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12.21pm
18 March 2013
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“Rain “, “Think For Yourself “, and “Something “
12.55pm
16 June 2013
Offline “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey “. It’s so awesome, I’m sure it inspired the great James Brown to write “Good Foot”, one of his masterpieces.
9.28pm
10 August 2011
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Watching his Rockshow video reminds me of how remarkable it is that he can PLAY those great bass lines effortlessly while singing.
"Into the Sky with Diamonds" (the Beatles and the Race to the Moon – a history)
12.13pm
26 March 2012
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Into the Sky with Diamonds said
Watching his Rockshow video reminds me of how remarkable it is that he can PLAY those great bass lines effortlessly while singing.
Agreed. If Sgt Peppers was Paul’s peak as a bass “composer”, Rockshow and Wings Over America was undoubtedly his peak as a bass “performer.”
SHUT UP - Paulie's talkin'
6.00pm
8 November 2012
Offline Ben Ramon said
Agreed. If Sgt Peppers was Paul’s peak as a bass “composer”, Rockshow and Wings Over America was undoubtedly his peak as a bass “performer.”
I wouldn’t be able to tell… is there a remarkable difference between then and now as a bass performer?
parlance
6.05pm
21 November 2012
Offline Never really paid attention to the bassline in Rain , but wow it’s awesome!
WMGGW is really one of my favourites, Think For Yourself , Come Together ..Day Tripper and Paperback Writer are both very good too, and of course Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds . There are a lot more though. A LOT.
9.23pm
1 November 2012
Offline They’re all excellent, but the Abbey Road medley from You Never Give Me Your Money all the way to She Came In Through The Bathroom Window is even more superlative, the pinnacle of Paul’s bassism.
Faded flowers, wait in a jar, till the evening is complete... complete... complete... complete...
11.26pm
26 March 2012
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parlance said
Ben Ramon said
Agreed. If Sgt Peppers was Paul’s peak as a bass “composer”, Rockshow and Wings Over America was undoubtedly his peak as a bass “performer.”
I wouldn’t be able to tell… is there a remarkable difference between then and now as a bass performer?
parlance
Not remarkably, but I’d argue that the giant tours with Wings were really the first time that Paul came into his own as a “live” bassist. Where in 1967 he was staying after hours in the studio perfecting the lines he played on the records to make them as melodic and nuanced as possible, in 1976 he was ensuring that his bass was a driving, undeniable part of the live sound (something he never got to do with the Beatles). If you listen to those shows, he’s evidently made very sure that the low end really cuts through and carries the band; it really thunders on the Rockshow film. Occasionally, he’ll swing the neck up in the air and pick out a spontaneous, groovy fill. It’s what you might call “lead bass.” Also there’s the visual aspect; the (enormous!) yellow Rickenbacker he was playing at the time seemed to be a conscious attempt to distance himself from the tiny Hofner, while remaining idiosyncratic and recognizable.
Nowadays, although his bass playing is still important in the live shows (as it would be in any band), he doesn’t show it off nearly as much. The fact he’s performing with the “Beatle bass” that everybody recognizes seems to be enough, so he isn’t quite as eager to make it the band’s sonic linchpin.
SHUT UP - Paulie's talkin'
3.52am
8 November 2012
Offline7.05am
17 January 2013
Offline I can’t believe I forgot about “A Day In The Life “! The bass is one of my favourite components of that song! 
"Please don't bring your banjo back, I know where it's been.. I wasn't hardly gone a day, when it became the scene.. Banjos! Banjos! All the time, I can't forget that tune.. and if I ever see another banjo, I'm going out and buy a big balloon!"
8.52am
10 June 2013
Offline “Getting Better ” and “Being For The Benefit of Mr.Kite” are both soooo magical because of those bass lines
And “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window “, “The Word ” is cool for it’s flawless groove I say, I like the bass in “Martha My Dear ” “Sexie Sadie” a lot too
if you can’t tell I like the more melodic bass lines
The nuance that that man is capable of !
I listened to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps ” at chipmunk speed the other day and the bass was slightly reminiscent of dub/dubstep, I kid not 
thanks Paul
"P. P. P. P. S- L. P. Winner."
10.27am
16 June 2013
Offline The remasters series have revealed Paul’s early period basslines, especially on Rubber Soul . RS is Macca’s real birth on bass, especially on 3 songs: “You Won’t See Me “, “Nowhere Man “, “The Word “. I can’t choose between them, but when I listen to them I always hear the bass first. Simple and infectiously melodic
12.49am
18 December 2011
Offline Here’s a list of Beatles songs with the very best of McCartney’s bass lines… which is quite a bunch:
– “Rain “
– “Hey Bulldog “
– “Something “
– “Dear Prudence “
– “Come Together “
– “Think For Yourself ” (fuzz bass part)
– “Taxman “
– “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
– “You Never Give Me Your Money “
– “Sun King “
– “Mean Mr. Mustard”
– “Polythene Pam “
– “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window “
– “Paperback Writer “
– “Glass Onion “
– “Nowhere Man “
– “Penny Lane “
– “With A Little Help From My Friends “
– “Baby, You’re A Rich Man”
– “Good Morning, Good Morning”
– “Oh! Darling “
– “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da “
– “Getting Better “
– “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite”
– “Sexy Sadie “
– “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey”
– “The Ballad Of John And Yoko “
– “A Day In The Life “
– “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds “
Note: I didn’t include “I Saw Her Standing There ” because that bass line was lifted off from Chuck Berry’s “I’m Talking About You”. Paul’s bass lines to “Roll Over Beethoven “, “She’s A Woman ” and “I’ll Cry Instead ” are less melodic constructed but worth a listen.
"Real music is made by real people playing real instruments using own creativity and skills."
3.57pm
3 July 2013
Offline With the Betales my favorite is probably Taxman , what a great bass line….Paul has so many great bass lines, like in Mrs. Vanderbilt by Wings, that one is incredible..
8.00am
23 January 2011
Offline Ben Ramon said
parlance said
Ben Ramon said
Agreed. If Sgt Peppers was Paul’s peak as a bass “composer”, Rockshow and Wings Over America was undoubtedly his peak as a bass “performer.”
I wouldn’t be able to tell… is there a remarkable difference between then and now as a bass performer?
parlance
Not remarkably, but I’d argue that the giant tours with Wings were really the first time that Paul came into his own as a “live” bassist. Where in 1967 he was staying after hours in the studio perfecting the lines he played on the records to make them as melodic and nuanced as possible, in 1976 he was ensuring that his bass was a driving, undeniable part of the live sound (something he never got to do with the Beatles). If you listen to those shows, he’s evidently made very sure that the low end really cuts through and carries the band; it really thunders on the Rockshow film. Occasionally, he’ll swing the neck up in the air and pick out a spontaneous, groovy fill. It’s what you might call “lead bass.” Also there’s the visual aspect; the (enormous!) yellow Rickenbacker he was playing at the time seemed to be a conscious attempt to distance himself from the tiny Hofner, while remaining idiosyncratic and recognizable.
Nowadays, although his bass playing is still important in the live shows (as it would be in any band), he doesn’t show it off nearly as much. The fact he’s performing with the “Beatle bass” that everybody recognizes seems to be enough, so he isn’t quite as eager to make it the band’s sonic linchpin.
I would kill to see him play Soily on a bass so I could see how the Tommy gun part is played. I’m not really musical, but dammit, I love the way that part sounds. I just want to see someone play it.
"You can manicure a cat but can you caticure a man?"
John Lennon- Skywriting by Word of Mouth
1.41pm
26 March 2012
Offline I’ve got Soily down on bass and the “tommy gun” part isn’t too hard when you’ve practiced it enough; merely a case of running your finger down the length of the string from the top while chugging the pick against the string at the same rhythm as the drums. The marvel of course is the precision of the way Paul plays it. I’ve always been amazed by how he keeps that cylical bassline going – with random fills and improvised bits – singing all the while.
SHUT UP - Paulie's talkin'
3.05am
23 January 2011
Offline Ben Ramon said
I’ve got Soily down on bass and the “tommy gun” part isn’t too hard when you’ve practiced it enough; merely a case of running your finger down the length of the string from the top while chugging the pick against the string at the same rhythm as the drums. The marvel of course is the precision of the way Paul plays it. I’ve always been amazed by how he keeps that cylical bassline going – with random fills and improvised bits – singing all the while.
If you ever make a video of you playing it on YouTube, let me know. I haven’t really found any bass covers of Soily there yet. I’m not musically talented at all, so I’m impressed by pretty much anything.
"You can manicure a cat but can you caticure a man?"
John Lennon- Skywriting by Word of Mouth
12.33pm
26 March 2012
Offline I doubt I’d put it on YouTube but I could make a video if you fancy. Alternatively I could just make a recording of me playing along as the sound quality would be a lot better and clearer that way, but I guess you’d like to see it being played rather than just hear.
SHUT UP - Paulie's talkin'
7.08am
23 January 2011
Offline Ben Ramon said
I doubt I’d put it on YouTube but I could make a video if you fancy. Alternatively I could just make a recording of me playing along as the sound quality would be a lot better and clearer that way, but I guess you’d like to see it being played rather than just hear.
I really would like to see it, if you would be willing.
"You can manicure a cat but can you caticure a man?"
John Lennon- Skywriting by Word of Mouth
12.32pm
11 November 2013
Offline Nobody’s mentioned Fixing A Hole or Michelle , both of which have a kind of counterpoint bass line wandering around on the off-beat.
And the Anthology version of And Your Bird Can Sing also has a great bass line, totally different to the great bass line on the Revolver version.
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