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Listen to the isolated bass on the Marvin Gaye song ‘What’s Going On’
In June of 1970, Marvin Gaye was ready to record. Over the previous months, the legendary singer-songwriter had been compiling some of his most political and spiritual work up to that point and was desperate to release it to the world. His bosses at Motown, specifically his mentor Berry Gordy, were hesitant to push one of their biggest stars into the world of political consciousness, but Gaye knew that he had the material to elevate himself as one of America’s best writers.
The only problem was that, on this particular night, Gaye was missing an essential piece to his sonic puzzle. For years, Gaye relied on the Motown house band affectionately known as The Funk Brothers. Gaye himself was a Funk Brother, having played drums on more than one iconic Motown single. He knew the band inside and out, and when it came time to record ‘What’s Going On’, Gaye knew exactly who he wanted on bass.
That would be James Jamerson, the iconic anchor of The Funk Brothers, who played on nearly all of Motown’s biggest songs. He was the creator of the ‘My Girl’ bass line and appeared with everyone from Smokey Robinson and The Miracles to The Supremes and pretty much everybody who walked into Hitsville, U.S.A. Gaye knew he needed Jamerson’s funky and melodic touch on ‘What’s Going On’, but Jamerson wasn’t booked for studio time that night.
Most of The Funk Brothers took night gigs playing at local bars to supplement their income at Motown. On this particular night, Jamerson had finished his gig and had begun drinking heavily, something that wasn’t too uncommon for him. “Jamerson always kept a bottle of [the Greek spirit] Metaxa in his bass case,” author Dave Van DePitte wrote in his book Standing In The Shadows Of Motown: The Life & Music Of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson. “He could really put that stuff away, and then sit down and still be able to play. His tolerance was incredible. It took a hell of a lot to get him smashed.”
This particular night did see Jamerson smashed, however, as he could barely sit on his stool when Gaye found him. Undeterred, Gaye dragged Jamerson back to the studio and set him up in the playing room. Jamerson was reportedly so drunk that he had to record his bassline while lying down on the studio floor.
The results don’t sound at all like Jamerson was out of his mind. On the contrary, Jamerson is locked in from the very beginning, letting his notes float in a relaxed style that fits the song perfectly. Jamerson could be the driving force on a track, but he also knew when to lay back and let the song itself do the heavy lifting. Jamerson’s playing on ‘What’s Going On’ has a charmingly loose style to it, but it would never be mistaken for being sloppy. Even when he was out of his head, Jamerson was still right in the pocket.
Check out Jamerson’s isolated bass for ‘What’s Going On’ down below.
