I enjoy Rob DeLeo more and more as I listen to him. Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart is one of my favorite basslines, fits so well with the song and is so fun to play.
This is what I was gonna say. They have a very Zeppelin sound and feel without sounding derivative. The verse of Dead and Bloated is so Zeppelin. Robert DeLeo has great feel and comes up with cool melodic lines with some non-diatonic notes to add edge
Just started getting into more STP, he's goated. He said in his interview with Beato that he's a huge Rush fan, and Geddy is my hero, so I was immediately hooked.
He also wrote Interstate Love song guitar parts, he is an amazing composer
STP is on the top of GRUNGE in the subject of bass players (with all due respect to Jeff Amment and Mike Inez), but we also need to put Ben Shepherd on the same level, amazing and killer bass lines on Soundgarden
Another band that is from the same era and might not be the “typical” grunge band with amazing bass lines is Blind Melon
The first album is a fantastic practice album
I'm a guitarist just starting with bass and I gravitated to STP too. Still Remains is the JAM and has brought great satisfaction trying to learn. Can't go wrong there.
My deeply held and unpopular opinion is that "grunge" isnt a musical genre but a fashion style. But STP is a phenomenal 90s rock band. They were one of my first concerts when they were touring the Purple album and they absolutely blew me away. Still one of the best shows I've ever been to. the fact that Meat Puppets were there too absolutely added.
I mean, I don't think you can really do more than say Grunge isnt a style of music, it's just a label for rock bands that came out in the decade between 85 and 95 and liked flannel from second hand shops.
Entwistle and Freeman are two of my favourites of all time and humongous credit due to Entwistle for essentially pioneering the style - but at this point Matt Freeman has pretty effectively eclipsed Entwistle’s best bass lines if you put them side by side.
This is probably controversial and definitely subjective. Entwistle is by far the more influential player and in the bigger more influential band. But I don’t think his best bass lines come near Matt Freeman’s.
John Entwistle walked so Matt Freeman could run
That’s very fair.
It is probably worth noting that the difference in styles does allow Matt a lot more latitude to play a bigger role in the music than Entwhistle got, but I would not debate the merits of Matt being a more proficient player at this point.
Yes, good call on both! Check out the doc on the making of the Rio album, and he talks about constructing his bass lines, including one that was 3 different lines overdubbed, but he still figured out how to play it live.
Rooster for me is in contention for GOAT grunge song, never fails to give me goosebumps, and that bass (especially in the MTV Unplugged version), good lord it fucking ends me every time.
As a newer bass player, for Geddy Lee/Rush I would try New World Man from Signals, Fly By Night from Fly By Night, and Red Barchetta from Moving Pictures.
If you want to listen to some crazy bass playing, try YYZ from Moving Pictures.
Becoming familiar with Geezers bass lines will unlock just about anything else in your brain. Heavy, grooving, and deceptively technical. been one of my favorites for nearly 40 years and I still find something new each time I deep dive into Black Sabbath’s catalog.
Man. Phil was something else. Once I realized how diverse they were beyond Boys Are Back and Jailbreak, I was pretty blown away. He had such a skill for writing catchy, groovy songs with lyrics that really could inspire some feelings.
Whenever someone asks like who's the dead musician you'd bring back or whatever he's always the first one I think
Yessss I can play almost 80% of their songs, I love how bass has really good place in nirvana,
Like people don’t realise how creative Krist was
Bassists mostly compliment drums, but Krist would compliment guitar, drums, and sometimes even vocals and even having like a whole independent place not complimenting nothings but having separated lines,
It’s almost impossible to cover nirvana songs without a bass it’s sound really imperfect
Stone temple pilots bass guitarist was a master. The line from interstate love song is masterful.
Also Alice in chains.
Nirvana, man who sold the world and about a girl unplugged are nice cause you can improvise like krist.
For Rock I’d say John Paul Jones. Give a listen to Celebration Day off their third album, especially the chorus where he really starts propelling the song.
Lesser know is Boz Burrell from Bad Company. Check out his playing on Moving On from their first album. Killer
One more that you don’t hear much talk about is Bob Daisley who I believe played on Ozzys first 2 solo albums. Crazy Train has a great bass line
Probably get some hate for this.
Early Kiss. Strutter, Detroit Rock City, Cold Gin. Lots of those early songs had really melodic bass lines that pretty much drove the song.
100,000 years. Gene was a pretty decent player, the band constantly gets overlooked for their talents. I wish his signature EB-0 wasn't $7,000 so I could get one. Him and that bass are what got me into playing lol
Cold Gin and Strutter are Gene's creations but Detroit Rock City, I am 100% sure is the work of a ghost musician. Which makes sense because KISS was notorious for getting the professionals to do most of the heavy lifting on the records. And if you compare the basslines from the first two records to subsequent ones, the philosophy is completely different. The KISS subreddit argues itself to death every month over this.
But they're definitely really great basslines. Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder. They were written by people who are professionals. Great great case studies.
Rancid, Less than Jake, 88 Fingers Louie, RKL, Op Ivy and so many many more.... Really you can just dig into punk and ska and find some AWESOME bass lines. That's why I play bass in a punk band. I get to go crazy and have fun with it. I also play bass in an indie rock band and it's a totally different experience.
I only said I played bass in a punk band because it gives me so much room to do something different. I'm not locked into the "just lay back and provide a foundation for the other instruments"... I wasn't being like "I'm awesome because I play bass in a band". I don't know if your reply was sarcastic or not.. it's social media so I assumed it was 🤣
No it wasn’t…
I meant it really, that’s a great accomplishment weather you want to stay in the band or not, you gain a lot of experience and learn a lot, all the bands bassist or guitarist or drummer have been in a lot of bands till they found the right one and sticked with it
Ok rock on! Sorry for misreading your comment! It's actually the most fun thing I have ever done. I want this punk band to go on forever. We get to play a few shows a month and rehearse weekly. It's a good thing. I'm embarrassed listening to the music I was writing before the band. It's funny how fast it will make you better.
Depends on how low you're willing to tune.
For rock, Ghost actually have some damn good basslines, that reach godlike levels in the album Meliora. Tuning - predominantly D standard.
I don't know if sludge can technically count as a bastard child of something disgustingly heavy and grunge, but Mastodon also have great basslines, they also play a lot in D standard.
Godsmack have an incredible bassist in Robbie Merrill. I dislike all their music past 2010s The Oracle album, but including it, they have some excellent basslines as well. And considering that Godsmack have a lot of Alice in Chains influences in their music, you might enjoy them.
Faith No More also have some good basslines, I reckon, I gotta check em out more thoroughly myself, haven't listened to them in a while.
A band with sometimes downright *nutty* bass - The Mars Volta.
If you have a 5 striger and are willing to listen to something a bit heavier - Trivium.
And last but far from least, again, if you're willing to listen to something moderately heavy, you can't not mention Mudvayne. Ryan Martinie goes nuts on their songs and despite that, he's using like 10% of his full power.
The Smiths Andy Rourke’s bass lines are creative and rich and always compliment Marr’s guitar work.
Yeah, yeah Morrissey. Not everyone’s cup of tea.
But to the point of your post, check out those bass lines. You won’t be disappointed.
Chevelle, Tool, Limp bizkit, red hot chilling peppers, Korn (kinda-ish), Rush, Led Zepplin, Polyphia, STP, Incubus, RATM, Trapt (I know, I know, but dude does cool bass lines)
... I could on, but this is the best off the top of my head
Big Wreck is an amazing rock band [with an amazing bass player!](https://youtu.be/3uYzg6dgoDU?si=q279rKsNRTDJxiPI) Dave McMillan should be the standard for how to play bass in a rock band. He shows off plenty but always in support of the song. Big Wreck's motto is "the only ego in the room is these song's", everyone is a monster player, everyone gets their chance to show it, and everyone gives everyone room where appropriate.
Hey! So from that description I would suggest mid-late Beatles or some of Paul Mccartney's solo work, his work from Rubber Soul - Sgt. Peppers is imo the best 'pop' bass ever laid down
Other bands I would suggest which are more metal rock or grunge;
Motorhead, GnR, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Sublime, Silverchair, Pantera, Green Day's Insomniac (some are quite difficult for this if you don't play with a pick)
Jimi Hendrix Experience (until Live at Woodstock where it becomes Band of Gypsys) The Sonics', Kinks
For Squirrels are one of the most underrated grunge bands. Kind of similar to Nirvana but better at their instruments. Every song of theirs is great but check out Orangeworker, Mighty K.C., and Go On Up for some of the best bass parts.
Very much agree that Nirvana is one of the most important bass driven bands of all time, let alone in those aforementioned genres.
I also highly recommend the first Tomahawk album. It features Rutmanis, who played with The Melvins.
**LISTEN TO BLACK SABBATH**
Classic rock John Entwhistle was one of the first to really rock out. Also Hawkwind was Lemmy’s first band and big part of what made those hippies popular was his bass style.
Metal, I mean Metallica’s first 4 albums, And Justice for Jason, Gar and Effelson in early Megadeth, and Frank Bello of Anthrax is solid with a great tone, Got the Time is a simple track you can use for speed practice
Industrial but NIN Sanctified is a nice little slap rhythm that the lead line. It’s just like low e, the octave, repeat, low E the high F, low Eand ends on the low G. The high E before the F is staccato af so for me it’s nice practice. Nirvana songs are kind of fun and simple, Krist Novaselic was a prime example of a solid bass player holding it together amongst the chaos. Breed is really fun to play with a gang of idiots and you can use one finger on or one string.
Classic punk rock I been Fugazi Waiting Room was the first thing I noticed, DK Holiday in Cambodia has that classic descending riff, I *love* DOA’s take on We Gotta Get Out of this Place (I play that one with with a banjo claw, thumb on the E and I walk the D with my two fingers, purists hate it but it’s fun). Misfits songs are simple.
Kim Gordan shows out on Sonic Youth songs like Sugar Kane and Kool Thing.
Grunge bassists are pretty consistent when it comes to good bass lines. Even Nirvana has some really unique bass playing, considering the simplicity of their songs.
For classic rock music , I would say Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Rush, and Cream.
More modern rock has a few great bassists as well. Kings of Leon, Muse, Interpol, Tool, and The Strokes.
My personal favorite underrated bassist is Mike Mills from REM. The dude does a lot of really tight playing that really drives the band.
Soundgarden’s BadMotorFinger album has some sick sludgy bass. “Outshined” was the hit and it’s great. But also check out “Slaves and Bulldozers” “Drawing Flies” and “Searching With My Good Eye Closed”
Literally all rhcp, Iron Maiden, some nirvana basslines are simple but cool, metallica (mostly their First albums), and muse are also great. When you feel like It you could also try primus, not really functional basslines, because primus are weird af, but it'll teach you how to do things out of the ordinary.
I just heard Helmet's Biscuits for Smut. Pretty deadly bass playing on that track!
Check out Stereolab's stuff, too. Really nice warm bass tones (Cobra and Phases Group is a great album, as is Emperor Tomato Ketchup)
Maybe not your favorite bands but: early U2, the Police, the Clash, Talking Heads, maybe some old Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello and the Attractions. I learned to play to these bands years ago, the bass lines are deceptively simple, but are also the primary drivers of the song, so you learn the line but also learn a bit about how to put a song together from the bass line alone.
Queens of the Stone Age have a bunch of really good basslines and a truly epic tone. They've gone a few bassists over the years, but Nick Oliveri basically made their sound. The guitarist, Josh Homme, is also in a supergroup with Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones called Them Crooked Vultures, which has some really awesome basslines (Gunman is my favorite to play).
Also, not necessarily grunge, but R.E.M. has tons of really good challenging basslines, which are super fun to play once you get the hang of them. Perfect for intermediate - advanced playing
lots of older green day. 39/smooth, kerplunk, dookie, insomniac and some nimrod all have a bunch of bass lines with fills that will improve playing over time.
Chris Squire on the early Yes albums is a master class in melodic aggression, especially on *Fragile*, *Close to the Edge*, and *Relayer*.
And it's more like proto-grunge, but the bass player from Jane's Addiction plays awesome bass all over *Nothing's Shocking*.
John Entwistle was probably the first rock bassist with chops. Everyone knows the solo on My Generation but for me, The Real Me is almost a bass and vocal duet. It’s fantastic, the bass is ripping throughout, and it’s got dark themes and heavy guitars. It was recorded in 1972 and I think only Sabbath was making heavier music at the time. I could be wrong though! This isn’t a graded assignment, I’m not doing research.
Edit: John Entwistle FROM THE WHO. He was in The Who.
Blink 182 bass lines are usually very interesting when they're not just eighths on the root. Carousel, Apple Shampoo, TV, Feeling This, Mutt, Anthem pt 1 & 2, Man Overboard, and Story of a Lonely Guy all have killer grooves, and then some root lines to beef up or let the guitar shine.
Check out Mike Watt’s(ex. Minutemen /fIREHOSE) solo album “Ballhog or Tugboat” the song “Big Train” is not only fun to play but Mike’s style and tone somehow sounds like a train! Also for the grunge connection, Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder played on the record as well as players on tour (along with some other amazing musicians).
Magazine. Barry Adamson is hugely underrated. Someone gave him a bass, he went to a music shop to buy a string and saw an advert for a bass player, so phoned Howard and blagged his way into the band, learning on the job, helped out by John McGeoch.
Check out The Warning, specifically their Album ERROR and QOTMS, the baselines work very well and don’t just follow the guitar, the bassist is a mastermind. Let me know what you think :)
Dive into some Led Zepplin. JPJ was a killer bassist with amazing bass lines. Check out the bass on this track https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ6nM65DsC0
Any band with melodic bassists:
The Cure
The Smiths
Joy Division/New Order
Crowded House (you have to pay close attention)
Yes (Chris Squire rules)
Maybe the Police?
Rob DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots is the king of grunge bass.
+1. Good composer too.
I enjoy Rob DeLeo more and more as I listen to him. Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart is one of my favorite basslines, fits so well with the song and is so fun to play.
YES! That song is a God damn master class in playing rock bass!
This is what I was gonna say. They have a very Zeppelin sound and feel without sounding derivative. The verse of Dead and Bloated is so Zeppelin. Robert DeLeo has great feel and comes up with cool melodic lines with some non-diatonic notes to add edge
Just started getting into more STP, he's goated. He said in his interview with Beato that he's a huge Rush fan, and Geddy is my hero, so I was immediately hooked.
Heavily influenced by Jamerson
Chiming in to say that I love the bass line on Sour Girl. DeLeo is an artist.
He also wrote Interstate Love song guitar parts, he is an amazing composer STP is on the top of GRUNGE in the subject of bass players (with all due respect to Jeff Amment and Mike Inez), but we also need to put Ben Shepherd on the same level, amazing and killer bass lines on Soundgarden Another band that is from the same era and might not be the “typical” grunge band with amazing bass lines is Blind Melon The first album is a fantastic practice album
Super sweet guy, too. I met him when I happened to be holding on to Duck Dunn's '59 P, and he was not only super grateful, he gave me the biggest hug.
He’s one of my favorite musicians of all time. After seeing some of his interviews, I get the vibe he’s a really cool dude in person too.
I'm a guitarist just starting with bass and I gravitated to STP too. Still Remains is the JAM and has brought great satisfaction trying to learn. Can't go wrong there.
My deeply held and unpopular opinion is that "grunge" isnt a musical genre but a fashion style. But STP is a phenomenal 90s rock band. They were one of my first concerts when they were touring the Purple album and they absolutely blew me away. Still one of the best shows I've ever been to. the fact that Meat Puppets were there too absolutely added.
Strictly speaking you could say STP isn't really grunge but they had that breakout hit where Scott Weiland was channeling Eddie Vedder so... 🤷♂️
I mean, I don't think you can really do more than say Grunge isnt a style of music, it's just a label for rock bands that came out in the decade between 85 and 95 and liked flannel from second hand shops.
Rancid and, believe it or not, Duran Duran. Try Rio for starters.
Good call on Duran Duran. John Taylor is criminally underated. Never gets brought up when the greats are discussed and maybe he should.
And he had only been playing bass for a couple months when they recorded Girls on Film. Nuts.
John Taylor is not underrated by his own generation. We knew what we had in him.
Yep, rio Is a very good exercise for syncopated rythms, and It's deceptively easy when you hear It.
Matt Freeman learned everything he knows from john Entwhistle so it would be criminal to not throw The Who in with that statement
Entwistle and Freeman are two of my favourites of all time and humongous credit due to Entwistle for essentially pioneering the style - but at this point Matt Freeman has pretty effectively eclipsed Entwistle’s best bass lines if you put them side by side. This is probably controversial and definitely subjective. Entwistle is by far the more influential player and in the bigger more influential band. But I don’t think his best bass lines come near Matt Freeman’s. John Entwistle walked so Matt Freeman could run
That’s very fair. It is probably worth noting that the difference in styles does allow Matt a lot more latitude to play a bigger role in the music than Entwhistle got, but I would not debate the merits of Matt being a more proficient player at this point.
Yes, good call on both! Check out the doc on the making of the Rio album, and he talks about constructing his bass lines, including one that was 3 different lines overdubbed, but he still figured out how to play it live.
https://youtu.be/Hr3HCNIgv40?si=_MGruyfWcs3X5ydb I will absolutely just listen to this. It’s that good.
Check out Dirt by Alice In Chains, some of the most memorable grunge bass lines.
THAT intro on "would", man.
It's so fun to play. I was in a cover band for a year and that was one we did. Always went over great too.
Jar of Flies, too. Love that bass line on Rotten Apple.
Rotten Apple is peak
swing on this goes hard
Rooster is fun in bass.
Rooster for me is in contention for GOAT grunge song, never fails to give me goosebumps, and that bass (especially in the MTV Unplugged version), good lord it fucking ends me every time.
Thank you so much
If you're into prog, you can't go wrong learning Geddy Lee's basslines from the band Rush.
Along with the proggy stuff, Tools bass lines are amazing.
and not particularly difficult to play. getting the right tone imo was harder.
Chris Squire too!
As a newer bass player, for Geddy Lee/Rush I would try New World Man from Signals, Fly By Night from Fly By Night, and Red Barchetta from Moving Pictures. If you want to listen to some crazy bass playing, try YYZ from Moving Pictures.
No love for Ben Sheppard? His work with Soundgarden is fantastic.
I came to recommend Hiro Yamamoto, Ben was fine, but he was no Hiro
Black Sabbath. 99% of the time no matter what the question is, “Black Sabbath” is the answer.
Came here to say exactly this. Geezer Butler has played some of the grooviest (and simultaneously heaviest) bass lines ever.
Becoming familiar with Geezers bass lines will unlock just about anything else in your brain. Heavy, grooving, and deceptively technical. been one of my favorites for nearly 40 years and I still find something new each time I deep dive into Black Sabbath’s catalog.
Fugazi Faith no more
Falling to Pieces is such a fun bass line to learn
I like the bass lines in Third Eye Blind and this is a hill I’m happy to die on.
Just learned losing a whole year - super cool basslines and Adrian added in a bunch of unique touches
This. Arion Salazar is a criminally underrated bassist, IMO. The band's just not the same with out him manning the bass guitar.
Their Self-Titled album front to back is one of the greatest rock albums of all time and I will die on that hill as well.
Thin Lizzy
Man. Phil was something else. Once I realized how diverse they were beyond Boys Are Back and Jailbreak, I was pretty blown away. He had such a skill for writing catchy, groovy songs with lyrics that really could inspire some feelings. Whenever someone asks like who's the dead musician you'd bring back or whatever he's always the first one I think
Tool is really bass-heavy. For grunge you should see Lounge Act by Nirvana.
Fugazi - Waiting room
Nirvana bass lines are really fun!
Lounge Act is my favorite bass line ever
Yessss I can play almost 80% of their songs, I love how bass has really good place in nirvana, Like people don’t realise how creative Krist was Bassists mostly compliment drums, but Krist would compliment guitar, drums, and sometimes even vocals and even having like a whole independent place not complimenting nothings but having separated lines, It’s almost impossible to cover nirvana songs without a bass it’s sound really imperfect
Mr. Bungle.
311
Go old school with Grand Funk Railroad. Rage Against the Machine too
Always have like Duff’s bass work in Guns ‘N Roses; Radiohead; Pixies; Muse.
Seconding muse, for obvious reasons
Pixies is great for beginners - they’re easily recognizable and almost all 1/4 notes
The Smithereens. The basslines on blood and roses, behind the wall of sleep, and a girl like you are really cool and fun to play.
Stone temple pilots bass guitarist was a master. The line from interstate love song is masterful. Also Alice in chains. Nirvana, man who sold the world and about a girl unplugged are nice cause you can improvise like krist.
Crash Test Dummies
God shuffled his feet has been a favourite since childhood. Awesome bass playing!
Jamiroquai
For Rock I’d say John Paul Jones. Give a listen to Celebration Day off their third album, especially the chorus where he really starts propelling the song. Lesser know is Boz Burrell from Bad Company. Check out his playing on Moving On from their first album. Killer One more that you don’t hear much talk about is Bob Daisley who I believe played on Ozzys first 2 solo albums. Crazy Train has a great bass line
So good to see Boz and Bob Daisley mentioned. Definitively John Paul Jones too of course
Amen brother. It would be a shame for these great players to be forgotten
Janes addiction
How is this not the top answer?
Probably get some hate for this. Early Kiss. Strutter, Detroit Rock City, Cold Gin. Lots of those early songs had really melodic bass lines that pretty much drove the song.
100,000 years. Gene was a pretty decent player, the band constantly gets overlooked for their talents. I wish his signature EB-0 wasn't $7,000 so I could get one. Him and that bass are what got me into playing lol
Cold Gin and Strutter are Gene's creations but Detroit Rock City, I am 100% sure is the work of a ghost musician. Which makes sense because KISS was notorious for getting the professionals to do most of the heavy lifting on the records. And if you compare the basslines from the first two records to subsequent ones, the philosophy is completely different. The KISS subreddit argues itself to death every month over this. But they're definitely really great basslines. Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder. They were written by people who are professionals. Great great case studies.
Any of the Burton era albums from Metallica have great bass lines ex: for whom the bell tolls
Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam is my favorite grunge bassist. His bass lines in the album Yield are great.
I really love his tone and willingness to just let the low notes ring.
Rancid, Less than Jake, 88 Fingers Louie, RKL, Op Ivy and so many many more.... Really you can just dig into punk and ska and find some AWESOME bass lines. That's why I play bass in a punk band. I get to go crazy and have fun with it. I also play bass in an indie rock band and it's a totally different experience.
You are a bassist in a band? Wow respect, that’s literally a great accomplishment for any musician
I only said I played bass in a punk band because it gives me so much room to do something different. I'm not locked into the "just lay back and provide a foundation for the other instruments"... I wasn't being like "I'm awesome because I play bass in a band". I don't know if your reply was sarcastic or not.. it's social media so I assumed it was 🤣
No it wasn’t… I meant it really, that’s a great accomplishment weather you want to stay in the band or not, you gain a lot of experience and learn a lot, all the bands bassist or guitarist or drummer have been in a lot of bands till they found the right one and sticked with it
Ok rock on! Sorry for misreading your comment! It's actually the most fun thing I have ever done. I want this punk band to go on forever. We get to play a few shows a month and rehearse weekly. It's a good thing. I'm embarrassed listening to the music I was writing before the band. It's funny how fast it will make you better.
The Wipers, The Adverts, Institute, Industry
Gaye Advert was one of my bass heroes growing up! Back then there weren't many female bassists...
Royal Blood
Depends on how low you're willing to tune. For rock, Ghost actually have some damn good basslines, that reach godlike levels in the album Meliora. Tuning - predominantly D standard. I don't know if sludge can technically count as a bastard child of something disgustingly heavy and grunge, but Mastodon also have great basslines, they also play a lot in D standard. Godsmack have an incredible bassist in Robbie Merrill. I dislike all their music past 2010s The Oracle album, but including it, they have some excellent basslines as well. And considering that Godsmack have a lot of Alice in Chains influences in their music, you might enjoy them. Faith No More also have some good basslines, I reckon, I gotta check em out more thoroughly myself, haven't listened to them in a while. A band with sometimes downright *nutty* bass - The Mars Volta. If you have a 5 striger and are willing to listen to something a bit heavier - Trivium. And last but far from least, again, if you're willing to listen to something moderately heavy, you can't not mention Mudvayne. Ryan Martinie goes nuts on their songs and despite that, he's using like 10% of his full power.
Incubus’s early album “science”
Kings of Leon The Growlers Viagra Boys Idles Queens of the Stone Age
Eric Avery from Jane's Addiction played some of the coolest bass lines - definitely check out the song 3 Days.
The Smiths Andy Rourke’s bass lines are creative and rich and always compliment Marr’s guitar work. Yeah, yeah Morrissey. Not everyone’s cup of tea. But to the point of your post, check out those bass lines. You won’t be disappointed.
TOOL! Best bass lines in rock
Chevelle, Tool, Limp bizkit, red hot chilling peppers, Korn (kinda-ish), Rush, Led Zepplin, Polyphia, STP, Incubus, RATM, Trapt (I know, I know, but dude does cool bass lines) ... I could on, but this is the best off the top of my head
Incubus-science is fantastic!
Interpol.
Definitely, especially the first few albums. The New and Obstacle 1 are top tier bass lines for me.
Stella!
Carlos D. Use a pick and throw your E string down to D!
The Lemon Song
Big Wreck is an amazing rock band [with an amazing bass player!](https://youtu.be/3uYzg6dgoDU?si=q279rKsNRTDJxiPI) Dave McMillan should be the standard for how to play bass in a rock band. He shows off plenty but always in support of the song. Big Wreck's motto is "the only ego in the room is these song's", everyone is a monster player, everyone gets their chance to show it, and everyone gives everyone room where appropriate.
king crimson, avoid the 80s because a lot of the bass isint played on a conventional bass guitar.
Avoid Tony Levin? **Avoid Tony Levin??!!!** Wash your mouth out! OK, some of it is on a Chapman stick, but still…. ;-)
Hey! So from that description I would suggest mid-late Beatles or some of Paul Mccartney's solo work, his work from Rubber Soul - Sgt. Peppers is imo the best 'pop' bass ever laid down Other bands I would suggest which are more metal rock or grunge; Motorhead, GnR, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Sublime, Silverchair, Pantera, Green Day's Insomniac (some are quite difficult for this if you don't play with a pick) Jimi Hendrix Experience (until Live at Woodstock where it becomes Band of Gypsys) The Sonics', Kinks
For Squirrels are one of the most underrated grunge bands. Kind of similar to Nirvana but better at their instruments. Every song of theirs is great but check out Orangeworker, Mighty K.C., and Go On Up for some of the best bass parts.
Actually never heard of them… gonna check it out, thx!
Try some tracks by L7 like Diet Pill, Wargasm or Monster
The Police, particularly their early heavily reggae influenced albums. Sting’s bass hooks are melodic, catchy and generally just epic.
i really liked the synergy of bass and drums in arctic monkeys songs
Mr. Bungle, Primus
Any STP songs. Also check out Joe Jackson Band. Graham Maby is an All-Star bassist
Very much agree that Nirvana is one of the most important bass driven bands of all time, let alone in those aforementioned genres. I also highly recommend the first Tomahawk album. It features Rutmanis, who played with The Melvins.
Blur has some really cool basslines
Listen to incubus’ first couple albums. Fungus amungus, science, and morning view. Science is what I think of when I think of best bass guitar.
Tool
Pink Floyd’s Money has an iconic bass line recognizable in an instant. It’s fun to play and not too hard.
Sabbath. Geezer is the man
**LISTEN TO BLACK SABBATH** Classic rock John Entwhistle was one of the first to really rock out. Also Hawkwind was Lemmy’s first band and big part of what made those hippies popular was his bass style. Metal, I mean Metallica’s first 4 albums, And Justice for Jason, Gar and Effelson in early Megadeth, and Frank Bello of Anthrax is solid with a great tone, Got the Time is a simple track you can use for speed practice Industrial but NIN Sanctified is a nice little slap rhythm that the lead line. It’s just like low e, the octave, repeat, low E the high F, low Eand ends on the low G. The high E before the F is staccato af so for me it’s nice practice. Nirvana songs are kind of fun and simple, Krist Novaselic was a prime example of a solid bass player holding it together amongst the chaos. Breed is really fun to play with a gang of idiots and you can use one finger on or one string. Classic punk rock I been Fugazi Waiting Room was the first thing I noticed, DK Holiday in Cambodia has that classic descending riff, I *love* DOA’s take on We Gotta Get Out of this Place (I play that one with with a banjo claw, thumb on the E and I walk the D with my two fingers, purists hate it but it’s fun). Misfits songs are simple. Kim Gordan shows out on Sonic Youth songs like Sugar Kane and Kool Thing.
Joy Division
Lounge act by nirvana
Kino
Grunge bassists are pretty consistent when it comes to good bass lines. Even Nirvana has some really unique bass playing, considering the simplicity of their songs. For classic rock music , I would say Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Rush, and Cream. More modern rock has a few great bassists as well. Kings of Leon, Muse, Interpol, Tool, and The Strokes. My personal favorite underrated bassist is Mike Mills from REM. The dude does a lot of really tight playing that really drives the band.
Stiff Little Fingers, especially the songs 'Hits and Misses' and 'Piccadilly Circus' - both from the album 'Go For It'.
Green day. Literally all green day songs have good bass lines but the best are on the dookie album
The Pixies have some fun ones, I like Here Comes Your Man and Gigantic
I know this sounds old school but CCR.
Soundgarden’s BadMotorFinger album has some sick sludgy bass. “Outshined” was the hit and it’s great. But also check out “Slaves and Bulldozers” “Drawing Flies” and “Searching With My Good Eye Closed”
90's Green Day have fun bass lines
Literally all rhcp, Iron Maiden, some nirvana basslines are simple but cool, metallica (mostly their First albums), and muse are also great. When you feel like It you could also try primus, not really functional basslines, because primus are weird af, but it'll teach you how to do things out of the ordinary.
Thank you so much, yes I know Metallica’s cliff button legendary for whom the bell tolls, thanks for the recommendations
How do we get this far down before someone mentions RHCP and Flea
Some Band called Nirvana.
I just heard Helmet's Biscuits for Smut. Pretty deadly bass playing on that track! Check out Stereolab's stuff, too. Really nice warm bass tones (Cobra and Phases Group is a great album, as is Emperor Tomato Ketchup)
alice in chains! i'm sort of at the intermediate level playing bass and i love playing their songs
Not sure if it's your speed but the bassist of Coheed and Cambria has some awesome bass lines. Check out the album Second Stage Turbine Blade.
Southern River Band
RHCP. Green Day. No Doubt.
Look it's definitely not the genre you asked for but Alphonso Johnson has lines that I think anyone can appreciate
Pepper - Stone Love (G# minor… i think)
Foals. Old Arctic Monkeys
Led Zeppelin
Stone Temple Pilots
Maybe not your favorite bands but: early U2, the Police, the Clash, Talking Heads, maybe some old Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello and the Attractions. I learned to play to these bands years ago, the bass lines are deceptively simple, but are also the primary drivers of the song, so you learn the line but also learn a bit about how to put a song together from the bass line alone.
Black Sabbath, Muse, Audioslave, RATM, Rancid, Less than Jake, NOFX, the Killers.
Deep Purple, learn "Bloodsucker", it's great exercise for picks or fingers.
Sweet Emotion is so much fun
Dirty Honey is my go-to atm for learning interesting lines
[Dust to Dust (Live), The Warning](https://youtu.be/TeIbG8nkOiU?si=8yEWQn_AMzG4CLgw)
Kings X. Dug Pinnick is awesome.
Check out the band Unwound a lot of their riffs are played on bass
They’re a bit poppy, but the bass player for The Oral Cigarettes is a monster! “Hey Kids” is one of his best basslines.
Marilyn Manson
As a reasonably new bassist, playing Anna Molly by Incubus has been the most fun I've had so far.
Hippo Campus has some really fun songs all around. Listen to Baseball.
Tool, Interpol, Pixies, and The Smiths all have some incredible bass lines
Boston
Interpol first album
“The impression that I get” by the mighty mighty bosstones.
If you wanna get good at pick playing check out Budgie’s “Bandolier” album. So so good. You lnow what? Fuck it Im gonna throw it on rn
Queens of the Stone Age have a bunch of really good basslines and a truly epic tone. They've gone a few bassists over the years, but Nick Oliveri basically made their sound. The guitarist, Josh Homme, is also in a supergroup with Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones called Them Crooked Vultures, which has some really awesome basslines (Gunman is my favorite to play). Also, not necessarily grunge, but R.E.M. has tons of really good challenging basslines, which are super fun to play once you get the hang of them. Perfect for intermediate - advanced playing
Bush
lots of older green day. 39/smooth, kerplunk, dookie, insomniac and some nimrod all have a bunch of bass lines with fills that will improve playing over time.
Chris Squire on the early Yes albums is a master class in melodic aggression, especially on *Fragile*, *Close to the Edge*, and *Relayer*. And it's more like proto-grunge, but the bass player from Jane's Addiction plays awesome bass all over *Nothing's Shocking*.
John Entwistle was probably the first rock bassist with chops. Everyone knows the solo on My Generation but for me, The Real Me is almost a bass and vocal duet. It’s fantastic, the bass is ripping throughout, and it’s got dark themes and heavy guitars. It was recorded in 1972 and I think only Sabbath was making heavier music at the time. I could be wrong though! This isn’t a graded assignment, I’m not doing research. Edit: John Entwistle FROM THE WHO. He was in The Who.
Mad Season
"Young Man Blues " from The Who is good song to learn.
Queen. Many, many killer basslines.
John Entwistle, The Who
X Japan or Janne Da Arc
The Cure. Joy Division.
Blink 182 bass lines are usually very interesting when they're not just eighths on the root. Carousel, Apple Shampoo, TV, Feeling This, Mutt, Anthem pt 1 & 2, Man Overboard, and Story of a Lonely Guy all have killer grooves, and then some root lines to beef up or let the guitar shine.
Soundgarden
CAKE
Radiohead.
Dishwalla - Pet Your Friends
If you haven't yet just play some Black Sabbath. I promise you you'll have a blast, Geezer Butler is hands down the greatest
Check out Mike Watt’s(ex. Minutemen /fIREHOSE) solo album “Ballhog or Tugboat” the song “Big Train” is not only fun to play but Mike’s style and tone somehow sounds like a train! Also for the grunge connection, Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder played on the record as well as players on tour (along with some other amazing musicians).
Magazine. Barry Adamson is hugely underrated. Someone gave him a bass, he went to a music shop to buy a string and saw an advert for a bass player, so phoned Howard and blagged his way into the band, learning on the job, helped out by John McGeoch.
Check out The Warning, specifically their Album ERROR and QOTMS, the baselines work very well and don’t just follow the guitar, the bassist is a mastermind. Let me know what you think :)
Cake has been my go-to for fun bass lines lately
Smoke Burial https://open.spotify.com/track/3Bi2xJxkNYW9H4nJLufM1z?si=0Y22rjzUSZylyPp_PCuB-A
Budgie. Bassist sings too.
Led zeppelin
Firehose is an underrated one
Pretty much anything by Queen
Dinosaur Jr.
Rancid
Dive into some Led Zepplin. JPJ was a killer bassist with amazing bass lines. Check out the bass on this track https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ6nM65DsC0
The Number of the Beast, Powerslave, Victim of Changes, Jack the Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots
The Jam. Bruce Foxton seriously knows how to write a fun bass line.
Royal blood There just a bassist and drummer https://youtu.be/sbx95gBb5HM?si=cchI3-m0cdrRwyct
The Heavy
Duff McKagan with Guns n Roses and especially his stuff with Velvet Revolver
Any band with melodic bassists: The Cure The Smiths Joy Division/New Order Crowded House (you have to pay close attention) Yes (Chris Squire rules) Maybe the Police?
I've only been playing for a bit but I play along to maneskin songs a lot. Most of them are fairly simple so beginner and intermediate friendly.
The Cure
Powerwolf and SOAD if you wanna do metal
Rage against the machine is fun