The Bass Line That Started Disco ‘Fever’
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- #bass #history #analysis #transcription #disco #paulthompson
Digging into the Bee Gees and the unsung brilliance of the bassist on most of their iconic disco hits: Maurice Gibb. I'll break down the bottom on "You Should Be Dancing" (from CHILDREN OF THE WORLD, 1976 - before Saturday Night Fever) and how Maurice creates and develops a great bass line over ONE drum beat and ONE chord. I'll also talk about how his gear switch (to Fender) changed the band's sound as well as Stephen Stills' amazing connection to this hit song!
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How Barry Gibb pronounces his brother MAURICE’s name: th-cam.com/video/lmZgaHWth8k/w-d-xo.html
Sounds right to me, it's just fast and not enunciated completely, so might sound a bit like morris... Thanks for the link! Love this band (even as a metalhead in the 80s/90s) great content, thanks again 🙂
Disco was disco electro in Europe before disco was disco in America
Well I stand corrected! Thanks for the video. I've been saying it wrong since about 1966 lol
MORRIS! It's an English pronunciation of a French spelling.
He just sounds a bit dehydrated or something there....
I worked for the Gibbs for almost a decade. Mo was really the musical director for the BeeGees. He was an excellent musician. He played bass, guitar and keyboards. On a personal note, he was one of the warmest human beings that I’ve ever known.
Oh! Maybe you can answer a question for me. I listen so closely to their beautiful voices, and watch many videos of them recording, nd while Barry is famous for his falsetto, I think that often Maurice also sings falsetto. Is it my imagination? Did you ever hear Maurice singing falsetto?
@@wolfwilliams meanwhile robin could sing falsetto, but it sounded... very distinctive, to the point of being annoying to some. (for example, the song Lovers from Children of the World)
Did you actually like disco? I'm guessing you're at least 65 years old.
Scott, thank you for those enlightening facts! I've sensed that about Maurice by his demeanor...you just confirmed it 😊
In one interview I read, Barry Gibb confirmed what you said. He said Maurice Gibb was responsible for about 80 percent of the group's music. My favorite BeeGees songs are "Subway" and "Songbird".
As a bass player, I've always loved his bass playing and found it to be criminally overlooked.
Maurice Gibb was a Underrrated Master Musician, Main Arreglist , Multi-instrumental Player and Excelent Singer, Tx for your video
Some of my favorite songs were bass driven over the years. To do what they do with four strings require real talent.
Maurice Gibb was the Bee Gees secret weapon, the quiet achiever who glued so many of their songs together by Bass, keyboards and his vocals.
Maurice Gibb was a killer bass player thanks for reminding us how great he was!!
Maurice was actually a musical genius. Bass, keys, guitar, synthesizers and pretty much anything he could pick up he could play. He was the Bee Gees' secret weapon.
More Ease More Pulse
Just one request for our honorable host: Quit calling Maurice Gibb "Morris" ! ! ! 😝😝😝
A name very much adopted by Black culture & he's not even saying it right
@@magnificentmuttley154 I'm with you. I always say, " More Ease Less Sleaze"
@@mauriceortiz8817 😂More ease, less sleaze. Or just plain _mah' reese._ Ah, you should know! It would be like someone calling me "Mickey" instead of Michael. Not cool, man
On the other hand, there is _Morris Day,_ however. I never did get tired of him. He did a concert tour as recently as 2022:
Morris Day: Oak Tree
m.th-cam.com/video/332SqqV-buk/w-d-xo.html
So nice to see Maurice getting some rightly deserved praise. Thank you for this!
Precisely 🎸🎸🎸
Yes
Yes, to tell you the truth I didn't know this about him.
I've always loved Maurice's bass playing! His bassline on "Nights on Broadway" is another gem from this period.
One of my favorites.
Don’t forget Blue Weaver’s synth bass (ARP 2600) on that track
Indeed, speaking of "NIGHTS ON BROADWAY" (even though this thread is about, "YOU SHOULD BE DANCING") Maurice played electric bass guitar on "NIGHTS ON BROADWAY", but however, ONLY DURING the "mellow breakdown middle bridge". The original "cut" did not have that in the first mixdown. The ENTIRE bass track was handled by keyboardist Blue Weaver's analog ARP 2600 bass note keyboard. BUT when executive producer Robert Stigwood heard the initial mix, he immediately said something kin to, "this song needs a slow breakdown bridge, right there in the middle guys". So, the 3 brothers went back in the tracking studio, along with their lead guitarist Alan Kendall, drummer Dennis Bryon & Blue Weaver ONLY on the grand piano and cut the bridge; BUT THIS TIME Maurice played his infamous electric bass guitar on that very melodramatic insert, on "NIGHTS ON BROADWAY". It was literally spliced into the song by engineer Karl Richardson and hence, the new "album version" was completed. However, it was left out on the 45RPM commercial & radio edit single, regretfully; so the story goes. I first noticed this amazing difference...when I first brought home my "MAIN COURSE" album...in 1975.
BCRadio
@@BolsaChicaRadio Sounded synth to me. I guessed maybe studio grease and the video he's strumming away. I play it on string bass best I can.
@@johnnytacokleinschmidt515 Indeed...I hope we are taking about the same song? This thread was originally about "YOU SHOULD BE DANCING", but moved over to a side-thread about "NIGHTS ON BROADWAY". If you listen closely to the album version of "NIGHTS ON BROADWAY", the ARP 2600 Bass Synthesizer is replaced with Maurice Gibb's Bass Guitar. One has to listen closely & intently, with a good pair of sub-woofers; one can DEFINITELY HEAR Maurice on his true & rich sounding, Bass Guitar!
Thanks for your thoughts!
BCRadio
Maurice was the whole package: multi-instrumentalist, amazing singer, writer, and by everyone's reports, a solid good human being.
The power of Bee Gees❤
This guy is a gem ...
When I saw your Bee Gees ThumbNail,
I knew was going to be this Song.
I always like Maurice Bassline on
You Should be Dancing.....
Surprisingly, Some of the Best Basslines in Bass History have come from Disco Music.
I needed this video
M Gibb needs to be recognized as a great bass player worldwide
In 1978 Barry Gibb wrote or co-wrote seven Billboard number one hits. Amazingly talented brothers!
Along with Robin and Maurice
When I first saw the intro sequence to Grease, I thought, heck Barry wrote the intro song?
the BeeGees were black. change my mind.
I can't think of very many bands that had at least 3 different phases of success, but the Gibbs were a uniquely talented group of brothers.
1) Late 1960s to early 1970s - the ballads! First of May, Massachusetts, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, etc. Classic 3 part harmony!
2) They meet up with Eric Clapton in Florida in 1974 and start working on a new sound. Spirits Having Flown is the new album coming out of this and it eventually leads to Saturday Night Fever and the whole RSO thing with Grease. They become so popular that at one point the top 5 on the charts is all songs they'd done. If it wasn't one of their songs it was something they'd written for Samantha Sang or younger brother Andy...
3)...which leads to Phase 3. Barry has said in interviews that the disco backlash in the early 1980s hit them hard and suddenly no radio station wanted to play anything by the Bee Gees. Fortunately for them they had already started work on writing songs for other people in the late 1970s, such as the title song for Grease and Emotion for Samantha Sang and songs for brother Andy. So in the 1980s they started writing hits for Streisand (whom Barry did duets with), Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers and so on. Some very successful hits came out of this period, but the Gibbs weren't the ones singing them. If they aren't already, they should be in the Song Writers Hall of Fame.
Such an incredibly talented group. Now sadly Barry is the only one left.
@@moeball740 Main Course was their album that came out when they moved to Florida.
Spirits Having Flown was after Saturday Night Fever.
Yes a very talented group that was influenced (in my opinion) by their manager and pressured to pump out hit after hit.
The reaction against their success was natural as they were so dominant in the late 70's.
Their manager should have considered this as they had the potential to have very long term success.
These guys lasted so long because they were the complete package, singers, songwriters, composers and musicians. They couldn’t read a note of music, they heard it all in all its complexity in their heads. Can you imagine hearing all those instrumentals in your head and singing them to the musicians. Barry even said during the making of Tragedy, that it was hard because the musician can’t hear what you are hearing in your head. Its really nice to see someone appreciate how amazingly talented Maurice was. Songs are so much more than the singing.
I agree. I was amazed to learn that they usually wrote the music, first, and THEN wrote lyrics.
@@OhJodi69
That’s common practice
Composing music is a lot easier than you may think, and reading music isn't a necessary part of the process.
Hard to believe musicians that are so talented cant read a note of music come on , people play this stuff up like its mythical. I am sure these guys had no problems playing music from sheets and writing their notes down.
@@luisromanlegionaire I'll respectfully disagree. I'm a classically trained composer and guitarist but prefer not to read or write when performing and sometimes composing. I'm much more interested in the texture, context and feeling of the chords, or intervals in the melody being played to care much about what it looks like written down. I'm currently a private instructor for many different instruments and I find that the classical musicians who can only play music if it is written down in front of them are the least creative and non-musical students. Seems like reading music is like going to a nice restaurant and reading the menu but never eating the food.
Barry gets all the glory, and he is amazing, but so nice to learn about the contributions of Maurice. Thank you - I grooved through this one. 😅
It's nice to hear Mo appreciated. ❤
Another outstanding analysis Maestro. Many people like to kind of joke about Disco music, but the Bee Gees were exceptional musicians and you do a great job breaking it down. These gentlemen were on top of their game and on top of the charts quite a bit in the 70's and rightfully so... 👍🏾
You could argue that popular music was generally well-crafted in the 70s, soul, disco, funk, everybody was at least nodding their head to these tunes but you often had pretty interesting bass lines or parts in general. Giving ABBA a listen with your headphones on will also make you explore things you didn't notice at 2 AM on your office party out on the dancefloor.
Disco was the real revolution, not punk.
Disco is still awesome. So many major hits that infused Philly sound, Motown r&b, etc.
@@DoNuT_1985 ABBA’s music had so many layers. They’re right up there with the Beatles and The Beach Boys for sheer production value.
You are an incredible Champion of all things, bass guitar. Superb!🙌🏻🙌🏻🌎🍎
What I love about Maurices bass playing is that he knew how to drop in the perfect accent notes. Nothing flashy, just good solid bass grooves.
Never overdid it either. Always very tasteful.
Maurice Gibb had a wonderful voice too. With his brothers they had harmonies that just can't be beat. Their earlier music, before Disco are wonders that I love.
Believe that Quincy Jones once told Maurice that his baseline on the Bee Gees’ song “Fanny” was his favorite bass line ever. Loved this video breakdown, thanks.
Really?
@@shawnbruce6934yes really
When you said, "Check out how the bass moves at the verse..." Immediately began bopping my head. This bass line makes you wanna move.
Finally we are bringing the amazing Maurice Gibb up front!! Thanks man ❤
Maurice is a Monster! so glad we found this channel. God Bless You
Thank you I didn’t know Maurice Gibbs was that gifted a musician.
Man, this is huge. It's a revelation actually !
Now it seems to me that this man influenced all the disco and funk bass players after him, and I'm not sure they're all aware of that.
Thank you very much for this accurate analysis.
Paul, french funk lover.
Killer bass lines! We need more of this in popular music.
Fabulous video.. what a great dissection. Maurice was really a genius.
Thank you Thank you THANK YOU for FINALLY being the one of the FEW people to acknowledge and recognize the genius of the late great Maurice Gibb!!! THIS was and always will be my SECOND all time favorite Bee Gee’s song! FYI… “Fanny Be Tender…”is my number one!!!
Actually, mine too. Thanks for watching!
@@pdbass Oh wow, you actually answer back! I thought your channel was like a lot of the other channels that are too busy to actually reply to comments.
Well...in THAT case, PLEASE let me take this time to tell you how AWESOME both you and your channel truly are! I used to be a semi-professional drummer who has played with a few top artists my own various original bands, as well as a few cover bands. So naturally being a drummer I was very mindful and picky when it came to bass players as well as the bass lines they were covering from various artists. I was always called out for being a "stickler" whenever they would play the bass part incorrectly. I have watched several of your videos and each and every time that I do the same thought crosses my mind..."Dear God, Why wasn't THIS kat around for me to play with back in the day???".
I have NOTHING but HIGH PRAISES for you my dude, God bless you and your OUTSTANDING and UNBELIEVABLE attention to the details ALWAYS!!!
@@seansherrod8725 THANK YOU, Sean! I really appreciate that. I really try to avoid the comments ('cause they can get pretty bad), but I'm so glad I happened to see yours. Thank you for watching and taking the time to write. It's really comments like this one ⬆⬆⬆ that help keep me going. I'm happy to share my love of music and find like minds out there. 🙏🏽
Thanks for giving Maurice his due. He is often overlooked when talking about the great bassists in music!
Maurice was a legend, I love nearly all of his bass lines. ✌️☺️
I like that Maurice introduces rests between notes. It gives enough space for other instruments to shine thru the mix.
Wonderful acknowledgement to very talented man whom like many musicians in popular groups, don't get recognized for their contribution in music as they should.
Maurice was an outstanding bass player. His líneas are often brilliant and creatives.
He was the kind of bass player every band want to have in the lineup.
Steven Stills you say…whoa!
Heady times and eternal music.
Nicely Done.
Their younger brother Andy would later sing backing vocals on a couple of songs on Stephen Stills' 1978 "Thoroughfare Gap" album.
@@rolsson5464 You never know who is in town…or in the studio down the hall! I was recording at Power Station many years ago and had the occasion to meet Natalie Cole one evening as she was recording also!
I grew up listening to these disco bass lines...Maurice was a frickkin genius!
Huge Bee Gees fan here, and yes, you got this dead on. Great video!! Maurice was an unsung hero in the Bee Gees, constantly supporting his more popular brothers. His vocal harmonies, keyboards, guitar, and of course bass playing were instrumental (pardon the pun), in the Bee Gees greatest hits. Gone too soon.
You speak, so eloquently, clearly, and slowly. Such a nice refreshing thing. So many people rattle off so fast. Your brain has the time to comprehend what the person is even say. You’re a good job on your video.
Excellent presentation! Thank you!
Thanks I grew up in the south fl groove. I didnt realize the Genius of that bass part in that song.
The Bee Gees had it all. Songs, harmonies, playing and KILLER production
Wonderful explanation. Makes me appreciate the Bee Gees music even more.
I'm ALWAYS keyed in to the bass line when listening to great music. Part of the reason I love Yes, Rush, and RHCP so much.
Fantastic analysis!! Thank you for that lesson.
Popular music history at its finest.
That was very illuminating! Thanks.
Always loved the scale bass intro of "I started a joke", "how deep is your love" too, and all of Maurice's basslines.
Another gem, sir!
Watching you play is amazing. Now I notice the bass much more in their sings.
This was very short but informative. I'm a college student who recently got into the bee gees and definitely Mo was very talented. All 3 of them were. As Barry said Mo had very good musical insight he just knew what to add and where >< RIP Mo, treasured forever.
Maurice is one of the most under appreciated bass players ever. His feel and the space he left made his bass lines so musical and flowing while at the same time singing 3-part harmony with Barry and Robin. Fantastic musician!
I don't think he's that under appreciated... I've been a drummer for 30 years and I know many bassists who list his work as an influence.
@@KaospatternThat's good to hear.
Maurice Gibb contributed so many great hooks to their songs; if you go back to his 1968 solo recording, On Time, you'll hear where he really started to develop a sophisticated feel and arrangement that would later explode on Main Course, Children of the World and, of course, Saturday Night Fever. Great video, thank you for sharing.
Perceptive and well-written, with excellent transcriptions. This was one of the tightest rhythm sections ever. Blue Weaver’s keys are criminally underrated.
Lovely analysis -- they changed their sound about a dozen times through the years. Folk rock, funk, disco, R&B, etc. They were always casting around for new things, and insanely tight and talented. I don't think people nowdays can grasp the level of ubiquity their music had. No matter how popular people are now, the Bee Gees were more so in the late 70s. They were omnipresent, with a level of fame that can't be described.
Not to mention a level of musical talent.
What awesome bass riffs! I never listened to this music carefully enough - thank you!!
Thank you!!! I talked about his playing before to an old bass player boyfriend who straight out wouldn't believe me when I told him he was on many of those tracks . Such a Badass! His playing was such a big part of that vibe. I grew up listening to the Bee Gees and absolutely love them. Such a talented group of brothers.
Maurice Gibb is so underrated. I've always thought that. The guy was awesome.
I have the Children of the World vinyl. Great stuff.
The 1950s-1970s produced the best catalogue of music in world history. That era will never ever be repeated. I'm glad I was around to experience most of the era first hand.
Saw Bee Gees live in 1979, Pontiac, MI.
pd you have the best bass vids on youtube no exceptions. I was a kid when Saturday Night Fever came out, so I've known that music for almost 50 years now, but I never listened, .....really listened, to the bass parts.
Thank you for highlighting this talented man. I think as time goes by people will recognize what a great talent he was but I often was in the background of the three brothers. They were all very multitalented.
What a great video! Thanks for showing so much respect to that great musician Maurice Gibb. Cool!
Thank you pdbass.....you made me see songs in a different way now!!
Literally my fav disco tune!!!
Fantastic! If you remove the bass track, the song is over.
Most songs are like this
@@Walkeranz Not Prince's "When Doves Cry" 😏
@@spinalcrackerbox they said most not all
@@spongebobsquaretits Do you know any other well known track that had its bass track removed on purpose? It just had to be mentioned.
Some producers don’t allow bass tracks to stand out in a song. Ted Templeman was a bit miserly with Michael Anthony’s bass parts.
Top 5 song for me. Will never get old.
Kudos for giving this great band the musical credit they deserve.
Thank you so much for highlighting Maurice Gibb's bass playing!! I have looked around for any articles on his bass playing but didn't find any which I found to be baffling. He is an amazing, intuitive bassist as well as groovy! I absolutely love his bass work on "Night fever" and "you should be dancing" ! I wish his brother Barry could see your spotlight on Maurice. He would be very happy and probably provide you as well as us with more valuable insights into Maurice's musicianship and what he brought to the BeeGees sound. You did a great job!
He had amazing bass lines
Great to hear the bass in isolation and see the transcription. I never could hear all of what he was doing, and now I now. Thanks!
I am always listening for great bass lines and I've always praised "You Should Be Dancing" as having an outstanding bass line. The bass line makes the song.
Bad-ass! 😃 Thanks for the cool info. My hat's off to Maurice; may he rest in peace. 💐🙏🏽
Hearing this song in a club with a great sound system is an experience. I’m still amazed at how good all the parts of this song are. Most people have no clue about this song, it’s just dance music to them.
This is quite delightful since DIsco was my youth, my music starter
This one came out of left field. Never thought about the baseline behind this song but it's a monster and as always, it takes Paul to bring it to life. Excellent work!
I am so thankful that TH-cam recommended this video! It opened my eyes or rather my ears to the sounds I was hearing but wasn’t noticing! Thank you Sir, for enlightening me! I have a greater appreciation for Maurice Gibb after watching this fantastic video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge! ☮️🖖🏽
My favorite bass work from Maurice was stayin' alive. Genius.
You should be dancing is also great
Stumbled upon this Video. AMAZING Breakdown of that Bass Line!!! I play Organ, and this Vid just opened up everything I can do with the Pedals and Electronic Bass Fills!
Mind Blowing 🧠💣!!!
Sorry for dropping some musical jargon @4:18! The "hemiola" used here is a 3-beat pattern repeated over a 4-beat rhythm which gives the bass line a "turning around" effect at the end. 😎
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemiola
Don't apologize for sharing a little free education. Not everyone glories in remaining ignorant. Some of us love to learn!
No worries: I googled it.
How we gonna learn if you don't push us? ;)
You are forgiven. I had no idea how good a bassist Maurice was.
No need to point it out...we all noticed. :)
So happy to be alive when these guys came on the scene!
Of course Stills plays on the track. I swear that dude shows up everywhere. He’s like the shadow hiding behind soooo much great music.
One of my favorite and most influential bass players .
No one could out disco bass Bernard Edwards from Chic and Maurice from The Bee Gees .
Bernie was a beast. One of my favs.
It honestly surprises me that people don't talk more about his abilities on the bass. Dude knew what he was doing for being self taught.
Great analysis! Just what is needed!
THANK YOU for this. My man is highly underrated as a player and a foundation of that sound.
Great to hear a tribute to Maurice Gibb! With a correct pronunciation of his name, to boot!
Maurice Gibb ( Morris ) The Conservatory Musical Genius , he could read Music and interpret the music ( He understood the accustic Sound of Music ) he went to study music with the Classic Music Orchestra in his native Winchester Music College
He understood the acoustic language of Music and he became the Quiet Genius Musician among his Brothers , I have always admired Maurice Musical Genius, and his humbleness, he passed away very young and many years later millions have learned that he was not a singer or a Musician only , he was the Genius Composer and the Coservatory Genius that could read and interpret melodies ( He Spoke Music ) He was a Consummated Musical Composer and a quiet humble musician, I take uff my hat in your presence Mr Maurice Gibb , Sir Maurice Gibb. The Secret Weapon of the humble Bee Gees , an Awesome Musician among an Ecclectical Band of Awesome Singers and very Humble Brothers that were Genius Composers and Awesome Singers . May God bless your Memory Sir Maurice Gibb and Brothers .
One of the coolest grooves out there.
Maurice’s bass on Jive Talking is amazing, too.
Great tribute to a true unsung hero on bass. I always loved his tone on that album, but never realised he switch to a P bass. Another insightful and educational video analysis, Bassman 😊🙌🎵🎶❤️
The best bass channel on TH-cam. For those of us told enough to remember, yes, the BeeGees were all over the charts in the late 1970, dominating 1978. Great video!
Hearing your explanation of the bass line's significance underscored that this was not simply disco music.
I’ve always said that Maurice was very underrated as a bassist! Betting most folks just assumed that various studio musicians played those bass lines so never thought it was Maurice at all.
Yeah it's news to me, I always assumed the bee gees employed serious professional session bass players - it blows me away - how good are those bass lines !!!
But the band at that time really consisted of all professional players and due to his alcoholism they even muted Maurice's mike during the 1979 Spirits tour, the hight of their success. Barry Gibb was the mastermind and producers Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson made them sell 100 million albums from 1976 to 1986.@@timmckenzie2727
Ok, after watching this, I'm starting to have a much greater appreciation for the bass!
Bee Gees, my eternal idols. The Mo's bass line was so great.
Such an amazing talent. RIP Moe 🙏🏽
Paul, my best friend passed away in 2016. He was an amazing bass player. I mean he really seriously was amazing. He was very humble as well. It would never claim to be anything special. I would’ve loved to have shown him this video and breakdown that you just gave. Somehow, I know he’s smiling, knowing how exciting I think this break down is. Thank you for sharing.
I roller skated at the roller rinks to their music in ‘76 & ‘77 and stared playing bass in 1980. Even though RUSH was the reason I started playing bass, I never forgot about disco & funk and never will. Long live Maurice and The Bee Gees!!!
Saturday Night Fever was one of the first records I bought. Lots of great music on that album.
Great video!! Thanks for breaking down the bass line and for highlighting Maurice and The Bee Gees!!