SCOTTS HIDDEN TREASURES #47 - All Bassy

This week were continuing to look at tunes that, in some way or another, really make a certain instrument stand out. This week were looking at the Bass geetar. In looking back through the SHT catalog, there were several tracks that we’ve already posted that would have made a nice playlist, but also several deep cuts that we haven’t used yet. Here’s some of those...

Enjoy...

PLAYLIST VITALS...

Length: 45 min 48 sec
Link: http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/c6b611fb874528e9b566bc071a645633

TITLE: I'm A Man
BAND: Chicago
ALBUM: Chicago Transit Authority
YEAR: 1969
LENGTH: 7:39
Peter Cetera gets more noticed for his voice and his ballads than he does as a great bass player. But he is that too. His solid playing is a big reason why Chicago debuted so strongly. Although this is a cover of a Steve Winwood tune, it’s a great showcase for this bands musical chops.

TITLE: Scars
BAND: Rush
ALBUM: Presto
YEAR: 1989
LENGTH: 4:07
I simply could not make a playlist about bass geetars without having something from Geddy Lee on here. And what rich catalog to choose from. But this one is melodic, and has a cool bass line all the way throughout the track.

TITLE: Love Hungry Man
BAND: AC/DC
ALBUM: Highway To Hell
YEAR: 1979
LENGTH: 4:16
Certainly not known for their infectious bass lines, but this track was irresistible to me when I put this together. Cliff Williams gets a moment in the sun with his cool back beat!

TITLE: Sure Know Something
BAND: KISS
ALBUM: Dynasty
YEAR: 1979
LENGTH: 3:59
You either love them or hate them. But let’s not get lost on the musicianship of one Gene Simmons. Probably the most talented in the band as far as his mastery of his chosen instrument. And while this track doesn’t really showcase that work, it is a very cool song.

TITLE: Shine A Little Love
BAND: ELO
ALBUM: Discovery
YEAR: 1979
LENGTH: 4:42
This song has one my favorite bass rhythms. Yes it’s from the Disco era and certainly it could be argued that it is a Disco track, but putting all that Disco Sucks emotion aside you’re still left with a very written and played song.

TITLE: Love Has Come of Age
BAND: Kenny Loggins
ALBUM: Keep The Fire
YEAR: 1979
LENGTH: 3:53
Creating these playlists has really brought to light how much I really like this guy’s catalog. This album was released in the middle of his Caddyshack success and while it contains chart toppers and the usual melodic slow jams, he was a creative peak on Keep The Fire as well.

TITLE: One Man's Pleasure
BAND: Molly Hatchet
ALBUM: Flirtin' WIth Disaster
YEAR: 1979
LENGTH: 3:25
The triple geetar attack of Molly Hatchet is really fueled by a cool rhythm section. Strong album with lots of great hidden treasures. This one is just awesome and fun, oh yeah, and bassy!

TITLE: Red Skies
BAND: The Fixx
ALBUM: Shuttered Rooms
YEAR: 1982
LENGTH: 4:36
Seem like this playlist has spent a lot of time in 1979. A very good year for bass, but so was the New Wave movement. This song was/is so cool, I remember seeing the video and getting hooked almost immediately.

TITLE: Sundial
BAND: Wolfmother
ALBUM: Cosmic Egg
YEAR: 2009
LENGTH: 3:47
I’ve played this band one other time in an NMC and they seemed to go over quite well. I'm still enjoying this album and when I put this together I remember this track and that cool fuzz bass line that runs throughout it.

TITLE: High On Love
BAND: Foghat
ALBUM: Stone Blue
YEAR: 1978
LENGTH: 5:18
Not the Foghat bass line you were expecting? Pre-New-Wave-Foghat was hard to beat. One of the best concerts I ever seen!

So what did I leave out?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Niels (Mod) on May 31, 2011 at 8:32am

I STILL take the one on the left!!! The list looks great. I'm lookin' forward to be listening.

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Permalink Reply by RJhog (Admin) on May 31, 2011 at 10:13am

Okay, first, I'm confused. On the Kiss track, you said Gene is the best musician in Kiss, which I think is an accurate statement. But then you say this track doesn't really showcase that, but you picked it for this playlist. So that confuses me. But, I think it's a great track and it does showcase his ability. Maybe I'm just reading what you said incorrectly.

Now, if you want a great representation of how well Gene plays the bass and an underrated song with a fantastic bass line (Gene is all up and down the neck of the bass on this song), you can't go wrong with this song:

Now, for 3 other samples that come to mind but aren't really "hidden treasures", I'd go with John Entwistle on The Real Me, Leon Wilkeson from Lynyrd Skynyrd on I Know A Little and Randy Meisner from The Eagles on One Of These Nights.

Your picks look fantastic as usual Scott, and I should be giving this a listen today, probably this afternoon.

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Permalink Reply by Scott on May 31, 2011 at 10:48am

Confused on the KISS comments... I think what I was trying to say is that Genes playing can be better than the track showcases (such as the track Getaway), but the track is a very cool representation of a great catchy bass line...

That probably didnt help you out too much, you know with all my sophistication on words and junk...

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Permalink Reply by RJhog (Admin) on May 31, 2011 at 11:03am

I've got it now. I kinda figured that my perception of it wasn't what you meant. I've always loved Sure Know Something. I have always thought that it's the best song on the album. I really love the MTV Unplugged version. I think it really showcases just how good the song is, and Bruce does an outstanding job with the guitar on a song he had no part in writing.

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Permalink Reply by RJhog (Admin) on May 31, 2011 at 3:36pm

Okay, now that I have listened, I have a much better feel for what you were looking for regarding bass lines. I think you picked 7 excellent songs that really worked well in this theme. The only ones that I really couldn't discern a catchy bass line on were Kenny Loggins, Molly Hatchet and The Fixx, although I could hear some on the latter. Maybe it's the mix or the fact that I'm listening and working or just my age and inability to pick through a bunch of noise to hear one particular sound. I'm not sure.

But otherwise, great, great picks. That Chicago song surprised me. I've heard it many times, but never really listened or heard the bass line until now. It's fantastic. I always knew Geddy Lee was an excellent bassist and I liked the song you picked for him, although it's new to me.

Enjoyed the listen Scott.