anyone is going to get rich off Kiss' music or merchandising it should be the musicians (or, if need be, just him). That much makes perfect sense to me - and it's their business. Gene seems to understand the capitalistic world in which he resides and to which he contributes...it's a cross between "there's a sucker born every minute" and "put a price tag on a turd and someone will buy it".

Paul (or at least Paul's character) drives me nuts.  I don't know why - it's the same sort of reaction I have to Richard Simmons & Quentin Tarantino - I really don't want to investigate why I get the chills when I see or hear them. Every time Sweaterman opens his mouth to speak, my upchuck reflex goes to 11. As for PS being taken seriously, you hit the nail on the head. Wrong band, wrong cosmetic kit...and the stuffed animal spandex trousers?!