I create a lot of playlists.
Like this one: Iconic Bass Lines Playlist
I’ve got dozens of playlists. Some I made once and never touch again: the playlists that are just catalogs of favorites or collections of songs that are fairly set in stone. But I have many more playlists that are constantly evolving and growing. I care for them like a little musical garden, making sure that I’m finding and cultivating the best music for my lists.
Over the past year I’ve been working on a playlist that I’m actually quite proud of.
It’s taken a lot of effort, listening, critical thinking, and searching far and wide for the best that I could find.
I’m a bassist. I’ve been playing for almost 30 years (that’s kinda crazy to think about, I don’t feel old), and professionally in some capacity or another for at least half of those years.
I love good music with great bass lines.
So, I decided that I would set out to create the ultimate list of the most iconic bass lines ever recorded.
I’ve seen various people around the interwebs do their own lists. Maybe they’d do a top 10 list for YouTube or a top 50 for something else. I used some of their songs, but I wanted to go further. I didn’t want it to be a list of all the songs that everyone already knows because they’re famous.
I wanted my list to be bigger, I wanted it to be exhaustive, the ultimate list. But I also didn’t want a playlist consisting of bass solos, which is different than bass lines.
This, of course, means that legends like Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, Stu Hamm and others wouldn’t be as prominently featured, but I was dead set on my mission to create a list for bass lines that rock.
A Cornucopia Of Bass
I quickly put the obvious ones on there; Another One Bites The Dust, Short Skirt / Long Jacket, Come Together, Ramble On. That was easy enough, I already had quite the list in my head. I got to a few dozen songs without even needing to think that hard.
But then I wanted to cast my net further. I wanted to think outside my regular genres of rock, funk and jazz. So I went through Reddit, YouTube, Google.
I found a few dozen more.
Then I started asking my bass friends, and I got a few dozen more.
Then, over the course of the ensuing months, every time I heard something truly remarkable coming from a bassist (regardless of genre), it went on the list.
The end result (so far)?
A playlist consisting of 140+ songs. 11 hours of bass goodness.
Without me even putting my playlist out there, people started finding it. They started liking and following my playlist. 180 people, as of this writing.
So, if you like bass, and like listening to music, check it out. I’m sure there’s something on here that you’ll enjoy.
It’s got everything from Queen, CAKE, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, CHIC, Sly & The Family Stone, Jamiroquai, Prince, Vulfpeck, Muse, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more. It’s got lines from the likes of James Jamerson, Jaco Pastorius, Bootsy Collins, Rocco Prestia, Flea, Les Claypool, and even plenty of up and coming bassists.
It’s got something for everyone, and hopefully some stuff you’ve never heard before. It’s not just for bassists, it’s for anyone who enjoys great music that puts the bass front and center.
I’m all about introducing people to music that they haven’t heard before, it brings me a lot of happiness to see people hear something new and be totally into it.
So, check it out and let me know what you think!
Also, let me know what I’m missing. What’s good in the bass world that should be on my list?