A few songs that I first heard in the early 80’s made me want to play bass.
Like I first wanted to be a drummer. Played a little in Grade school after trying Viola first, followed by Trumpet, and then Drums. I wanted to be a drummer bad. I played Slim Jim Phantom in 5th or 6th grade talent show with two friends, we did Stray Cat Strut IIRC. Or Rumble In Brighton, or any number of songs that we loved back then.
Then I heard two stand out bands that quickly changed my sights to play bass. Two album’s to be exact. Two songs off one of them, and the whole other album.
Later, when I actually had my own money and could get instruments, my best friend already chose Bass, so I went guitar. He was a lefty, so it was not like we could trade off. I was really into Pantera, White Zombie, Danzig, Slayer, etc… so I was cool with playing guitar at the time.
But now that I finally settled on bass, so many moons later, I would have to look back to these two albums, One whole Album and 2 songs off the other one.
For the whole album, I already got 3 songs pretty much down, with 2 others in the works (and there are really a couple songs I don’t really care too much about, but it would be cool to know a whole album).
The other one, although I have not played them all the way thru, I have learned the major parts that made me want to play bass.
First, it was
The Sex Pistols, “Never Mind the Bullocks”
So far, I got down
No Feelings
God Save the Queen
Pretty much Anarchy in the Uk
and working on
Bodies
and
Pretty Vacant
Truth be told, as a kid, listening to that album (and The Great Rock n Roll Swindle) bass was part of it, but I really just wanted to be Sid Vicious. Since he was the bass player (on stage after the album was recorded, he only did one song on it) I wanted to be a bass player.
BUT
The Album that sealed the deal. When I first heard this album, it changed my life, and I knew someday I would play bass.
The year was 1982
The Album was “Peace thru Vandalism”
The band was The Vandals.
The songs were
The first song on the album, opens with a great punk rock bass line. It is not hard to play, I know it now, but I have to play the rest of the song to be there.
Song is “Wannabe Manor”
Song2
I actually had a bass for a short time in 9th / 10th grade, along with guitar and practice drums, but never really used them. I actually had a friend transcribe the part I wanted to play so desperately, and teach it to me.
He did not figure it out RIGHT, but it was not all that far off.
The song is
“A Pirate’s Life”
The Vandals are a local Huntington Beach band, that was part of the Orange County punk scene in the early 80’s.
This song is about dropping acid, and going to Disneyland, and getting lost in the Pirate’s of the Caribbean ride.
It is a great bass song all around, but it has a break in the middle where the bass line is
“Yo Ho, Yo Ho, the pirate’s life for me, We rape and pillage, and burn the village and life is but a joy”
It does not sing the words, but it plays the melody on bass.
So, thats the line I learned wrong as a kid, and the line I now know.
I still have to play thru the whole song however.
So I guess as far as GOAL SONGS, those would be the two,
I already posted a cover of “No Feelings” But the link is not working, I am checking to get it fixed, so I would say one goal from Never Mind the Bullocks is done.
So I need to learn to play 2 songs thru and post covers to get my first (and longest lasting) goal songs over with, and then pick new goal songs.
“Wanna Be Manor”
“A Pirate’s Life”