The Best Bassist Ever

No, this isn't a poll, or an opportunity to voice your opinions on the matter - it's pure fact. The best bassist ever is James Lee Jamerson.

Who? Come on, you've all heard a ton of his basslines, you just don't know it yet. This is because he was a massively overshadowed session player for Motown records, providing the funk and the soul of hundred upon hundreds of classics with his band 'the funk brothers' - "right about now, the funk soul brother", take a wild guess who that's referring to..

Here's a selection of some of their rhythms:

_{My Girl - The Temptations
Bernadette - The Four Tops
Aint That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye
Ooh Baby Baby - The Miracles
To Many Fish In The Sea - The Marvelettes
Uptight (Everything Is Alright) - Stevie Wonder
Heat Wave (U) - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
This Old Heart Of Mine - Isley Brothers
I Heard It Through The Grapevine (2 recordings) - Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & Pips
Where Did Our Love Go (U) - Diana/Supremes
Since I Lost My Baby - Temptations
For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder
My Guy (U) - Mary Wells
Your Precious Love - Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell
You've Really Got A Hold On Me - The Miracles
Love Child - The Supremes
I Guess I'll Always Love you
Dancing In The Streets - Martha & The Vandellas
Don't Mess With Bill - The Marvelettes
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
Standing In The Shadows Of Love - 4 Tops
Mickey's Monkey (U) - The Miracles
Cloud Nine - Temptations
Nothing's To Good For My Baby - Temptations
My Baby Loves Me - Martha & The Vandellas
You Keep Me Hanging On - Diana/Supremes
You Beat Me To The Punch - Mary Wells
Little Darling (I Need You) - 4 Tops
I'm Ready For Love
The Way You Do The Things You Do - Temptations
I Can't Help Myself - 4 Tops
Roadrunner - Jr. Walker & The All-Stars
You're All I Need To Get By - Temptations
You Can't Hurry Love - Diana/Supremes
Shop Around - The Miracles
Ain't To Proud To Beg - Temptations
My Cherie Amour - Stevie Wonder
It's The Same Old Song - 4 Tops
How Sweet It Is - Marvin Gaye
Take Me In Your Arms (And Rock Me A Little While) - Brenda Holloway
Ain't No Mountain High Enough (2 recordings) - Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell, Diana/Supremes
My Baby Must Be A Magician - The Marvelettes
Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart - Diana/Supremes
Beauty Is Only Skin Deep - Temptations
Ask The Lonely - 4 Tops
Going To A Go-Go - The Miracles
I was Made To Love Her - Stevie Wonder
Hitch Hike - Marvin Gaye
I Second That Emotion - The Miracles
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
Jimmy Mack (U) - Martha & The Vandellas
I Hear A Symphony - Diana/Supremes
Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) - 4 Tops
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Temptations
Get Ready - Temptations
The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game
Stop! In The Name Of Love - Diana/Supremes
That's What Love Is Made Of
Nowhere To Run - Martha & The Vandellas
Seven Rooms Of Gloom - 4 Tops
Pride & Joy - Marvin Gaye
(I Know) I'm Losing You - Temptations
Two Lovers - Mary Wells
I'll Turn To Stone - 4 Tops
Come See About Me - Diana/Supremes
Stubborn Kind Of Fellow - Marvin Gaye
How Long Has That Evening Train Been Gone
If I Were your Woman Gladys Knight & The Pips
My World Is Empty Without You - Diana/Supremes
The Tracks Of My Tears - The Miracles
I'm Wondering - Stevie Wonder
Can I Get A Witness - Marvin Gaye
The Girls Alright With Me - Temptations
Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Da Day - Stevie Wonder
Reflections - Diana/Supremes
What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted - Jimmy Ruffin
Baby I Need Your Loving - 4 Tops
Quicksand... - Martha & The Vandellas
Reach Out...I'll Be There - 4 Tops
You Beat Me To The Punch - Mary Wells
The Bells - The Originals
Shotgun - Jr. Walker & The All-Stars
Fingertips (pt. 2)- Stevie Wonder
Hey Girl - Stevie Wonder
What Are You Gonna Do When I'm Gone (U) - Kim Weston
Still Water Runs Deep - Four Tops
All in the Game - Four Tops
My Baby - Temptations
The One Who Really Loves You (U)- Mary Wells
This Old Heart Of Mine - Isley Brothers
My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left) - David Ruffin
It Takes Two (U) - Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell
Honey Chile - Martha & the Vandellas
To Busy Thinking About My Baby - Marvin Gaye
When Your Young And In Love - Marvelettes
Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing - Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell
Still Waters Run Deep - Four Tops
If I Were Your Woman - Gladys Knight & the Pips
I Want You Back - Jackson 5
It's Growing - The Temptations
Agent Double O Soul - Edwin Starr
I Can't Get Next To You - Temptations
I want A Love I can Feel - Temptations
Heart Breaking Guy - Supremes}

And on, and on, and on...plus there are countless superb hits where the rhythm section is completely ignored in the credits, any one of these could (and some very likely were) have been played by the funk brothers.

James Jamerson played on more #1 hits than Elvis, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles put together. Sure the songs had some great vocals on top of them, but any of the old Motown singers of the day could have done them justice - no-one else could ever touch the perfect driving rhythms and the sweet funk inherent in every single bar. Bands would write and record songs with other session musicians only to throw them away in disgust until James Jamerson & co turned up and made them into hits that are still household names today.

"Jamerson was the heart and soul of his group and was once carried in to a recording session session too drunk to walk or stand on his own (alcoholism unfortunately lead to his untimely demise) and still tear the house down better than anyone else could from flat on his back with the funk machine (his trusty p-bass) strapped and resting on his belly."

The bass in question had frets with higher action that you'd find on a double bass, and frets so dead as to almost make the neck fretless.

Without this man we'd have no modern rhythm and blues as we know it, John Paul Jones, John Entwhistle...any modern hip hop or dance music...nothing. He revolutionised funk and soul and brought the bass into its own more than anyone before and since.

Bow down to this horrifically unknown legend. (Hell, he doesn't even have a last.fm page for me to link to).

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Originally posted to my Last.FM Journal on the 29th November, 2005. That was back in the days before I had a blog, so my various rants and thoughts were directed at a range of websites, forums, papers and publications.

Just posting it up here as someone left a comment on it, which got emailed me, which brought the thing to my attention. Couldn't have something so true not archived over here, could I? :)

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I never thought I'd use the 'jazz' and 'rants' tags for the same post...