Blog: The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines

[jon the art guy]

Re: Blog: The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines

Hey, what's that song from the Gorillaz, Feelgood Inc.? As I have nothing to add to the bassline debate on viability vs profitability or narrowness or wideness of scope...and someone just posted Peace Sells, I'm suggesting the Gorillaz song as a future classic bassline.

 

[One Bad Monkey]

Re: Blog: The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines

The title was 'The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines' What this bass-line was recognizable as is much less relevant than the fact that it was recognizable. Recognizable enough to warrant a place on this list. If you put 'My Friend of Misery' on this list, possibly the most obscure song on the Black Album, and not even necessarily the most famous bass-line off the album, that makes 'Peace Sells' a very glaring omission indeed.

Again, is the line to "Peace Sells" more recognizable as that line itself, or the intro to MTV News? Same thing with "Super Freak." Is it more recognizable as that line, or as the sampled line from "U Can't Touch This?"

Because if most recognizable is exactly that, the above questions have to be answered FIRST, before either of those songs can be listed. There seemed to be more votes on the FB page for "Rapper's Delight" to be on the list instead of Chic's "Good Times."

Same line, different context. Which one is more recognizable?

 

[One Bad Monkey]

Re: Blog: The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines

Hey, what's that song from the Gorillaz, Feelgood Inc.? As I have nothing to add to the bassline debate on viability vs profitability or narrowness or wideness of scope...and someone just posted Peace Sells, I'm suggesting the Gorillaz song as a future classic bassline.

No argument, that's a funky line. I'm a big Gorillaz fan.

 

[Letus]

Re: Blog: The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines

Again, is the line to "Peace Sells" more recognizable as that line itself, or the intro to MTV News? Same thing with "Super Freak." Is it more recognizable as that line, or as the sampled line from "U Can't Touch This?"

Because if most recognizable is exactly that, the above questions have to be answered FIRST, before either of those songs can be listed. There seemed to be more votes on the FB page for "Rapper's Delight" to be on the list instead of Chic's "Good Times."

Same line, different context. Which one is more recognizable?

That seems to over-complicate things. Why not just list both instances of the usage of the bass-line, stating which one was first?

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: Blog: The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines

A jazz guy would have included Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" or "So What" (Paul Chambers), perhaps even Quincy Jones' version of "Killer Joe" (Ron Carter).
An R&B fan might say "For The Love Of Money" (Anthony Jackson), "Tighten Up" (Peter Newman of the group the TSU Toronadoes; they backed up Archie Bell in the studio on the original recording), or anything the Funk Brothers, Booker T & the MGs, or the Muscle Shoals rhythm section ever did.

And, Fly Robin Fly by the Silver Convention, Brothers Johnson's Get The Funk Outta My Face, and even Slide....by Slave.
The bass is such a great instrument hard to imagine there would be any less than 100 easily bass lines recognizable for every style of music and probably for every decade since the 50's/60's. Now if we begin with just Jazz out of the 70's....gotta include George Benson's Breezin'. You're right.....the lists could go on for a very long time!

 

[One Bad Monkey]

Re: Blog: The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines

That seems to over-complicate things. Why not just list both instances of the usage of the bass-line, stating which one was first?

It's a legitimate question; who's right? Going back to my analogy of a brand, having two (or more) songs using the same bassline dilutes the impact of that line, since people will equate it to SONG A, or maybe to SONG B, or even SONG C, etc..

However for argument's sake, if I had put "Under Pressure / Ice Ice Baby" on the list just like that, do you know how many people would throw a fit that the latter was even listed in the first place, even though a large majority heard that bassline first in that incarnation? And just maybe, that bassline IS more recognizable as the sampled track over the Queen / Bowie masterpiece.

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: Blog: The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines

And, Fly Robin Fly by the Silver Convention, Brothers Johnson's Get The Funk Outta My Face, and even Slide....by Slave.
The bass is such a great instrument hard to imagine there would be any less than 100 easily bass lines recognizable for every style of music and probably for every decade since the 50's/60's. Now if we begin with just Jazz out of the 70's....gotta include George Benson's Breezin'. You're right.....the lists could go on for a very long time!

PS And if popular rock from the same time period, might easily include the Police's Every Breath You Take as somewhere up there on the list of "recognizable."

 

[Adieu]

Re: Blog: The 10 Most Recognizable Bass Lines

Boooring... So recognizable Ive probably avoided them long enough to no longer recognize them %)

And hey cmon how about some bass-driven songs at least?

Lacrimosa stuff (like Komet)? Sonic Youth? THE CURE??? RAMONES? ....SEX PISTOLS?!!