Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I listened to Rubber Soul, Help and Revolver on the flight from Dallas to Washington, DC yesterday and I have a new level of respect for McCartney's bass work. I liked "Drive My Car" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" the best.

Everything Paul plays is impressive to me in some way. (A lot of "How did he ever think of going to THAT note?!" when I listen to him and play along.)

If forced to pick my favorite(s), it would have to be "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Sexy Sadie." (Hmm, two that he didn't write; interesting observation.)

It broke my heart when I read that those two were played on his Jazz bass and not his Rickenbacker. At least, that's what I THINK I read somewhere. Somebody PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong.

(However, if I'm completely wrong, and Paul isn't playing bass on either of those songs, don't tell me; I don't want to know.)

There are a couple of songs that I would bet everything I own (well almost everythingthat Ric basses were used on them and Beatlesgear says were done with a jazz bass. I trust my own ears. Those two songs you mentioned I'm not sure, The first could be a jazz it doesn't particularly sound like a Ric to me and the bass is not real clear on the second one so I don't have an opinion on that one either.

Hey Bulldog's my favorite.

Every gig I look forward to playing "Something". We play a lot of great Beatles songs, with cool bass parts, but that's the one I love to play. Beatles songs anyway, when we get to the last set(Brit Invasion)the encore is The Who's "My Generation", that's fun.

I've always liked playing Something too, but one of my favorite tunes I've played by The beatles was "Everybody's Got Something To Hide except me and my Monkey". I envy you Ronn I'd love to play in a Beatle band I did for a few months in Lima and it was fun, I sang a lot of their stuff there also. Usually it's just been the sporadic tune here and there in bands.

Everybody's Got something to Hide is a great bass line, as well as, Something, Hey Bulldog, Taxman, Rain, With a Little Help from My Friends, Lovely Rita, Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps. There are just too many to list, lol.

Carmen, I get to play all those on a regular basis. Too much fun!
Bob, we do "Monkey" but not very often, the crowd has to be "just so". I love the firebell on that tune, our keyboard player plays the firebell on "Monkey", our lead guitarist plays that same bell on "Penny Lane".
The crowd that we'll play "Monkey" for, we also usually play "Yer Blues" for too.

That's another great tune.

last week we played And your bird can sing on stage... that song has a great bass line too

Many of Paul's phenomenal & ground-breaking basslines are in songs he didn't write:

Something
Lucy In The Sky....
A Day In The Life
Dear Prudence
While My Guitar..
Taxman
Rain
Don't Let Me Down
Here Comes The Sun
Here Comes The Sun King
Come Together
This Boy
Everybody's Got Something.....
Nowhere Man
I'm Only Sleeping
Polythene Pam
Hey Bulldog
Being For The Benefit...
Norwegian Wood
Baby You're a Rich Man
All You Need Is Love
And Your Bird Can Sing
I'll Cry Instead
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Day Tripper

Here are some of the best in songs that he wrote:

With A Little Help....
Michelle
Fixing A Hole
Penny Lane
Oh! Darling
Lovely Rita
Paperback Writer
Getting Better
Drive My Car
Martha My Dear (a lot of slides towards the end)
Got To Get You Into My Life
Lady Madonna
Hello Goodbye
You Won't See Me
All My Loving

I can't ever remember hearing him play a bad bass line in the Beatles.

Agree Bob!

and Andrew, I tend to agree that his best lines were on other's songs!

He always had flair too, even one their early stuff. I think he was a born bass player, he didn't just play the lines flat, he always did a little something to make it stand out. Listen to the way he played on "This Boy" He took a simple line, played it with some style and almost made it the lead instrument in the song.

I just learned "Time to Hide" and "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" today. It was nice to get back out of my Floyd and Rush hole and play some really high energy songs. I realized that "Time to Hide" is rough to sing Paul's parts on. Well, I did try singing on the first run though the song, so that may have added to the difficuty. Also, knowing the words would help too, hehe. Paul is incredible on that whole live album. I did notice the "Egypt" is basicly (no pun intended) the same riff as "Rockshow". "Rockshow" is also tough to sing and play, and I hardly have trouble singing and playing.

Now I need a band that will play Wings stuff!