Weekly Top 10: Isolated Bass Week 2, Jamerson’s Amp Mystery Part 2, New Transcription Column and More of the Best in Bass
Our second isolated bass week generated a lot of views and comments. Like you, we had a ball watching and listening to all the bass greatness over the week.
So it is no surprise that our weekly top 10 list is dominated by isolated bass tracks.
Our brand new transcription column by Stuart Clayton debuted last week too – with the transcription for Viaceslav Svedov’s incredible all-bass arrangement of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry”. That too made the list.
Check out these and the rest of the top 10 most viewed/read features on No Treble for the week of July 29 – August 4, 2012.
1. Pearl Jam’s “Alive”: Isolated Bass & Drums
Based on the huge popularity of the isolated bass tracks, we’ve decided to do our second “isolated bass week”. (Check out our previous isolated bass week, after this video.) Here’s Jeff Ament‘s classic bass line on the Pearl Jam hit single, “Alive”, from the album Ten. Such a cool line, with all the right mix…
2. PBS: Jamerson Amp is Legit; Jamerson Jr.: Nope
The legend continues. Last week, we reported on the story that PBS’s History Detectives were investigating an amp believed to be owned by Motown legend James Jamerson, in an attempt to determine its authenticity. Well, the folks behind the PBS show deemed the amp as legit. But not so fast… another Jamerson has his doubts…
3. Cliff Burton: Metallica’s “Orion” Isolated Bass
“Orion” is a heavy metal masterpiece, mostly due to the incredible bass work by the late Cliff Burton. Released on the groundbreaking 1986 album Master of Puppets, the instrumental track is the band’s most progressive work up to that point. Burton plays “lead bass” throughout, with in-your-face distortion and wicked solos. The interlude changes the…
4. How and Why Woods Affect Your Bass Sound
In this week’s Ask Damian column, Damian Erskine enlists the help of Pete Skjold to answer a reader’s question on the impact wood choices make in creating a bass – on the amplified sound…
5. Zander Zon: “Somebody That I Used To Know” Solo Bass Cover
Zander Zon is back with a new video. This time around, he’s performing an all-bass cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know”. Zander says, “I’m using a loop pedal during the verse and a couple other parts, but not the chorus. This piece was recorded live, with no overdubs (CDEG tuning). Hope you…
6. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”: Isolated Bass & Drums
The 1973 studio version of “Free Bird” appeared on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut album, from Pronounced ‘Leh-’Nérd ‘Skin-’Nérd and featured Ed King on bass and Bob Burns on drums. Here’s the duo in isolation on the track, showing just how a drummer/bassist pairing should be. King is reportedly playing his 1964 Fender Jazz on the tune…
7. Transcription: “No Woman, No Cry” Solo Bass Arrangement
This great version of the Bob Marley classic “No Woman, No Cry” was arranged by popular YouTube bassist Viaceslav Svedov, a talented young musician known for his hard-hitting covers of popular bass-driven songs. Check out the first transcription in this new series for bassists…
8. Bill Wyman on Stones World Tour: “I don’t fly… no way I’ll go on any tour”
Well, it was nice while it lasted. Hot on the heels of the news that Bill Wyman was rehearsing with the Rolling Stones as part of the band’s 50th anniversary comes the news that Wyman won’t be touring with the group as hoped. Following the rehearsals, guitarist Keith Richards said, “We’re playing around with the…
9. Won’t Get Fooled Again: John Entwistle’s Isolated Bass (Live, 1978)
Has there ever been anyone cooler than John Entwistle? I don’t think so, and here’s Exhibit A – the Ox’s isolated bass from “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, performed live in Shepparton, UK in 1978…
10. James Jamerson: “Bernadette” Isolated Bass
This wouldn’t be much of an “isolated bass week” without including the legend, James Jamerson. So here’s a (mostly) isolated bass track from the 1967 Four Tops hit, “Bernadette”. There’s some disagreement about whether this is the bass on the actually released single, or if it is an out-take from the Motown vault. Doesn’t matter…
