Oh those temptin basslines

[arr&bee]

Hey my temptaholics..have you ever grooved to the bass guitar on the music of the temps? Like the killer bottoms of[i want a love i can see..beauty's only skin deep..you've got to earn it..my baby]maybe stu can chime in on this?

[TomatoTom123]

Oh yea r&b! I think my favourite Tempt bass line is... "Power"...

[StuBass1]

In a word...Jamerson. he changed the way bass was played in pop music. Unlike most studios where the producer and arranger still told the bass player what to play...Jamerson was given the independence to create his own lines, and along with his abiity to lock the groove with Benny Benjamin in particular...changed the way that dynamic worked its way into music. That really about sums it up...

[144man]

Love the bass-line on "[[I Know) I'm Losing You", which was nicked by Otis & Carla on "Tramp".

[StuBass1]

If you mean the intro [[that was copped on Tramp) that was a guitar riff by Temptations bandleader Cornelius Grant, who was also a co-writer of that song...

[144man]

I should have known that...

[StuBass1]

I should have known that...

That's OK...I at one time mistook Anthony Jacksons historic bass intro on the O'Jays For The Love Of Money [[he did play it up the neck) for a Bobby Eli guitar intro. Bobby told me he played that session and I assumed he meant the intro...

[nativeNY63]

The guttural bassline from Papa Was a Rolling Stone. Makes your ears bleed! Some serious bottom, Larry Graham might say.

[arr&bee]

in a word...jamerson. He changed the way bass was played in pop music. Unlike most studios where the producer and arranger still told the bass player what to play...jamerson was given the independence to create his own lines, and along with his abiity to lock the groove with benny benjamin in particular...changed the way that dynamic worked its way into music. That really about sums it up...

thanks stu,i knew that you would educate us on those bass lines,thanks brother!

[StuBass1]

thanks stu,i knew that you would educate us on those bass lines,thanks brother!

My pleasure Jai... The key with Jamerson was the syncopation as he created the concept of playing a "song within a song"... That said... also, the engineers at Motown had Jamerson plugging into the board direct with, giving a level of consistency to his deep, almost muddy sound...and for you bass players out there...Jamerson NEVER changed his strings...He used LaBella flatwounds...big thick strings that produced that deep sound that you felt emanating from your chest... Unfortunately, what made Jamerson at Motown is partially what created many of his [[non self inflicted) problems on the West Coast... During the 70's...the producers were looking for a brighter sound, and bass players went to thinner and thinner strings to produce that...what they call "cheese cutters"... and producers in Los Angeles generally, with a few exceptions, weren't as lenient with Jamerson in allowing him to create his own lines on recording sessions...especially since there were so many different musicians [[and producers) he was called to work with, unlike the relatively intimate small group of the same musicians every day in Detroit...The Funk Brothers who knew exactly how to work with and around each other as almost second nature... They played together all the time...every day and even in clubs at night...

[lockhartgary]

Ball of Confusion
Girl [[Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)
[[Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need
I Truly, Truly Believe
Runaway Child, Running Wild
Standing At the Top

[Roger Polhill]

A couple of favourites of mine: "Happy Landing" and ""What Am I Going To Do Without You" both fun to play along to!

[StuBass1]

Ball of Confusion
Girl [[Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)
[[Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need
I Truly, Truly Believe
Runaway Child, Running Wild
Standing At the Top

Lets not forget Bob Babbitt... Bob played on Ball of Confusion and probably a couple of other Norman Whitfield Tempts songs. For some reason, Norman and Jamerson didn't mesh real well personally and Norman liked to use Babbitt on some of his sessions...a terrific bassist in his own right...

[NativeNuYorker]

Speaking of bass lines, is it possible to get a video of their live performance at the Rooster Tail Upper Deck. I have the album and believe it’s Paul Williams greatest most soulful performance. I’d love to see him singing and the group dancing and harmonizing to “Don’t Look Back.” Is it on YouTube or can it be purchased?