Feel Bad For You hosts a monthly mixtape comprised of submissions from music bloggers and Twitterers, and it’s always a good time. This month’s compilation has a theme, killer basslines, and you can enjoy it all below, by stream (maybe, barring technical difficulties) or by download.
Title: Waiting Room
Artist: Fugazi
Album: 13 Songs (1989)
Submitted By: Romeo Sid Vivicious
Comments: This one took no thought at all. The opening to this song is what comes to mind any time any one mentions a bass line. This album this one is off of was an icebreaker between me and my now best friend when we first met and to this day still makes my playlists 22 years later. God damn it now I feel fucking old…
Title: Chicken Strut
Artist: The Meters
Album: Struttin’ (1970)
Submitted By: Phil Norman – @philnorman – www.bluemoonshineband.com
Comments: I dig the current neo-funk-soul revival of bands like Sugarman 3, but I dig The Meters even more. Also, this song has chicken noises.
Title: Yes
Artist: Morphine
Album: Yes (1995)
Submitted by: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: Since the general makeup of Morphine was drums, baritone sax and two-string slide bass, nearly every song they recorded was built around a killer bassline. But the bassline on “Yes†is the one that most frequently makes me rock out and say, “Damn.â€
Title: Queen of Canton Street
Artist: Eleven Hundred Springs
Album: Welcome to Eleven Hundred Springs (1999)
Submitted By: @mikeorren
Comments: In my mind, the best country acts use bass to create an R&B rhythm behind the fiddle, slide and twang. This is one of my favorite examples, as well as some nice songwriting from Matt the Cat. (Hint: “Naomi†was one of Dallas’ best country bars, not a woman.)
Title: Comfortable In Your Arms
Artist: Tom Freund
Album: Copper Moon (2005)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: Before pursuing his solo career, West Coaster Freund played in a couple of fantastic bands: first with then unknown Ben Harper and later with The Silos. His bass playing is as smooth as a tumbler of Kentucky bourbon. Be sure to check out the video of this song at www.youtube.com/watch?v=l98sRV-TXkY.
Title: Testarossa
Artist: Sir Mix-a-Lot
Album: Mack Daddy (1992)
Submitted By: Autopsy IV (ninebullets.net)
Comments: The 808 kick drum makes the girlies get dumb.
Title: Young Man Blues
Artist: The Who
Album: Live at Leeds (1970)
Submitted BY: Rockstar_Aimz
Comments: I recently heard the Foo Fighters cover of this song, and while their version is good, Nate Mendel is no John Entwistle. This song has so many killer parts, but it’s Entwistle’s driving base line that makes it kick so much ass. Although it’s not an original, this song represents The Who musically at their very best
Title: People, Let’s Stop The War
Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Album: E Pluribus Funk (1971)
Submitted by: Truersound
Comments: What Homer Simpson calls “The bong-rattling bass of Mel Schacherâ€
Title: Mona
Artist: Quicksilver Messenger Service
Album: Happy Trails (1969)
Submitted By: Shooter Jennings
Title: The Real Me
Artist: The Who
Album: Quadrophenia (1973)
Submitted By: erschen
Comments: My introduction to this song was by the 80′s Metal Band W.A.S.P. Which got me to look into deeper cuts from The Who. Thanks, Blackie!! John Entwistle sure could play. What a rhythm section, Keith Moon & John Entwistle.
Title: The Escape
Artist: Radio Moscow
Album: Brain Cycles (2009)
Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: Comprised of singer/songwriter/guitarist Parker Griggs, drummer Corey Berry and bassist Zach Anderson –the rebirth of the Power Trio. Call it blues rock, call it psychedelic, call it hard-grooved stoner rock, it’s Cream on steroids
Title: Nice ‘n’ Sleazy
Artist: The Stranglers
Album: Black and White (1978)
Submitted By: The Second Single
Comments: With regards to killer basslines, when in doubt, pull out some late ’70s/early ’80s British punk.
Title: My Generation
Artist: The Who
Album: My Generation – Deluxe Version (2002)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: No choice to make on the track, other than which version to submit.
Title: Potential Suicide
Artist: The Wipers
Album: Is This Real
Submitted By: verbow1
Comments: Another band I discovered thanks to one Mr. Kurt Cobain. Very heavy song – and pretty depressing – stay away from the handguns after listening to this one.
Title: Myage
Artist: Descendents
Album: Milo Goes To College (1981)
Submitted By: @marioegarcia (@imperialrooster)
Comments: If we’re talking killer basslines it’s hard not to submit something by Motorhead or the Minutemen (or Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five). I’ve been struggling with this selection for a little bit but decided to submit this Descendents song. It’s the song that made me fall in love with punk rock, a relationship that has alternately ruined my life and made my life worth living at various points. Let’s talk about that bassline. The Ventures after about six pots of coffee this is one of those lines that’s guaranteed to get my motor going in the morning, especially when Bill Stevenson’s Wipeout drums lock in time with the bass.
Title: The Hanging Garden
Artist: The Cure
Album: Pornography (1982)
Submitted by: Slowcoustic
Comments: Because I was every alternative outcast character of a mid 80′s John Hughes film, I listened to said ‘alternative’ music because it made me better than the rest of the Junior High/High School normals. Because of this early emo angst, I was introduced to The Cure. And it changed music for me forever. The bass lines on the album might not be killer, as they are fairly straight forward, but are also quite pronounced. The album is dark & echoing due to the heavy bass & percussion aspect, and it almost pushed me to eyeliner….almost.
Title: Your Mama Wants Ya Back
Artist: Betty Davis
Album: They Say I’m Different (Originally released in 1974; reissued with bonus tracks in 2007)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: This was a very tough choice. Whittled my library down to 32 songs with “killer bass linesâ€. Then down to five songs. In the end, went with this Betty Davis track, with nasty sounding vocals to complement the “killer bass lineâ€. BTW, Betty Davis was married to Miles Davis in ’68, divorced in ’69.
Title: Six Pack
Artist: Black Flag
Album: The First Four Years
Submitted by: AnnieTUFF
Comments: After a lot of thinking about Killer Bass lines, and about technical skill vs just sounding badass. I had to choose this song. Because it doesn’t matter where I am, who I’m with or what is going on with my life, when I hear the first couple of notes of this song I wanna get rowdy. And who doesn’t wanna get rowdy?
Title: Belle
Artist: Al Green
Album: The Belle Album (1977)
Submitted By: Adam Sheets
Comments: Great bass here courtesy of Reuben Fairfax Jr. and an excellent performance from the undisputed King of Memphis soul. This is perhaps Green’s most ambiguous number and those who aren’t paying close attention to the lyrics are likely to interpret this one far differently than the artist intended.
Awesome
I’m so happy to be a part of that lot. I mentioned on Twitter: As a music blogger, I’m probably supposed to be too jaded to be excited about being involved in a compilation with Shooter Jennings, but the day I stop being excited about goofy, little things like that is the day I need to pack it all in. I love hearing the FBFY mix every month. So wonderfully varied.