Added: 4 years ago
From: arcellus
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  • Great feel. Nailed it!

  • Don't bother trying to better this this guy is spot on !

  • Nailed it!!!

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  • @arcellus I have no idea why the mexican fenders get such a bad rep. This upload shows how great this series is. If you don't have $1,500.00 to spend on an american series then the mexican series IS the diamond in the rough.

  • Just perfect!

  • Man, You are good on that bass. I notice your other axes there to your back-right.You are truly a force to be reckoned. With. heh

  • sweet as a nut lovely playing

    

  • That bass line is Carol Kaye.

  • @monkeypie420 In the 60's, there were some west coast sessions (like Brenda Holloway's "Every Little Bit Hurts" or the Supermes' "Love Is Here And Now You're Gone") where Carol Kaye may have played bass. But Kaye never played on any Detroit sessions. By all accounts "Bernadette" was recorded entirely in Detroit, and Jamerson was the bassist.

  • @monkeypie420 If you do the research you'll find it was indeed Jamerson.

  • I totally need to learn that song

  • Jamerson wouldn't let Carol Kaye lick his cock!!! Peace x

  • Good work man. I ain't mad at 'cha.

  • Great authentic feeling. 

  • i think you got a really nice tone for this song well done! awesome playing

  • Great stuff!

  • nice tone, nice playing and nice looking bass to boot

  • If you're still finding your voice on the P-Bass, I'd like to hear you when you finally get the hang of it. Lol.

  • AWESOME

  • Nice, nice.

  • Great sound, however I think JJ played this with his right index finger only - known as 'the hook'. However, you sound great!

  • @sp1midholm allthough this is true it is a bit of a pointless technique when it is simpler to use two fingers... the reason why he used one finger was becuase he took the transition from upright to electric bass and at the time it seemed logical to use one finger... but yes you are correct

  • your rad dude

    

  • Awesome playing and an awesome track

  • nice feeling...keep repping motown.

  • nicely done

  • fantastic. i am trying to learn this song right now. its a killer

  • Top notch my friend, good stuff

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  • You make it look so easy.

    I'm proud of you.

  • Woo hoo! Great job! Can you do it for the Supremes song "Reflections"? Thanks!

  • smoking brother! I'm diggin it.

  • Hey!That was a sublime cover well done you nailed it!!!!!Could you give a tutorial on this please?

  • man u have inspired me... Love the song, love the bass line. It was all perfectly in time and not a single flicker of fret buzz. I bow to u and ur supreme funky skills!

  • Tip top work.

  • What's your opinion on the Badass II bridge?

    I want to get one on my mexican standard fender precision but I'm afraid It'll kill my low ends and make my bass sound like a guitar D:

  • I hear this bassline a lot played right on top of the beat, if not, ahead of it. You, however, are laying it down in the pocket. Dead on ghost notes, sweet playing. Many people don't realize it's the bass that gets heads bobbing.

  • @brickenskye

    Gets the head bobbing.... and the booty shaking ;)

  • hey emmettk. Saw your comment. Actually for you all look up the DVD standing in the shadow of Motown. Jamerson's son even comments,,,his dad could play more notes with one finger than he could with all of his. And as my brother reminded me,,,lets not for get other legends like Donald "Duck" Dunn.

    and you are right ,,,use all the fingers.. get the job done, Stiill a nice play along!!!

  • Nice play along indeed but I have to concur with lacy235; Now try it with just the thumb! That's a whole other ball of wax LOL

    good job though!

  • that is pure blasplemy to say or believe that carol kaye is the author of this masterpiece please check your motown history you will find carol has been laying claim to quite a few bass line that are unmistakebly james jamerson.

  • The bass line is played by Carol Kaye. (Mentioned in her website)

    Regardless of that, your performance and tone is good.

  • @megarobapboom maybe you should ask people who where around when this song was made. anyone can out anything on a website

  • @megarobapboom That's not true. Carol Kaye didn't join the session band till Jamerson left for L.A., and that was after the label left Detroit. I think that was in '72, but either way it was definately in the '70's. This song was recorded in '67 and Jamerson was still on bass.

  • Ohhhhhhh Snap! You really got it down! Have my baby!!! ( Just kiddin') Talented Man!

    Seriouly...Get your hands insured!

  • Ohhhhhhh Snap! You really got it down! Have my baby!!! ( Just kiddin') Talented Man

  • Top Notch....nice one brother

  • Hey, nice play along . Really! Thing is,,,he was the HOOK. Try it with one finger right hand. Get back to us on that,

  • @lacy235 Doesn't matter one bit how many fingers he's using as long as he gets the job done.

  • @lacy235 lol, yeah in the book about him (Standing in the shadows of Mowtown) it even says that, once exposed to the common two finger plucking technique, he shunned it over claiming : "Thats pure sissy stuff right there!" XD

    Mind you, arcellus, im not saying that about your playing, bro, you nailed it right, the sixteenth notes flowing with very good timing! Keep up the good work!!

  • YOOO My Brother whats your set up!!?? Precision Bass!!?? What year and what amp and strings!!??

  • Excellent!

  • I gotta get some lessons off of you!!!

  • Very nice!!! Let's see you do it with "The Hook"....

  • what eq settings do you use? this was great ;)

  • Damn dude that was great!!!!

  • holy snap if I have to see another comment about J.J playing with one finger....!!!!!!! you'd think if someone is a big enough bass geek to watch J.J videos on here they probably already know that. So sorry, you aren't dropping some mind blowing bass secrets on us.

  • nice flow, man..keep up the good work !

  • How in the world did James Jamerson do that with ONE finger? Amazing...

  • what strings are you using?

  • Oohhhh yeaahhh!  That's very nice :~)

  • SICKKK MAN love it keep um coming

  • Absolutely Brtilliant i take my Hat off to you

  • Your dexterity is amazing. Any tips on how I can improve mine?

  • Now you have to try it with one finger. This is how he played all his bass lines. Good luck.

  • @erase12 hahahahaha

  • yeah..great bass part on this song.. i like stillwaters run deep too.

  • I like the five string in the back...

  • Nice playing!

    And now picture Jamerson playing this only with "the Hook".

  • AWESOME! You just need 2 things - a mute and flatwound strings!

  • this is tied with Disorder by Joy Division as my favorite bass line. Those two bass lines are so melodically jarring they're perfect.

  • awesome!!!

  • Lovin it!!

  • hey man, Awesome chops, I play this song a lot. what finish is your P Bass? its got a nice depth to it, or its just the camera...

  • JJ did it with one finger too. He was a beast like no other. Great job man tackling this line.

  • I'm trying to learn this song, but I can't figure out how to play that fill at 0:13. Could somebody help me with that?

  • The guy is good. He studied one of the masters!  James Jamerson lives!

  • You gave me goosebumps, dude.

  • Well done, man. Wish I could work with more bass players with your groove & chops.

  • well done m8. nice 1. cute too

  • as amazing as what this kid is playing... its hard to beleive somebody thought of it 45 years earlier with no blueprint to follow... using one finger to play it

  • Son u got some serious chops on u! Jamerson is definitely smiling. Keep up the good work chief.

  • You tackled Mr. Jameson's most difficult part-way to go!!!!

  • James Jamerson is listening in.......he is pleased

  • you look good!

  • Sounds good. Let that bass get some funk settled in.....you'll be great!

  • Brillant. No doubt you got that feel for the bass and that particular track. NICE.

    James Jamersons style is very special and when i hear this song i'm always humming the bass part. love it.

  • its weird thing about the lips i do the same when playing bass,its almost like my body is trying 2 sing the melody out,i wonder what the true reason is??great bass playing by the way you really got the feel of it.

  • james jamerson is amazing

  • Pity about the sync problem.  Solid as always though.

  • Look's like a Fender Special Run, made in Mexico, ash body. I know because I have one just like it.

  • seguí participando, sos del montón, ojalá tocaras como jamerson

  • Hey good job..."John Taylor" lol

    Nice ghost notes!

  • he's adding too many notes, nice groove though

  • Wow - I have been trying to nail this line forever and now I see I am still way off. Great job

  • Smooth as hell, baby!  Good Job!!

  • Excellent. Thank you.

  • Very nice. I recently bought the DVD "Standing in the Shadows of Motown". And I really love Jamerson/Babbit. I owned a P-Bass in the mid 70's and still have the 1964 Ampeg B15NC that I bought about the same time.

    I was using an American Jazz and EB Stingray for the last 15 years but after seeing Bod Babbit, I'm pining for a P-Bass again. I local dealer is selling the Mexican P-Bass in black for at a super low price.... ohhh my.

  • Beautiful. I'd love play drums to that.

  • Good cover. I don't care about your lips - - shows you're really into it.!  Sound is perfect, and timing excellent.

  • is that the fender fsr

  • @firehawk28 -huh????

  • aw, leave him alone! Haven't you ever seen the facial contortions of top rockers who are getting into their groove? His lip contortions are nothing compared to what's out there. It's like saying 'hey--relax that o-face!"

  • what is a percision bass

    im new to the bass scene...as my vids clearly show haha

    but i wanna know what makes this kinda bass so popular

  • The P-bass was made by Fender in the 60's. You can tell the P by the split pickups. The Jazz bass has long skinny pickups. The P-bass was made famous by James Jamerson and Jaco Pastorious.

  • @JasonConway777

    Jaco played a fretless jazz, not a p-bass

  • man ur gonna hate me

    but what diffrence do the pickups make?

    im soo new to this

    i play a LTD B-10 bass which proli makes u cringe just knowing haha

    but wanna know what a GOOD bass has equipped and what it sounds like.

  • I thought the P-Bass was made in 1951 originally..you are right about James Jamerson..as for Jaco he used a Fender JAZZ Bass.

  • @dlight247

    check out the 'Talk Bass' forum and the FDP

    'Fender Discussion Page' forum

    those are more likely to give you the information you want

  • thanks man good lookin out i really appreciate it

  • fantstic mate did you know this was james first crack at precision? well done you are mint mate, before this funk brothers had double bass...thankyou x

  • I wish all perfectionIsts would be isolated in Austrailia. That way they can make A new Perfectionist Race and reeK a perfect havoc on the less Perfect. THE WAR BEGINS IN 2019.

  • Stop bringing up fucking Carol Kaye, she's a good musician but is a quack. Jamerson is responsible for making the Motown bass sound.

  • what about bob babbitt???/

  • A) Your sure got the James Jamerson sound (the motown sound)

    B)Smooth and solid playing.

    2.54 was sloppy though )

  • HOW DARE THE BITCH...

  • This is JJ the idea riff came up from a camel, going across the desert . Legend this far beyond C Kaye

  • No, it's Jamerson

    look it up on the shadows of motown website.

  • You think bernadette sounds like a pick... wtf?

  • Carol Kaye!? Hahahaha!

    Seriously though, Jamerson has done it again!

  • wow r u retarded its Jamerson

  • You certain?

  • dead on.

  • very very good job!

  • Great job! I grew up with Motown never knowing who these amazing guys were. Good to see you carrying it on. Thanks!

  • Thanks for the video , I'm trying to learn James style and this video helps . You have any tabs of his bass lines posted online ?

  • You nailed it

  • great tone. Even the great James Jamerson skipped the amp and went straight into the sound board.

  • Great. It shows you like the tune. You go beyond mere transcription. Mr. Jamerson played it more formally didn't he?

  • Outstanding!

  • this is good :)

  • I love the way you play.

    Outstanding job.

  • nice.

  • Thumbs up! James Jamerson lives.

  • Carol Kaye has made the claim that she played on Bernadette. Does anyone have opinions on this?

  • Carol Kaye made the remake with the Beach Boys but tried to lay claims to this version until Alan Slutsky made her fess up after sworn avidavits from other musicians who played on this recording had stated they never heard of her before. Thats because Carol never played with Motown in Detroit only in LA after this was recorded.

  • Carol Kaye has claimed a lot of Jamersons work but strangely waited until Jamersons death to reveal this info.

    The surviving members of the band do not recall Kaye at the Tops sessions...

  • True true....She was almost always West Coast/Hollywod/L.A. based & apparently never counted on the surviving Funk Brothers & Detroit insiders coming 4ward & dismissing her Motown claims....With her impressive list of guitar & bass credits on both record & screen, Y did she need 2 wait until Jamerson & other founding Funk Brothers had died 2 start this sh*t? It's an insult 2 Jamerson's memory.

  • You can tell just by listening to the original 4 tops version and know that's obviously the one and only James Jamerson.

  • Well, I maintain that Mr. Jamerson had a professional style the interpretators often miss. He did a job.

  • @gentillyguy1 i think played it live,but this is jamerson in the studio.

  • These basslines are a song within themselves !

  • @Jazzelegance SOOO TRUE

  • Man I'm tellin ya, you're a good bass player, but just like another poster said, just hold the notes a little longer would be verbatim, and the right feel, cause you've got it... just a little more fluid, your more stacatto interpretation is just fine... just I'm a great admirer of James Jamerson's work, my poor excuse :-)

    keep rockin dude!!!

  • Damn good Job...... :)

  • very nice dude, jamerson would be proud!

  • nice dude : )

  • Advancing the audio .825s over the video seems to be pretty close in syncing. Great job. Fun to watch. especially when in sync.

  • nice job, dude. I'm a huge Jamerson fan, and you did him justice.

  • Have you tried 'Got to be There?' I'mnot sure if it's JJ or Carol Kaye, but it's equally as difficult and incredible.

    Peace

  • I'm a perfectionist, and the only difference I can hear is you don't hold the notes long enough.

    Now I know that is miliseconds or studio magic, but the only thing that separates you from James Jamerson in this song, is the length of time you hold the note, particularly, the root notes.

    Other than that, dead on, you make it look so easy, and that's a tall order given you're playing a line from JJ.

    Peace

  • This guy speeks the truth.

  • Roger11733,

    Bernadette was recorded in 67, and by 64 Motown was recording 8 channels. I would not be surprised at all that JJ recorded his double bass on top of the electric bass line.

    In any case, this cover is absolutely great.

  • @Roger11733 since you're a perfectionist, what did u think of Jamerson as a player?

  • Pbass + flats FTW....that's the only way to come close to the true Motown sound

  • That's a nice P-bass, but I'm not digging the flats. I don't think they sound very good on P-bass'.

  • This is pure James Jamerson. As far as I'm concerned he was the best damn bass player out of Motown. You do a very nice job. This bass line has always been one of my favorites.

    But dude, you got to get it in sync.

  • yeah it is out of sync... but dude.

    Awesome fucking tone. That is killer. Sounds awweesooommee! Re load this video dude do us all a favour!

  • There is a BBC2 radio interview of the writers and producers of Bernadette that proves it is a Detroit product of the Motown Record Company. Anything else that has the bass of CK on it is another thing all together. I have attached a video spot to this thread with the voice of Harry Weinger (Motown archivist) that should make mr. scott's assertions go away...

    BassLabD

  • Don't know if it's only my system, but sound is out of synch by 2-3 seconds on this video, pretty much unwatchable.

  • Sounds great, try and rig up the sponge, and watch it sound REALLY authentic. Ive made that recommendation on at least one other of these forums, but try it, you'll be surprised at how tight it sounds!

  • Those who have enough true interest in JJ & CK, google "lost my athletic scholarship after participating in the civil rights sit-in". From that page about Frank Wilson (& note "regulars"): "The[...] musicians for [a particular late '65 Motown session] were pulled from the studio regulars that included[...] Carol Kaye[....] As far as it can be established the tapes were dispatched to Detroit [in] November 1965, where they were mixed by Lawrence Horn for submission to Billie Jean Brown."

  • More from that page about Frank Wilson: "When Berry Gordy decided to open a West Coast Motown office, following his visit there to attend a disc jockey convention in 1963, he asked L.A. veterans Hal Davis, and Marc Gordon to take charge." (Matches what CK's been saying publicly for years -- frequently resulting in scornful reactions from her energetic detractors)

  • More from that F. Wilson page you can find by googling "I lost my athletic scholarship after participating in the civil rights sit-in demonstrations": "During 1964-65 Frank [Wilson] saw an increasing number of his compositions being released[....] Frank[...] soon found himself[...] supervising recording sessions.[...] At some point in 1965 the decision was taken to launch Frank Wilson as a Motown artist in his own right[... recording in] Armin Steiner's 8 track Sound Recorders studio[....]"

  • Note that Billy Wilson presents himself in the 2/18/2002 post as knowing who played bass on every 1964-1968 Motown recording. (!!!) Now check this out from the same post: "The Motown Alumni Associaton provides information and gives assistance to entities such as the Library Of Congress, the Smithsonian Institute, Motown/Universal Music Group [this is people like Harry Weinger] ,Rythum & Blues Foundation, Motown artists[...]" Should we be surprised there's a Kaye-is-a-liar myth?