Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm considering adding a "recommended listening" list to my book, "Rickenbacker Basses – 50 Years As Rock's Bottom," and while I certainly have my favorite tunes to recommend, my range of musical taste might be too limited. So I'd like to ask the bass-players here to nominate tunes which they know (or at least surmise) to include a Rickenbacker bass. Parameters: It has to be "rockish" (jazz, country, R&B OK, too), and you have to be able to easily hear the Rick bass in the mix. No sense telling a reader that there's a Rick bass in a particular recording but it's smothered by poor sound/mix quality. Please recommend tune, artist, and "album" if applicable. I'll read any suggestions, but the final list will be up to me.

Here are some of my suggestions, most of them are fairly obvious:

Yes: Roundabout, Heart of the Sunrise, Your's Is No Disgrace

Beatles: Penny Lane, A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Magical Mystery Tour

Atlanta Rhythm Section: Champagne Jam, Spooky

Deep Purple: Smoke on the Water, Highway Star

Renaissance: Carpet of the Sun, Ocean Gypsy

Rush: Closer To The Heart, Freewill (not informed enough to know which other tunes were Rick)

So, here's your chance for some input. Fire away!

Golden Earring - Radar Love

Motorhead - Ace of Spades

Deep Purple - Space Truckin'

Spinal Tap - Flower People

My apologies for not knowing the album titles.

Tool - Sober, Prison Sex (both were singles off of Undertow recorded with a 4001CS, the tone that still defines Tool)

Squarepusher - Iambic 5 Poetry (the standout track of Budakhan Mindphone recorded with a very audible 1970s 4001)

Triple Play - Take Five (a pretty amazing live jazz cut and has a fretless 1969-1970 vintage 4001 way up front in the mix)

All of these really showcase the Ric bass, are somewhat "off the beaten path" yet accessible, and are really, really good songs.

Yeah, all the obvious ones come first. Cassius knows how to dig out some great tracks. Now, let's get into some more deep tracks:
Pink Floyd: Piper, Saucerful & Ummagumma albums
10CC "I'm Not In Love" (especially the interlude section bass solo)
The Knack "My Sharona"
BTO "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet"
I Think Billy Idol's bass player used a Rick.
That's all for now. I want to see what else folks come up with.

Genesis - Firth Of Fifth
Deep Purple - Pictures of Home - bass solo has the best neck toaster sound IMHO. The '72 FG before it was modified.
Eagles - Hotel California. Randy Meisner on bass. I'd also mention One of These Nights.

The Who - The Seeker
The Beatles - Paperback Writer/Rain
The Beatles - Come Together/Something
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
The Jam - In The City

The Jam - Eton Rifles; Going Underground.

The Beatles: Something; Taxman; I'm only Sleeping.

Somebody has to add some early R.E.M. like Radio Free Europe!

Motorhead _ Ace of spades!!!

Rick James - Superfreak - Street Songs

i think all of bto "not fragile" and "four wheel drive" were issued as singles. "hey you" was a hit. "lookin' out for #1" was a hit as well. rick 4000 and 4001 throughout.


"silly love songs" by macca.

golden earing "radar love" was not a rick. danelectro long horn.

Lots of great suggestions here. I'm glad to see Josh recommend a "newer" tune with 'Sober" I would also like to put out "In The Meantime" by Spacehog. It's a pretty catchy bass line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9AWGc0d8ik

Atlanta Rythym Section "Champaign Jam". Classic Rick tone.


Paul Goddard, a very underated bassist.

Maybe it doesn't belong here but Hold Out Your Hand or Safe ... FOW - Chris Squire

Muse - Knights of Cydonia (from Black Holes and Revelations, 2006): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm1Fj8n6kWw

Wishbone Ash - Vas Dis (from Pilgrimage, 1971): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia73dAETiGk&feature=fvsr

The Stone Roses - I am the Resurrection (from The Stone Roses, 1989) - features 4005 bass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyrrTK_xzj4

Rush - Cygnus X-1 Book One (from A Farewell To Kings, 1977). The 4001 tone on this still sends shivers down my spine

Yes - The Fish (from Fragile, 1971)