Favorite MM bass basslines?

[Duarte]

Hello all.

I'm interested in different people's tastes in music who play MM basses. We all know they are versatile and sound great, so what are your all time favorite basslines recorded with a musicman?

I have to say that 'Take the Power Back' by rage against the machine is one of mine...could be somewhat controversial, but we are all appreciative here.

Zak

 

[Caca de Kick]

The stuff I play is much different than things I'm inspired by.
Wth that said, 'Smooth Operator' is one of my all-time favorite lines.
'Sledgehammer', an awesome Sabre dripping with effects sound. And just about anything Louis Johnson did. Love the early Rage Against the Machine stuff also.

 

[bovinehost]

"Don't Give Up" comes immediately to mind, but then so does a lot of the King Crimson stuff.

 

[the unrepentant]

anything by flea, particularly Aeroplane.

 

[drTStingray]

How about - virtually anything by Bernard Edwards - Chic, Sister Sledge etc etc. My favourites for wicked bass playing and sound are We are Family (check out the long club version); My forbidden Lover; Chic Cheer; Strike up the Band.

I read a recent interview with Tony Levin and he said he did Sledgehammer on a fretless Stingray - heard it the other day on the car radio back to back with Nikita by Elton John (with Pino Palladino on bass - sounding suspiciously like his Stingray fretless - great bass part as well) - Stingray overload whilst driving - can't beat it!

There's a lot of Pino's Stingray on 1980's stuff such as Paul Young's albums - especially No Parlez - he also plays it through a Trace Elliott stack with Paul Young on Live Aid (on the DVD he has a killer bass sound - and plays superbly)

I also love that RATM album - Bullet in the Head is my favourite song on it for classic MM Stingray sound.

 

[Colin]

add me to the Chic list

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

"Don't Give Up" comes immediately to mind...

That's what I was thinking too.

 

[joshbrake]

The stuff I play. I wouldn't be playing it if I didn't think it was great

 

[RobertB]

Flea: Johnny Kick a Hole in the Sky; Behind the Sun; Walkabout; Backwoods; If You Want Me to Stay; Aeroplane

Yeah Zak, I agree with you - Timmy C's line in "Take the Power Back" is great. I always thought it was too bad he didn't play more slap lines.

 

[jaylegroove]

"Red rain". Sounds simple but is not at all, full of subtilities.

 

[Rano Bass]

First Sade (Sweetest Taboo, Never as Good as the First Time), then Mass Production, and later Dave LaRue on Steve Morse's Stressfest.

 

[RobertB]

While we're on favorite lines - this is one of my all-time favorites. It's not an MM, but to me it does have an MM-esque sound. It's not as hot, of course & doesn't have the MM low-end, but I can easily get very close to this sound with my SR4. I'm curious to see if anyone else sees what I mean.

Here's a good 30 second sample ... Lopsy Lu, by Stanley Clarke, 1974

By the way, it develops into quite a rockin 'tune. Great album in general, by Stan the Man.

 

[oli@bass]

anything by flea, particularly Aeroplane.

I'm not sure whether that is actually recorded with a Music Man bass. Once read an interview in a German guitar & bass magazine, where Flea stated that he actually never used a StingRay to record anything (at least from BSSM on), but did all the recording with Alembic basses, because they have a more even response over the whole fingerboard and he was able to mimic any sound he wanted. Was quite a shock for me then...

 

[oli@bass]

"School" - Dougie Thomson (Supertramp) -- on the live recording "Paris"
"Sledgehammer" - Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel)
"Don't Give Up" - Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel)
"Killing in the Name of" - Tim Commerford (Rage Against The Machine)
"Open Your Eyes" - Stefan Ude (Guano Apes)


If they were recorded with an MM bass, I'd also name some lines from Flea, and from Edwin Colin (Porcupine Tree) but AFAIK, both play(ed) MMs only live.

 

[MK Bass Weed]

The Chuck Mangione albums: 'Live at Hollywood Bowl' and "Children of Sanchez", "Feels So Good" and "Fun and Games" feature Charles Meeks on a Natural MM Sting Ray, loud and clear. O..and some incredible music too. One of my favorite lines is from the song "Feels So Good"...It's like Jamerson with a little of the octave disco riffing...which was actually okay to do back then. There is also a cool solo on the song "11th Commandment"

As far as cool lines John Deacon and Another One Bites the Dust (hey hey)

From Wikipedia:
In early 1977, Deacon got two new basses: a Precision Fretless, which he used for "'39" (emulating the double bass he used in the original recording) and "My Melancholy Blues" on stage and a Music Man Stingray which he used as main for the "Day At The Races" tour and some videos. From the 'News of the World' tour up until 'The Works' tour in 1985, the Musicman would remain for just specific numbers ("Sheer Heart Attack", "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Back Chat"), and used sometimes in the studio as well.
mk

 

[Jim_F]

Big Chic / Bernard Edwards fan too .....

 

[Moondog]

I'm another fan of Aeroplane by Flea, my recollection of him
stating he used a Wal for most of the album but absolutely
used a Ray for Aeroplane (certainly sounds like a 3 band SR4).

I also love love TC's lines on that 1st Rage album - awesome
2-band SR4 basslines everywhere.

Saw a few 3-band Rays on TV over the weekend while browsing
Music HD channel. John Fogerty's bassist, Evanessence bassist,
LinkinPark and a new band & can't recall . . . nice!

JF's bassist got me craving a black/maple w/tort guard

 

[tkarter]

Gotta spread some country love to the EB basses.
Any bass line Steve Marshall bassist for Kenny Chesney.

Anything but mine is a particular favorite of mine.

tk

 

[MK Bass Weed]

"JF's bassist got me craving a black/maple w/tort guard"

I think that was David Santos...played with CSN last year and Billy Joel a while ago.

Great player and nice guy

M

 

[scowboy]

+1 for Bernard Edwards and Paul Denman.

Steve Wright who played bass in the Greg Kihn band had gnarly MM tone. I think he played a Sabre in the early days. I mixed them in the early 90's and he laid it down thick with a Stingray. Pick player right over the pickup, he is bad to the bone.