May Feel Bad for You: Killer Basslines Edition

Your favorite monthly comp has a theme for May: "Killer Basslines." Tracks were submitted by bloggers, twitterers, members of the AltCountryTab.ca forum, rock stars, and other ne'er-do-wells.


1. Fugazi - Waiting Room
13 Songs (1989)
Submitted By: romeosidvicious
Comments: This one took no thought at all. The opening to this song is what comes to mind any time any one mentions a bass line. This album was an icebreaker between me and my now best friend when we first met, and to this day still makes my play lists 22 years later. God damn it now I feel fucking old…

2. The Meters - Chicken Strut.mp3
Buy: Struttin’ (1970, reissued 1999)
Submitted By: Phil Norman
Comments: I dig the current neo-funk-soul revival of bands like Sugarman 3, but I dig The Meters even more. Also, this song has chicken noises.

3. Morphine - Yes
Yes (1995)
Submitted by: April at Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: Since the general makeup of Morphine was drums, baritone sax and two-string slide bass, nearly every song they recorded was built around a killer bassline. But the bassline on "Ye"” is the one that most frequently makes me rock out and say, "Damn."

4. Cream - Tales of Brave Ulysses
Disraeli Gears (1967)
Submitted By: District Noise
Comments: Because I figured everyone else would pick "Sunshine of Your Love."

5. Eleven Hundred Springs - Queen of Canton Street
Welcome to Eleven Hundred Springs (1999)
Submitted By: mikeorren
Comments: In my mind, the best country acts use bass to create an R&B rhythm behind the fiddle, slide and twang. This is one of my favorite examples, as well as some nice songwriting from Matt the Cat. (Hint: "Naomi" was one of Dallas' best country bars, not a woman.)

6. Tom Freund - Comfortable In Your Arms.mp3
Buy: Copper Moon (2005)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: Before pursuing his solo career, West Coaster Freund played in a couple of fantastic bands: first with then unknown Ben Harper and later with The Silos. His bass playing is as smooth as a tumbler of Kentucky bourbon. Be sure to check out the video of this song.

7. Sir Mix-a-Lot - Testarossa
Mack Daddy (1992)
Submitted By: Autopsy IV
Comments: The 808 kick drum makes the girlies get dumb.

8. The Who - Young Man Blues
Live at Leeds (1970)
Submitted by: Rockstar_Aimz
I recently heard the Foo Fighters cover of this song, and while their version is good, Nate Mendel is no John Entwistle. This song has so many killer parts, but it's Entwistle's driving base line that makes it kick so much ass. Although it's not an original, this song represents The Who musically at their very best

9. Grand Funk Railroad - People, Let’s Stop The War
E Pluribus Funk (1971)
Submitted by: Truersound
Comments: What Homer Simpson calls "The bong-rattling bass of Mel Schacher."

10.Quicksilver Messenger Service - Mona
Happy Trails (1969)
Submitted By: Shooter Jennings

11. The Who - The Real Me
Quadrophenia (1973)
erschen
Comments: My introduction to this song was by the 80′s Metal Band W.A.S.P. Which got me to look into deeper cuts from The Who. Thanks Blackie!! John Entwistle sure could play. What a rhythm section, Keith Moon & John Entwistle.

12. Radio Moscow - The Escape.mp3
Buy: Brain Cycles (2009)
Submitted By: popa2unes
Comments: Comprised of singer/songwriter/guitarist Parker Griggs, drummer Corey Berry and bassist Zach Anderson – the rebirth of the Power Trio. Call it blues rock, call it psychedelic, call it hard-grooved stoner rock, it’s Cream on steroids.

13. The Stranglers - Nice 'n' Sleazy
Black and White (1978)
Submitted By: TheSecondSingle
Comments: With regards to killer basslines, when in doubt, pull out some late '70s/early '80s British punk.

14. The Who - My Generation
My Generation – Deluxe Version (2002)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: No choice to make on the track, other than which version to submit.

15. The Wipers - Potential Suicide
Is This Real (1979)
Submitted By: verbow1
Comments: Another band I discovered thanks to one Mr. Kurt Cobain. Very heavy song – and pretty depressing – stay away from the handguns after listening to this one.

16. Descendents - Myage.mp3
Buy: Milo Goes To College (1981)
Submitted By: @marioegarcia (imperialrooster)
Comments: If we’re talking killer basslines it’s hard not to submit something by Motorhead or the Minutemen (or Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five). I’ve been struggling with this selection for a little bit but decided to submit this Descendents song. It's the song that made me fall in love with punk rock, a relationship that has alternately ruined my life and made my life worth living at various points. Let's talk about that bassline. The Ventures after about six pots of coffee, this is one of those lines that's guaranteed to get my motor going in the morning, especially when Bill Stevenson's "Wipeout" drums lock in time with the bass.

17. The Cure - The Hanging Garden
Pornography (1982)
Submitted by: Slowcoustic
Comments: Because I was every alternative outcast character of a mid 80′s John Hughes film, I listened to said "alternative" music because it made me better than the rest of the Junior High/High School normals. Because of this early emo angst, I was introduced to The Cure. And it changed music for me forever. The bass lines on the album might not be killer, as they are fairly straight forward, but are also quite pronounced. The album is dark and echoing due to the heavy bass and percussion aspect, and it almost pushed me to eyeliner…. Almost.

18. Betty Davis - Your Mama Wants Ya Back
They Say I’m Different (Originally released in 1974; reissued with bonus tracks in 2007)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: This was a very tough choice. Whittled my library down to 32 songs with "killer bass lines." Then down to five songs. In the end, went with this Betty Davis track, with nasty sounding vocals to complement the "killer bass line." BTW, Betty Davis was married to Miles Davis in '68, divorced in '69.

19. Black Flag - Six Pack.mp3
Buy: The First Four Years (1983)
Submitted by: AnnieTUFF
Comments: After a lot of thinking about killer basslines, and about technical skill vs just sounding badass, I had to choose this song. Because it doesn't matter where I am, who I'm with or what is going on with my life, when I hear the first couple of notes of this song I wanna get rowdy. And who doesn’t wanna get rowdy?

20. Al Green - Belle
The Belle Album (1977)
Submitted By: Adam Sheets
Comments: Great bass here courtesy of Reuben Fairfax Jr. and an excellent performance from the undisputed King of Memphis soul. This is perhaps Green’s most ambiguous number and those who aren’t paying close attention to the lyrics are likely to interpret this one far differently than the artist intended.