Hal Blaine would probably both agree and argue with that statement. My take on the Wrecking Crew is that every last one of them was a master but the sum total was greater than the individuals.
Her secret weapon is definitely her depth of musical education and awareness. There is no faking that. Many years back, I played a Beach Boys medley for a corporate performance, and the density of musicality was an eye-opener for me. There was no coasting or falling back into rock cliches with that music!
@@skineyemin4276 she didn't switch. Some bass player didn't show up in the studio one too many times and she was asked if she would play bass. She said she did but still played 6 string where they needed her as well. She was an accomplished Jazz guitarist to start with on early studio work.
Carol is a legend, and her bass instruction manual was the absolute best way for me to learn music theory and practical approaches to bass playing. She's a genius, and I love her.
Something to note, the low bass part was mostly likely recorded on an upright or a Bass VI. The "Wall of Sound" technique that Brian Wilson learned from Phil Spector usually incorporated 3 bass parts consisting of a p bass, upright bass, and a Fender Bass VI
I saw a Beachboys documentary that saw Brian Wilson in the original studio pointing to where the musicians sat. He stated he had Carol as well as a double bass player
Shoutout to Lyle Ritz, Bill Pitman, Ray Pohlman and Arthur Wright who also played fretted bass on this song. Some of it on Fenders (low part), some on Danelectros (high part). Jimmy Bond played a bit of upright, too. There were a few too many sessions and players for this song to give sole credit to Carol Kaye.
Yes, from the way I've heard it, there were, at least, six bass players (upright and electric) on the track. Most people attribute this solely to Carol Kaye, including Brian Wilson, but, to me, it seems as though no one knows for certain whose parts were used where. I have nothing against Kaye, I know she did some incredible work, but, with a bass line this iconic, I agree that credit should be given to all those who participated. Jimmy Bond, Bill Pitman, Ray Pohlman, Lyle Ritz, and Aurthur Wright.
I love Carole Kaye, love this bass line, love this song, and love The Beach Boys. But really I just want to give a shoutout to Scott's awesome attire. The matching orange socks and beanie, the checkered shoes, the pants leg rolled up to reveal the socks...legendary.
She's known for her double lines for bass. The first time my bass teacher introduced her to me, I was playing "Loopin' along". He played the first bass part, and me - the second. Love this one!
No only is she on 10,000 songs she improved every single one of them. Her bass lines are some of the most iconic in music. I was going to say rock, but she did so much more than just rock.
What a fun line to play! Can bring a tear to my eye. There's not just the essence of bass in there, but the essence of musicality, harmony, feel. Reminds me of Paul McCartney's pick playing with the Rickenbacker.
Having two basslines is such an underrated arrangement technique but Brian did it all over Pet Sounds and Smile. The two basses work together so well because the double bass could play roots to hold down these complex chord progressions while the electric bass could play harmonies and counter-melodies (I Just Wasn't Made for These Times is my favorite example). And tonally they work together really well cuz you get the round, more woody sounding double bass paired with the more treble-y picking of the electric bass. I hear Thundercat using two basses on a lot of his songs but other than that I don't hear it often, but man it's an awesome technique when done well!
You've nailed it! Using two basslines can add such depth and texture, as Brian masterfully demonstrated in Pet Sounds and Smile. Thundercat's embracing the technique too - it's a groovy way to create sonic layers. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Regarding pick players, there are tons of other important players who use a pick at least part of the time: McCartney, obviously, but also Chris Squire, Bill Wyman, John Taylor, Roger Glover, John Deacon, John Paul Jones, Duff McKagan, Gene Simmons, Greg Lake, Tina Weymouth, Mike Rutherford, Paul Simonon, Cliff Williams, Andy Rourke, Simon Gallup, JJ Burnel, Justin Chancellor, Mike Dirnt, Roger Waters, Noel Redding, Peter Hook, David Paton, Tom Scholz, Joey DeMaio, Tony Butler, Phil Lynott, Tiran Porter, Rick Savage, Phil Lesh, John Wetton... So many great bands in the rock, punk, and metal worlds in particular have had pick players.
If anyone is interested in Carol, you can watch the great documentary about the Wrecking Crew from 2008 and also she's got some music books about bass lines and improvisation and jazz soloing on bass etcetera!
Huh...all this time I thought the "high" part was played on a muted guitar on the lower strings (Glen Campbell?) and the lower part would've been Carol on bass. Ya learn something everyday! Thanks guys! I've been enlightened once again. Carol was an absolute genius. I love how she said in the interview that she never would've come up with that bass line if not for Brian Wilson. She always gives credit where credit is due.
Really cool Another legendary bass lines for us pick players: serge Gainsbourg’s Melody ( Melody Nelson 1971) And Scott walker’s the old man’s back again ( 1969 Scott IV)
I’m not sure if my ears are serving me right but I feel like the second bass line in the original recording is actually an upright… which is a super cool addition to the electric.
I know Chuck Berghofer dubbed on upright bass on some tracks. He would play the lower notes and glissandos while Carol Kaye would play higher and more cutting notes on Fender Bass.
My old teacher, Tony Di Chiaro, raised me on Carol's books. He insisted I learned playing with the pick, and how to use a felt pick too! Crazy shit man.
Paul McCartney and Chris Squire were great with a pick. John Paul Jones used it at times and was equally as good as with finger playing. Michael Rutherford, of Genesis, and Dave Hope, of Kansas, Greg Lake.
Bill Pitman and Ray Pohlman played bass on the Good Vibrations sessions reportedly. Carol played on Beach Boys sessions. She’s a true legend. I’m a fan since Bob Edwards interviewed her.
second chord is Bbm7/Db COME ON GUYS!! ;) I feel I've come full circle. My first bass lesson was a live skype lesson with Carole Kay who was not only incredibly generous with her time, but politely suggested that my technique totally sucked and I needed to start from scratch lol(I too was coming over from guitar). She set me on the path that led me to SBL. I take courses and have learned so much since then. Carol always reminds me I'm still a scrub, but it was a wonderful beginning to a bourgeoning latter-day bass career.
"Hikky Burr" by Quincy Jones or "Games People Play" by Mel Tormé are some of Carol's best funky playing. Amazing bass lines, and a lot busier than "Good Vibrations".
If you want to be a bassist, you have to familiarize yourself with Carol Kaye and James Jameson. There are many awesome bass players from the 60s, but they were legendary session musicians.
According to studio notes, she played in the sessions, but none of her contribution ended up being used in the final mix. I don't remember where I saw that, but I did see it online somewhere a few years ago. Not that it matters because she was so prolific that one song, even a ground breaking one like GV, doesn't take anything away from her greatness. Just want to add that Good Vibrations has ALL the basses: electric bass, stand up bass, and 'cello.
Hey dude! You've got the scoop, and you're absolutely right - Carol Kaye's brilliance shines through regardless. Good Vibrations, with its mix of basses, showcases her incredible versatility. 🙌🏻🧡🔥
@@vickielawson3114 You are so right. Somehow I never heard the song until the late 70s (idk how I missed it), and when it came on the radio, I was sure it was a new release, and it was that 'cello bit that had me convinced. GV blows my mind for being so far ahead of its time, thanks to Brian Wilson who wrote the music and then fought hard to get it recorded. Wikipedia says it was the most expensive single ever recorded!
@@vickielawson3114 You are so right! Even tho GV was released in 1967, I never heard it until 1976. It came on the car radio and I couldn't believe it wasn't a brand new release, or that it was a Beach Boys song. It was the 'cello bit that convinced me it couldn't possibly be a 60s song, or a Beach Boys song. Apart from everything else, GV deserves an award for how far ahead of its time it was, and another for still being ultra-cool FIFTY SIX years later. According to Wikipedia it is still the most expensive recording of a single ever.
You two guys are the best thing that ever happened on this planet for bass players. LOVE this series of uncovering the greatest bass lines ever. Keep it coming!!
Actually the bassist on the master track is Ray Pohlman on verses and Lyle Ritz on choruses and Arthur Wright plays on the third bridge and chorus fade. The upright bass on the second bridge is played by Lyle Ritz. If I remember Carol Kaye only played 6 string bass on one session (on May 24) and 4 string bass on June 18) and guitar on some earlier takes of the song done in April of 1966
Carol Kaye is notorious for claiming credit for original session recorded bass lines that she didn't play. She is NOT the recorded bassist on the original recording of Good Vibrations! Brian Wilson in an interview stated it was a compilation of other session bassists, including himself, over several takes, with both electric and double bass.
@@devinebass There are a number of interviews with Brian on the internet. A little research on it should turn up the one I remember seeing. Carol Kaye also claimed credit for Motown bass lines that were originally recorded by James Jamerson and the Funk Brothers in Detroit; long before their move to L.A. Those claims were not only adjudicated false in a court of law, but were vehemently disputed by the surviving members of the Funk Brothers. Dr. Licks the author of the original Standing in The Shadows of Motown documentary, debunked all of her claims as well. That's also on the Internet and should be easily researched. Carol Kaye was one of the best session bassists recorded during the proliferation of contemporary music, which began in the early to mid 60s. However, for some reason she has offered erroneous claims about some of her musical contributions. Which is unfortunate, given her extensive body of work on the West Coast music scene.
Carol Kaye definitely deserves credit for her contributions, but from what I've read, her bass take was not used in the end, thus it's Ray Pohlman we're hearing on the official version of the song, playing a Fender bass in the verses and first bridge. Meanwhile, Lyle Ritz plays the chorus section. Arthur Wright plays the third bridge and during the chorus fade. The second bass part was played on upright bass also by also Lyle Ritz (verses and second bridge) and Jimmy Bond (first bridge).
Great video! Another standout bassist who played almost exclusively with a pick and should not go unmentioned is Mike Mills. He also crafted some really inventive and song-defining lines, especially during the IRS years (i.e., most of the 80s).
@@Igor_Vinicius Whenever I look for analysis of his playing style everyone always talks about his use of chord tones -- and he's got 'em in spades on that song. But for me the way he uses flat 7ths on descending lines is kind of his fingerprint.
Chris Squire, Scott Thunes, Carles Benavent,Anthony Jackson (sometimes) Ethan Farmer, are some of my other favorite pick players..Then there's Doug Rauch who also playes as he were playing with a pick but using his thumb and you really can't tell the difference
Love these videos! Carol Kaye was\is awesome. Thanks SBL. Been working on the fretboard accelerator for several weeks now... Hands down the most powerful online bass training I've ever experienced. Better than anything else out there... It is transforming my playing! Thank you sirs!
One of my favorite Carol Kaye moments is her teaching something or other to Gene Simmons. She’s so earnest and patient and he-mr fucking ego-was so deferential.
Loved this. Best pic a part clip on this fantastic song. First heard it when I found my older sib's 45 collection when I was grade 4, about '73. And it became the magic song and sound that it still is. Now I can finally learn to play it properly. What Ian says about using a plectrum/pic at the end is absolutely true-especially to do away with that "real bass players don't use a pic" bullshit. It's just another tool to expand your capabilities as he says. Some songs have to use it, other songs you can only play with your pinkies. Palm mute with a pic then open up with pic up on the neck, in the same tune; switch the pic in your teeth and play fingers in there and back to pick and its like playing three basses at once. Try it.Thank you both!
Hey, glad you loved the breakdown of that fantastic song! 🎶🎸 Your journey from discovering it to now learning to play it is pure musical magic. Ian's got it right - tools like picks expand your bass palette. Keep embracing those techniques! 🙌🏻🧡🔥
I put an ashtray cover on my Precision and cut off a ~2cm wide strip of kitchen sponge, cut a slit in it for every string and shoved it under the ashtray and over the strings, which are Thomastik Jazz Flats. I use it for classic Country Music from the 50s/60s. Works pretty well.
Another fantastic video, gents! My unsung favourite pick players are: 1) Charlie Colin with Train (check ‘Mississippi’ for a gorgeous muted tone and Jamerson-esque variations of the main riff throughout the song). 2) Dee Murray with Elton John (Funeral for a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding in my Hand has an outstanding ‘gritty’ tone that retains the low end). 3) Andy O’Rourke with The Smiths (‘Barbarism Begins at Home’ is strangely funky and features a unique approach of tuning the E string to F# to facilitate the otherwise awkward fingering for the riff).
I wonder why Brian decided to record that part with 2 basses rather than a guitar and a bass, especially since the upper line is definitely in the guitar's range. A very neat out of the box choice that gives a totally unique sound
The Wrecking Crew recorded usually with up to 3 bass players on a track. Mostly thanks to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound". So, usually there's a part played on a p bass, an upright bass part, and a Fender Bass VI part
Carol Kaye did not play on any released portion of this track. It's very well researched and documented in the Smile Sessions boxset from 2011. While she did play on plenty of Beach Boys tracks, and played on some discarded Good Vibrations outtakes, Ray Pohlman and others played on what was put together in the final edit, and Carol's presence on the sessions is pretty minimal. It's also interesting to note that Ray was playing either a Danelectro or more likely a Fender six-string bass, not a Precision. I hope you'll help to correct the record. My credentials: I work(ed) for the Beach Boys as an official historian, have access to all the session tape and union paper work to Good Vibrations. Please give Ray the credit he's due here; the verse line incontrovertibly originated with him. Thanks. Here are the complete bass credits: Verses - Ray Pohlman (Fender VI), Lyle Ritz (upright) Choruses - Bill Pitman (Dano), Lyle Ritz (Fender) 1st Bridge - Bill Pitman (Dano), Ray Pohlman (Fender), Jimmy Bond (upright) 2nd Bridge - Lyle Ritz (upright) Fade - Bill Pitman (Dano), Arthur Wright (Fender), Lyle Ritz (Fender)
Thanks for sharing the detailed insights into the bass credits on "Good Vibrations." It's valuable to have accurate information about the contributions of various musicians. We always aim to provide accurate content and appreciate your input here! 🙌🏻🧡🔥
@@devinebass Incidentally, for a good example of tracks that Carol did actually play on for the Beach Boys with her typical pick sound, Help Me, Rhonda (the Single, 45 version) and the title track of Pet Sounds are really good examples of it. We are discovering that Brian had her play with her thumb on a number of tracks (He asks her if she "remembered" to play with her thumb after a take of "Let's Go Away for Awhile", for instance.) Most of the real picky stuff on Beach Boys records is Ray Pohlman or Bill Pitman on 30" scale 6-string basses. I hope you'll consider changing the title and description of this video to reflect that Carol did not actually play on the track, and as such did not contribute to the Greatest Bass Line Ever, in this case (Although she did contribute to many other very great bass lines.) I'm in touch with some of Ray Pohlman's family and I'm trying to correct the record for their sake. Thanks for considering.
If anybody wants to hear a very unconventional bass player who played with a pick, check out Phil Lesh from the Grateful Dead. He was a jazz sax player who was recruited to play bass for the band, and his approach is totally unique, especially in live jams.
Phil was actually a classically-trained trumpet player and composer. When he joined the Grateful Dead as a bass player, he had never played bass in his life, but he had learned a bit of guitar, plus he had all that classical and jazz experience, so it didn’t take him long to become a bass player. And he’s a great one!
Ever watched the 1972 Robert Redford movie The Hot Rock? The score is by Quincy Jones and features a lot of Wrecking Crew musicians as well as jazz stars Clarke Terry, Gerry Mulligan and Victor Feldman. Bass? Ray Brown, Chuck Rainey and, of course, Carol Kaye. The soundtrack is available as an album.
It would probably hurt a lot of people to find out Carol is actually NOT on the hit song 'Good Vibrations' by The Beach Boys. Her work is all over the sessions, but the hit record edit, does not feature any of her playing. The irony!
Good Vibrations pivoted the entire world of pop music into vastly more artful and open approaches. Both musically and emotionally it is as important as A Day in the Life, Bohemian Rhapsody or Stairway to Heaven.
I used Good Vibrations as an inspiration for one of my own songs. I've always liked the idea of having two separate basslines in a song, just like on Good Vibrations
You don't get to see it much nowadays but Nate Mendel of the Foo Fighters is a phenomenal pick bassist. Look up his early band Sunny Day Real Estate and see what i mean. He a monster bass player.
Brian Wilson wrote that line, but Carole Kaye played the line in the lower register on her Fender precision. There are also string basses and other electric bases on the final mix. Carole Kaye was a staple with the Wrecking Crew for many years as we all know. She’s a fine jazz guitarist also.
John Entwistle played with a pick from time to time as well. And let us not forget John Paul Jones who basically "ripped" Carol Kaye's signature sound for a lot of Zeppelin tracks as did the unheralded John Deacon. Whatever the song calls for man, whatever the song calls for. Pick, fingers, slap, felt, foam, nappies...whatever serves the song.
Thank you guys for this video, i'm definitly fan of Caro Kay. Scott I think you are the best teacher in the whole world, I have been following you for years, never disappointed, you helped me to overcome certain difficulties and raise my level and I thank you for that, I think you are a good person and you deserve but Scott, are you serious? what are these shoes :D :D :D
Carrol Kaye learned from Paul McCartney to play with a plectrum which gives your notes more definition in the attack. Playing bass with fingers is a holdover from the upright bass.
Thanks so much!!! Really cool bass part. Personally I’m gonna play with my fingers because I have developed a lilt in my playing and I think it would really lend itself to this song 😊
Jamerson never had a sponge underneath his strings - that was his replacement, Bob Babbitt. Jamerson's thumpy sound was a result of the dead, heavy gauge La Bella strings on his P-Bass. Kaye's "felt" was a doubled up piece of cloth taped *lightly* over the strings just in front of the bridge saddles. This was *not* to mute the strings. Rather, it was to remove the high harmonics while still allowing notes to sound out. Finally, she always played between the pickup and neck with a heavy, jazz style pick. Good outlining of the notes and multiple bass lines, though. The actual notation to Wilson's bass line for this song, as played by Kaye, can be found in Carol Kaye's Electric Bass Lines No. 4 book.
Amazing bass line I'd never fully appreciated until this video - thanks! As far as great pick players go, how about Chris Squire or the criminally underappreciated Tiran Porter from the Doobie Brothers?
Great video! That song has been on my list to check out. Very unusual chord and key changes.. Interesting, Carol Kaye apparently wasn’t playing that iconic part on the final single version, but rather Ray Pohlman. See here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Vibrations Carol was on the sessions for sure though. There were several bassists, also upright, Danelectro and fuzz bass mentioned as well as Fender bass.
Thanks for diving in! 🎸🎶 You're right, the bass journey on Good Vibrations is quite a ride, Carol and others definitely contributed to create the magic! 🙌🏻🧡🔥
I was fortunate enough to take guitar lessons from Carol. She's awesome!
Man, what an experience that must have been!
OMG, what a blessing.
Was it hard to get out of fan mode and concentrate on the lesson like;" OMG I am taking a lesson from the Carol Kaye, somebody pinch me!!!"
@@ChuckWortman it was more like..."oh crap... I've got to practice...learn this before next week!!!
@@MarkAnderson-iv1zt Def don't want to let Carol Kaye down! Where did you take lessons from her?
Carol Kaye had the best sense of time and rhythm of any of the musicians in the Wrecking Crew. They were all really good, but she made them great.
She was straight up awesome!
Hal Blaine would probably both agree and argue with that statement. My take on the Wrecking Crew is that every last one of them was a master but the sum total was greater than the individuals.
Her secret weapon is definitely her depth of musical education and awareness. There is no faking that. Many years back, I played a Beach Boys medley for a corporate performance, and the density of musicality was an eye-opener for me. There was no coasting or falling back into rock cliches with that music!
She is on my Mount Rushmore of the studio players. She shreds guitar too.
Well, she learned guitar, then switched after perfecting her picking technique.
Great comment!
@@marcelhaik8035 Thank you, that's very kind!
@@skineyemin4276 she didn't switch. Some bass player didn't show up in the studio one too many times and she was asked if she would play bass. She said she did but still played 6 string where they needed her as well. She was an accomplished Jazz guitarist to start with on early studio work.
Carol is a legend, and her bass instruction manual was the absolute best way for me to learn music theory and practical approaches to bass playing. She's a genius, and I love her.
What is the name of that bass instruction manual that you talk about ?
I loved Carol’s look. She had this cool 50’s secretary look and could play like no one else!
Carol Kaye is fantastic. An absolute legend.
Something to note, the low bass part was mostly likely recorded on an upright or a Bass VI. The "Wall of Sound" technique that Brian Wilson learned from Phil Spector usually incorporated 3 bass parts consisting of a p bass, upright bass, and a Fender Bass VI
I saw a Beachboys documentary that saw Brian Wilson in the original studio pointing to where the musicians sat. He stated he had Carol as well as a double bass player
Yes, there’s definitely upright bass for the lower bass part.
That was Lyle Ritz on upright accompanying Carol with the low resister notes.
I'm a drummer but this power duo are riveting. Terrific playing and ace storytelling.
Cheers Nick!
Shoutout to Lyle Ritz, Bill Pitman, Ray Pohlman and Arthur Wright who also played fretted bass on this song. Some of it on Fenders (low part), some on Danelectros (high part). Jimmy Bond played a bit of upright, too.
There were a few too many sessions and players for this song to give sole credit to Carol Kaye.
Yes, from the way I've heard it, there were, at least, six bass players (upright and electric) on the track. Most people attribute this solely to Carol Kaye, including Brian Wilson, but, to me, it seems as though no one knows for certain whose parts were used where. I have nothing against Kaye, I know she did some incredible work, but, with a bass line this iconic, I agree that credit should be given to all those who participated.
Jimmy Bond, Bill Pitman, Ray Pohlman, Lyle Ritz, and Aurthur Wright.
I love Carole Kaye, love this bass line, love this song, and love The Beach Boys. But really I just want to give a shoutout to Scott's awesome attire. The matching orange socks and beanie, the checkered shoes, the pants leg rolled up to reveal the socks...legendary.
Dude, I can’t agree more, but also Ian’s dark denim shirt-jack. I’m into that urban workwear:)
I love her bass line in Sunny and Cher’s “The Beat Goes On” ‘says she came up with it.
She also wrote the Mission Impossible Bass line.
This did blow my mind years ago
And in 5/4 time.
She's known for her double lines for bass. The first time my bass teacher introduced her to me, I was playing "Loopin' along". He played the first bass part, and me - the second.
Love this one!
No only is she on 10,000 songs she improved every single one of them. Her bass lines are some of the most iconic in music. I was going to say rock, but she did so much more than just rock.
💯💯💯
What a fun line to play! Can bring a tear to my eye.
There's not just the essence of bass in there, but the essence of musicality, harmony, feel.
Reminds me of Paul McCartney's pick playing with the Rickenbacker.
Having two basslines is such an underrated arrangement technique but Brian did it all over Pet Sounds and Smile. The two basses work together so well because the double bass could play roots to hold down these complex chord progressions while the electric bass could play harmonies and counter-melodies (I Just Wasn't Made for These Times is my favorite example). And tonally they work together really well cuz you get the round, more woody sounding double bass paired with the more treble-y picking of the electric bass. I hear Thundercat using two basses on a lot of his songs but other than that I don't hear it often, but man it's an awesome technique when done well!
You've nailed it! Using two basslines can add such depth and texture, as Brian masterfully demonstrated in Pet Sounds and Smile. Thundercat's embracing the technique too - it's a groovy way to create sonic layers. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Regarding pick players, there are tons of other important players who use a pick at least part of the time: McCartney, obviously, but also Chris Squire, Bill Wyman, John Taylor, Roger Glover, John Deacon, John Paul Jones, Duff McKagan, Gene Simmons, Greg Lake, Tina Weymouth, Mike Rutherford, Paul Simonon, Cliff Williams, Andy Rourke, Simon Gallup, JJ Burnel, Justin Chancellor, Mike Dirnt, Roger Waters, Noel Redding, Peter Hook, David Paton, Tom Scholz, Joey DeMaio, Tony Butler, Phil Lynott, Tiran Porter, Rick Savage, Phil Lesh, John Wetton... So many great bands in the rock, punk, and metal worlds in particular have had pick players.
Ahh...Berry Oakley
My fav was John Entwistle 👍
Another favorite of mine is Joe Lally of Fugazi. He's a beast.
Great observation!
Doubling the melody with your bass line is an underrated technique. Also, Paul McCartney has to be mentioned among the top pick players.
I get yelled at by the singer when I do that 😂.
@@jeffpower6473Your singer needs to lossen up
@@jeffpower6473singer's loss
Chris Squire.
If I’m not mistaken his favorite bassist was Carol
If anyone is interested in Carol, you can watch the great documentary about the Wrecking Crew from 2008 and also she's got some music books about bass lines and improvisation and jazz soloing on bass etcetera!
I have seen that documentary. Agreed, highly recommended. It's amazing how many all-time classic songs they were the backbone of.
Huh...all this time I thought the "high" part was played on a muted guitar on the lower strings (Glen Campbell?) and the lower part would've been Carol on bass. Ya learn something everyday! Thanks guys! I've been enlightened once again. Carol was an absolute genius. I love how she said in the interview that she never would've come up with that bass line if not for Brian Wilson. She always gives credit where credit is due.
Absolutely, Carol Kaye's musical genius shines through! 🎸 It's fascinating how collaboration and inspiration shape iconic bass lines 🙌🏻🧡🔥
Don't forget that Brian Wilson was also a bassist.
She did so much for our ears, Carol has such a great musicianship.
Really cool
Another legendary bass lines for us pick players: serge Gainsbourg’s Melody ( Melody Nelson 1971)
And Scott walker’s the old man’s back again ( 1969 Scott IV)
I’m not sure if my ears are serving me right but I feel like the second bass line in the original recording is actually an upright… which is a super cool addition to the electric.
Chuck Berghofer did sessions on upright bass. You are right.
Learned my first bass chops from a Carol Kaye book at age 13. Carol Kaye is a legend. Brian Wilson is a legend. Sunkist Orange Soda is the worst.
🧡🧡🧡
I know Chuck Berghofer dubbed on upright bass on some tracks. He would play the lower notes and glissandos while Carol Kaye would play higher and more cutting notes on Fender Bass.
My old teacher, Tony Di Chiaro, raised me on Carol's books. He insisted I learned playing with the pick, and how to use a felt pick too! Crazy shit man.
👍👍👍
What a great team you two are. Love it too when you leave some mistakes in like you do at 9:21 and have a smile and laugh about it!
Scott is so relaxed about that kind of thing.
Paul McCartney and Chris Squire were great with a pick. John Paul Jones used it at times and was equally as good as with finger playing. Michael Rutherford, of Genesis, and Dave Hope, of Kansas, Greg Lake.
Throw Pete Cetera of Chicago on this list
And Chris Hillman.
Lemmy…😁 I think John Entwistle occasionally used one….
Dave Hope is vastly underrated.
@@ukecycle298 Absolutely. Great bass player. Very creative.
Thanks for introducing me to Carole. That bass line is killer!
Bill Pitman and Ray Pohlman played bass on the Good Vibrations sessions reportedly. Carol played on Beach Boys sessions. She’s a true legend. I’m a fan since Bob Edwards interviewed her.
second chord is Bbm7/Db COME ON GUYS!! ;)
I feel I've come full circle. My first bass lesson was a live skype lesson with Carole Kay who was not only incredibly generous with her time, but politely suggested that my technique totally sucked and I needed to start from scratch lol(I too was coming over from guitar). She set me on the path that led me to SBL. I take courses and have learned so much since then. Carol always reminds me I'm still a scrub, but it was a wonderful beginning to a bourgeoning latter-day bass career.
Thanks for watching dude!
"Hikky Burr" by Quincy Jones or "Games People Play" by Mel Tormé are some of Carol's best funky playing. Amazing bass lines, and a lot busier than "Good Vibrations".
If you want to be a bassist, you have to familiarize yourself with Carol Kaye and James Jameson. There are many awesome bass players from the 60s, but they were legendary session musicians.
According to studio notes, she played in the sessions, but none of her contribution ended up being used in the final mix. I don't remember where I saw that, but I did see it online somewhere a few years ago. Not that it matters because she was so prolific that one song, even a ground breaking one like GV, doesn't take anything away from her greatness.
Just want to add that Good Vibrations has ALL the basses: electric bass, stand up bass, and 'cello.
Hey dude! You've got the scoop, and you're absolutely right - Carol Kaye's brilliance shines through regardless. Good Vibrations, with its mix of basses, showcases her incredible versatility. 🙌🏻🧡🔥
That chunky, chugging cello triplet track (there’s some alliteration for ya) has always sounded so cool. I love that part (I love it all)!
@@vickielawson3114 You are so right. Somehow I never heard the song until the late 70s (idk how I missed it), and when it came on the radio, I was sure it was a new release, and it was that 'cello bit that had me convinced. GV blows my mind for being so far ahead of its time, thanks to Brian Wilson who wrote the music and then fought hard to get it recorded. Wikipedia says it was the most expensive single ever recorded!
@@vickielawson3114 You are so right! Even tho GV was released in 1967, I never heard it until 1976. It came on the car radio and I couldn't believe it wasn't a brand new release, or that it was a Beach Boys song. It was the 'cello bit that convinced me it couldn't possibly be a 60s song, or a Beach Boys song. Apart from everything else, GV deserves an award for how far ahead of its time it was, and another for still being ultra-cool FIFTY SIX years later. According to Wikipedia it is still the most expensive recording of a single ever.
But, in the song we all know, is she playing the bass? I'm a little bit confused 🤔
You two guys are the best thing that ever happened on this planet for bass players. LOVE this series of uncovering the greatest bass lines ever. Keep it coming!!
Actually the bassist on the master track is Ray Pohlman on verses and Lyle Ritz on choruses and Arthur Wright plays on the third bridge and chorus fade. The upright bass on the second bridge is played by Lyle Ritz.
If I remember Carol Kaye only played 6 string bass on one session (on May 24) and 4 string bass on June 18)
and guitar on some earlier takes of the song done in April of 1966
Carol Kaye is notorious for claiming credit for original session recorded bass lines that she didn't play. She is NOT the recorded bassist on the original recording of Good Vibrations! Brian Wilson in an interview stated it was a compilation of other session bassists, including himself, over several takes, with both electric and double bass.
Woah dude! Would love to see the interview, could you send us over a link?
@@devinebass
There are a number of interviews with Brian on the internet. A little research on it should turn up the one I remember seeing.
Carol Kaye also claimed credit for Motown bass lines that were originally recorded by James Jamerson and the Funk Brothers in Detroit; long before their move to L.A. Those claims were not only adjudicated false in a court of law, but were vehemently disputed by the surviving members of the Funk Brothers. Dr. Licks the author of the original Standing in The Shadows of Motown documentary, debunked all of her claims as well. That's also on the Internet and should be easily researched.
Carol Kaye was one of the best session bassists recorded during the proliferation of contemporary music, which began in the early to mid 60s. However, for some reason she has offered erroneous claims about some of her musical contributions. Which is unfortunate, given her extensive body of work on the West Coast music scene.
Carol Kaye definitely deserves credit for her contributions, but from what I've read, her bass take was not used in the end, thus it's Ray Pohlman we're hearing on the official version of the song, playing a Fender bass in the verses and first bridge. Meanwhile, Lyle Ritz plays the chorus section. Arthur Wright plays the third bridge and during the chorus fade. The second bass part was played on upright bass also by also Lyle Ritz (verses and second bridge) and Jimmy Bond (first bridge).
Thanks for the additional details and insights! The history of bass on this track is fascinating! 🙌🏻🧡🔥
I think its one of the greatest bass lines of all time since its sort of what carrys the songs and makes it so unque and melodic at the same time
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I keep a pick stuffed into the slot beside my Jazz neck pickup. I don't "like" using it, but some songs call for it.
Great video! Another standout bassist who played almost exclusively with a pick and should not go unmentioned is Mike Mills. He also crafted some really inventive and song-defining lines, especially during the IRS years (i.e., most of the 80s).
Bass line to Orange Crush!! 🧡
I love Radio Free Europe's bassline.
@@Igor_Vinicius Whenever I look for analysis of his playing style everyone always talks about his use of chord tones -- and he's got 'em in spades on that song. But for me the way he uses flat 7ths on descending lines is kind of his fingerprint.
Chris Squire, Scott Thunes, Carles Benavent,Anthony Jackson (sometimes) Ethan Farmer, are some of my other favorite pick players..Then there's Doug Rauch who also playes as he were playing with a pick but using his thumb and you really can't tell the difference
Great video guys,.... really enjoyed it!
Do a video like this about James Jamerson!!!
I agree. The one and only ain't no mountain high enough.
@@cptncanelamy vote goes to darling dear
I hear he only used one finger, but in that finger was so much funk that two would have blown up the atmosphere
I love the song and I love seeing Ian and Scott playing it
Every note of this twin bass part is just so on point ❤❤❤❤
My favorite bass player of all time!
The Queen!
Love these videos! Carol Kaye was\is awesome.
Thanks SBL. Been working on the fretboard accelerator for several weeks now... Hands down the most powerful online bass training I've ever experienced. Better than anything else out there... It is transforming my playing! Thank you sirs!
So awesome to hear dude! 🙌🏻
One of my favorite Carol Kaye moments is her teaching something or other to Gene Simmons. She’s so earnest and patient and he-mr fucking ego-was so deferential.
I feel like we have to mention Joe Osborn when talking about pick players, his tic tac bass sound was all over in the 70s 😊
For sure! What a beast!
Loved this. Best pic a part clip on this fantastic song. First heard it when I found my older sib's 45 collection when I was grade 4, about '73. And it became the magic song and sound that it still is. Now I can finally learn to play it properly. What Ian says about using a plectrum/pic at the end is absolutely true-especially to do away with that "real bass players don't use a pic" bullshit. It's just another tool to expand your capabilities as he says. Some songs have to use it, other songs you can only play with your pinkies. Palm mute with a pic then open up with pic up on the neck, in the same tune; switch the pic in your teeth and play fingers in there and back to pick and its like playing three basses at once. Try it.Thank you both!
Hey, glad you loved the breakdown of that fantastic song! 🎶🎸 Your journey from discovering it to now learning to play it is pure musical magic. Ian's got it right - tools like picks expand your bass palette. Keep embracing those techniques! 🙌🏻🧡🔥
I put an ashtray cover on my Precision and cut off a ~2cm wide strip of kitchen sponge, cut a slit in it for every string and shoved it under the ashtray and over the strings, which are Thomastik Jazz Flats. I use it for classic Country Music from the 50s/60s. Works pretty well.
Nice dude! 🙌🏻
That yellow 0,73 Tortex is my fav. Weapon of choice. Perfect ballance between attack and „compression”.
Another fantastic video, gents! My unsung favourite pick players are:
1) Charlie Colin with Train (check ‘Mississippi’ for a gorgeous muted tone and Jamerson-esque variations of the main riff throughout the song).
2) Dee Murray with Elton John (Funeral for a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding in my Hand has an outstanding ‘gritty’ tone that retains the low end).
3) Andy O’Rourke with The Smiths (‘Barbarism Begins at Home’ is strangely funky and features a unique approach of tuning the E string to F# to facilitate the otherwise awkward fingering for the riff).
Awesome dude, thankyou for those suggestions, definitely going to give these tunes a spin! 🙌🏻
Queen Bass Kay is so approachable too.
And the Beat Goes On
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I wonder why Brian decided to record that part with 2 basses rather than a guitar and a bass, especially since the upper line is definitely in the guitar's range. A very neat out of the box choice that gives a totally unique sound
The Wrecking Crew recorded usually with up to 3 bass players on a track. Mostly thanks to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound". So, usually there's a part played on a p bass, an upright bass part, and a Fender Bass VI part
If a guitar was used to record her part instead, it would have had a more twangy sound. The bass has a smoother, warmer sound.
Great to learn about Carol Kaye. Crawling' out from under my rock -- finally!
Carol Kaye did not play on any released portion of this track. It's very well researched and documented in the Smile Sessions boxset from 2011. While she did play on plenty of Beach Boys tracks, and played on some discarded Good Vibrations outtakes, Ray Pohlman and others played on what was put together in the final edit, and Carol's presence on the sessions is pretty minimal. It's also interesting to note that Ray was playing either a Danelectro or more likely a Fender six-string bass, not a Precision. I hope you'll help to correct the record. My credentials: I work(ed) for the Beach Boys as an official historian, have access to all the session tape and union paper work to Good Vibrations. Please give Ray the credit he's due here; the verse line incontrovertibly originated with him. Thanks. Here are the complete bass credits:
Verses - Ray Pohlman (Fender VI), Lyle Ritz (upright)
Choruses - Bill Pitman (Dano), Lyle Ritz (Fender)
1st Bridge - Bill Pitman (Dano), Ray Pohlman (Fender), Jimmy Bond (upright)
2nd Bridge - Lyle Ritz (upright)
Fade - Bill Pitman (Dano), Arthur Wright (Fender), Lyle Ritz (Fender)
Thanks for sharing the detailed insights into the bass credits on "Good Vibrations." It's valuable to have accurate information about the contributions of various musicians. We always aim to provide accurate content and appreciate your input here! 🙌🏻🧡🔥
@@devinebass Incidentally, for a good example of tracks that Carol did actually play on for the Beach Boys with her typical pick sound, Help Me, Rhonda (the Single, 45 version) and the title track of Pet Sounds are really good examples of it. We are discovering that Brian had her play with her thumb on a number of tracks (He asks her if she "remembered" to play with her thumb after a take of "Let's Go Away for Awhile", for instance.) Most of the real picky stuff on Beach Boys records is Ray Pohlman or Bill Pitman on 30" scale 6-string basses. I hope you'll consider changing the title and description of this video to reflect that Carol did not actually play on the track, and as such did not contribute to the Greatest Bass Line Ever, in this case (Although she did contribute to many other very great bass lines.) I'm in touch with some of Ray Pohlman's family and I'm trying to correct the record for their sake. Thanks for considering.
Thank You for posting !
Great comments !!
I love watching the two of you
Another great video, carol is awesome, thanks guys ❤
We agree! 🧡
Killing it, Ian!!!
By far my favourite sbl series, you should do a similar one about basses
Greatest BASS ever?! Great idea
These two are brilliant to watch.
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Carol did some fine work on Grass Roots records too.
Carol Kaye is an amazing musician and teacher!
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If anybody wants to hear a very unconventional bass player who played with a pick, check out Phil Lesh from the Grateful Dead. He was a jazz sax player who was recruited to play bass for the band, and his approach is totally unique, especially in live jams.
Phil was actually a classically-trained trumpet player and composer. When he joined the Grateful Dead as a bass player, he had never played bass in his life, but he had learned a bit of guitar, plus he had all that classical and jazz experience, so it didn’t take him long to become a bass player. And he’s a great one!
Ever watched the 1972 Robert Redford movie The Hot Rock? The score is by Quincy Jones and features a lot of Wrecking Crew musicians as well as jazz stars Clarke Terry, Gerry Mulligan and Victor Feldman. Bass? Ray Brown, Chuck Rainey and, of course, Carol Kaye. The soundtrack is available as an album.
Thanks for the recommendation dude, need to go and check that out!
It would probably hurt a lot of people to find out Carol is actually NOT on the hit song 'Good Vibrations' by The Beach Boys.
Her work is all over the sessions, but the hit record edit, does not feature any of her playing. The irony!
Hey there! 🎸 You're absolutely right, Carol Kaye's influence on those sessions is immense, even if not on 'Good Vibrations'! 🙌🏻
Huh? So who plays bass on it?
Ray Pohlman on Fender Bass and Lyle Ritz on string Bass@@vickielawson3114
Good Vibrations pivoted the entire world of pop music into vastly more artful and open approaches. Both musically and emotionally it is as important as A Day in the Life, Bohemian Rhapsody or Stairway to Heaven.
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Also Carol is a monster jazz player! Listen to her album Thumbs Up with Ray Razzi and Mitch Holder. The bass jazz solos are wicked!
I used Good Vibrations as an inspiration for one of my own songs. I've always liked the idea of having two separate basslines in a song, just like on Good Vibrations
That's awesome dude! If you have it recorded make sure to send us a link, we'd love to hear it!
Scott's precision bass is so ridiculously pretty
I think the neck from it is on the bass Ian is playing and It would look so much better if was reunited!!
You don't get to see it much nowadays but Nate Mendel of the Foo Fighters is a phenomenal pick bassist. Look up his early band Sunny Day Real Estate and see what i mean. He a monster bass player.
That's why Carol is the queen
Carol has told me that she played Fender bass and someone else played double bass on a lot of tracks.
Brian Wilson wrote that line, but Carole Kaye played the line in the lower register on her Fender precision. There are also string basses and other electric bases on the final mix. Carole Kaye was a staple with the Wrecking Crew for many years as we all know. She’s a fine jazz guitarist also.
My favorite pick player, by far: the mighty Chris Squire.
There's at least one video up here on YT with Carol Kaye giving a lesson to Gene Simmons. (Very underrated pick player, btw!) It's worth checking out.
Carol, Jaco , Tal Wilkenfeld. 3 of the premier bass players in modern music. History was made with Carol.
A killer trio of players right there!
I’d put Joe Osborn ahead of Carol Kaye as a studio bassist.
wonderful, thanx
Thanks for watching!
John Entwistle played with a pick from time to time as well. And let us not forget John Paul Jones who basically "ripped" Carol Kaye's signature sound for a lot of Zeppelin tracks as did the unheralded John Deacon.
Whatever the song calls for man, whatever the song calls for. Pick, fingers, slap, felt, foam, nappies...whatever serves the song.
Nappies - Tony Levin!!!
Amazing video guys! That yellow pick it's a Dunlop Tortex .73 mm ??? Sounds killer!!!
Love it
Thank you guys for this video, i'm definitly fan of Caro Kay. Scott I think you are the best teacher in the whole world, I have been following you for years, never disappointed, you helped me to overcome certain difficulties and raise my level and I thank you for that, I think you are a good person and you deserve but Scott, are you serious? what are these shoes :D :D :D
NEver realised is was 2 basses!!! Awesome playing as allways, guys!!
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Carrol Kaye learned from Paul McCartney to play with a plectrum which gives your notes more definition in the attack. Playing bass with fingers is a holdover from the upright bass.
Thanks so much!!! Really cool bass part. Personally I’m gonna play with my fingers because I have developed a lilt in my playing and I think it would really lend itself to this song 😊
Yes! Enjoy dude, killer bass part!
Favoritest episode ever.
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Jamerson never had a sponge underneath his strings - that was his replacement, Bob Babbitt. Jamerson's thumpy sound was a result of the dead, heavy gauge La Bella strings on his P-Bass.
Kaye's "felt" was a doubled up piece of cloth taped *lightly* over the strings just in front of the bridge saddles. This was *not* to mute the strings. Rather, it was to remove the high harmonics while still allowing notes to sound out.
Finally, she always played between the pickup and neck with a heavy, jazz style pick.
Good outlining of the notes and multiple bass lines, though. The actual notation to Wilson's bass line for this song, as played by Kaye, can be found in Carol Kaye's Electric Bass Lines No. 4 book.
Thank you! 🌹🙏🏼
Thanks for checking out the video!
I thought her secret weapon was being in Cali, Memphis, and Detroit all at the same time. :D
Just wait'n for B.W. to come in on theremin. One of the best recordings of all time obviously.
Amazing bass line I'd never fully appreciated until this video - thanks! As far as great pick players go, how about Chris Squire or the criminally underappreciated Tiran Porter from the Doobie Brothers?
She's the coolest bassist ever!
That’s some Wrecking crew stuff right there, Al Casey!
Carol Kaye is a bass genius, she’s so damn talented!! ✌️😙
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@@devinebass This song is very interesting as there’s more than 1 bass line, which that’s cool. ✌️😙
Great video! That song has been on my list to check out. Very unusual chord and key changes..
Interesting, Carol Kaye apparently wasn’t playing that iconic part on the final single version, but rather Ray Pohlman. See here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Vibrations
Carol was on the sessions for sure though. There were several bassists, also upright, Danelectro and fuzz bass mentioned as well as Fender bass.
Thanks for diving in! 🎸🎶 You're right, the bass journey on Good Vibrations is quite a ride, Carol and others definitely contributed to create the magic! 🙌🏻🧡🔥
She’s a superb bassist.
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Can't believe you didn't mention Sir Paul! Love this lesson though.