Mayor of Simpleton by XTC, bass line

[grantobean]

phenomenal.

[mattspade2112]

Good job! You nailed it perfectly! I still love this bass line. Rock on,dude!

[rudeguitart]

Totaly blown away!!Un feckin beleaveable!Love your style dude.Hope your in a band and they apreciate you.Your awsome.

[muddstrosity]

Really nice job. That was a lot of work to learn. It's cool to see some of the interesting and unexpected choices Moulding made when he wrote it.

[abcastle100]

Like a Crab walking the Fret Board....... Nice Work!!!! Andy Partridge.......The most gifted and most overlooked talent ever.......Except for those of us who know true musical genius!!!!!!

[haineux]

@abcastle100 Um, dude. Not that the rest of the song isn't awesome, but Colin Moulding wrote the bass part, and played it.

[SteveArpo]

Wish I could play half as well as you!

[1234drwu]

you nailed it, I've learned this bass part before,and you cant come closer that that

[shaftsbury94]

nice one, whats the make of bass?

[wilkrazor]

If you've come anywhere close to mastering this bass line, mo' betta for you. Nice work. I wish you well.

[saintofconsequence]

I played along with this song when I first got into bass. such a neat, fun bassline.

[sonicfrogdotnet]

Well Done!!!

Used to play this song in my San Diego band... will have to resurrect it for the next gig!

[JuilliardReject]

Tasty bass line. Well played.

[GTMinistry]

Amazing stuff... You really did nail the whole thing, and to learn it in an afternoon? Wow!

[BroncMcturk]

NIcely done. Great tunem great playing. Nice looking bass too!

[xnonsuchx]

Cool! While not a bass player, I often focus on how playful the bassline is whenever I hear this song...they usually just kinda drone in the background, but it's such a major part of this song and it seems quite spot on to me as well.

[LiamMacBone]

@ bim1959: I noticed that 5 string with the hi c as well.....such a sweet bass line indeed and Subcchool5, you play it great. XTC's bassist used a pick on a Rickenbacker and you nailed the tone using your fingers on a ? brand bass. Very nice. Hey you people want to laugh? Check out the video for Demon Boy's version of this song - This douchebag is pathetic as he tries (and fails miserably) to cover this awesome song.

[1963neil]

Awesome!!!

[NPBluebird]

spot on mate

[wysiwyg248]

Colin would be proud!

Great cover, the best I've seen in ages.

[cromeboy]

can you repost this without the cd and maybe a little slower? i played this on a 4 string.  how are you tuned? i played this song in the bars 20 years ago and have completely forgotten it! ha ha ha great song! you have a good ear too!

[Ripprock1]

I fell in LOVE with this bass line years ago when it first hit.You nailed it bro.thanks for the re intro.You inspired me to finally getting around to doing it.Thanks and done.

[ruoldenuff]

I'm a huge XTC fan and I think you dida remarkable job here of playing along with XTC (especially how you've indciated thAT YOU LEARN'T IT IN 1 ARVO)... I got right into it! i'M GONNA SUBSCRIBE!

[Bim1959]

Great song and nicely played. Now I'm going to have to learn it.

Different 5 string bass. This is the first one I've seen with a high C instead of the low B. It threw me for a minute when I first saw you playing it.

[101Volts]

@Bim1959 I'd imagine one could just take a 5 string bass (Built for use with a Low B) And put a six string set on it minus the Low B string. The strings might have a bit too much room in the nut slot though so a new nut might be necessary. It would also need to be set up but that's normal when changing gauges.

[drippyba]

well done ! !

[jackus69]

beautiful!

[jackus69]

Absolutely Brilliant!

Jack

[bababooey666]

Great job, bro!

[IGY5758]

Perfect!!! One of the most fun and somewhat challenging bass lines in Pop.

[UniverseWithin1]

Awesome! i read that This was actually recorded on keys. I can see why even Colin Moulding wouldn't want to sweat this. great job!

[WolfgangRohan]

Outstanding! One of my favorite basslines.

[MarshmallowCreep]

Nice job.

[WolframVonW]

Didn't Colin Moulding use 4-string basses?

[braak]

Very good bass playing, way back, when XTC played amsterdam I had tickets but got ill, I thought they would return next year as usuall , but alas they never performed again.

[snidelywhiplash]

Excellent.

[mohawkjp]

Damn,  You're great!!!

[Toddobvious]

I would like to reiterate k2ombs here, but to make it more specifically about Colin Moulding. You know, I don't think he's even doing music anymore. How is that right?

[obdami]

Good job...

[SharMess]

Wow! I'm impressed!

[k2ombs]

Great job man!!...I use this video to show people how great the XTC bass lines are. You have done it so well that this effectively shows how good XTC is....of course this is also meant to be a big compliment to your craftsmanship here!!!!

[waitaminute991]

actually you probably could construct 20 new songs out of every Paul Mac bassline

[paginesparse]

Love it! Nice one, man.

[cantstandyahoey]

bad ass!!!!!!

[FirstAmongNerds]

Fantastic rendition. I'm glad to see someone appreciates this fine band and Colin Moulding in particular. Bassists tend to sing the praises of Sting (he's no slouch mind you), but for my money Colin Moulding is the greatest bassist to come out of the new wave, a trend which continued into their studio-only period.

[greymay6k]

Colin is the reason I play the bass, man I heard I heard this song and knew I wanted to play the bass(lolololololol fruit nut)

[Zlovrag]

Song is not as hard to play as it looks, but what impressed me is that you did not move your hand unless you realy had to! Awesome playing! :)

What pickups are those?

[hatfez]

That was impressive! Normally I can't take some poser playing some silly song just to claim his 15 minutes of fame via youtube, but that was great work!

[sleece6]

Nice Job buddy

Colin Moulding is one of the best solid Bassists ever to grace pop music.

[rip1904]

dude,keep up the outstanding work,you belong at Berklee

[algismorales]

Yikes! That's incredible!

[subschool5]

have a great holiday!

[conwald]

good job, and good song.

[greymay6k]

Nice, What brand is your bass? because I've been thinking about getting a Vox but your bass sounds really nice

[Westernprovince]

Perfect!

[TheMightyHartley]

Excellent, you nailed it!! Bravo.

[k2ombs]

What a GREAT posting...man you nailed a possibly un-noticed amazing bass line.......I wonder what you do with your obvious bass talent, and appreciation in your own ventures. I can use this bass line video to show some friends how great xtc is....but for you my friend......all I can say is great job.and thanks.....

[LOOKN450]

How underappreciated was Colin Moulding as a bass player?? He's top five on my list, and you really do this "not for simpleton's" bass line justice. Great job Dude !!!

[shadouge4eva97]

i like playing bass guitar! i have to learn this!

[peacepalestine]

You did a brilliant job! I love this song, and that bassline is one of the best things about it.

Wish you had framed your head!

[pistache268]

Lovely stuff. This bassline is boss.

[eightfivenine]

Great song and very nicely played. XTC is amazingly under rated in USA. They're one of the best ever and no one even knows who they are.

[smokingmole]

i love 7 string bass guitars

[subschool5]

smoking,

this bass has five strings

[smokingmole]

No. You need to change yourself to subschool7. Do it.

[nixutubeaccnt]

@subschool5 ,

this bass has 6 strings...

[samvanderveen]

@nixutubeaccnt blind?

[IsaacBassMaster]

Hey Im 12 years old, and i thought i would never be able to play this amazing bassline but after watching this ive cracked it thanks!!! oh yh check out my vids

[Dxm009]

Good job man! I still love the original tho!!

[636117]

Nice cover. One of pop's best bass lines.

[ChristopherBix]

Not being a player, it makes my left hand cramp just watching! Outstanding job of getting this down perfectly!

[Pallie25]

Splendid! XTC are gods.

[philrouge77]

Colin Moulding is really an underrated bass player. Good job, thanks for posting this.

[maladjust59]

awesome playing and nice ear. no tabs needed if you have good ears. :)

[TheHarryButt]

why does every one always ask for a tab just listen to it

[jacosan]

Great job dude...very nice

[pbonney]

Nice job. . . Very good indeed. Where did you find the tab for this song or did you learn this from ear.

[mrkranen]

Thats what I like to see if someone plays someones music.  Doing it right. Great job.

[TangoElvis]

Awesome! Your video made me appreciate the song (and XTC) even more... if that's even possible.

[ZenBarracuda]

You have great taste in music - and your playing is great. I hope Colin and Andy have seen this clip. They'd love it.

[DallasGuy1968]

Awesome!

[ShredstickMayhem]

We jammed Senses Working Overtime for an hour. I wish I knew more people like you...I love XTC. Good job on the bass man.

[annowrecksic]

Great job! This should be required for all bass students

[SteveAustin6MDollar]

Very nice! Saw a link to this video on the xtc myspace blog.

[subschool5]

can you tell me what post it was under?

[SteveAustin6MDollar]

seventh comment under "Colin discusses 'The Meeting Place'"

[feckneejit]

great job on this one! i know it's not as complex but try "That Wave" from _Nonsuch_ - great feel...

[CC007]

He shoots...He SCORES!. Massive respect to you man; great job.

[arack1]

This is insanely good - both the original bass line (of course) and your playing. Thank you!! Is there any way you could take on Sam Phillips' "I Need Love" at some point? That's Colin too, doing his best Macca bass impression...

[cagwa]

YOU ROCK!!!

[agay40]

Wow! I'm an XTC fan and I really appreciate their playing abilities. On this song the bass line is so amazingly complex

and you have nailed it to the point where I have to hear the original to realize how good you are! - awesome - well done

[hallamhal]

I love this song and i'd say you've definately done it justice here

[RobotWillie]

You are awesome.

[aydno1]

Dang DUDE... ANOTHER WINNER...I'm a BIG COLIN FAN... you do not disappoint, that's for sure :) Trust me, IT'S EVEN HARDER ON A KEYBOARD!!!heh heh heh heh

[jangel323]

awesome! very inspiring for a newbie such as myself! keep up the great job and thanks for sharing!

[snavenai]

Really impressive :-) This must be one of Colin's hardest bass lines. I love how melodic all his bass lines are. You've really nailed it and made me want to learn it

[stejam58]

Very nice! Just learning this one myself - it's a wonderful bass line. I agree with bgdee on this one. Try sliding up on the A and D strings on the higher notes. This will give a more consistent tone, and stop the top notes sounding thin. Also the slide up will give a bit of dirt - stops the line sounding too clinically clean. Good job!

[Sproutsaint]

Maximum respect...you made that easy it sure isn't!

[bradbla]

its nice how the whole band plays to make their song sound so big its not just one part but the whole thing nice job on the bass line colin is awesome i love XTC

[bgdeee]

also very quickly...i was just watching their video of this song on you-tube and colin seems to be playing it with a pick with a guitar strum/striking technic which i think lends itself to that jauntiness or busy pop as you put it bassline...he seems to slide from higher and lower keys too at times instead of skipping strings. huh maybe just thye video..i still like you picking hand(fingers) on this...whats your opinion??

[subschool5]

just a different way to play it, no right or wrong :)

[bgdeee]

dude,your fingers look like a spider born of human flesh...well done...nice to see that bass-line

lay up on frets...looks complicated.~thanx~d

[kirkbyla]

excellant he only looks young nice to see youth appreciating the classics

[jonh901271]

Nicely done. I'm not sure Colin gets enough credit for his contributions to XTC's body of work.

[WouldBeHasBeen]

Colin renders it expertly, but in truth Andy wrote this out note for note, as he notes in an interview via the xtcfans page on MySpace.

[Onan6969]

That was great! I always thought the bass line in that song was pretty complex-- especially for such a rocking song. Seeing you play it so well gives me a greater appreciation for how cool that song really is. Thanks.

[birdfly43]

dang dude if i could play like that i more into the quick moveing bass songs tho still nice vdeo 4/5

[pimpstacker]

Check out the first album - White Music - 1978

[subschool5]

I have, it's good :D

[Wol1verine]

This is a great song with great bass. Thanks for posting cause I want to learn it.

[steverichards22]

Thanks for reminding me of how good these guys are. Execellent bass work brutha man!!

[swofts45]

Love this bass line. How does your fret hand not get tired? WTF?

[subschool5]

Hehe no it's not too bad. All the movements are small and my bass is set up very well.

[JohnnyFeng]

Nice job, and a great bassline to investigate.

[derbesy3]

you're great!

[purplecowlow]

Nice!!!! Now lets see Out in LA...

[gerKremerC]

Excellent bass playing! Your fret hand is like a miniature Spider-Man jumping from building to building for fun on a crime-free Saturday night!

[pier23ca]

Colin rocks, but Andy is an asshole.

Learn the Colin Moulding XTC and forget the Andy faggot XTC.

[subschool5]

wow... and a happy new year

[4darin5]

"Andy Faggot"? Did you have a stroke?

[iamtomw]

nowt wrong with andy, lyrics and chord changes are superb.

[4darin5]

Fuck off. I wasn't making a statement dumbass....but they are superb.

[iamtomw]

lol i wasnt talking to you i thought i had to reply to you to join in the convo sorry :)

[ugmogog]

This song is difficult to play on a four-string jazzbass.

[subschool5]

It shouldn't matter too much what kind of bass you're playing :)

[cityofblountcounty]

I just learned this song recently. You play it much better. Great job!

[subschool5]

Thank you, although I doubt I play it better hehe.

[terminalmf]

Baller ass bass line, I love it. You play it perfectly.

[Dinosaurdiary]

That was rad dude =) nice zon bass too, geez, i wish i had one but theyre like 5grand! <3

[subschool5]

Thanks man. The thing plays itself.

[bmoser0999]

Hey you need a gig? Bass players be in need. Very well done!!!...... Really, I could use a bass player. I really love this song, too. Again, well done.

[soulrebel4c]

Wow, that was really great:):)

I love that bass line!

Thanks for sharing.. keep it up!

[harmonickev]

Oh that is awesome! 5 stars.

[truebootsyes]

very nice work sub...and a great selection, always been a fav.

[xcrezyx]

U R0X0RZ

[subschool5]

Thanks.

[bigmacsama]

Dude, that was cool! How long have you been doing bass guitar?

[subschool5]

Thanks. Been playing about 9 years, some of that time seriously and some not.

[bigmacsama]

Sweet. Yours is longer than my friends' and he's done it for 7 years . You've got talent of heavy experience. *thumbs up*

[altosaxophoneash]

if you were to wear a tux then id defently have something to say!

[studio9999]

Steady groove!

[subschool5]

Thx.

[altosaxophoneash]

yep this is fab as always! and your wearing something suitable see my comments do help!

[subschool5]

Hehe definitely, THANK YOU !!! Next time I'm going with a tuxedo.

[zumazmusic]

Great playing. Great tone. What else do you want?!

[subschool5]

Thanks man, I feel like I could've played it a little better if I gave it a little more time. I just learned it before recording this. Take care.

[Munkybarz]

Nicely executed, a great example of position playing (fret board ergonominics if you will). You've got the use of the pinky finger well under way. There's a lot of guys that don't even know they own one. Beauty, keep 'em coming. TTYL, -Barz

[subschool5]

Thanks man! I know of many notable bass players who don't use their pinky and it amazes me that they pull it off (no pun intended) so fluidly. Obviously they are limiting themselves though. I consider my pinky the second most important finger on my left hand for playing. Take care.

[Munkybarz]

In June 05 I had nasty little industrial accident. A high pressure Nitrogen line let go and the end of it smashed the back of my left hand. The medius (middle) metacarpal bone got splintered all to fuck along with some major annulary (ring finger) ligament damage. A cast for 11 weeks with a pile of physio later. It still isn't 100%, so for now I tend use my pinky more than I should. Some guys don't use theirs at all!

[tinjamie]

Yo you're so good! You should be a professional poker player or something!