Five isolated bass tracks that prove James Jamerson was a genius
The bass might just be one of the most underrated instruments that there is. Black Sabbath would never have had their heavy metal sound were it not for the mimicking basslines of Geezer Butler. Disco would have never happened were it not for bassists working out how to inject funk into their instrumentation. And Motown wouldn’t have become the dominating record label that it did were it not for people like James Jamerson.
Jamerson was an American bassist widely considered one of the best to pick up the instrument. It wasn’t just a case of being able to play the bass; he could feel the music in a way that not many others could. We have compiled this list that celebrates his bass-playing ability and highlights what made him so special.
When you look at the songs that Jamerson contributed to and then listen to the bass he played on those songs in isolation, you realise how much he drives the melody. You don’t get the same swing in ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, without Jamerson, and were it not for his playing on ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’, that track wouldn’t be the infectious bop that we know it as today.
The creation and evolution of Motown was an essential part of musical history as the way that pop songs could be written changed, plus it gave rise to some of the biggest names in music, such as Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson. However, Motown wouldn’t have escalated to the heights that it did were it not for people like James Jamerson, whose ability as a bassist is built into the foundation of the label and keeps that undeniable sound still standing today.
Five iconic James Jamerson bass tracks:
‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’
To have a song be recognisable after one note is no mean feat, but that’s precisely what happens the minute that first bass hit of ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ kicks in. That’s a testament to how catchy this song is and how much joy it has brought people over the years.
This song embodies the spirit of Motown; the vocals are great, there is a swing to the track, and it’s incredibly catchy. There is no escaping just how much fun it is, and the persistent bass runs provided by Jamerson are a massive contributing factor. They give people something that they want to dance to and make the song infectious.
‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’
With the iconic synth coming into play on Marvin Gaye’s ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’, it’s almost instinct to try and replicate it, but James Jamerson knows a better way to build the song. He mimics it in verse when the show’s star is Gaye’s beautiful vocals, but before that, he does a scattered tune that eases the listener into the track beautifully and means once the verse kicks in, the song hasn’t been repeating itself.
This is an excellent example of how much of an individual thinker Jamerson was; he could disconnect from his surroundings, close his eyes and feel the music. In doing so, he would know exactly what he needs to do to bring the song to fruition. The result is a classic tune that still fills dancefloors to this day.
‘You Can’t Hurry Love’
Jamerson’s bassline opens up this song, and as soon as it does, your toes are tapping, and your head is nodding. This is that undeniable swing he could put into his music, one that flooded airwaves and embedded itself in the ears of Americans countrywide.
The song wouldn’t be the same without Jamerson’s bassline. He can take a catchy chorus and fun vocal melody and make it into something more, a song with depth and character that insists on being a hit the minute it’s played.
‘What’s Going On’
This song exists in and of itself. Not only the track itself but the whole album and how much of a cultural impact it had, it’s hard to hear ‘What’s Going On’ as individual musicians contributing towards something. Instead, it feels more like an idea than it does a piece of music, and that’s part of its genius.
When you separate the musical elements that make up the song, though, you hear some of the very best doing what they do best, including James Jamerson. He is unrelenting in his bass playing in this song, mirroring Marvin Gaye’s vocals frequently and adding licks and rhythm between moments of silence. He provides so much depth to the song that it holds everything together incredibly.
‘Fever in the Funk House’
This list wouldn’t be complete without one of James Jamerson’s songs. ‘Fever in the Funk House’ is just a bunch of excellent musicians continuously trying to one-up each other, and the result is a live-sounding, almost improvisational song that cannot be ignored.
Whether it is keys, guitars, or brass that take the front spot of this song, Jamerson’s bass is always lying underneath, giving his musicians a ground to walk on. This is the bassist at his best on a song that is impossible to put on and not smile at. This bass track isn’t isolated; to properly appreciate how vital it is within the song, you need to hear it in all its glory.
