Songs with great bass lines

[DungeonmasterCal]

Not technically a "song" at all, but the theme from the old Barney Miller TV show had an excellent bass line.

Every bass player I know who's my age would learn that... lol

Ohh beat me to the Maiden reference. Good choice too

I'm a huge Maiden fan... I had to represent for them!

 

[GlassJaw]

Thin Lizzie, The Boys are Back

I much prefer Dancin' In the Moonlight - such a beautiful song.

 

[Warrior Poet]

Check out music involving the following talents:

Charles Mingus
James Jamerson
Bootsy Collins
Stanley Clarke
John Paul Jones
John Entwistle
Bill Wyman
Geezer Butler
Geddy Lee
Steve Harris
Cliff Burton
Jaco Pastorius
Victor Wooten
Doug Wimbish
Muzz Skillings
Gary Willis
Jeff Berlin
Tim Bogert
Billy Sheehan
Stu Hamm
Darryl Jones
Dave Holland

. . . and many more.

Warrior Poet

 

[Selenim]

Amateur bass player reporting

Another vote for Cliff Burton and Steve Harris. I also like Claypool's wackyness even if I can't play any of his lines

Being a death metal head I really go apeshit for Steve DiGiorgio and a lot of the bass players in the death scene. This subgenre of metal has a lot of progressive/jazz influence which makes an interesting mix with it's speed/thrash metal roots. In the Nu metal scene I like Mudvayne's bass player but that's about it.

Despite being keyboard-based I happen to like a lot of the older industrial band's bass beats as well. I also like the classic goth rock bands like Fields of the Nephilim. Progressive rock bands like Rush also have some good bass players. Funk music also has some great tapping bass lines.

 

[diaglo]

Not technically a "song" at all, but the theme from the old Barney Miller TV show had an excellent bass line.

yup

 

[HellHound]

Billybeat me to two of my top three... And now I have Groove is in the Heart running through my head (well, just the bass-line, but that's the best part).

But the other one, by far, is Higher Ground by the Chili Peppers. Flea is a VERY powerful bass player.

 

[philreed]

Scanning through my iTunes selection real quick these pop out at me:

God Lives Underwater's version of Depeche Mode's Fly on the Windscreen

Midnight Oil's Power and the Passion

Moby's version of the Bond Theme

Propellerheads' Spybreak

Public Enemy's Shut 'em Down

Rage Against the Machine (with Cypress Hill) doing How I Could Just Kill a Man

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

A few of my favorites:

Cannonball-The Breeders
Got the Time-Anthrax
Pump it Up-Elvis Costello
Evenflow-Pearl Jam
Outshined-Soundgarden
Down With Disease-Phish (This is just the first to come to mind, but Mike Gordon is unbelievable on SO many songs)

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

I like Anthrax's version of "Got the Time" so much better than the original Joe Jackson version!

 

[diaglo]

Billybeat me to two of my top three... And now I have Groove is in the Heart running through my head (well, just the bass-line, but that's the best part).

But the other one, by far, is Higher Ground by the Chili Peppers. Flea is a VERY powerful bass player.

yup... me 3