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Palace Revolution 2000
I'm sorry but this kind of question makes me mad; to even answer "The Real Me" to this, is the same as saying the only time the guitar makes a difference (in the Stones) is "Sympathy for the Devil". I.e. when the guitar is solo-ing front and center. The bass is the foundation; a house won't have a beautiful, elegant dining room without a basement to sit on. Much of a bass's function is implied.
Keith and Jagger have spoken w/o much respect about Wyman, but they have always known how vital those parts are.

Thanks for saying this so I didn't have to. It seems people were only thinking of examples of songs where the bass stood out, rather than it's vital function of being the rhythmic and harmonic glue that holds the song togetehr - far more important than the occasional song where it is a featured instrument, and extremely important in the foundation of the the Rolling Stones' music.

Perky Wyman on King Bee!

I saw an interview with McCartney recently where he said that he often put his bass parts on tracks last.

Oh god, how much Bill Wyman is missed!

Listen to his magic here. This really makes a difference!

I don't think Bill Wyman is playing the bass on this one, but the bass line on All Down the Line is excellent and really makes the song go into high gear, especially the first 30 seconds or so.

Any Beatles recording (especially from 1966 - 1969 ) Mccartney was probably the most inventive and melodic Bassman in music

Jack Bruce in Cream

Keith's Bass tracks on Beggars and Let It Bleed ( Live with Me ! )

Bill Wyman

John Entwhistle

John Paul Jones on the first couple Zep albums

Brian Wilson's use of Bass on albums like Pet Sounds -- incredible -- even though Carol Kaye played most of it, Wilson wrote it----

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flilflam
I don't think Bill Wyman is playing the bass on this one, but the bass line on All Down the Line is excellent and really makes the song go into high gear, especially the first 30 seconds or so.

Yeah, that one puzzled me fort a long time. It has to be that the liner notes on Exile are a little misleading. There has to be two basses on the song. There is an electric bass on there. I mean, listen to 0:18 - 0:22; that walk-up back to the beginning of the line.
Must be an o/d of the uprite.

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flilflam
I don't think Bill Wyman is playing the bass on this one, but the bass line on All Down the Line is excellent and really makes the song go into high gear, especially the first 30 seconds or so.

Yeah, that one puzzled me fort a long time. It has to be that the liner notes on Exile are a little misleading. There has to be two basses on the song. There is an electric bass on there. I mean, listen to 0:18 - 0:22; that walk-up back to the beginning of the line.
Must be an o/d of the uprite.

Oh and I meant to say: Yes to the bass on "Satisfaction" being genius.
So the riff, is the RIFF, true. But what adds so much to that song IMO are the notes. The notes of the riff, against those particular chords , and then that choice of bassline. Are you kidding?

2120 South Michigan Ave.
Since no one has mentioned that one yet.

Love the bass player jokes.

Marv Peck

Y'all remember that rubber legged boy

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ChrisM
Bill's bass playing was an integral part of the Stones sound forged at its core by him, Charlie and Keith. When they were on, magic happened. Without Bill, a vital element to Stones sound was lost so in this case the bassist made a HUGE difference, at least in my view...

I agree.
It's easy to "miss" Bill's factor in the Stones rhythm section because he hides in there.., but when you actually stop and think about what makes the Stones music so definable (besides Jagger's vocal obviously), its the groove....the bottom.
And without Bill, that groove would not be there.
As for Macca, he's an artist with the bass....no one can come close, not only prominent, but melodic and IMO, one of the biggest reasons the Beatles music had such a sophisticated, musical edge.

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tatters

Great find tatters

__________________________

I've played with enough mediocre to bad bassists and drummers to know how they make a negative difference! Usually it is a combination of overplaying and time issues. Not that I am great shakes as a musician but on the opportunities to play with an enlightened rhythm section I've become pretty fair!

Definitely agree with the Wyman props here and will also chime in on McCartney and Brian Wilson's parts for Carole Kaye and others (I tend to like that melodic stuff). I throw in James Jamerson and Duck Dunn as obvious and whoever was the session guy(s?) at Muscle Shoals. I also think Bruce Thomas and Graham Maby are a bit overlooked. Oh, and the name is Bootsy baby!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-04 23:37 by Wry Cooter.

I know I am in the minority here, but I listened to Casino Boogie last night and I have to say I love Keith Richards' bass. It is completely "wrong" in that he doesn't keep to a straight rhythm, he plays too many notes, etc. But it is soulful as all hell. If we can't have Bill, I much prefer the bass parts played by Richards, Taylor or (sometimes) Wood, as they are at least "Stonesy" while the Darryl Jones parts are too "professional".

Keith is a bit of a mystery as a bassist. Jumping Jack Flash is great, and I thought it was Bill for years. But when I did find out it was Keith, I still thought, "Well, it SOUNDS like Bill." Keith does a great bass on the studio version of 'Live With Me', but then Bill does an absolutely evil bass line live on 'Get Yer Ya Yas Out'. Keith was great at apeing greats, and just as he nicked every lick Chuck Berry ever invented, I think he played in a completely Bill style for 'Happy'. I haven't heard a decent Keith bass line since the 70s. He either lost it, or lost interest.

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24FPS
Keith is a bit of a mystery as a bassist. Jumping Jack Flash is great, and I thought it was Bill for years. But when I did find out it was Keith, I still thought, "Well, it SOUNDS like Bill." Keith does a great bass on the studio version of 'Live With Me', but then Bill does an absolutely evil bass line live on 'Get Yer Ya Yas Out'. Keith was great at apeing greats, and just as he nicked every lick Chuck Berry ever invented, I think he played in a completely Bill style for 'Happy'. I haven't heard a decent Keith bass line since the 70s. He either lost it, or lost interest.

Good observations. "Happy" was indeed very Bill-like. JJF and SFM were both great Keith studio bass lines, made even better live by Bill.

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24FPS
Keith is a bit of a mystery as a bassist. Jumping Jack Flash is great, and I thought it was Bill for years. But when I did find out it was Keith, I still thought, "Well, it SOUNDS like Bill." Keith does a great bass on the studio version of 'Live With Me', but then Bill does an absolutely evil bass line live on 'Get Yer Ya Yas Out'. Keith was great at apeing greats, and just as he nicked every lick Chuck Berry ever invented, I think he played in a completely Bill style for 'Happy'. I haven't heard a decent Keith bass line since the 70s. He either lost it, or lost interest.

Listen to Pretty Beat Up. If that isn´t decent, you better have your ears checked







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-05 11:34 by DandelionPowderman.

Me, I've always considered John McVie as one of the "serving" bass players in this world who
make a big difference for the band they play with. I wouldn't have mind if the Stones would
have hired him to replace Bill.





Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-05 13:07 by marcovandereijk.

Pretty Beat Up is Ronnie on Bass. And I hate his bass-lines. They are all over the place and clueless. He is playing guitar-figures on bass, and IMO has total misunderstood what bass-playing is about.

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Blueranger
Pretty Beat Up is Ronnie on Bass. And I hate his bass-lines. They are all over the place and clueless. He is playing guitar-figures on bass, and IMO has total misunderstood what bass-playing is about.

It's Keith on bass.

Mathijs

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71Tele
It seems people were only thinking of examples of songs where the bass stood out, rather than it's vital function of being the rhythmic and harmonic glue that holds the song togetehr

Good point. Those songs where the bass stands out are usually not played by the bass player, so they sound as a guitarist who really doesn't know how to play a bass. Maybe a cool riff, but not as supportive.

The difference with Macca is that, according to Geoff Emerick, he recorded his bass AFTER the other instruments.

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DandelionPowderman

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24FPS
Keith is a bit of a mystery as a bassist. Jumping Jack Flash is great, and I thought it was Bill for years. But when I did find out it was Keith, I still thought, "Well, it SOUNDS like Bill." Keith does a great bass on the studio version of 'Live With Me', but then Bill does an absolutely evil bass line live on 'Get Yer Ya Yas Out'. Keith was great at apeing greats, and just as he nicked every lick Chuck Berry ever invented, I think he played in a completely Bill style for 'Happy'. I haven't heard a decent Keith bass line since the 70s. He either lost it, or lost interest.

Listen to Pretty Beat Up. If that isn´t decent, you better have your ears checked

Thank you for reminding me why I never listen to the Undercover album. It's just Mick saying 'Pretty Beat Up' over a monotonous track. The bass isn't bad, but it doesn't lift the song. That's why Bill was usually on the best tracks. Why he was usually on the singles. I was watching the Hampton '81 DVD last night. Bill's bass on 'Shattered' was great, showing how if he'd been bassman on the studio version, it could have been a more successful single.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-06 08:41 by 24FPS.

The clip below is mislabled. It's not CSN, but an early version featuring Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane on bass. Crosby talked up his bass part for years before this version finally saw release on the 1991 CSN boxed set. Dave always said the bass was "like another voice."

You can hear what he was talking about even over computer speakers:





Casady was/is brilliant in the Airplane, with Hot Tuna and, oh yeah, on the Electric Ladyland "Voodoo Chile."

Meanwhile, the absence of a bass player is felt on what I think of as a great latter-day Stones gem: "Had It With You." Cool move to drop the bass for that crisp, nasty bark.

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custom55
Live at Leeds - My Generation

I can listen to this song ( because of the bass ) over and over and over....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-06 15:26 by custom55.

Nobody mentioned Rick Danko? One of the great melodic players, and his use of the fretless was brilliant.

John Entwistle gives The Who part of their overall sound. i can't recall any other bass player being that involved in the sound of a band.

Bill played a great understated bass with the Stones always thought he was underated. I love his simple but catchy bass lines in Mother's Little Helper.