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8.01pm
4 April 2010
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I know most of you will say Paul here but think about it, George played bass on Old Brown Shoe and She Said She Said and those songs had terrific bass lines. There's more but I can't think of any. So far I say George because he was such a lunatic on it.
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
12.11am
4 April 2010
Offline Yeah, definitely George. He played on the album version of Rock And Roll Music and he also played on Birthday .
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
12.39am
27 March 2010
Offline I think they were both equally good at both the bass and guitar… and I usually fight for George on these kind of things, but I really think they're both great. 
The “Old Brown Shoe ” bassline is insane. 
I'm in love, but I'm lazy.
12.44am
4 April 2010
Offline A Fiendish Thingy said:
I think they were both equally good at both the bass and guitar… and I usually fight for George on these kind of things, but I really think they're both great.
The “Old Brown Shoe ” bassline is insane.
Drive My Car had a great bassline too. Props to L'Angelo Mysterioso 
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
1.55am
1 May 2010
Offline Well it's obviously impossible to say that George was better than Paul, but I've been listening to the Lennon bass songs, particularly Rocky Raccoon and they are pretty funny. I mean, they aren't exactly great bass lines because there doesn't seem to a pattern to any of his playing, but he's getting the job done. He adds a lot of color to that song with his bass line as well as his harmonica playing.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
2.02am
4 April 2010
Offline GniknuS said:
Well it's obviously impossible to say that George was better than Paul, but I've been listening to the Lennon bass songs, particularly Rocky Raccoon and they are pretty funny. I mean, they aren't exactly great bass lines because there doesn't seem to a pattern to any of his playing, but he's getting the job done. He adds a lot of color to that song with his bass line as well as his harmonica playing.
I think Paul was the light-noted one where as George really tried to keep on rhythm. That's why I like George better, he didn't focus on being fancy he focused on getting the timing right.
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
2.21am
1 May 2010
Offline MrBig said:
GniknuS said:
Well it's obviously impossible to say that George was better than Paul, but I've been listening to the Lennon bass songs, particularly Rocky Raccoon and they are pretty funny. I mean, they aren't exactly great bass lines because there doesn't seem to a pattern to any of his playing, but he's getting the job done. He adds a lot of color to that song with his bass line as well as his harmonica playing.
I think Paul was the light-noted one where as George really tried to keep on rhythm. That's why I like George better, he didn't focus on being fancy he focused on getting the timing right.
I guess I've never really compared the two though, and you're right his playing particularly on Old Brown Shoe and Birthday is quite surprising considering that he can't have had that much practice on the instrument. Ok, I'll listen to his bass songs, then follow them with my favorites of Macca's; The Word , Come Together , Rain , and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds .
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
2.46am
8 April 2010
Offline According to Revolution in the Head, Paul played the bassline on Old Brown Shoe while George tracked it with the guitar
2.56am
4 April 2010
Offline Paulrus said:
According to Revolution in the Head, Paul played the bassline on Old Brown Shoe while George tracked it with the guitar
George said in an interview that he played bass: http://www.creemmagazine.com/_…..ew001.html
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
3.12am
8 April 2010
Offline Ah, okay then. Speaking of John playing bass, listen to the bass on The Long And Winding Road . It's horrible
5.19am
1 May 2010
Offline 
Paulrus said:
Ah, okay then. Speaking of John playing bass, listen to the bass on The Long And Winding Road . It's horrible
He was probably too bored.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
8.45am
8 April 2010
Offline MrBig said:
A Fiendish Thingy said:
I think they were both equally good at both the bass and guitar… and I usually fight for George on these kind of things, but I really think they're both great.
The “Old Brown Shoe ” bassline is insane.
Drive My Car had a great bassline too. Props to L'Angelo Mysterioso
But Paul played on Drive My Car , according to this website
12.36pm
4 April 2010
Offline George said in an interview that he played bass in that. I believe it too. It's very Georgie.
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
1.14pm
8 April 2010
Offline I think he said that in the Anthology, but I think he said that Paul played it in 1977.
Either way, it doesn't really matter. It's still an awesome bassline
3.56pm
13 November 2009
Offline 
So glad that you live up to your name, paulbass.
I don't know. If in a parallel universe George took up the bass, and Paul guitar, then notUs are probably having the same converstion. They're both very talented, creative people, so why should I be surprised at George not only playing bass, but playing it well?
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
5.08pm
27 March 2010
Offline I just assume that the bass is the same difficulty as the guitar, not strumming, you know? 
I've never actually touched a bass guitar, so…
I'm in love, but I'm lazy.
6.23pm
1 May 2010
Offline paulsbass said:
MrBig said:
I know most of you will say Paul here but think about it, George played bass on Old Brown Shoe and She Said She Said and those songs had terrific bass lines. There's more but I can't think of any. So far I say George because he was such a lunatic on it.
Tell me this thread is a joke.
It must be.
No one in his right mind would seriously consider George a better bass player than Paul McCartney , the man who created all those bass lines on the “Sgt. Peppers” album and on “Abbey Road ” and so many others (While my guitar, Paperback writer, Hey Bulldog , Tomorrow Never Knows , Taxman , I Saw Her Standing There etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc etc.)
Ok, George played a (very) few excellent riffs on the bass. Fine. Macca did hundreds of excellent bass lines just with the Beatles! And I don't just mean a riff, like on “Old Brown Shoe “, but real bass work. Check out the Sgt. Peppers album, as I said, and learn about the possibilities of this often underrated instrument.
another great early example is “Nowhere Man “, not usually known for the bass work. But listen how Paul spices up the totally simple chords with rhythmic and melodic finesse.
“She said, she said” is a fantastic guitar song – and has one of the most “boring” bass lines of any Beatles song. I always wondered why Paul didn't put more effort into it – then I realized it wasn't him at all, but just George doing a solid, but boring bass.
So in a way you proved that Paul was OBVIOUSLY the FAR better bass player. I think George would have been embarrassed when confronted with this theory.
I still can't believe you were NOT joking…
Yeah this thread is the equivalent of saying that Paul was a better drummer than Ringo, but only having 3 real examples of Paul's drumming with the Beatles as compared to hundreds by Ringo.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
8.47pm
27 March 2010
Offline Okay, I see. I'm changing my vote. 
BUUUUT would you say Paul was a better guitar player than George? 
Methinks this just got a little more interesting…
I'm in love, but I'm lazy.
8.48pm
4 April 2010
Offline You must really hate me, don't you?
And I don't mean his full time with the Beatles either. There were a lot of jams with him (George) and Eric Clapton in which George played bass and it was just simply stunning. I still think he's a better bassist. In my mind, the band would have been better (not more successful, but better) if George was the bassist, Paul was the drummer, Ringo was on Lead Vocals, and John did all the guitar. More charisma that way if I do say so myself.
Oh, and paulsbass, Paul is not a better bassist. Paul is a better bassist IN YOUR OPINION. You either forget to add that or do it just to piss me off.
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
8.51pm
4 April 2010
Offline paulsbass said:
A Fiendish Thingy said:
I just assume that the bass is the same difficulty as the guitar, not strumming, you know?
I've never actually touched a bass guitar, so…
As a bass AND guitar player I can tell you, it's something completely different.
The bass is the tonal and rhythmic foundation of any song. You can do that in a very simple matter, by playing just the bass note to every chord, maybe varied with a V if you fell a little crazy! 😉 “Love Me Do ” is a perfect example of VERY easy bass playing.
“I Saw Her Standing There “, on the other hand, is a perfect example of how to livin up a bass line. Paul doesn't just play the ground notes, he plays a whole melody, or riff.
Another example is the mentioned “Nowhere Man “. Check out the bass on this one. A less gifted player just would have played the boring ground notes. Paul, on the other hand, plays whole “walking bass” lines and syncopes. Another great walking bass is “All My Loving “.
At the end of the scale are those incredibly melodic lines on “With a little help” or “Getting better” or “Something “.
Playing the bass and singing at the same time is also harder than with the guitar, because of the special rhythmic feeling you need for the bass. You have to listen very carefully to the drummer so his and your way of playing fit together.
Paul was capable of doing very simple but effective bass lines (Tomorrow Never Knows , Get back), but very often managed to put some nice touch to it with a little melodic extravaganza (I want you, Come together).
I love how he varied his bass sound, especially on the White Album . Check out “While My Guitar Gently Weeps “, where his bass is the most dominant and aggressive instrument, apart from CLaptons solo.
His sung bass line on “I will” is also very nice.
Many Beatles recordings show that his will to play an interesting bass line was bigger than his need for perfection. There are so many “wrong” notes in so many Beatles songs where he tried out something and noticed it was wrong, but they let them on the recording, because he liked the feeling or whatever. That makes his playing so light-hearted and fun.
So, back to your question. You can play the bass very easy, as most players before and after Paul did. But he transformed the bass guitar into a lead instrument that could do more to a song than laying the rhythmic and melodic foundation.
So he opened the door for John Entwistle and any other lead bass player, and he is rightfully named a huge influence on general bass playing.
Except that Entwistle is and was 1000x the bassist Paul was and Paul learned a lot from Entwistle.
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
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