The Top 10 Greatest Bass Effects Songs of All Time

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The Top 10 Greatest Bass Effects Songs of All Time

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Posted by: Will Cady | Posted in: Artist / Heroes, Music Reviews,

Taking a page out of the Jeff McAlack playbook, I present to you my list of the top ten greatest bass effect
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songs OF ALL TIME. The list is full of songs that have a strong place in my own personal experience so it is
tremendously biased. If you find that Im missing a song thats so key to the world of bass effects that its
absence has to be commented on, send it my way to will@sourceaudio.net
In order for a song to make it on this very exclusive and highly regarded list, it has to be some sort of creative
use of an effect that defines not just the bass line, but the entire song. Distortions give you some grit to push
the emotion of a line even higher, envelope filters allow you to freely embellish different aspects of the
timbre in each note, and phaser/flangers give you the sound of an intergalactic space machine. A good bass
effectlike, ahem, the Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter for instance.adds an entirely new creative
dimension to your instrument. Heres our own song using the BEF Pro:

So without further adieu, the list (in no particular order):

1.) Red Hot Chili Peppers Coffee Shop [Wah Pedal]

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Ive got to kick off the list with Coffee Shop because this was the song that got me into bass effects in the
first place, inspiring me to go out and buy my first pedal. This tune, off of the criminally underrated One Hot
Minute literally caused me to toss my discman off my lap across the room when I jumped out of my seat. I
had no idea a bass could do that! While its an example of more of the brutish just step on the box and just
play the piss out of your bass attitude, its done so friggin well that it becomes the defining moment in the
song, as if the entire purpose was to build up to this bass solo.
Its unclear if he used an auto-wah here or a standard wah pedal. My ears tell me that he used a wah pedal
because of how the rhythm of the modulation changes during his soloand because I used to play this solo
in my bedroom with a wah pedal when I was in high school. It's quite a workout for the ankle, but given
Flea's history of jumping and wiggling, it adds up.
2.) NIN Closer (NSFW language) [Envelope Filter]

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I'm sure that this one will be a controversial pick and not solely because of the NSFW language. Its
admittedly debatable whether or not the bass line is, well, a bass. Im going to let the potential synth issue
slide here for two reasons though. First, because this is a bass line that was an earworm for me for years and
years as I tried to figure out what was what with effects that make it so interesting. In the very least, it's a bass
register part that is the strongest hook in the song.
I remember playing the tune for an old teacher of mine and asking him what was going on. He told me that
there must be two envelope filters on at the same time. That didnt make any sense then and it doesnt make
any sense now. As a kid though, that still got a pretty solid jee wiz out of me. The second reason, is because
this song is a regular staple for me on my cover gigs and I love playing it through the BEF Pro. The key is to
use a slow attack on one of the tighter envelope filters like the Single Peaks to capture that dirty, sloppy, sexy
sound that permeates the song. I get some bonus points by stomping on the Multiwave to pound through that
chorus with some extra grit.
3.) Pink Floyd One of These Days [Delay & Tremolo]

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This song rocks. Its a mean, powerful way to kick off one of my favorite all-time records, Meddle. The
studio version has both Roger Waters and David Gilmour hitting the bass through a tape delay, but Ive
decided to sub out that video for some footage from their epic concert to rock the lost souls at Pompeii.
Youve got to respect the effort and ambition Pink Floyd put into elevating the entire genre of Rock and Roll
to new levels throughout their career. They had a real sense of history in their performances at places like
Pompeii, the pyramids of Giza and the Berlin Wall. In a way, they were the first to succssfully make Rock
into high art while maintaining its commercial appeal.
Pink Floyd pushed boundaries first and foremost in their compositions. Its still unconventional today to use
delay on a bass, let alone make that the main feature of a song. I imagine this was quite an experience to hear
this song for the first time when this record dropped. The distorted guitar takes a back seat here occupying an
atmospheric role over the two-chord progression. It doesnt take any real prominence until the song bursts
into a full out rockgasm after the arresting tremolo bass bridge with the unsettling line One of these days Im
going to cut you up into little pieces! Im not sure what they were going for there, but Im also not sure that
I really care. This song is just too awesome. Take some time and just check out drummer Nick Mason
getting his solo on with that Mediterranean wind in his hair. That must have been quite a feeling!
4.) Jamiroquai Deeper Underground [Distortion]

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Ah, the Godzilla Motion Picture Soundtrack. Back in 1998 when the Music Industry was the biggest, bloated
balloon only about two or three years away from the pin-prick of Napster that promptly deflated it to its
current defeated state. The pop music coming out may have come extra sugary and in a nice expensive
wrapper, but sometimes the big business side of produced something that was as incredible enjoyable as it
was contrived and stupid. For me, the Godzilla Motion Picture Soundtrack was the pinnacle of imbecilic pop
that was too tasty not to enjoy. In hindsight, I love the sheer poetry of my dad, a hippie, pounding his fist
against my door screaming turn that @#$% off! while I blasted Puff Daddys (before his P. Diddy name
change) blasphemous remix of Led Zeppelins Kashmir. I bet he never saw that reality coming.
Let's bring the focus back to where it belongs. Jamiroquai is legitimately a killer pop act thats been around
for some time churning out hit after hit in the UK. Remember 'Virtual Insanity'?

This song, 'Deeper Underground' is a lesser known Jamiroquai tune, but still a live favorite with his
audience. The main hook is propelled almost entirely by the synthy bass line. It's all groove with a repetive
rundown fill that never gets old. It's stayed in my psyche long enough to be the first bass line I tried out to
test the Soundblox Multiwave Bass Distortion. It passed. I recommend the Singleband Foldback settings
with a good deal of Drive to soften up the tone. Boost the highs to give it that synthy shrill.
5.) Red Hot Chili Peppers Sir Psycho Sexy (Extremely NSFW Language) [Distortion & Envelope
Filter]

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Yeah I know. This song as absolutely filthy. I mean that in every possibly interpretation of the wordand I
think that was exactly the intention of the Chili Peppers as they channeled their inner P-Funk when they
recorded this tune. Flea, who appears on this list a second time and probably deserves his own countdown,
starts the song off with a brutally aggressive bass line that thumps alongside Will Ferrell, sorry I mean Chad
Smiths heavy hitting beats. That groove would be enough as it is, but right when Keidis introduces the voice
of Sir Psycho Sexy, the uber-squishiness comes in.
Fleas combination of envelope filter and distortion are so freaking tasty that bass players have argued
endlessly in the depths of the internet over how to get that precise sound. Legend has it that Flea used a
Mutron that ran out of battery mid-take. He subbed in the batteries for another pass, but they and producer
Rick Rubin liked the fuzz sound so much, they blended the takes together. Huh. Hard to replicate that!
Unless youre using the Multiwaves singleband octave distortion going into effect type #6 on the BEF Pro
that is ;-)

6.) Beastie Boys Sabotage [Fuzz]

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Yup. Beastie Boys. Sabotage. The distorted bass riff that opens this song is absolutely killer. Even better is
the video which carries the ever poignant theme of mustaches. This video like literally every other Beastie
Boys video features them just running around doing stuff and thats a wonderful thing. You could waste a
full hour and a half YouTubing their catalog of awesome Spike Jonze directed videos.
For the bass in this song, theres a lot more gain on the distortion than you would typically put on a bass. The
bottom end is kind of lost, but it creates a sound that just works perfectly. Their earlier albums all had a
typically lo-fi sound because of the relatively DIY nature of the boys from Long Island doing their thing in
the Brooklyn rap underground. It was this rocking sound that was the edge they brought to an otherwise
funky table. They had started out trying to be some sort of instrumental rock band, but couldn't get it
togther. It goes without saying that they found their niche as the whiny rapping jewish kids churning out a
steady stream of party anthems.

7.) Parliament P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up) [Envelope Filter]

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This is definitely a more subdued use of bass effects compared to some of the other songs on this list, but it
makes the grade because it is a classic. This is the opening track off of Parliaments debut record,
Mothership Connection so in reality, it was one of the first times anyone had ever heard that soupy envelope
filter bass sound for which Bootsy Collins is so well known today. The fact that this song was so pioneering
is enough reason alone to include it on the list. On top of its place in music history, its also a killer groove
with some wacky lyrics that keep you listening. To get the squishiness of that chorus bass line on your BEF
Pro, dial it in to one of the Triple Peak settings and slow down the attack just a touch.

8.) Phish Boogie On Reggae Woman [Distortion and Envelope]

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Mike Gordon is one of the most respected bass players in the business when it comes to his bass effects and
the chops he has to make them sing. In Phishs commonly heard cover of Stevie Wonders Boogie On
Reggae Woman, he goes full bore with a spindly, funky tone that didnt earn him the nickname cactus but
has become its defining sound.
We met up with Mike Gordon in early 2010 to help him outfit his rig with the Soundblox pedals that he had
become interested in after some online research. Hes still touring today getting that cactus sound with the
Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion and Bass Envelope Filter. In fact, the sound you hear in this video
are those two pedals! Mikes success with those two pedals have made them a marquee combination of our
effects. For more info on how Mike uses our pedals check out this blog.
9.) The OJays For the Love of Money [Flanger]

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Its hard to get more classic than The OJays. This is actually a repost from another countdown of Top
Flanger songs, but its such an essential that we needed to double down on it. Theres not much to say here
really except that I love that the main hook is entirely on the bass. Respect is deserved to Anthony Jackson
for writing a classic line.
10.)

Justice D.A.N.C.E. [Compressor]

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Its an odd choice to include a compressor as a bass effect. However, heavy compression creates such a
signature sound on the bass that Im including it on this list. The compressor pushes the bass to the front of
the mix and adds a bit of grind to the tone by boosting the quieter parts of the signal up to the level of the
loudest. It completely alters the tone of the instrument.

Why this song in particular? Because Justice takes the bass driven sound of French electronica and kicks it
up a notch. Many of their tunes feature a bass line that is first of all, played on a bass by a human being and
second of all, is a great line that mashes up old school flavor with their colorful sound. The bass doesn't
provide the hook here, but it is the defining flavor of the entire song.
Bonus points for the cleverness of this video.

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