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Was Paul McCarntey REALLY a good bass player, or was it studio musicians?

MichaelD

MichaelD

Lifer
I do not play bass. Many times, I wish I could...it's "the groove" you know. 😉 I am a mediocre guitarist, at best. Some fingerpicking, some electric, some blues and some country strumming, but mediocre at best.

Like I said; I don't play bass. However, I do understand the mechanics involved. Even I can do a basic E-A-B progression on an electric bass. As long as we don't get faster than eigths.
rolleye.gif


I've been listening to a lot of Beatles tunes lately. Specifically, the song entitled "RAIN". It has a lot of midbass. I.E. he was playing way up on the neck. Don't listen for lots of low notes; listen for lots of finger-plucked higher bass notes. It's obviously a pattern, but man, WHAT A PATTERN! 😀 The "stops" and quick sixteenths thrown in there...just blows me away.

Now, I know guys like Les Claypool, et al really turn the bass into a solo instrument; that is not what I'm addressing in this thread. I'm talking about The Groove, baby.
 
I don't know for sure but I would assume it was him playing the Bass. I recall tback in the Sixtie he had a hit solo album in which he payed every instrument on the album. Drums, guitar, keybards and bass.

Another good Bass Player who's more known as a pop Icon is Sting, especially when he was with the Police. The Police, at least at the beginning, were just a 3 peice band without any other accompanying instruments and they would jam their Reggae tinged Rock with Sting's Bass playing and his Vioce making them such a unique sounding group
 
I remember coming across a site a couple years ago that had information about every Beatles song every recorded, including what instruments were used and who played them and all kind of interesting/weird/stupid things about thing that went on during the sessions... so you might want to look for that. AFAIK it was Paul though.

dc
 
Many musicians got their start as "studio musicians". One example is Jimi Hendrix..many others.
 
HUGE Beatles fan here!! Yes Paul did play, and overplay quite a bit! 😛
He played bass on almost every Beatles song, except when he was playing 'other' instruments.
Like on Let it Be, John played Bass, Paul played Pian😵r the Ballad of John and Yoko, Paul played Drums & Guitars, and John played Bass, and guitars, etc....
Get my drift?
I LOVE Rain, but there's parts where I really feel that Paul overplays. You wanna know another hard one? the bridge of Taxman. I occasionally get together with some guys, and we do a crapload of Beatles covers, Rain being the best one we do. Talk about some three part harmony! :Q
Another interesting sidenote about Rain - It was played and recorded in the key of A, then was pitched down to G to do the lead vocals, then the Background Vocals were done, pitched bach up to A. Then they mixed the whole thing in G. That's how they got that 'drippy' sound!
I got too much Beatles knowledege, and waaaayyy too much time on my hands! 😛

<< I don't know for sure but I would assume it was him playing the Bass. I recall tback in the Sixtie he had a hit solo album in which he payed every instrument on the album. Drums, guitar, keybards and bass. >>
Hey Red, I think that was almost every album McCartney ever put out! 😉
 
McCarntey was one of the most innovative and underspoken players of music.
He was amazing, in song writing and in skill.


You can't even compare him to modern day players like FLEA (who is amazing). Way out of context.
 


<< HUGE Beatles fan here!! Yes Paul did play, and overplay quite a bit! 😛
He played bass on almost every Beatles song, except when he was playing 'other' instruments.
Like on Let it Be, John played Bass, Paul played Pian😵r the Ballad of John and Yoko, Paul played Drums & Guitars, and John played Bass, and guitars, etc....
Get my drift?
I LOVE Rain, but there's parts where I really feel that Paul overplays. You wanna know another hard one? the bridge of Taxman. I occasionally get together with some guys, and we do a crapload of Beatles covers, Rain being the best one we do. Talk about some three part harmony! :Q
Another interesting sidenote about Rain - It was played and recorded in the key of A, then was pitched down to G to do the lead vocals, then the Background Vocals were done, pitched bach up to A. Then they mixed the whole thing in G. That's how they got that 'drippy' sound!
I got too much Beatles knowledege, and waaaayyy too much time on my hands! 😛

<< I don't know for sure but I would assume it was him playing the Bass. I recall tback in the Sixtie he had a hit solo album in which he payed every instrument on the album. Drums, guitar, keybards and bass. >>
Hey Red, I think that was almost every album McCartney ever put out! 😉 >>





That is some very cool info. I didn't know about the whole pitch-shift thing. You're right; the song does sound "drippy" (good choice of words, there! 😀) Cool stuff. Thanks guys.
 
If you think FLea is good, you have NO idea. The bassist for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Victor Wooten, is a god. Download ANYTHING by the man and be absolutely FLOORED. I am so serious.
 
The Beatles = Best Band Ever.

Paul can play with the best of them. He is an amazing bassist. As some have pointed out, people tend to think that he overplayed at times but I don't think so. Just listen to some of the innovative and off-the-wall bass lines that he came up with. Go listen to Hey Bulldog. The bass line in that song is just plain awesome. He really did his own thing on the bass, and was very creative in how his bass lines interacted with a given song. Even in the early years with a song like All My Loving.

I was also going to mention Rain, but you have obviously already heard it. A personal favorite of mine.
 


<< If you think FLea is good, you have NO idea. The bassist for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Victor Wooten, is a god. Download ANYTHING by the man and be absolutely FLOORED. I am so serious. >>



If I'm not mistaken, he was bassist of the year in '86, and has never stopped getting better. He is unbelievable to see live. His solos are cool. He'll start with the bass line, then add some melodies over it, then start soloing all at the same time. It's remarkable. His brother, Future Man, is pretty much a badass in his own right.
 
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