Listening to...?

[Metal_Boy16]

I've been playing bass for awhile now. I usually listen to anything from rock to death metal for inspiration, but I want some new horizons. What would you suggest? Nothing to country, disco, or funk. I was looking down the Jaco Pastorius alley. What album should I pick up of his? Anything else that is inspirational that I should pick up?

[Dave Castelo]

you can always buy the self titled album or the Birthday concert (I love "the chicken" version there)

[rsmith]

As mentioned above are great, or Jaco's first w/ Weather Report (it may be self titled but I can't remember). Marcus Miller solo or with any number of artists. My favorite is Up Front with David

Sandborn. Any Victor Wooten solo or with Bela Fleck. Me'shell Ndnican'tspello it on my owngello kinda funky though. Buckcherrys first album. Joe Jackson, Look Sharp.I had to learn some No Doubt basslines for a cover gig (Spiderwebs, You can Do It, Simple Kinda Life, Don't Speak) and I found them surprisingly inspiring. Steely Dan is a good groove to cop too.

Miles? Anyways, thats enough from me.

Robert

[MattC]

Be prepared for culture shock if you start down the jazz road. Don't get me wrong, I love the stuff (I could listen to Paul Chambers on "Kind of Blue" for hours), but it does take a while for virgin ears to get used to.

Weather Report is great material, but be sure to have some other, more traditional CDs in your collection. The last remastering of "Kind of Blue" is what to start with.

From one metal fan to another, I say pick up several progressive metal discs. Queensryche, Fates Warning, Savatage. Prog is great in that it exposes you to various chord voicings you won't hear elsewhere, in addition to some very unusual timings. My lead guitarist and I have beeen into prog for a while now and once our appreciation for the artists really kicked in, our songwriting vastly improved.

[groovehead]

Rusted Root's Patrick Norman has a very primitive and ultra ryhtmic groove that could probably fit into a heavier sound and add a lot of color to it. You might want to check them out. If your not familiar, they have an eclectic percussion and bass driven folky, jam band, sound.

[A.P. Non-Prod.]

I know you said nothing to funky, but I pulled out Blood,sugar,sex,magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers yesterday. I've had the tab for a long time and I'm really glad I'm finally learning some of his grooves. That album has been a classic to me since the day I first heard it.

[groovehead]

Flea is great. That is one of my altime favorite records. I recently heard that flea does a lot of session work as well. Specifically I heard he plays bass on some of Alanis Morisettes new stuff. Havent conformed it yet, just heard from a friend.

[Chris985]

Tower of Power is great...Sublime has some incredible bass work IMHO

Chris

[beta-galactosidase]

You really cant go past RHCP and any of les claypools numerous bands. It was after seeing tommy the cat that i realized there is more to bass than basic rock lines and although flea and les are no wooten they give u a great workout to jam along with.

[Jay J.]

I also like to listen to jazz stuff all of the people mentioned are great, I'm a big wooten fan. I also like to listen to some blues like: BB King, muddy waters, john lee hooker, hound dog taylor. stuff like that is good for the soul. it is fun to add a little funk into the mix, like George Clinton, chillipepper stuff is great funk/rock mix. I just find that listening to music you usually wouldn't listen too can make you think of some neat stuff. Like I recently came up with two great lines for some songs I have been working on with my band, and I was listening to rap. (dr. dre the chronic, origonal one) ya never know.

[TKE96]

My vote for expanding horizons is MR. Oysterhead. Les Claypool with the rest of the talent pooled there have done some incredible sounds.

[Mark Zeger]

If you're looking for something with a Jaco vibe, try "Who Loves You", a Jaco tribute album. Includes contributions from Marcus Miller (a beautiful one-man production of "Portrait of Tracy"), Will Lee, John Patitucci, Mark Egan, and an amazing roster of musicians.

 

http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Acy08b5b4msqk

[TomD]

I've been listening to "Evidence" by Adam Nitti. This is a great disc. He plays a 6-string and you can hear some of his songs on mp3.com - you can reach the links from his home page http://www.adamnitti.com. He's also a columnist for Bass Player.

[TomD]

I've been listening to "Evidence" by Adam Nitti. This is a great disc. He plays a 6-string and you can hear some of his songs on mp3.com - you can reach the links from his home page http://www.adamnitti.com. He's also a columnist for Bass Player.

[Zack]

'I agree with Dave in that both Jacos debut album and his birthday record are fabulous. I also agree with templar001 in that it will take awhile to get used to Jaco and jazz, as it will listening to almost any unfamiliar music. However, after awhile, I'm sure you will find that Jaco was one of the baddest cats that ever lived. As far as branching out musically, congratulations! It takes a lot of maturity and a willingness to listen and learn to do it, as I'm sure you are up to the task. As well as Jaco, check out Herbie Hancock, who is one groovy jazz cat with some very cool bass lines, RHCP, because they rock and Flea is a bass innovator, and try the blues. Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Jimmie Cotton, Magic Sam, Robert Johnson, The Immortal "King" trio (B.B., Albert, Freddy), Buddy Guy, I could go on all day... these artists and their respective bass parts are inventive and steady, and are a groove to play. they will also teach you a lot about theory and the usage of the bass in a song.

 

Good luck!

[Metal_Boy16]

I just got two new CDs. Primus: Sailing the Seas of Cheese, and RHCP, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I was freaked out for the first five minutes of each CD. But then I got into the groove. I realize that Flea and Les Claypool bring a whole new kind of bass to my world. They like jumping up into higher end right from the low end. I love it! I can add a new dimension of playing to my band!

[g.]

Coolest, Metal_Boy13! : }  It's my not-always-humble opinion that you can take the bass anywhere you want to without losing its vitality if you believe! Just keep checking things out that are different from all over the place, and don't be afraid to THINK differently either! That's the other way to make leaps.

[Metal_Boy16]

I just got two new CDs. Primus: Sailing the Seas of Cheese, and RHCP: Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik. The first 5 minutes of each album, I was freaked (A.K.A. "culture shock"). It was completely weird. Then I got into the groove about 10 minutes into each album. Les Claypool and Flea bring a whole different sound to my world. They love jumping into the high end right from the low end; from the low E to the high G. It is amazing. It sounds like a crap-load of slap bass. I think if I get the tab for it I will be snapping a lot of strings quite often. I'm just glad that I got those albums. I love them! It will bring a whole new dimesion to my playing in my metal band!

By the way, I wanted to get Jaco, but it wasn't at the store. I'll find it at Amazon.

[wraub]

Try these...

Rush-Moving Pictures

Cake-Fashion Nugget

Mr. Bungle- Mr. Bungle

Yes-Fragile

Gentle Giant-Power & the Glory

Boud Doun- The Stolen Bicycle

 

Peace,

wraub

 

"I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here."

[Shivall]

Welp, I just picked up Kind of Blue after meaning to get it for months now...and...what can I say...I love it! I've never really been into jazz before, but I think I'm going to try and expand my horizons a bit also.

 

Oh, and on the blues front, everyone should give some old Leadbelly a listen, while there is little or no bass in most of his work, it's a great example of early blues and the man could really tear it up on the 12-string.

[NickT]

You're a rock and metal guy, so I guess you listen to Led Zep a bit? Cool. BUT...go back to the source where John Paul Jones learnt so much...Motown. (Buy Motown Chartbusters Vols 1&2 plus Reach Out by the Four Tops.) JPJ understood Motown (about the only bloke in the UK who did at the time. This is why he always got the call to do sessions for english singers who were covering Motown tunes)

 

Check out the Allman Brothers Band. Allen Woody (original bass lad-try "Live at The Fillmore") and Oteil Burbridge (current bass lad - search for ABB fan sites for bootlegs of shows. Apparently the band doesn't mind bootlegging, when they cook they cook. If you can't find any drop me an e-mail at bassforhire@hotmail.com and I'll send you some sites.)

 

For more Oteil try Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit.

 

For slidey wobbly charm, baritone sax honking like a good'un and general strangeness buy some Morphine (RIP Mark Sandman). Find "Bootleg Detroit" it is an official release I belive and it is a wicked recording of a wicked show.

 

Now this suggestion might be a little off the wall, but trust me on this...

 

J.S.Bach

 

Jack Bruce called him "the guvnor of all time" (or something along those lines)

 

Buy some good recordings of his cello suites. Or even some of his organ pieces. Ask the classical guy in a big record store to help you pick some out. (Some of the parts for the feet on the organ are monster bass lines.)

 

Bookwise buy "Standing in the Shadows of Motown". Every bass player should own this book. (Good for you're reading as well and it comes with 2 cd's of the lines and interviews). Try "JS BAch for bass" (cello pieces arranged for bass guitar) and the Organbuchline. Not sure how to spell it. It means "Little Organ Book" in German. Any organist worth his salt should have a copy. You should be able to buy it from a decent supplier of sheet music. Borrowed a copy of a mate. Man some of it is a real roast up for the bass. God knows how organ players play those lines with their feet.

 

Please trust me on the Bach thing, there is so much to learn. Phrasing, chops, compostion, harmony, it is all there.

 

PS: I know Metal_Boy doesn't like disco, but for those of you who do, buy the "Little Organ Book" and discover as I did that Bach invented disco!!! Yay Bach!!!