Favorite bass riffs.

boomstick

Silver Member
I love the bass (guitar and upright). If I wasn't a drummer, that is the instrument I would play. But I've never wanted to attempt another instrument until I was satisfied with my drumming development, which appears to be ongoing... So for now, I must be content to just listen and play "air bass." Here are some basslines I really dig.

You can never go wrong with Larry Graham. POW!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2_SreKsg2k

MCA (Adam Yauch). Sabotage!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YZ5yKJlhbiA#t=31

Matt "Punchy" McQuaid. Red Lights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmrXkq6W3vU

Josh Lambert. Mmkit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T450JL3pYug

What are some of your favorites?
 
Ray Manzarek (The Doors) and his bassline notes played on a keyboard bass (no bass guitar). The man was a brilliant mind that ever lived...
 
"The Real Me" - John Entwistle with The Who.

"You" - John Entwistle with The Who.

"Dangerous" - John Entwistle with The Who.

"The Quiet One" - John Entwistle with The Who.

(wait, I sense a theme......)

ok:

"Damage" - Eddie Jackson with Queensryche
 
Entwistle is a solid choice. "The Real Me" is another of my fav bass-centric tunes.

Ditto. There's one moment where John and Keith do a 16th note run simultaneously - it almost sounds like Mahavishnu lol

Stratus - Billy Cobham

Thela Hun Ginjeet - King Crimson

Pound for a Brown - Zappa Plays Zappa live (song starts 5:30) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2d_HKBiFd8#t=5m30s

Flea on the Chilli Peppers's Suck My Kiss

How Many More Times - Led Zep

Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Drury

Chandra - Gong

Crosseyed and Painless - Talking Heads

What a Day That Was - Talking Heads (live)

Starless (middle section) - King Crimson

Elephant Talk - King Crimson

Batuka - Santana

Take a Walk on the Wild Side - Lou Reed

Birdland - Weather Report

Higher Ground - Stevie Winder

I Wish - Stevie Wonder

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

Money - Pink Floyd

Funkytown - Lipps Inc

Come Together - Beatles

Love me a good bass riff!
 
Going to have to sign up for the middle section of 'Starless' by King Crimson as Grea mentions. I learned that part on bass and it's one of the most fun things to play that I've come across.

Other favourites:

Joy Division - 'Isolation'
Joy Division - 'Disorder'
Radiohead - 'The National Anthem'
Pink Floyd - 'Dogs'

All kinds of good stuff in there. When I sit down to play bass, these are usually the things that come out first before I start working on anything else...
 
One of my favorite bass riffs is If You Want Me To Stay by Sly & the Family Stone.

I like Geddy Lee's riffs in The Trees.

NIB by Black Sabbath is a good riff too.
 
I love the bass (guitar and upright). If I wasn't a drummer, that is the instrument I would play. But I've never wanted to attempt another instrument until I was satisfied with my drumming development, which appears to be ongoing... So for now, I must be content to just listen and play "air bass." Here are some basslines I really dig.

You can never go wrong with Larry Graham. POW!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2_SreKsg2k

MCA (Adam Yauch). Sabotage!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YZ5yKJlhbiA#t=31

Matt "Punchy" McQuaid. Red Lights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmrXkq6W3vU

Josh Lambert. Mmkit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T450JL3pYug

What are some of your favorites?

Tool- Schism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1YM476Pa4o

Went to buy this at a Best Buy a while back and the teenage clerk looked at me funny because of my age and said for your son and I said no ,for me ,that bass player cooks.
 
Golden Earring's "Radar Love"
Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On"
The Who's "My Generation"
 
Take a Walk on the Wild Side - Lou Reed
All time classic riff right there. This and "Walking on the Moon" were two of the first songs I heard where I really noticed and connected with the bass.

Silly love songs by wings....
It's a song I've heard many times, but I've never really focused on the bassline before. You're right, it's a good one.

One of my favorite bass riffs is If You Want Me To Stay by Sly & the Family Stone.
Great bass line. Love this one.

Joy Division - 'Isolation'
Joy Division - 'Disorder'
Nice.

Golden Earring's "Radar Love"
Reminds me of another favorite of mine: Twilight Zone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=a1sf2CzEq0w#t=151

A great selection right here. See if you can guess them all :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CePiOjxfcHo
Using a bass to help showcase your drums is a great idea. Nice work.
 
Last edited:
I'm going to throw out a few more:

Rob Grange - Stranglehold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txLap_BCmGA

Tom Hamilton - Sweet Emotion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mxwEFngA__c#t=26

John Deacon - Another One Bites the Dust...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rY0WxgSXdEE#t=5

...which was inspired by Bernard Edwards, Good Times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=CycTQ29ikAA#t=192

John Taylor - Some Like It Hot (I really dig Tony Thompson's drumming too.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf2MNCu5oqM
 
Gotta say that I'm thrilled that the DW has a thread dedicated to cool bass lines - as drummers, we're only half of the rhythm section so this is great to see.

Here's one of my all-time favorites:
Fascination Street - The Cure

I love that it's the same line top to bottom and carries the tune the whole way.

This was also the riff that sucked me into bass playing and got me hooked on hooks.
 
Back
Top