Massive love for the mighty Wilton Felder. Hugely underrated and as a key West Coast session player in the early 70's was on so many tracks it would blow your mind.And it was his SECOND INSTRUMENT!!
@@hakeemahmadjamal7403 I'm not actually sure, I know he's got Instagram and I believe tiktok content. I listen to him more over on SBL and recently the podcasts which I would highly recommend.
The sheer joy in Ian’s face when he plays is the same reason I still can’t wait to pick up a bass each day myself! It’s inspiring to see somebody love what he does this much AND be so good at it…Ian continues to solidify his status as the man! 🤙🏻
@@TristanJCumpole lol I think you misread my comment, brother. I don’t get my joy FROM him, I was saying I get the same joy when I play the instrument that he does & I love seeing that in others. Cheers ;-)
Wilton Felder was a jazz sax player who approached the bass from the viewpoint of how that instrument would interact with the others. The same jazz mentality as Jamerson used. Not always flashy licks, just funky parts that emphasize the groove. Priceless.
Willie Weeks on Donny Hathaway Live, “Little Ghetto Boy”, “What Going On”, and “Everything is Everything”. Willie Weeks lines on this DHL album are simply amazing.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who latched onto the great Willie Weeks. More bass heads need to check out his work. For me, especially with Donny Hathaway.
I got my bass from Amazon and playing bass guitar is harder than I thought. Newer found respect for Tito and Jermaine both playing guitars as teenagers and while singing and dancing and doing homework from school.
I think Jermaine Jackson earns more of a mention on this video. He may not have had the maturity to lay down this line in the studio, but from the footage I found it looks like he did a decent job playing it live, all while singing and steppin'! I haven't seen a boy band in the last 30 years where members could play while doing that dancing and singing thang
Totally agree. After seeing him and his brothers at MSG in 1970, I got up the nerve to ask for a Bass. Been playing ever since. Interesting side note, the term ‘Boy Band’ nowadays describes groups where no one even plays an instrument. At least in the J5, they played their own guitar, percussion (Randy from ‘72) and Bass.
@@warrencox7852I think Jermaine started playing at 9, 10 years old so I guess he was seasoned by the time he was 14 years old. They usually used studio musicians for expediency as to not get bogged down with too much studio time and cost. See the Jackson 5 were a family act that played cover music before they got signed, they were a self contained unit with family friends rounding out their lineup but they didn't write orginal music so their label provided the songs and the musicians to record the songs( i know you know this already but some people don't )They also used professional singers to do some of the background vocals on certain recordings.
@@nycfunk Paul credits Jamerson as a huge influence in his developmental style of bass playing, albeit with a pick. Jamerson was strictly finger style. He was a double bassist from the very beginning. Many of the iconic bassists from the rock era beginning in the 60s listened to a ton of Motown. Whereby, they ingested a steady diet of his heavily syncopated, counter-melody themed bass lines.
@@lukasschliepkorte3019 Playing with fire, Bro. Actually she did perform on it but not on the one most people know. There was a lot of multiple recordings back when Motown was ping ponging between Detroit and LA in those days.
Stevie Wonder himself has said that James Jamerson was the bassist for I Was Made to Love Her, so.... that should end the "controversy." No disrespect to CK.
We were playing I want you back in jazz band, I forgot the riff at the end so i pulled up this video with like 30 sec left before we played. This came in clutch, thanks! 💯
I must have watched this 20 times... If I'm having a bad day, I fire this up and the sheer joy on Ian's face as he plays this just makes me so happy. What a feel-good dude... 9:02 f*** yeah...
I know Wilton Felder from "(No matter how high I get) I'll still be looking up to you" with Bobby Womack and Altrinna Grayson. I still have the 45 single in my closet. He played the sax. I didn't know he was a bassist.
My brother was a fabulous bass player, but he never got a record deal. His testament will live forever. 30 years playing any where a gig was and hundreds of people on the dance floor.
It's by saxophone player WILTON FELDER of the Crusaders, who had a second career as a bass player and played bass on many hit records. I'm a saxophone player and just got my first bass. I'm from Detroit! And I didn't even have to watch your video or do anything except read the title to know who it was or which bass line it was! #saxophoneplayersmakethebestbassplayers BTW, I like the way you illustrate the line with the staff paper. Although I have absolute pitch and don't need such help (although I read and have done so since 1969 and have a music degree, blah blah blah), I think it's very effective and lays it right out!
Verdine White on Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" has a beautiful match with the syncopation, and those parts just kill me every time with just how appropriate everything is in context. Taken in isolation it has less than it provides as part of the whole. Then I found Kinga Glyk's interpretation and fell over. Whilst sat down.
Verdine White - one of THE most underrated bassists EVER!! The way he added to the snycopation and rhythms of EWF's catalog is amazing! "Shining Star", "Saturday Nite", "That's the Way of the World", "Sun Goddess", his solo on "New World Order" on their Gratitude album, and so many more!
Great job. As a bass player I’ve always loved 60s early 70s bass players. Just busy enough without stepping all over everything. Love the bass line in Bernadette classic.
Want you back of course is one of most famous bass lines ever but what im really loving about this video is the way Ian explains everything, He really added so much quality to this channel.
So many incredible bass lines to choose from. John Paul Jones’s bass line in “The Lemon Song”, Chris Squier’s in “Long Distance Runaround”, Tony Levin’s on “Three of a Perfect Pair”, Geddy Lee’s bass parts in “Digital Man”… and then, of course, there are Carol Kaye, Tal Wilkenfeld, Esperanza Spalding, Ron Carter, Marcus Miller, Leland Sklar, Bob Babbitt, Me’shell Ndgeocello… I don’t know how to choose.
Thanx Scott. Felder's playing came the closest to James Jamerson than anybody. Down here in Houston Archie Bell was singing about a new dance called "The Tighten Up. Felder was from Houston and knew Bell well. It might have been him on that incredible bass line. (Bell's brother Ricky won the Heisman Trophy!) ❤Greatest baseline ever : No Dought "What's Going On". Jamerson through subtlety takes this song from earth to heaven like Brahms didin his last sonatas just prior to his death as Jamerson''s relationship with Motown is dying. It is a subtle, magnificent work of art!
You bring so much joy to the music. The music brings you so much joy. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Ironically I’m currently learning this song for a RUclips bass cover. I hope to do it justice.
Jack Casady on Somebody to Love. It just rolls! I never play it the same way twice. He changed my approach to the instrument. Agree that this song is magnificent; makes me smile whenever I play it.
@@emc2104 I agree! "Do I Do" is one of Nate Watts best! "I Wish" is my favourite. It's instantly recognizable and one of the greatest bass intros much like The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back".
I am a life member of SBL, logged many hours. This by FAR is my favorite video. Besides the content, shows how far the SBL Team has come. Very well put together, and I say that as I am on the set, filming a syndicated TV show! This video bridges concepts for me;' Nashville, Arpeggios, Maj Scale, seeing them musically (from the download) on the staff (versus tab, thats Mr. Berlin's influence!) Phil Mann's video...the way you break it down Ian, watching your fingering on those Tele Jumbo spaced frets, your absolute passion for this baseline, it all comes together fabulously! TY!!!
How about Chuck Rainey’s basslines on Aretha Franklin recording of “Until You Come Back Me”, written by Stevie Wonder? Or his basslines on “When Love Has Grown” recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway?
One of my heroes on bass is the rather underrated famously brilliant Bob Babbit, as part of the awesome Funk Brothers. Some of the most iconic bass lines come from him.
Well, that's my #1 of all time covered, so thanks for that! For another classic, how about something by the Doobie Brothers' criminally underrated Tiran Porter? "Takin' It to the Streets" is a masterclass in the use of space and groove, and "Long Train Running" is just a great groove. And there's always Chuck Rainey's stupendous work on "Kid Charlemagne".
I love your energy, unbound excitement and enthusiasm about this Song and its marvelous baseline because it's song genuine and matches my feelings about this composition and it's rendering also! CHEERS!!
I'm so pleased that Scott has made it to 1million subscribers; this is well deserved. Scott should rightly be in the company of Aimee Nolte, Rick Beato and Adam Neely; all amongst the best musical educators on the web.
Absolutely glorious! One of my all-time favorites and probably one of the best groovin bass lines ever made! So amny great bass lines in the motown era! Such a bouncy, groovin, varied, and melodic line! They drive the song so much while outlining the chords! Also, i love older music as you can hear every part and each instrument so clearly! Amazing stuff, man! 😎🥹👍🏻 classic!
WOW! Thanks for the enlightenment. I'm blown away by who played the bass on this song. Clearly, musician Wilton Felder was an absolute phenomenon. I'm a HUGE fan of his work. Loved him in the Crusaders!!!
Excellent choice! I look forward to finally playing this bassline properly now. Thinking of You - Sister Sledge, Good Times - Chic (or any Bernard Edwards bassline) would be a good one.
Because of… the headstock..? And… the butterscotch, and the bridge, and the control plate, and the lack of body contours, and everything. Haha. Great video and honestly didn’t know it wasn’t James.
Wilton Felder's bass session track on Seals & Crofts "Hummingbird" is iconic! The tail end coda section is phenomenal! He and guitarist Louie Shelton who helped produce S&C both play on the J5's "I Want You Back". LS played the opening guitar octave lick.
I think you should do an episode on the bass line in "Ramble On" by John Paul Jones. Other suggestions: the slow middle section of "Orion" by Cliff Burton/Metallica; any bass line by Paul McCartney (but especially "Something"); Robert DeLeo's bass line in "Plush." I love this series, btw!
If you want to hear some fills and I beg of you please give Brandon Meeks a listen .. His cover of Lovely Day by Bill Withers the dude is a beast his improve is other worldly.
9:04 I burst out laughing 😂 because this is how I responded too. Thank you for this video. Informative; I’m learning about another bass player (and saxophonist!) that I hardly knew, excellent breakdown of rhythm and scale theory. And so entertaining! I would like to see a video on Michael McDonald’s “What A Fool Believes” - that bass line is so sparse it’s barely there, I’m still figuring it out.
5:00, there's a live version still on RUclips from 1972 I think of them playing live, and make no mistake, Jermaine was actually playing bass. Not in the studio, but on tour he really did learn those lines. The steps, singing in key and this bassline is a difficult thing man! Anyway, right after that riff or "fill" if you like, he doesn't do the descending line; he goes into this like octave thing. A string 6th fret and the octave, 8th string G string, then drop down a half step, 5 and 7 respectively and then a slight rest and go down to 1 and 3 on the same strings then into the rest of the line as normal. Definitely a nice little fill that Jermaine threw in there. Check it out!
I checked this out... so amazing! Unbelievable choreography and playing. Sometimes I forget how good they were, especially in the early years. Thanks for mentioning this!
@@jamiebegian4696 Did Jermaine have green on? You can definitely hear the bass. And the Wah-Wah guitar on Tito's behalf. But if you wanna hear the whole concert, I think it's the 1972 half of the Live At the Forum live album. The other half is from 1970.
@@cathridge ...do you think I don't know about that epic piece of music? Jermaine slapping and singing a song penned by the great Stevie Wonder? I'm there!
This bass lesson was the perfect mix of teaching, jamming, enthusiasm & a little theory!! An awesome way to spend 11:35 of my life. Now, I’m going to spend hours trying to move from 25% speed to full speed. At least I’ve got your breakdowns for when I get stuck. Many thanks ❤
Outstanding bass line & fantastic analysis & breakdown . Seems like only yesterday I watched the young Jacksons debut this classic treasure on Ed Sullivan. Song still rises to the top among the great ones. Thank you for posting !
My favorite bass lines are probably Mark King’s on “Hot Water”, by Level 42, and Nick Beggs’ on “Too Shy”, by Kajagoogoo. John Taylor’s line on “Rio”, by Duran Duran, is another one.
Bernadette! ...and Bouree by Jethro Tull. Glen Cornick's bassline on Bouree is why I vowed to someday learn the bass guitar, and I think it is safe to say that Glenn Cornick is THE WORLD'S MOST UNDER RATED BASS PLAYERS OF ALL TIME!
@@shipsahoy1793 I've never read any stories about Ian Anderson's personality, or how he got on with people, but I saw a RUclips of a live performance of Bouree made sometime in the 2000s, and he introduced the song, saying something along the lines of, "this is a piece of shit song that people like, but if you ask me it's just really bad cocktail lounge music... a 1, 2, 3." And it really struck me as odd. And that familiar bassline wasn't included in the arrangement. Go figure?
@@mikestrong4946 Well Mike I’ll be the first to admit that Ian Anderson was a talented guy.. I was a big fan of Jethro Tull in the 70s and I’ve followed Anderson’s music through the years, although stuff from his younger days is definitely more interesting to me, but he seemingly egotistical and stand off ish, even condescending in a way. I don’t believe he truly appreciated the people around him and their contributions to his success. Also, he can’t seem to tell better from worse in his body of work, I guess because he’s just too close to it. He seems to think his best work is his most personal, but fans don’t always agree. He also used to get annoyed by critics, like when they didn’t get Passion Play or assumed “Too Old to Rock..” was a personal admission. Anything that he said about Glenn Cornick that was seemingly good, appeared to me as if it was just politics rather than sincerity. There was a personality clash between them.. Glenn liked to party and Ian looked down on it.
Bouree was the very first time I heard a bass player playing chords and I was amazed, and at that point said anything can be done with this instrument, yes grossly underrated, Glen was great!
As a lifetime member of SBL, you bring a different angle to things that really is great. Keep up the great work and thanks for keeping things cool in these crap times.
While Jamerson is my bass idol, I have to give props to his backup of sorts, Bob Babbitt. Midnight Train to Georgia has always been a favorite of mine. Mercy Mercy Me is another.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I read in bass player magazine back in 2005, Babbitt didn't get a lot of credit for playing on old motown songs because a white guy "replacing" Jamerson would upset some folks and he didn't get proper recognition until about 20 years later.
Like many record companies in the 60’s, Motown Records had sloppy documentation. When there was a retrospective question concerning who played what on bass, the default answer was their most celebrated bassist James Jamerson. Bob Babbitt certainly was under credited as was Wilton Felder and even Carol Kaye (who filed a lawsuit which was largely debunked).
I *wish* I could play the bass like this! Ian looks so happy jamming away to this song. “I Want You Back” and “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys are maybe my two dream songs to be able to play one day
Greatest bassline ever? That's a tall order and don't really know where to start, but Bob Babbit is so often overlooked. Great player. Midnight Train to Georgia is so beautifully melodic that I would vote for it.
Another kick-ass Ian video! I've also been digging Scott and Ian's podcast conversations. Hey, you know what might make for a really interesting episode? The bass lines for both Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side and David Essex' Rock On are both really interesting and unique, to me. Each song features dual/overdubbed bass parts, all of which were played by English studio musician Herbie Flowers. It was Herbie's idea to have doubled bass lines for each song, which he primarily suggested because it meant he could be paid double-scale for the session. Such iconic parts that were brought into existence, in part, because Herbie was just trying to scratch out a living.
Man I've seen tabs for this song and it's always way more complicated than you've presented it here!! I had no idea it was basically just a scale 😅 Cool!
Such an amazing tune and a killer bass part to boot. But since you're askin', the bass part Paul McCartney plays "Something" is, for my money, one of the greatest baselines ever.
I just now read further down into the thread and see that someone beat me to the punch! Another Greatest of All Time submission: Joe Jackson's "Friday" as played by the amazing Graham Maby.
Wow this song is truly amazing and fun to play... The arpeggios part at the end is really the master piece of the song it really make you want to dance
As soon as I learnt about how passing tones work, incorporating non-chord/scale tones away from the accents, my playing upped itself in flexibility and scope. Mostly I've found they add the most to sparse open lines, but here they're just throwing magic everywhere.
I attended Brother Felder's funeral out in California a few years back. He was a man of devout faith, as a member of Jehovah's Witnesses. The music, while important, was always secondary to his love for Jehovah, and the promises of His Word. Rest in Peace. The world is a much better place for what you left behind. 👑
Jermaine had to be saying .." holy- - - -, I gotta play that?" And there's Joe with the belt...
Lmao😂 I was thinking the same thing… lol
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Damn dude
Massive love for the mighty Wilton Felder. Hugely underrated and as a key West Coast session player in the early 70's was on so many tracks it would blow your mind.And it was his SECOND INSTRUMENT!!
Incredible Live Recoding with Donny Hathaway! One of my top 5 live recordings
That bassline in Tidal Wave by Ronnie Laws ...awesome
Love Ian's energy, it is so contagious that even if you are feeling low man oh man you won't be after listening to him for like 1 minute.
Does he have his own channel?
@@hakeemahmadjamal7403 I'm not actually sure, I know he's got Instagram and I believe tiktok content. I listen to him more over on SBL and recently the podcasts which I would highly recommend.
You should see his old band(Down and Above) and his rig. Amazing tone
@corwin81 oh thanks for the recommendation will need check em out 😀
The sheer joy in Ian’s face when he plays is the same reason I still can’t wait to pick up a bass each day myself! It’s inspiring to see somebody love what he does this much AND be so good at it…Ian continues to solidify his status as the man! 🤙🏻
Yeah Sean he's the kinda cat you could sit down with and learn some stuff 'cause there's no ego in the room.
That's all good to get the joy from Ian, but bring your own magic and inspire yourself to pick it up and play for your own joy man!
@@TristanJCumpole lol I think you misread my comment, brother. I don’t get my joy FROM him, I was saying I get the same joy when I play the instrument that he does & I love seeing that in others. Cheers ;-)
@@seankent1807 Oh good :-) That would be weird otherwise.
@@seankent1807 Couldn't agree with you more. Exactly how I feel.
Yep, don’’t sleep on the beautiful section with all of those triads toward the end of the song. Gorgeous!
Wilton Felder was a jazz sax player who approached the bass from the viewpoint of how that instrument would interact with the others. The same jazz mentality as Jamerson used. Not always flashy licks, just funky parts that emphasize the groove. Priceless.
Willie Weeks on Donny Hathaway Live, “Little Ghetto Boy”, “What Going On”, and “Everything is Everything”. Willie Weeks lines on this DHL album are simply amazing.
No doubt!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who latched onto the great Willie Weeks. More bass heads need to check out his work. For me, especially with Donny Hathaway.
Absolute favourite of mine!
💯 that’s definitely one of my best too
So true...
Jermaine Jackson was a phenomenal Bass Guiarist!!
🔥🔥🔥
I got my bass from Amazon and playing bass guitar is harder than I thought. Newer found respect for Tito and Jermaine both playing guitars as teenagers and while singing and dancing and doing homework from school.
I think Jermaine Jackson earns more of a mention on this video. He may not have had the maturity to lay down this line in the studio, but from the footage I found it looks like he did a decent job playing it live, all while singing and steppin'! I haven't seen a boy band in the last 30 years where members could play while doing that dancing and singing thang
Totally agree. After seeing him and his brothers at MSG in 1970, I got up the nerve to ask for a Bass. Been playing ever since. Interesting side note, the term ‘Boy Band’ nowadays describes groups where no one even plays an instrument. At least in the J5, they played their own guitar, percussion (Randy from ‘72) and Bass.
I agree Jermaine has a great body of work as a vocalist \ bassist with the group and solo
@@warrencox7852I think Jermaine started playing at 9, 10 years old so I guess he was seasoned by the time he was 14 years old. They usually used studio musicians for expediency as to not get bogged down with too much studio time and cost. See the Jackson 5 were a family act that played cover music before they got signed, they were a self contained unit with family friends rounding out their lineup but they didn't write orginal music so their label provided the songs and the musicians to record the songs( i know you know this already but some people don't )They also used professional singers to do some of the background vocals on certain recordings.
@@warrencox7852
1st time at MSG was 1971.
Randy also played keyboards onstage (but I guess they were a man-band by that time)
October 16th 1970. Randy didn’t join the group for another two years as the percussionist.
I love the lines played by James Jamerson in Darling Dear! Complex and beautiful!
Paul McCartney’s bass part with The Beatles on Something is fantastic and i think it’d be a great one to break down
I was going to suggest the same song!! Yes, do Something!
Me too! Great minds think alike…
Excellent choice. Paul's bass lines are iconic.
@@nycfunk
Paul credits Jamerson as a huge influence in his developmental style of bass playing, albeit with a pick. Jamerson was strictly finger style. He was a double bassist from the very beginning. Many of the iconic bassists from the rock era beginning in the 60s listened to a ton of Motown. Whereby, they ingested a steady diet of his heavily syncopated, counter-melody themed bass lines.
@@bustabass9025 ummm thank you for the reminder...I guess. Still all N all, Paul's performance in "Something" was nothing short of spectacular.
Jamersons bass part on "I was made to Love Her". A masterclass.
You mean by Carol Kaye?
(Just kidding plz don't kill me)
That was Michael Henderson!!! 🌙☀️
@@lukasschliepkorte3019 Playing with fire, Bro. Actually she did perform on it but not on the one most people know. There was a lot of multiple recordings back when Motown was ping ponging between Detroit and LA in those days.
@@kevinmccarthy4088 I know, brother.
Just making a joke around the online controversy sorrounding that topic.
I adore CK and JJ alike.
Stevie Wonder himself has said that James Jamerson was the bassist for I Was Made to Love Her, so.... that should end the "controversy." No disrespect to CK.
We were playing I want you back in jazz band, I forgot the riff at the end so i pulled up this video with like 30 sec left before we played. This came in clutch, thanks! 💯
Examine the J5's"Darling Dear", masterfully played by Jamerson.
ruclips.net/video/VowfeohJCFE/видео.html
"Darling Dear" is one of my favorite basslines ever.
😍😍😍
@@BARTFUNKBASS Damn, didn't know that much was going on in that track
🤔Wonder how Jermaine had ta handle it, if they done the song live🎯
@@GaryTisdaleFungkSta1 Jermaine had to learn the bass parts, and play them while singing and dancing!
I must have watched this 20 times... If I'm having a bad day, I fire this up and the sheer joy on Ian's face as he plays this just makes me so happy. What a feel-good dude... 9:02 f*** yeah...
I know Wilton Felder from "(No matter how high I get) I'll still be looking up to you" with Bobby Womack and Altrinna Grayson. I still have the 45 single in my closet. He played the sax. I didn't know he was a bassist.
My brother was a fabulous bass player, but he never got a record deal. His testament will live forever. 30 years playing any where a gig was and hundreds of people on the dance floor.
Who was your brother?
@@LandenBMS T.B. Player
Undoubtedly the greatest pop/rock bassline ever. Melodic, driving, grooving, innovative. It has it all.
It's by saxophone player WILTON FELDER of the Crusaders, who had a second career as a bass player and played bass on many hit records. I'm a saxophone player and just got my first bass. I'm from Detroit! And I didn't even have to watch your video or do anything except read the title to know who it was or which bass line it was! #saxophoneplayersmakethebestbassplayers BTW, I like the way you illustrate the line with the staff paper. Although I have absolute pitch and don't need such help (although I read and have done so since 1969 and have a music degree, blah blah blah), I think it's very effective and lays it right out!
Verdine White on Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" has a beautiful match with the syncopation, and those parts just kill me every time with just how appropriate everything is in context. Taken in isolation it has less than it provides as part of the whole. Then I found Kinga Glyk's interpretation and fell over. Whilst sat down.
And how about Verdine on Getaway? Absolute monster!
Kinga is a supreme talent and I enjoy listening to her almost as much as she enjoys playing. Just incredible.
Verdine White - one of THE most underrated bassists EVER!! The way he added to the snycopation and rhythms of EWF's catalog is amazing! "Shining Star", "Saturday Nite", "That's the Way of the World", "Sun Goddess", his solo on "New World Order" on their Gratitude album, and so many more!
Beautiful...just Beautiful...I would hear this on the radio every morning on the way to school. Great way to start the day!
Lee Sklar on Billy Cobham’s Stratus. It’s so simple but yet so powerful and groovy. Less is more.
Great job. As a bass player I’ve always loved 60s early 70s bass players. Just busy enough without stepping all over everything. Love the bass line in Bernadette classic.
McCartney's Bass on Rain is Super, also Bugsy Maugh's Bass for Paul Butterfield's One More Heartache, another is Express Way To Your Heart!
Want you back of course is one of most famous bass lines ever but what im really loving about this video is the way Ian explains everything, He really added so much quality to this channel.
So many incredible bass lines to choose from. John Paul Jones’s bass line in “The Lemon Song”, Chris Squier’s in “Long Distance Runaround”, Tony Levin’s on “Three of a Perfect Pair”, Geddy Lee’s bass parts in “Digital Man”… and then, of course, there are Carol Kaye, Tal Wilkenfeld, Esperanza Spalding, Ron Carter, Marcus Miller, Leland Sklar, Bob Babbitt, Me’shell Ndgeocello… I don’t know how to choose.
I would go with "Ramble On" if I had to pick one JPJ bass line.
@@rome8180 I love that one, too. You really can’t go wrong with any JBJ bass line.
@@markmilner842 what is and what should never be is another great jpj line
Pure sweetness. I think that even the casual, non musician listener gravitates to the bass line naturally.
Ian, you appear to love and adore this song as much as I do. Thank you for crediting Wilton Felder.
Thanx Scott. Felder's playing came the closest to James Jamerson than anybody. Down here in Houston Archie Bell was singing about a new dance called "The Tighten Up. Felder was from Houston and knew Bell well. It might have been him on that incredible bass line. (Bell's brother Ricky won the Heisman Trophy!) ❤Greatest baseline ever : No Dought "What's Going On". Jamerson through subtlety takes this song from earth to heaven like Brahms didin his last sonatas just prior to his death as Jamerson''s relationship with Motown is dying. It is a subtle, magnificent work of art!
You bring so much joy to the music. The music brings you so much joy. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Ironically I’m currently learning this song for a RUclips bass cover. I hope to do it justice.
Jack Casady on Somebody to Love. It just rolls! I never play it the same way twice. He changed my approach to the instrument. Agree that this song is magnificent; makes me smile whenever I play it.
Sir Duke is one of my favorites. I submit that for “greatest bassline ever”
One of Nate Watts best; but you should consider "Do I Do."
@@emc2104 I agree! "Do I Do" is one of Nate Watts best! "I Wish" is my favourite. It's instantly recognizable and one of the greatest bass intros much like The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back".
“What’s Goin On” for me. Gets me every time.
@@LennonLove Me, too. In fact, my favorite song of all time! But voting purely for the baseline, it really is hard to beat “I Want You Back”
I Was Made to Love Her, by Stevie Wonder...
I am a life member of SBL, logged many hours. This by FAR is my favorite video. Besides the content, shows how far the SBL Team has come. Very well put together, and I say that as I am on the set, filming a syndicated TV show! This video bridges concepts for me;' Nashville, Arpeggios, Maj Scale, seeing them musically (from the download) on the staff (versus tab, thats Mr. Berlin's influence!) Phil Mann's video...the way you break it down Ian, watching your fingering on those Tele Jumbo spaced frets, your absolute passion for this baseline, it all comes together fabulously! TY!!!
How about Chuck Rainey’s basslines on Aretha Franklin recording of “Until You Come Back Me”, written by Stevie Wonder? Or his basslines on “When Love Has Grown” recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway?
Tommy Cogbill is another legend that nobody talks about. Played with Aretha on her earlier hits
some of the best basslines right there! I'd also throw in his bassline for Josie with Steely Dan!
@@fiscaldisco5234 Peg too
Chuck's bass on Beads of Sweat (1970) by Laura Nyro is crazy good. With Duanne Allman on lead and Cornell Dupree on rhythm - music magic.
Chuck has SO many, ... I'm going with Kid Charlemagne, or maybe one of the great Aretha songs like Rock Steady
Love your enthusiasm. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and insights. Life is richer because of people like you.
One of my heroes on bass is the rather underrated famously brilliant Bob Babbit, as part of the awesome Funk Brothers. Some of the most iconic bass lines come from him.
Midnight Train To Georgia!
@@tribeshift Midnight Train to Georgia?
A great bassline that I always reliably fail at. But I don't give up!
@@andreasziska8453 Doh! That's the one!
I got to see Babbitt with the Funk Brothers at the Ottawa Bluesfest around the time Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Amazing.
Great video, one of my favorite basslines! You knocked this one out of the park young man.
You are a great teacher and thanks for sharing the "unsung hero" Wilton Felders bass lesson.
What a marvelous bassline and song! Thanks for featuring it!
Well, that's my #1 of all time covered, so thanks for that! For another classic, how about something by the Doobie Brothers' criminally underrated Tiran Porter? "Takin' It to the Streets" is a masterclass in the use of space and groove, and "Long Train Running" is just a great groove. And there's always Chuck Rainey's stupendous work on "Kid Charlemagne".
Chuck do reign don’t he?!
I love your energy, unbound excitement and enthusiasm about this Song and its marvelous baseline because it's song genuine and matches my feelings about this composition and it's rendering also! CHEERS!!
I'm so pleased that Scott has made it to 1million subscribers; this is well deserved. Scott should rightly be in the company of Aimee Nolte, Rick Beato and Adam Neely; all amongst the best musical educators on the web.
Absolutely glorious! One of my all-time favorites and probably one of the best groovin bass lines ever made! So amny great bass lines in the motown era! Such a bouncy, groovin, varied, and melodic line! They drive the song so much while outlining the chords! Also, i love older music as you can hear every part and each instrument so clearly! Amazing stuff, man! 😎🥹👍🏻 classic!
Uf, I love Culture Club's "Do you really want to hurt me?" and "Tumble for ya" Amazing bass lines.
Yes! Also anything by Simple Minds and Japan.
WOW! Thanks for the enlightenment. I'm blown away by who played the bass on this song. Clearly, musician Wilton Felder was an absolute phenomenon. I'm a HUGE fan of his work. Loved him in the Crusaders!!!
Excellent choice! I look forward to finally playing this bassline properly now.
Thinking of You - Sister Sledge, Good Times - Chic (or any Bernard Edwards bassline) would be a good one.
Thx man! Would like to see more of this ‘breaking it down’ vids. Makes practices more fun!
Because of… the headstock..? And… the butterscotch, and the bridge, and the control plate, and the lack of body contours, and everything. Haha.
Great video and honestly didn’t know it wasn’t James.
Point taken 😂 thanks Cabby
Wilton Felder's bass session track on Seals & Crofts "Hummingbird" is iconic! The tail end coda section is phenomenal! He and guitarist Louie Shelton who helped produce S&C both play on the J5's "I Want You Back". LS played the opening guitar octave lick.
I think you should do an episode on the bass line in "Ramble On" by John Paul Jones.
Other suggestions: the slow middle section of "Orion" by Cliff Burton/Metallica; any bass line by Paul McCartney (but especially "Something"); Robert DeLeo's bass line in "Plush." I love this series, btw!
One of my favorite bass lines, in a song that is rock and roll gold. 💙 JPJ!
My band has been playing this tune for the last 10 years. It blew me away when we first started playing it.
"My Forbidden Lover" by Bernard Edwards. His fills are mine boggling
If you want to hear some fills and I beg of you please give Brandon Meeks a listen .. His cover of Lovely Day by Bill Withers the dude is a beast his improve is other worldly.
Bernard Edwards also did some nice bass fills on another lesser-known Chic standout, "Soup For One."
I never would of guessed that this wasn't JAMERSON playing this Bass Line.. THX for posting Ian!🎸
The bass line from “Just My Imagination” from
The Temptations is fire.
Played by Bob Babbitt.
I am a metal bassist at heart but I have to say these Motown bassists I’m learning about are inspiring me to practice and learn! Love it!
9:04 I burst out laughing 😂 because this is how I responded too.
Thank you for this video. Informative; I’m learning about another bass player (and saxophonist!) that I hardly knew, excellent breakdown of rhythm and scale theory. And so entertaining!
I would like to see a video on Michael McDonald’s “What A Fool Believes” - that bass line is so sparse it’s barely there, I’m still figuring it out.
Great freaking video. Excellent work. Possibly my favorite bass line ever. My lust for ‘51 P bass is now through the roof.
The absolute bass nerdiness in so infectious (too soon?). Great stuff!
Thanks so much for explaining this in terms of numbers and theory! It makes it so much easier to learn!
No worries!! 🧡🧡🧡
Check out Wilton Felder's "Inherit the Wind" playing both sax & bass featuring Bobby Womack...RIP Wilton & Bobby
Phantasmagorical.
Thank you, Ian Martin! For years, I could not quite figure out the break.... It's even better than I thougt!
5:00, there's a live version still on RUclips from 1972 I think of them playing live, and make no mistake, Jermaine was actually playing bass. Not in the studio, but on tour he really did learn those lines. The steps, singing in key and this bassline is a difficult thing man! Anyway, right after that riff or "fill" if you like, he doesn't do the descending line; he goes into this like octave thing. A string 6th fret and the octave, 8th string G string, then drop down a half step, 5 and 7 respectively and then a slight rest and go down to 1 and 3 on the same strings then into the rest of the line as normal. Definitely a nice little fill that Jermaine threw in there. Check it out!
I checked this out... so amazing! Unbelievable choreography and playing. Sometimes I forget how good they were, especially in the early years. Thanks for mentioning this!
@@jamiebegian4696
Did Jermaine have green on? You can definitely hear the bass. And the Wah-Wah guitar on Tito's behalf. But if you wanna hear the whole concert, I think it's the 1972 half of the Live At the Forum live album. The other half is from 1970.
Jermaine is totally underrated as a bassist. Listen to his first hit "Let's Get Serious". I saw him play that live. Singing and slapping. Real talent.
@@cathridge
...do you think I don't know about that epic piece of music? Jermaine slapping and singing a song penned by the great Stevie Wonder? I'm there!
Donnie, did you here what he did on the live versions of ‘I Wanna Be Where You Are’? Straight fire!
This bass lesson was the perfect mix of teaching, jamming, enthusiasm & a little theory!! An awesome way to spend 11:35 of my life. Now, I’m going to spend hours trying to move from 25% speed to full speed. At least I’ve got your breakdowns for when I get stuck. Many thanks ❤
Greatest and prettiest bassline in history
A classic, is a classic, is a classic… great stuff as usual, Ian!
Sister Sledge: Thinking Of You played by Bernard Edwards. One of the most grooving basslines EVER!
I always wondered about who played on Mama Never Told Me.
Thanks for this. I have never seen an fully accurate tab for this, yours provided here is spot on.
Signed sealed and delivered has always been one of my favorite bass lines. I believe that is Bob Babbitt.
Better than Inner City Blues?????
Outstanding bass line & fantastic analysis & breakdown . Seems like only yesterday I watched the young Jacksons debut this classic treasure on Ed Sullivan. Song still rises to the top among the great ones. Thank you for posting !
My favorite bass lines are probably Mark King’s on “Hot Water”, by Level 42, and Nick Beggs’ on “Too Shy”, by Kajagoogoo. John Taylor’s line on “Rio”, by Duran Duran, is another one.
Yes, Hot Water is one of the best! Mark King is brilliant.
I submit Jaco Pastorious's Solo on the song "All American Alien Boy" done by Ian Hunter
I don't even play the bass, but your passion is priceless and goes beyond the screen. Thanks for sharing!
Bernadette! ...and Bouree by Jethro Tull.
Glen Cornick's bassline on Bouree is why I vowed to someday learn the bass guitar, and I think it is safe to say that Glenn Cornick is THE WORLD'S MOST UNDER RATED BASS PLAYERS OF ALL TIME!
Ian Anderson was not so kind..
@@shipsahoy1793 I've never read any stories about Ian Anderson's personality, or how he got on with people, but I saw a RUclips of a live performance of Bouree made sometime in the 2000s, and he introduced the song, saying something along the lines of, "this is a piece of shit song that people like, but if you ask me it's just really bad cocktail lounge music... a 1, 2, 3." And it really struck me as odd. And that familiar bassline wasn't included in the arrangement. Go figure?
@@mikestrong4946 Well Mike I’ll be the first to admit that Ian Anderson was a talented guy.. I was a big fan of Jethro Tull in the 70s and I’ve followed Anderson’s music through the years, although stuff from his younger days is definitely more interesting to me, but he seemingly egotistical and stand off ish, even condescending in a way. I don’t believe he truly appreciated the people around him and their contributions to his success. Also, he can’t seem to tell better from worse in his body of work, I guess because he’s just too close to it. He seems to think his best work is his most personal, but fans don’t always agree. He also used to get annoyed by critics, like when they didn’t get Passion Play or assumed “Too Old to Rock..” was a personal admission. Anything that he said about Glenn Cornick that was seemingly good,
appeared to me as if it was just politics rather than sincerity. There was a personality clash between them.. Glenn liked to party and Ian looked down on it.
Bouree was the very first time I heard a bass player playing chords and I was amazed, and at that point said anything can be done with this instrument, yes grossly underrated, Glen was great!
Just lovin' this series. Ian's joy and his facility for teaching make these a blast.
Sneaking Sally through the Alley - Robert Palmer with the Meters has one of the greatest baselines in Pop
George Porter Jr.
As a lifetime member of SBL, you bring a different angle to things that really is great. Keep up the great work and thanks for keeping things cool in these crap times.
While Jamerson is my bass idol, I have to give props to his backup of sorts, Bob Babbitt. Midnight Train to Georgia has always been a favorite of mine. Mercy Mercy Me is another.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I read in bass player magazine back in 2005, Babbitt didn't get a lot of credit for playing on old motown songs because a white guy "replacing" Jamerson would upset some folks and he didn't get proper recognition until about 20 years later.
Midnight Train to Georgia is my all-time favourite song
@@andrewgrant1982 You sir, have great taste. 😊
Inner City Blues
Like many record companies in the 60’s, Motown Records had sloppy documentation. When there was a retrospective question concerning who played what on bass, the default answer was their most celebrated bassist James Jamerson. Bob Babbitt certainly was under credited as was Wilton Felder and even Carol Kaye (who filed a lawsuit which was largely debunked).
Thanks for this! It's a good stretch for me right now and lots of fun to play whilst trying to learn it.
Thanks for getting me back to counting ;-) How about "School Days" by Stanley Clarke, or "Donna Lee" by Jaco?
this was immensely helpful. thank you for putting all of the theory explanation behind it instead of just explaining it via tab
“A Firth of Fifth” by Genesis- one of Prog’s iconic bass parts.
I *wish* I could play the bass like this! Ian looks so happy jamming away to this song. “I Want You Back” and “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys are maybe my two dream songs to be able to play one day
Greatest bassline ever? That's a tall order and don't really know where to start, but Bob Babbit is so often overlooked. Great player. Midnight Train to Georgia is so beautifully melodic that I would vote for it.
Another kick-ass Ian video! I've also been digging Scott and Ian's podcast conversations. Hey, you know what might make for a really interesting episode? The bass lines for both Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side and David Essex' Rock On are both really interesting and unique, to me. Each song features dual/overdubbed bass parts, all of which were played by English studio musician Herbie Flowers. It was Herbie's idea to have doubled bass lines for each song, which he primarily suggested because it meant he could be paid double-scale for the session. Such iconic parts that were brought into existence, in part, because Herbie was just trying to scratch out a living.
Man I've seen tabs for this song and it's always way more complicated than you've presented it here!! I had no idea it was basically just a scale 😅 Cool!
I mean...a lot of music is basically just a scale. But the “feel” can still be complex to master.
@@Dartania sure, but new players don't reallg recognize this 🤷🏼
Thank u Ashlee! That makes me happy to hear.
I LOVE that you're talking in scale degrees. That's how I think.
Chuck Rainey's bass line for "Peg" or Tony Levin's bass line for "Sledgehammer".
I agree with Chuck. 👍
Absolutely brilliant. Energy, fun and bass! What a great tune to learn! And some!
Such an amazing tune and a killer bass part to boot. But since you're askin', the bass part Paul McCartney plays "Something" is, for my money, one of the greatest baselines ever.
I just now read further down into the thread and see that someone beat me to the punch! Another Greatest of All Time submission: Joe Jackson's "Friday" as played by the amazing Graham Maby.
Wow this song is truly amazing and fun to play... The arpeggios part at the end is really the master piece of the song it really make you want to dance
This is one of my favorite lines ever. You should do Ramble On by JPJ
Great track, seconded. And when you hear JPJ’s rippin’ improvs on the outro you just know he listened to Motown.
Indeed, Yes, would love a Ramble On breakdown. Closer to Home by Grand Funk Railroad has some amazing bass parts. Ian is da man!
These videos are incredible-don’t stop making them!
As soon as I learnt about how passing tones work, incorporating non-chord/scale tones away from the accents, my playing upped itself in flexibility and scope. Mostly I've found they add the most to sparse open lines, but here they're just throwing magic everywhere.
Great vid mate - another great piece from the SBL crew - cheers !
I attended Brother Felder's funeral out in California a few years back. He was a man of devout faith, as a member of Jehovah's Witnesses. The music, while important, was always secondary to his love for Jehovah, and the promises of His Word. Rest in Peace. The world is a much better place for what you left behind. 👑
I'm not even a bassist and I loved this. Great job Mr. Alison, and great chops!
Allman Brothers Band - Whipping Post. Great Berry Oakley on his Tractor Bass.
What a bass man! 70 years of success
Yo man, was wondering if you do the Pearl Jam Ten album sometime. There's some cool 12 string bass parts, fretless etc. would be cool
“Hey Bulldog” by Paul McCartney!