Most astonishing deep bass impact on your rock records???

The distorted and apocalyptic bass in Blows Against The Empire by Paul Kantner played by Jack Casady.

 

Klaus Voormann learned to play bass to get into The Beatles, but Paul McCartney had already switched from guitar to bass, so he went to Manfred Mann. He plays bass on Carly Simon's album and the intro he made on bass for "You're So Vain" has become iconic.

 

Stills' bass in Deja Vu (the song) is impressive too

 

Mel's bass runs on Grand Funk Railroad's second (the "Red Album") and third ("Closer To Home") LP's...they sound like a rumblin', runaway freight train, but in a good way!!!

 

Bass impact?.. The Move's 'Message From The Country' album!

 

Lots of Pat Metheny works to choose from

Always and Forever (with Charlie Haden on bass)

This could really rattle your windows.
Crank this up to your own risk!

 

Bjork - Hyperballad

 

Jean Michel Jarre - Equinoxe

 

Grand Funk Railroad - Inside Looking Out.
Sly Stone - Thank You for Letting me be Myself.
Mountain - Live at the Fillmore - Dream Sequence.

 

As it's been posted before, prog used extensively and beautifully bass pedals, to astonishing effect

Here's Genesis' Supper's Ready, with many deep bass moments

 

David Bowie "The Man Who Sold The World" album
Grand Funk S/T ("The Red Album")
Humble Pie "Rockin' The Fillmore"

 

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Knife Edge

 

The start of Dire Straits' Telegraph Road

That bass is coming from all of your room!

 

Take Me To The Pilot- Elton John...bass shakes the room...

 

Porcupine Tree - Heartattack in a Lay By

 

“Strong Man Holler” from Taj Majal’s “Maestro” cd sends a few tremors throughout the house. That’s the most powerful bass track that I can recall from my collection.

 

A couple of U.S. LPs from the 1990s have very impressive bass.

Elastica - S/T: The bass at the beginning of "Never Here" simply shakes the walls.
Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies: The bass at the beginning of "Rotten Apple" is incredibly deep.

 

Great song and yeah, that bass sounds impressive on vinyl.

 

i'M iN lOVE wITH a bIG bLUE frOG-pETER pAUL & MARY...
Dick Kniss acoustic bass kills...

 

Nobody I know-Peter & Gordon
Laugh Laugh The Beau Brummels

stereo versions on Rhino CDs

 

This YouTube clip really doesn't do the actual recording justice, but the CD and even the old vinyl release of Moby's "Play" feature really deep bass, especially on this track:

 

The Good The Bad & The Queen - Merrie Land

 

Not bass guitar but the synth bass line's entry in the intro to Ultravox's "Slow Motion" (around the 30 second mark) was more challenging for my speakers in 1978 than any Dub (or PIL) record I owned at the time.

 

I think we might be getting away from pure 'rock' with some of our selections here, but that's okay.

And in that vein, I choose Massive Attack's 'Angel'. The bass notes on this suddenly plunge the listener into a deep pool of sinisterness.

You probably won't get the full effect by listening to it on YouTube, but here it is anyway:

 

Angel is such a great tune, not just for the bass but also the holographic stereo imaging of the percussion. It is a perfect test for your system and room.