McCartneys best sounding bass on record ?

Paperback Writer and Rain. What a 1, 2 punch!

 

I haven't read this whole thread, so please excuse me if this has already been mentioned, but a year or so ago I was listening to Rubber Soul while in the shower (it was playing on the stereo in the other room). I guess it was a trick of the acoustics, but for some reason I heard the bass very prominently on several tracks.

The one that really caught my ear was "Nowhere Man." I'm not sure if it's McCartney's best bass playing, but it's freaking amazing! Haven't been able to listen to that song since without zeroing in on the bass...which is kind of unfortunate because it really is a vocal showpiece, too.

 

Oh Really??? Good to know as I made the same mistake in my own list all these years later!!! Lotta stuff comes out of that London Town era.

 

'And Your Bird Can Sing' from Anthology 2. Crazy good bass! I'm really surprised nobody has mentioned this.

 

The Revolver version is pretty amazing in its own right.

 

Silly Love Songs all the way!

 

Well I did actually in my post earlier in the thread (so it wasn't completely forgotten). I love how Paul and Ringo lock in together for a quick break towards the end of the song ... reminds me of a shorter version of a similar thing they did so splendidly at the end of "Rain"

 

well lists of McCartney's great bass performances would be much longer... i'm thinking the subject of the thread is where the SOUND of McCartney's bass is particularly good or notable. There are references to the Anthology pretty frequently. AYBCS might have gotten lost in the shuffle because the released version has the bass part perfected and in a better key compared to the earlier Anthology version which is stunning on many levels... from the 12 string guitar... the bass and drums being more supple... but the incomplete nature of that version might cause it to be overlooked whereas the released version isn't a model of audio clarity.

 

one might even come to the conclusion that.... there's nobody thurrrrrr!

 

Good that it didn't really matter...

 

Wings Over America, nuff said!

 

It's gotta be his bass playing on "She Said, She Said" for me!

 

A lot of great post-Beatle Paul bass lines haven't been mentioned yet here. A few obvious choices that come to mind:
Girlfriend
Magic
She's Given Up Talking
This Never Happened Before
See Your Sunshine
That Was Me

 

Sorry I missed that on my quick read through. Good call!

 

Bruce M, I agree with you, the bass playing on the song See Your Sunshine is just stellar, McCartney's all over the place!

It's just not recorded good, it's too far back in the mix, and the Hofner just sounds muffled. If that had been recorded with McCartney on the Rick, just imagine.

McCartney's bass playing should always be upfront, not out in front, but upfront, and it should be recorded very clear and distinct.

Listen to some of the great jazz bassist like Stanley Clark, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten, their bass is upfront in the mix, you can really hear what they're doing, McCartney should be recorded that way.

 

i don't have a dog in this fight as to who played , but i'm pretty sure that the fender that g.h. is playing with three parallel pickups and long-ish neck is the bass vi and that john is playing his old epiphone (john- long lightish hair and granny glasses, george- dark hair and more somber look).

cheers,
rob
.

 

audio quality wise (and playing quality obviously), the whole of "wild life" is terrific

 

I always loved Getting Better...regardless who played it!

 

Is there some question as to who played the bass part in "Getting Better"?? I never even considered that it was anyone else but Paul. It's got all of his stylistic traits, the melodic walking, the octave trills, glissandos, great punchy sound... I think it's gotta be him. None or the others were that clever at it.

And, yeah, it's a great part.

 

The strange thing aboit Getting Better is that it kinda sounds like Paul made it up while recording the bass take that was used. In the first chorus he hasn't yet arrived at the bass line used in the second and third choruses.

 

it's Paul but, with the Beatles we never know.

 

or it could be Billy Shears! LOL...

 

What s best or not is impossible to say. Paul is an amazing bass-player and there are so many great tracks where his bass is showcased
However I find the bass on Something to be- really something else
And the bass-line on Silly love song so good it s almost Silly
More recently-the bass on See your sunshine really brings the Sunshine out of the instrument
But none of all this would have been possible without A a little help from my friends

 

Paperback Writer.

 

Rain.