Paul's bass playing

tmbg19

New Member
I'm really a Stones guy, but I love the Beatles. Putting songwriting aside and just going with playing an instrument, it seems to me that Paul really put in the time practicing as the Beatles progressed. Ringo is consistently great and George put out really good solos and guitar sounds (his lead work on the last few records is crazy good), but Paul sounds like he tried to become a better bassist as the years went by. I just listened to Sgt. Pepper's with the headphones and was amazed with Paul's playing. His work on later albums is fantastic, but it really hit me as I listened today just how much his bass drove Pepper's. Songwriting is so important and Lennon wrote some amazing songs, but I want to give a shout out to McCartney. The Beatles later work would not have made it without his playing.
 
Couldn't agree more. Your post is the inspiration for the record I'm spinning at this moment. Paul's bouncing bass lines & fine vocals on "Fixing a Hole" playing as I type, cheers!


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Paul worked his ass off to get the bass lines right.

I read this last year, and Geoff Emerick tells story after story about the extra hours he and Paul spent before and after group sessions working alone to get the bass lines recorded perfectly.

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Recently I was listening to "Abbey Road" (on R2R), and was particularly impressed by Paul`s bass work. He really gave that little Hofner a good workout....
 
Rumor, conjecture and frequently cited quotes from Brian Wilson, George Martin and of course Paul, suggest Brian was so impressed with Rubber Soul, he worked diligently on Pet Sounds to try to top it. In response, Paul was so impressed by the bass playing on Pet Sounds, he meticulously crafted every bass note on Sergeant Pepper's in like response. Nothing like a little good healthy competition.
 
The bass line on "Silly Love Songs" is a great riff. I picked up on it one night when listening to an AOR station at work. Every time I heard it from then on, I ignored the silly love song and just enjoyed the bass.

Oh yeah! If you want to hear Paul's bass (or Ringo's kick!) you have to snag the 50th Sgt Pepper's. Simply amazing.

Listened to the latest 50th anniv remaster of Sgt Pepper last night and Paul featured a lot more prominently out of the RHS speaker for sure!
 
I have been listening to the Beatles more seriously the last couple of years and one thing that amazes me that i never realized was how good of a bass player he was. I still believe they were better together than apart IMO
 
I have been listening to the Beatles more seriously the last couple of years and one thing that amazes me that i never realized was how good of a bass player he was. I still believe they were better together than apart IMO

Apart, they were George, and Ringo, and John (sometimes with a dizzy dame) and Paul (sometimes with a dizzy dame). Together, they were the Beatles. Come Together...please.
 
I was listening to some isolated tracks of Paul's bass playing in the Beatles, and was amazed at how he was able to make his bass sound so rubbery. I play the bass, but I would never, in a million years, be able to mimic Paul's lines. It's almost like witchcraft.
 
The thing which gave Paul's bass playing such a "bad reputation" all those years were: how crummy and thin-sounding the Capitol albums -particularly vinyl incarnations (not the reel to reels or 2004 and 2006 cd rainbow boxes)- were mastered in the '60s.
 
He played a very melodic & lyrical bass. Quite unique style, probably because he was a) left-handed and b) really more of a guitarist/pianist.
Entwistle's my favorite-est ever rock bassist, but Sir Paul was/is a very good one as well.
 
He played a very melodic & lyrical bass. Quite unique style, probably because he was a) left-handed and b) really more of a guitarist/pianist.
Entwistle's my favorite-est ever rock bassist, but Sir Paul was/is a very good one as well.

I remember reading he started playing the bass because no one else wanted to, or would. It was out of necessity, not by choice. He obviously made a great bassist. The melodic style may be because he played the other instruments first.
 
OP, You mentioned you like George's guitar work on the later albums. I like him too. But not all the guitar work is his, in case you didn't know. Paul plays lead guitar on on a few tracks (like Sgt. Peppers title track). And of course, Clapton on that White album song. On "The End," Paul, George, and John trade licks (in that order) over and over.
 
Paul worked his ass off to get the bass lines right.

I read this last year, and Geoff Emerick tells story after story about the extra hours he and Paul spent before and after group sessions working alone to get the bass lines recorded perfectly.

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Great book! I met Geoff recently. Interesting stories about the band and his recording techniques.
 
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