Learning Bass Guitar – 5 Essential Albums You Should Listen To!

If you’re learning bass guitar here’s how to improve your bass playing by listening to influences that inspire others playing the same instrument. Yes, it’s time again for another in the series of how to improve your guitar playing by listening to music you might never listen to if it wasn’t for someone with the same goals suggesting a few of their influences.

This time Pete Brown – bass player with Evil Blizzard – has been good enough to contribute, so thanks Pete and here is his introduction and recommendations.

Originally a Guitarist I first picked up a Bass Guitar in 1984 after being badgered by some pals to form a punk band who needed a bassist called “Dead Nations” and I’ve never looked back. I’ve played in Various local bands over the years to name more than a few: Dreamland, Pronoise, Treehouse3, Brothers Gidd and This Dirty Swamp.

5 years ago, upon hearing Evil Blizzard were going to be supporting The Fall I made it my business to play with them at that gig making 3 Bassists into 4 and it’s been fun all the way. We released our third and some say best album in January 2018 which was called “The Worst Show On Earth”

Script of the Bridge by The Chameleons

• Post Punk Indie Rock

One of the best debut albums ever made in my opinion. I’d never heard of The Chameleons until one night in 1983 at The Hacienda in Manchester when unbeknown to me they played a song called “In Shreds” at the after-show disco having watched Xmal Deutschland play a gig.

I still had no idea it was The Chameleons I’d heard till I saw them play live at the very first (and last) York Racecourse Festival in 1984 featuring various bands including Echo and the Bunnymen, Spear of Destiny, Sisters of Mercy and of course The Chameleons. When they played “In Shreds” I realised it was them who I’d heard at The Hacienda so I made a trip to Action Records in Preston the following weekend and bought Script of the Bridge which incidentally didn’t feature “In Shreds”

From the opening lines of Don’t Fall till the closing haunting guitar work of View From A Hill you get taken on a journey you want to take over and over again. Mark Burgess plays Bass and also sings which is a pretty rare and difficult thing for a bassist to do. Ultimate stand out track for me is Second Skin which is always a firm favourite when they play it live.

This album is flawless from a Bassist point of view as every bassline is simple yet solid. The Chameleons have influenced many bands over the years and are one of the most underrated bands to come out of Manchester. They currently play live under the name “Chameleons Vox”

Quiet Life by Japan

• New Wave / New Romantic

Hailing from Catford, South London Japan are one of the finest bands to grace these British shores.

Quiet Life was the third album released by Japan in December 1979. It was pretty refreshing to hear the unique style from Mick Karn although some say he was heavily influenced by Jaco Pastorius I think he had his on slant on things, especially the way he sometimes moved about on stage. Stand out tracks being In Vogue and Halloween.

Mick Karn was a massive influence on me in the early/mid 80’s and to merely be able to play one of his most simple basslines was a major achievement. the problem being Mick Karn didn’t really do simple basslines he did monster fretless ones

Handsworth Revolution by Steel Pulse

• Reggae

In 1980 I was really into Ska music thanks to the uprising of the 2Tone label and bands such as The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat and Madness. I was also listening to The John Peel show late at night on BBC Radio1 which is where I heard Steel Pulse for the first time.

If there is any album a fledgling bassist can pick up great basslines from it is definitely Handsworth Revolution by Steel Pulse. Released in February 1978 with Ronald McQueen on Bass and Steve Nesbitt on drums they were a rhythm section to be reckoned with. Then on top of that David Hinds vocals and great guitar playing were a massive influence on me. Stand out tracks Prodigal Son and Ku Klux Klan

Steel Pulse had lots of great feel and rhythm and fantastic songs to boot with wonderful meaningful lyrics

Hemispheres by Rush

• Prog Rock

One of my work colleagues was selling a load of old vinyl albums in 1983 which I decided to buy in amongst the haul was Fly by Night and Hemisphere by Rush. Hemispheres was never off my turntable for about 2 years.

Released in October 1978 as their 6^th album I had some catching up to do. There is no point in naming actual songs off this album as it has to be listened to as a whole. Geddy Lee along with Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart are in my opinion of course the worlds best musicians. Hemispheres has been remastered and reissued this year with some live tracks. A must in anyone’s collection

Geddy Lee is possibly the biggest influence on me as a bassist. Listening to Hemispheres I always wanted to strive to be as good as him which was obviously never going to happen. I’ve been very lucky to see Rush 9 times over the years and it was very bad news when they decided to call it a day.

James Jamerson

• Motown

James Jamerson was the bassist you can hear on most of the Motown tracks played over the years. As part of The Funk Brothers he played on countless tracks with very little recognition until a brilliant documentary was released in 2002 called Standing In The Shadows Of Motown.

There is no album as such but there are plenty of songs. Songs that I remember hearing my Mother and Father playing when I was a child. To name a few Bernadette by The Four Tops, What Becomes of The Broken Hearted by Jimmy Ruffin, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, I Second That Emotion by The Miracles, which incidentally was covered by Japan on the Quiet Life album

He was and still is The Master. Stuck in a small sweaty studio in Detroit James Jamerson and The Funk Brothers churned out hit after hit for very little money and zero recognition.