Top 5 - Basslines

Those aware of my musical past will not be surprised in the slightest by my subject of choice for this debut Top 5 list. The rarely praised custodians of low-end are oft ignored in favour of their much more glamorous vocal and guitar cohorts, but the purpose of this list is not just to redress the distribution of praise between the different disciplines of rock’n’roll. Rather, I wish to recognise five of the best basslines in music – to qualify, the bass must be deemed essential to a track , form the crux of a song, and take the listener to places you otherwise would not go.

(In the interest of fairness and entertainment, no basslines from the back catalogue of indie-post-rock pioneers ‘I am Jack’ have been considered for this list...)

       5. The Cure – 'Lullaby'

The Spring of 1989 was the first time I had ever seen a Goth. Of course, being a mere 8 years old at the time, I did not recognise Robert Smith of The Cure as a Goth – he was simply an ill looking man with bright red lips, laid up in bed wearing pyjamas. He also had the most fragile looking hair that I had ever seen on another human being.

Then I saw the cobwebs. And I was terrified.

Why does this guy want to eat me?

It is only in retrospect that I can appreciate the sense of dread that must have been instilled in me by Simon Gallup’s bass. Utilising a hammering semi-tone groove throughout, the tight staccato hits of each note leave ample opportunity for Boris Williams’ snare drum to fill the mix.

With the band better known for poppier numbers like ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, ‘The Lovecats’ and ‘Friday, I’m in Love’, it is somewhat contrarily pleasing that this darker and edgier single gave the band their highest ever UK chart position - 5.

       4. Rick James – 'Super Freak'

Whilst now impossible to listen to without thinking of….

… or that scene in ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, it’s easy to forget that this track, our single entry from the Motown archives, was originally a hit for Rick James thirty years ago.

The strength of this particular bassline is highlighted by what surrounds it. James meows his way through each verse, the melody barely drifting from a few choice notes. The only real vocal hook comes later in the song when “Temptations sing!” (James was the nephew of bass vocalist Melvin Franklin). The tune is pretty much incidental however, as it’s the funk bass groove that takes lead. It pulls you in, sliding you down with the first bar, standing you back upright with the second. Looped, it’s simply hypnotising.

Obviously, Uncle Rick scores extra points for that hair/’stache/jump-suit combo…

Remember kids, stay in school, stay off dat crack…

And this just has to be shared…

“I’m Hulk James, bitch!”

       3. Michael Jackson – 'Smooth Criminal'

Whatever you may think of Michael Jackson and his legacy, the guy could most certainly write a bassline. Released a full 14 months after its parent album, the fact that this, the seventh single from Bad, reached number 3 in the UK charts is testament to Jackson’s standing during the 1980s. Of course, this single was more of a strategic effort to market Jackson’s simultaneously released assault upon movie theatres, Moonwalker. Essentially a collection of long form videos inter-cut with nonsense masquerading as a story arc, ‘Smooth Criminal’ would be the film’s centrepiece.

Looking back, it’s amazing that a film that climaxes with this…

!!! * SPOILER ALERT * !!!

… it’s awful

… should feature an actor with hair like this…

Multiple angles confirm ridiculousness

… who within 18 months would be walking away with this…

NOT for that, for this…

(Fact without a home: I had no idea that one of the kids in the film was none other than John Lennon’s son, Sean)

It is crazy to think that Jackson actually had to convince producer Quincy Jones that this track was worthy of a place on the Bad album, despite the strength of the bass hook. Rather than post the video as seen in Moonwalker, here it is performed live in Bucharest during 1992’s Dangerous tour. (skip to the 01:00 mark to get to the good stuff)

       2. Talk Talk – 'It’s My Life'

Upon the release of their first album in 1982, Talk Talk were derided as little more than a Duran Duran facsimile sans glamour, riding the crest of the New Romantic wave of the early eighties. Whilst their signature sound would evolve dramatically on 1988’s Spirit of Eden, leading them to be credited retroactively as pioneers of the post-rock genre, it is this sterling pop song from 1984 which remains their quintessential offering.

The lead single from their second album of the same name, it took a full six years to become a hit. Originally released as a single in January 1984, ‘It’s My Life’ was promptly ignored, reaching the lofty climes of number 46 in the UK charts. An ill-conceived second print would only just scrape into the Top 100 in 1985. It was only after the band had parted company with record label EMI that the single would become a hit (number 13, their highest singles chart position), released for a third time to promote a retrospective compilation in 1990.

This track was the first songwriting collaboration between frontman Mark Hollis and producer Tim Friese-Greene, who would perform on all subsequent Talk Talk records whilst rarely taking the stage or appearing in any promotional material. For my money, it’s their best.

What lifts this track head and shoulders above its contemporaries is the fact that you get not one, but two flawless bass hooks which take centre stage. The first, spilling out of the simple anchored shuffle of the verse, uses the pre-chorus to shift gear by alternately scaling the fretboard up and down. This is then followed by the defiant chorus riff, punctuated by an electronic snare that underpins the track’s bombast.

The song returned to the charts in late 2003, covered note for note by No Doubt. Usually, a cover of this nature, so similar to the arrangement of the original, would draw my ire. In this case, I would have been more offended had they tried to change it.

       1. Chic – Good Times

Quite simply the most influential bassline in modern music.

Release in the summer of 1979, ‘Good Times’ gave Chic their second number one single in the US, following in the footsteps of their other funk-disco classic, ‘Le Freak’. Here is the band performing the track on Italian TV show Tilt (keep ‘em peeled for a precursor to ML’s red trousered tosser at the front of the pack).

The definitive disco track by the definitive disco band

Of course, Bernard Edwards’ climbing D-major scale would cement its place in modern culture later that same year as the foundations of landmark hip-hop track, ‘Rapper’s Delight’.

When rap was more than “bitches and money”

With the sampling techniques that would define the hip-hop genre in their infancy when ‘Rapper’s Delight’ was recorded, spare a thought for Chip Shearin, the 17 year old bassist who would play the line for 15 minutes straight to accommodate the 12” single.

So, whether used by hip-hop pioneers, or inspiring rock bands to get funky (Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ and Blondie’s ‘Rapture’ head the list), the reach of this bassline is far and wide. As such, it sits atop this list as the benchmark for bass players everywhere.

Disagree? Hit me with your top choices in the comments.