Rolling Stone compiles the "Best Guitarist, Vocalist, Bass Player and Drummer.." lists, which are too subjective for me to take too seriously. But it does introduce you to people you may never have heard of or never experienced their music before, and that's a good thing. So now you've seen this list of "best bass lines"on You Tube and we are all into the discussion.
Your vote for first would be Geddy Lee playing Freewill. I agree that it is a great song but the first song that popped into my head was And Your Bird Can Sing by the Beatles. I have to tell you the back story about how that song came to be one of my favorites, because it's the first time I realized about the gift of The Ear.
I was never a huge Beatles fan growing up. My parents thought their songs were wonderful but only when performed by other artists. I only heard the hits that were played on the radio over and over. That's why even to this day I am not a huge fan of Come Together or Hey Jude. Back when I was in my late teens, maybe early 20's, one of the local rock stations used to do The Beatles A to Z a couple of Saturdays a year. Every single Beatles recording was played alphabetically from 7 am to 10 pm or something like that. I decided to make a day of it and kept pad and pencil handy to write down the songs I really liked. (Clue #1 that I have musical nerdiness). I was blown away. I heard harmonies and melody like never before. I noticed drum beats and how well they went with the overall song. I noticed bass lines and catchy guitar riffs. I could analyze why a song that I just heard for the first time got into my head and stayed there. It was like someone had come along and finally explained to me that I have inherited The Ear.
I remember a friend in high school laughing at me one night while all us girls were out, just driving around and listening to music. She said "you always have favorite parts of songs, like the middle or the end. Why not just like the whole thing?" So I guess I had been noticing the details even in high school without really realizing it. Some of the Beatles songs I discovered on my first A to Z day: Another Girl, Baby's in Black, Dear Prudence, Here There and Everywhere, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, I'm Only Sleeping (one you already know well), Rocky Raccoon, Two of Us, and You Won't See Me...and the list goes on and on. Wham Bam, Beatles fan for life after one day. But my favorite song I heard that day was And Your Bird Can Sing. The chord progression in the middle part, and that funky crazy bass line was love at first listen. More importantly I figured out that I heard things in songs that other people didn't seem to notice, and began to appreciate that gift.
We tell the story all the time of the Guess Who song She's Come Undone that you (Gabriel) intently listened to as a 2-3 year old, so you could play the drum riff just right on your diaper pail. Then in you, Joel, also super early. But your talent was a bit different - you not only noticed melody and song lyrics but could remember them perfectly at the age of 3. The Ear showed up very early in both of you boys.
So back to best bass lines. I texted your Uncle Phil to get his opinion. He of course had some great ones. Any song by Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown or Earth Wind and Fire. Under Pressure by Queen/David Bowie, Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed, Billy Jean by Michael Jackson. I thought of Did You Stand By Me by the Clash, he thought of John Paul Jones on What Is and What Should Never Be. And after you showed me the You Tube list, I have to also add Give it Away by the Chili Peppers. There are some great B-52 bass lines, and a few REM songs I'm thinking of now too. I guess it all depends on which bands you listen to. And that's the beauty of music. It's SO personal as to what gives us the good goose bumps.
Study what gives you the good goosebumps. And then tell me about it. I may not agree, but that's totally cool. Both of you boys have inherited The Ear. Be happy, go forth and listen.
Your vote for first would be Geddy Lee playing Freewill. I agree that it is a great song but the first song that popped into my head was And Your Bird Can Sing by the Beatles. I have to tell you the back story about how that song came to be one of my favorites, because it's the first time I realized about the gift of The Ear.
I was never a huge Beatles fan growing up. My parents thought their songs were wonderful but only when performed by other artists. I only heard the hits that were played on the radio over and over. That's why even to this day I am not a huge fan of Come Together or Hey Jude. Back when I was in my late teens, maybe early 20's, one of the local rock stations used to do The Beatles A to Z a couple of Saturdays a year. Every single Beatles recording was played alphabetically from 7 am to 10 pm or something like that. I decided to make a day of it and kept pad and pencil handy to write down the songs I really liked. (Clue #1 that I have musical nerdiness). I was blown away. I heard harmonies and melody like never before. I noticed drum beats and how well they went with the overall song. I noticed bass lines and catchy guitar riffs. I could analyze why a song that I just heard for the first time got into my head and stayed there. It was like someone had come along and finally explained to me that I have inherited The Ear.
I remember a friend in high school laughing at me one night while all us girls were out, just driving around and listening to music. She said "you always have favorite parts of songs, like the middle or the end. Why not just like the whole thing?" So I guess I had been noticing the details even in high school without really realizing it. Some of the Beatles songs I discovered on my first A to Z day: Another Girl, Baby's in Black, Dear Prudence, Here There and Everywhere, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, I'm Only Sleeping (one you already know well), Rocky Raccoon, Two of Us, and You Won't See Me...and the list goes on and on. Wham Bam, Beatles fan for life after one day. But my favorite song I heard that day was And Your Bird Can Sing. The chord progression in the middle part, and that funky crazy bass line was love at first listen. More importantly I figured out that I heard things in songs that other people didn't seem to notice, and began to appreciate that gift.
We tell the story all the time of the Guess Who song She's Come Undone that you (Gabriel) intently listened to as a 2-3 year old, so you could play the drum riff just right on your diaper pail. Then in you, Joel, also super early. But your talent was a bit different - you not only noticed melody and song lyrics but could remember them perfectly at the age of 3. The Ear showed up very early in both of you boys.
So back to best bass lines. I texted your Uncle Phil to get his opinion. He of course had some great ones. Any song by Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown or Earth Wind and Fire. Under Pressure by Queen/David Bowie, Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed, Billy Jean by Michael Jackson. I thought of Did You Stand By Me by the Clash, he thought of John Paul Jones on What Is and What Should Never Be. And after you showed me the You Tube list, I have to also add Give it Away by the Chili Peppers. There are some great B-52 bass lines, and a few REM songs I'm thinking of now too. I guess it all depends on which bands you listen to. And that's the beauty of music. It's SO personal as to what gives us the good goose bumps.
Study what gives you the good goosebumps. And then tell me about it. I may not agree, but that's totally cool. Both of you boys have inherited The Ear. Be happy, go forth and listen.
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.