In the previous article I talked about how I spent most of 2016 analyzing and transcribing bass lines looking to compile a reasonably comprehesnive list of devices (and secondary devices) used in rock and pop bass lines.

This task took me most of that year and I barely played as such outside of teaching commitments as all my "bass time" was devoted to this task.

I estimated once that I lookd in detail at either the whole bass lines or significant parts of the bass lines to just shy of 500 songs and have invested over 1000 hours doing this (going back to the original research in 2010 that I talked about with Cracking The Detroit Code).

I've also estimated that you can get most of the results I've got by analyzing around 100 songs.

To start to compile your own list of the most commonly used devices in rock and pop here are the 100 bass lines to songs I suggest you analyze (in no particular order) - there are commercially available transcriptions for a good number of these but some you'll have to transcribe yourself:

1. Heatwave/Martha And The Vandellas/James Jamerson
2. All My Loving/The Beatles/Paul McCartney
3. Pride And Joy/Stevie Ray Vaughan/Tommy Shannon
4. Isn't She Lovely/Stevie Wonder/Stevie Wonder (keyboard bass)
5. Sweet Home Chicago/Blues Brothers/Duck Dunn
6. Accidents Will Happen/Elvis Costello/Bruce Thomas
7. Burning Love/Elvis Presley
8. Statesboro Blues/The Allman Brothers/Berry Oakley
9. Stuck In The Middle With You/Stealer's Wheel
10. Only So Much Oil In The Ground/Tower Of Power/Rocco Prestia
11. The Lemon Song/Led Zeppelin/John Paul Jones
12. For Once In My Life/Stevie Wonder/James Jamerson
13. Hotel California/The Eagles/Randy Meisner
14. What's Going On/Marvin Gaye/James Jamerson
15. What's Happening Brother/Marvin Gaye/James Jamerson
16. Say What/Stevie Ray Vaugha/Tommy Shannon
17. Bastille Day/Rush/Geddy Lee
18. Roxanne/The Police/Sting
19. Smooth/Carlos Santana/Benny Reitveld
20. Carry On My Wayward Son/Kansas
21. Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
22. Losing My Religion/REM/Mike Mills
23. You Oughta Know/Alanis Morisette/Flea
24. Key To The Highway/Derek And Teh Dmonios/Carl Radle
25. Go Your Own Way/Fleetwood Mac/John McVie
26. Son Of A Preacher Man/Dusty Springfield/Tommy Cogbill
27. Don't Let Me Down/The Beatles/Paul McCartney
28. Anthem/Rush/Geddy Lee
29. Hey Joe/Jimi Hendrix/Noel Redding
30. Californication/Red Hot Chili Peppers/Flea
31. The Thrill Is Gone/BB King/Jerry Jemmott
32. All Along The Watchtower/Jimi Hendrix. (start with the live at Isle Of Wight version - bass by Billy Cox)
33. Mrs Robinson/Simon And Garfunkel/Joe Osborn
34. Teddy Bear/Elvis Presley. (or any rock and roll number from the mid to late 50s)
35. Rain/The Beatles/Paul McCrtney
36. Summer of 69/Bryan Adams
37. Got To Get You Into My Life/Earth Wind & Fire/Verdine White
38. Take It Easy/The Eagles/Randy Meisner
39. Footloose/Kenny Loggins/Nathan East
40. Get Up Stand Up/Bob Marley/Aston Family Man Barrett
41. Mustang Sally/Wilson Pickett/Duck Dunn
42. Rebel Rebel/David Bowie
43. Wishing Well/Free
44. Brown Sugar/The Rolling Stones/Bill Wyman
45. Honky Tonk Woman/Elton John Live/Dee Murray
46. Born To Run/Bruce Springsteen/Garry Tallent
47. My Girl/The Temptations/James Jamerson
48. September/Earth Wind & Fire/Verdine White
49. In My Life/The Beatles/Paul McCartney
50. Earth Blues/Jimi Hendrix/Billy Cox
51. Pinball Wizard/The Who/John Entwistle
52. Along Comes Mary/The Association
53. Silly Love Songs/Wings/Paul McCartney
54. Suspicious Minds/Elvis Presley (for extra credit transcribed and analyze the live version with Jerry Scheff on bass)
55. I Shot The Sherriff/Eric Clapton/Carl Radle (also the Bob Marley original)
56. The Chicken/James Brown/Bernard Odum
57. Radio Radio/Elvis Costello/Bruce Thomas
58. Something/the Beatles/Paul McCartney
59. Hey Jude/Wilson Pickett/Jerry Jemmott
60. True Love Can Be So Beautiful/The Jackson 5/James Jamerson
61. Born Under A Bad Sign/Cream/Jack Bruce
62. The Weight/The Band/Rick Danko (also the Aretha Franklin version wi Jerry Jemmott)
63. I Put A Spell On You/Jeff Beck/Pino Palladino
64. Fire/Jimi Hendrix/Noel Redding
65. Further On Up The Road/Eric Clapton/Carl Radle
66. Everyday I Write The Book/Elvis Costello/Bruce Thomas
67. Sweet Home Alabama/Lynyrd Skynyrd
68. China Girl/David Bowie
69. Light My Fire/The Doors/Ray Manzerek (keyboard bass)
70. I Heard It Through The Grapevine/Marvin Gaye/ James Jamerson
71. I Heard It Through The Grapevine/Gladys Knight/James Jamerson
72. Dock Of The Bay/Otis Redding/Duck Dunn
73. 2112/Rush/Geddy Lee
74. Proud Mary/Creedence Clearwater Revival
75. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting/Elton John/Dee Murray
76. Long Train Running/The Doobie Brothers/Tiran Porter
77. The One I Love/REM/Mike Mills
78. Gimme 3 Steps/Lynyrd Skynyrd
79. This Old Heart Of Mine/The Isley Brothers/James Jamerson
80. Anything From THE RIVER/Bruce Springsteen/Gary Tallent
81. Get Lucky/Daft Punk/Nathan East
82. Lady Writer/Dire Straits. (also SoFar Away and Money For Nothing and Tunnel Of Love)
83. Hello Goodbye/The Beatles/Paul McCartney
84. Give Blood/Pete Townsend/Pino Palladino
85. White Room/Cream/Jack Bruce
86. China Grove/The Doobie Brothers
87. It's A Kind Of Magic/Queen/john Deacon
88. Ramble On/Led Zeppelin/John Paul Jones
89. Sympathy For The Devil/Rolling Stones/Keith Richards(?)
90. She Loves You/The Beatles/Paul McCartney
91. Wild Nights/Van Morrison (also Domino)
92. Can't Get Enough/Bad Company
93. Highway To Hell/AC-DC/Cliff Williams
94. Witchy Woman/The Eagles/Randy Meisner
95. More Than A Feeling/Boston
96. Rhiannon/Fleetwood Mac/John McVie
97. Get Ready/The Temptations/James Jamerson
98. Don't Stop Me Now/Queen/John Deacon
99. Weather With You/Crowded House/Nick Seymour (also Don't Dream It's Over)
100. Folsom Prison Blues/Johnnie Cash (also Ring Of Fire, Cry Cry)