Sir Paul McCartney Regains Lead in "Favourite Beatle Stakes"

This is the thread in which we should discuss Macca's best Beatles basslines.

The bestest Beatles base lines that cost an arm and a leg?

1. Taxman
2. Rain
3. Paperback Writer
4. Baby You're A Rich Man
5. Helter Skelter
6. Hey Bulldog
7. Don't Let Me Down
8. Drive My Car
9. Come Together
10. Dear Prudence

But really, could go on forever.

His basslines are rarely just the root note played an octave down - I'm surprised Geir likes this guy

Why? He is teh melodic...

Sorry, that was a particularly inane geirquote that stuck in my mind for some reason.

The first bassline that springs to mind is 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!', oddly enough.

Should have put While My Guitar Gently Weeps in here; bass is WAY more interesting than the fucking guitar!

11. Old Brown Shoe

his work on "Something" is really underrated - one of the best examples of his habit of recording completely new parts late into the night after the rest of the song was completed...

^^^^^^^This
I actually hated that song until I heard the remastered version. The bass playing is sublime.

i always want to say that the bassline sounds more like a jazz saxaphonist commenting on the melody but that makes it sound like the part isnt actually integral at the same time.

there is a surprisingly great (among many crappy) youtube video(s) of a bassist playing along with this that really underscores the complexity of the part - i will link to it when i get home.

Yeah, that bass on 'Something' kills me...in fact, I think that's what's making 'Abbey Road' such a revelation for me this time round, is all these songs where the bass is making you go 'Holy shit what's he doing?'. Sometimes it follows the vocal harmony even, not at all tied to the drum beat or even the guitar. Totally cool.

'Harrison later complained about McCartney's 'fussy' bass playing on the track, saying he'd "rather have Willie Weeks playing bass for me than Paul McCartney".'

^Found that on that Norwegianwood.org diskog page.

I heard Helter Skelter on the radio the other day and was blown away by how heavy that bassline is.

Would I get laughed at for repping for the bassline on 'Little Help from My Friends'? Digging that so hard atm

xpost - also I love George a LOT but I get the feeling that he was consistently the 'Eeyore' of the band. He could be a right little black rain cloud, it seems.

Well he lacked the wide-eyed naiveté of Lennon, it's true.

I really like McCartney's "fussy" bass playing but i could imagine that if I'd written the song I might agree with George.

I guess we benefit from, what, 40 years of hindsight?

Also need to contest the commonly held opinion that 'She's Leaving Home' is sympathetic to the parents. One of my favorite songs on Sgt Pepper, and I have never seen it that way. If you view the parents 'we gave up most of our lives etc' through the lens of 'she's leaving home after living ALONE for so many years', I think it changes everything. Parents sad after the fact but never actually did anything to keep her in the house before she left. Then again as a girl who left the COUNTRY, and home...maybe taking it too personally. Carry on.

Paul's bass part in 'Here Comes the Sun.'