Paul was one of the most innovative bass players ever. And half the stuff that is going on now is directly ripped off from his Beatles period. --John Lennon, September 1980 (footnote 1)

I became very proud to be the bass player in the Beatles -- Paul McCartney, August 1995 (footnote 2)

This article is written from the perspective of Paul McCartney's influence on rock bass playing. It's written by a fan for fans, and is intended to be largely untechnical. This happy fact is largely due to the fact that Paul claims to be untechnical himself.

Paul McCartney: I'm one of the least technical people you're likely to meet. I went into a guitar shop in America a few years ago and some guy said "What kind of bass strings do you use, Paul?" I said, "Long shiny ones". I don't know about amps. I don't know about serial numbers." (footnote 2);

Both Paul and his long time partner, John Lennon, did their best to refrain from analyzing what they did and how they did it too deeply. There was always that fear that they might lose the magic they had.

Before the Beatles, and particularly before Paul McCartney helped to bring bass playing to the fore, the bass player in the band was usually the guy who was least talented guitarist.

Afterward, it was suddenly cool to be the bass player. This, in itself, was an absolute major change in the music scenes around the world. It is a change that is difficult to properly define the weight of. If you could, for example, walk into the typical music store in 1963, you would find the guitar section populated by about 98% guitars and perhaps a bass or two owards the back. By 1968 when I went to buy my first bass, there were quite a few more than I remember seeing before. The reason, for the large part, is due to the incredible influence Paul McCartney had on the budding musicians of the day.

He certainly was the reason I took up the bass and because of that I should point out that writing an article on his bass playing offers two distinct difficulties:

1. To keep on track, and not discuss the Beatles as a whole. While frequent discussion of the Beatles music (instead of purely the bass playing) is necessary because each instrument is so well integrated, discussion of the group or matters in their history has been 'somewhat' avoided.

2. To remain objective. Those of us who grew up loving those four guys as icons, big brothers or whatever, sometimes have a hard time standing back and looking at things objectively. They were - and remain - so magnetic. The countless books that have been written about the Beatles' music by "competent reviewers" (MacDonald's Revolution In The Head comes to mind immediately) take the general approach that the author knows better, that the Beatles haven't fooled them, and that it is important to pass along the idea that their incredible knowledge of music gives them the opportunity to state as fact what they feel about the music. But how objective can one remain about something so entirely subjective as music? It is stated, then, here and now that all of the discussion on the music itself is the opinion of this author.

Since McCartney's major influence as a bass player was provided in the 1960s, the article is focused on his work with the Beatles.

* * * Thanks section: Thanks to Don Monson for editing (!) and a host of people for contributing thoughts and ideas: cousin Jerry Dicey for years of discussion on rock bass playing; Brian Smithey for setting me straight on James Jamerson; Scott Jennings of Route 66 Guitars for much needed information on Rickenbacker (if you got questions about that company's product, find him), and others who offered excellent information in the rec.music.beatles newsgroup whose names have unfortunately come and gone. * * *

SOME OTHER INFLUENTIAL BASS PLAYERS OF THE ERA

No article on influential bass playing of the 1960s would be near complete without an admiring nod to some great players of the day.

James Jamerson (Motown's one and only). If one were to write an article on the evolution of soul bass playing in the 1960s, the article would be about one man: Jamerson. He influenced Paul McCartney to a great degree. After switching from upright to electric bass, he kept his action (the distance between the string and the neck) very high. This makes the player work harder to hit each note and therefore tends to keep the player from being too "cute" or fancy. Although he apparantly was a very strong fingered man and could play as fast as he ever needed, he was one of the best in the world at laying in the pocket, or playing what was most needed to move a song.

John Entwhistle (the Who) would have to be mentioned as the predecessor of the archtypical progressive rock bass player and to this day is nothing short of outstanding on the instrument.

Jack Bruce (Cream/much solo work) was and is a major influence on rock bass playing. He was the first major bass player on the scene whose instrumental work was taken as seriously as the lead instruments in a band. During solos, Cream wouldn't feature just guitarist Eric Clapton, but all three musicians interplaying with one another.

Donald "Duck" Dunn (Booker T/M.G.s and almost all Memphis records from Redding to Sam & Dave, etc) layed back behind the beat just a little bit along with drummer Al Jackson Jr (a much missed musician) and yet was/is so enthusiastic in his playing. This combination was in contrast to the Motown sound and always seemed perfect for such records as "Soul Man," "The Midnight Hour," "(Sittin' on the) Dock of the Bay," "Time Is Tight" and other such great Memphis hits.

Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Jimi Hendrix's Noel Redding, The Animals' Bryan Jones 'Chas' Chandler, the Yardbirds' Paul Samwell-Smith and Brian Wilson (one of Paul's influences 2) all put their stamp, as well, on bass playing in the 1960s.

But it is safe to say that even none of these players had the effect and influence on the musical world as one J. Paul McCartney.

LARGE SCALE vs. SMALL SCALE BASS

In studying the emergence of McCartney's bass playing styles and techniques, I first of all commend him for being such a solid player on his Hofner bass (1963 Hofner 500/1 violin bass), which was really an inexpensive bass with a small neck. When you pick up a Hofner, you're first surprised at how light it is. When you play it, you tend to want to play fast little lines; nothing serious. And yet McCartney really brought 'rock' bass playing four or five steps forward with that little Hofner of his, something he didn't toss aside until 1966 (and has since picked up again many a time). The argument has been put forward that the level of ability and creativity he brought to the instrument beginning in 1965 during the Rubber Soul sessions was due mostly to the expansiveness of the Beatles' music at the time. The opposing view, and one that should not be taken lightly, is that it was due to his new instrument - a Rickenbacker 4001S.

Paul McCartney: "Because the Hofner's so light you play it a bit like a guitar - all that sort of high trilling stuff I used to do, I think, was because of the Hofner. When I play a heavier bass like a Fender, it sits me down a bit and I play just bass." (footnote 2)

Interestingly enough, he was really only able to play up the neck when he switched to the Rickenbacker. The Hofner's neck was not aligned until recently (by Mandolin Bros. in New York). Until then, it's intonation would fall off by the third fret according to it's owner. The switch to the Rickenbacker "sat him down" but it also allowed him to move up the neck with a far steadier and powerful style, as is witnessed as soon after the switch in Rain, Paperback Writer and the Anthology 2 version of And Your Bird Cand Sing. He could not have obtained the same sound or effect on his Hofner.

The interesting aspect of this whole subject is that Paul McCartney is not merely a bass player. It's quite obvious that he hears and feels the entire range of the song as it's being developed. He has definite ideas on what the guitars should sound like (frequently plays them), what the keyboard should sound like (frequently plays them) and what the drums should sound like (and frequently plays those as well). He is a well rounded musician who has earned a high position of respect in the rock field.

The following section is the author's view of Paul's own evolution as a bass player and, hence, the evolution of rock bass playing. It also attempts to have some fun discussing what was most likely behind the recording of the bass - and at times the other instruments - on a selection of their songs. It should be noted in advance that the bass is, obviously, just a section in a band setting. The best bass players seem to know instinctively what will best lift the song to new heights. Frequently this can be some very simple and well placed notes (the best example of this may well be the very simplistic and beautiful bass playing on Simon & Garfunkel's Scarborough Fair)

HOW TO BECOME A BASS PLAYING ICON

To become the icon of bass players that Paul McCartney became, it must be then that he was born a bass player - ready from the beginning to go out and buy his first bass. Of course this wasn't the case. The Beatles bass player, Stu Sutcliffe, stayed on in Hamburg after one of their seasons there and they needed someone to replace him. By default, it became Paul.

George Harrison (speaking of Paul replacing Stu Sutcliffe as the bass player of the Beatles): . . . He left when we finished the gig in Hamburg, he decided to go back to art college. At that point, Paul was still playing the guitar and I remember us saying "Well, one of us has got to be the bass player", and I remember saying "it's not me, I'm not doing it" and John saying "I'm not doing it either". He. . .went for it and he became the bass player from that point on. So then we were a four piece band" (footnote 3)

Paul McCartney: "Stu said he was going to stay in Hamburg. He'd met a girl and was going to stay there wtih her and paint. So it was like, Uh-oh, we haven't got a bass player. And everyone sort of turned 'round and looked at me. I was a bit lumbered with it, really-it was like, 'Well... it'd better be you, then.' I don't think you would have caught John doing it; he would have said: 'No, you're kidding. I've got a nice new Rickenbacker!' I was playing piano and didn't even have a guitar at the time, so I couldn't really say that I wanted to be a guitarist." (footnote 2)

Thanks to this stubborness, the Beatles sound began at that time to take the direction that would bring them the fame that no group of artists has before or since known.

In the very early days, Paul played with the style that most guitar players-turned-bass players employ. It's a bouncy style that is caused generally by hammering the pick down to the string on each note. The Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman employed this style for years.

Combining this style with a hollow body bass made, at times, for a very 'round' and punchy sound, a sound easy to visualize. If, for example, Disney were to animate Please Please Me (as in the first part of Fantasia) the bass would probably be pictured in round dark blotches that would quickly fade away - bop bop bop bop bop bop, etc. While it definitely works and the song put them over the top world-wide, what would have the Beatles sounded like in the '63-'65 days if Paul had gone with a solid body bass? Very different, indeed.

"CRY FOR A SHADOW"

The tracks recorded with Tony Sheridan in Germany are the earliest I know of that feature Paul on bass guitar. Pete Best is on drums. Interestingly enough, the feel of the McCartney/Best rhythm section contrasts sharply with the McCartney/Starr section and hence the importance of this recording.

Pete played with a much ligher sticked attack, using snare rolls frequently. Paul's bass playing is far heavier than Pete's and so the rhythm section tends to feel out of balance. For those that still ask the eternal question "Why did they replace Pete with Ringo", take a listen to these songs and - rhythm sectionally speaking - it makes sense. Don't take lightly the importance of the ability of the bass player and drummer to lock together. It is, in rock music, crucial to the energy level coming from the sound of the songs.

1963

1964/1965

The 1964 Rickenbacker model 4001S bass (the first lefty bass they had built) was built specifically to be shown to Paul. Its serial number and factory records indicate that it was completed in January 1964. It was offered to him during the week of their first Sullivan show appearance by F.C. Hall, then the owner of Rickenbacker, but he declined to buy it at the time (this was the same day that George got his '63 360/12, and John his '63 325). According to F.C. Hall, and his son John Hall, the current CEO of Rickenbacker International, Paul was given the bass during a visit to their factory the week of the Beatles August 29, 1965 appearance at the Hollywood Bowl. There are photos of Paul using this bass during the Rubber Soul sessions in October in spite of all historical claims that it wasn't used until the "Paperback Writer" session the following April.

"NOWHERE MAN"

"MICHELLE"

1964/65 can not be dismissed without a mention of the lovely bass work done on "Michelle." Smooth, flowing, legatto. Discussing the bass (or any parts) on "Michelle" is like discussing a fine wine. Listening to it causes one to raise one eyebrow, ala Spock, and say "Ahhhhh, yes. Observe the way the bass counters the guitar parts, subtly keeping the music interesting and yet remaining tastefully in the background so as not to disturb the superb vocalization. Ahhhh, priceless." McCartney: "I never would have played 'Michelle' on bass until I had to record the bass line. Bass isn't an instrument you sit around and sing to. I don't anyway. But I remember that opening six-note phrase against the descending chords in 'Michelle'-that was like, oh, a great moment in my life. I think I had enough musical experience after years of playing, so it was just in me. I realized I could do that." (footnote 3)

COMMENTS FROM 1965:

Beatles engineer Norman Smith: "There is no doubt at all that Paul was the main musical force. He was also that in terms of production as well. A lot of the time George Martin didn't really have to do the things he did because Paul McCartney was around and could have done them equally well. The only thing he couldn't do was to put symbols to chords: he couldn't write music. But he could most certainly tell an arranger how to do it, just by singing a part--however, he didn't know, of course, whether the strongs or brass could play what he wanted. But most of the ideas came from Paul." (footnote 4)

In reviewing some of the favorites from the Beatles repertoire, Smith's comments ring true. A perfect union seems to have been a John Lennon song given the Paul McCartney touch. Songs such as "Strawberry Fields Forever," "A Day in the Life" and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" are apparantly examples of this.

TECHNIQUES

By this time, Paul had mastered two techniques. With his left (pick) hand, he had learned that he could get much more control and attack by beginning a note with the pick right on the string. As mentioned above, many guitar-players picking up a bass tend to bounce the notes. This technique allows far more control over the sound. With his right (non pick) hand, he had mastered sliding up to a note. For example, to play an E using this technique, you start on the D just below it with your index finger and hammer down your ring finger on the E immediately without picking again. He was to use the technique more frequently from "Revolver" on.

1966

It's not known how much the Rickenbacker was used on the Rubber Soul sessions, but by 1966, it's pretty clear he had switched to the Rickenbacker exclusively in the studio even if he still played the Hofner on his tours. He's related his Hofner bass to Charlie Chaplin's walking cane and mustache - you just grew to expect to see it.

The recording of "Revolver" began in early April, 1966. "Paperback Writer" was recorded on April 14th.

If those people that were digging up the "Paul Is Dead" clues had placed his death between November 11th, 1965 (the final "Rubber Soul" session) and April 6th, 1966, I'd probably have trouble disbelieving them.

"PAPERBACK WRITER"

And why? Because it's a whole new bass player who emerged on June 10th, the day "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" was released as a single.

Reviews of "Paperback Writer," over the years, have tended to cast it off as being a fairly weak song. Better lyrics are demanded. But the reviewers miss the point entirely, as usual. It is not the lyrics that drive this song; it's soung, the vibrating feel of it. It's George's lead guitar riff, John's tremolo rhythm, Ringo's driving beat and Paul's soaring bass playing. The sound of the song was completely different than anything else out in it's day. The four musicians clicked together as a unit, each one completely holding his own and feeding into the wild sound.

You just about have to go back in time and listen to what else was on the charts and playing on the radio in 1966 and 1967 to really grasp how powerful these songs were when they were released. It has been said many times, but it's true. There was nothing like it around.

George played the heavy hook line on his 1962 Gibson Les Paul (SG) Standard to John's heavily tremoloed Gretsch Nashville. The two guitarists always managed to sound great together and "Paperback Writer" is one of the prime examples of that blend. The mix of the two really moves the song. The vocals are extra-ordinary. Ingeniously arranged and recorded with flash and style. But, in the eyes of history, it's the bass that really cuts this song. Paul's bass fills leading into the verses are by now legendary. It was one of the first major hits, along with its flip side, that really featured bass (bass guitar--Johnny Cymbal fans, hold those letters).

"RAIN"

In it's finished form, "Rain" was slowed down from the tempo it was originally recorded at. This change was engineered to give the sound a warmer, almost dripping feel. But when you consider the fact that it is slower, think about how fast it must have been recorded. Take heed, Ringo bashers, he did this drumming at a FASTER speed than the record). Those who wish to hear "monster" bass playing, 1966 style, sit back and enjoy the show. Like so many facets of the Beatles' legacy, it's as alive today as it was then.

A lot of the song is played up the neck, but there are a number of lines where he gets from down the bottom end to up high quickly. Since the song comes out in G, it's my guess that they originally played it in A allowing Paul to play the low open A and get up above the high G on the first string with relative ease. Listen to the bass line just after "Can you hear me? Can you hear me? He gets from the low G to the high G just a little too quickly for it to be otherwise. If the song was not recorded, originally, in A, then the other possibility is that a capo was used.

Still, the bass work is at the same time heavy and flowery. An iron butterfly, if you will. It wasn't long after this that bass players in recording sessions and bands around the world found themselves facing the dilemna of having to "play like McCartney, man".

The Beatles, and McCartney had turned overnight from the fab mop tops into serious psycha-rockers.

Ringo Starr: "My favorite piece of me is what I did on 'Rain.' I think I just played amazing. I was into the snare and hi-hat. I think it was the first time I used this trick of starting a break by hitting the hi-hat first instead of going directly to a drum off the hi-hat. . . I think it's the best out of all the records I've ever made. 'Rain' blows me away. It's out of left field. I know me and I know my playing, and then there's 'Rain'." (footnote 5)

Side notes of 1966:

It was a whole new era in recording, and bass playing. That same year, Cream formed and Jack Bruce with his six string bass started dazzling the masses in England. Entwhistle and the Who started taking off that year as well. One thing you can say about Paul McCartney; he's up to a challenge. It would have been easy to just take a back seat to the virtuosos, but not so Paul because it was now that he started really making his mark. Not bad for a mop top, eh?

THE EMERGENCE OF YOUNG GEOFF EMERICK

Geoff Emerick became the Beatles engineer after "Rubber Soul." What would "Revolver" have sounded like with the outgoing EMI sound engineer Norman Smith? Perhaps a lot drier. More like "Rubber Soul," maybe, but one thing's for sure; it would have sounded nowhere near like it did. Smith left either to pursue his own producing career (as per George Martin) or because he knew it was time to hop off the Beatles' train (as per Norman Smith).

Smith: " 'Rubber Soul' wasn't really my bag at all so I decided that I'd better get off the Beatles train." 6

This move, for whatever reason, is all important in any consideration of the next Beatles records. To emphasize this major point, put "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" into your CD (or whatever) player and just skip around between albums for a while. You'll see it wasn't just, as so often has been reported, that the Beatles had gotten better, it was also that the recording techniques went out of the universe in 1966, using compression techniques that are so evident on "Revolver," "Sgt. Pepper" and "Abbey Road." When one considers the far reaching impact of the next two albums on the entire recording industry, you might say that putting Emerick into the EMI booth was to music what going to the moon was to space travel. A giant step.

For example, from Mark Lewisohn's "The Beatles Recording Sessions":

What a wild process, one that is used in some stereo systems today; created at Abbey Road for that song. Note that here Emerick doesn't claim specifically that it was the first time he used the Rickenbacker, which would have been - most probably - an incorrect statement. Instead he refers to it as a "different" bass. It might do well to keep in mind that Emerick's involvement on "Rubber Soul" (when Paul was first seen to have it in use) may have been minimal. It wasn't until the Revolver sessions that Emerick became the main engineer.

Tape operator Jerry Boys: Geoff walked-in green but because he knew no rules he tried different techniques, and because the Beatles were very creative and adventurous, the would say yes to everything. The chimistry of George and Geoff was perfect and they made a formidable team. With another producer and another engineer things would have turned out quite differently.

Ron Pender: Geoff started off by following Norman Smith's approach because he'd been Norman's assistant for a while. But he rapidly started to change things around, the way to mike drums or bass, for example. He was always experimenting.

"REVOLVER"

The sound of this entire album is completely unique. I know of no other album that sounds close to it. Many fans and reveiwers (and even George Martin) have referred to it as their favorite Beatles album. For this album, it was the sounds that the Beatles sought to bring to the fore. Tracks were slowed down and sped up to acheive sounds.

Note: Much has been made of the Beatles increasing disatisfaction with their ability to perform to any standard in concert. It is quite possible that this fact, while a frustration for them at that point, was a significant factor in the incredible leaps and bounds they were making in the studio during these years. In other words, the worse they felt about their live work, the more attention was given to their studio work. It is possible that had their concerts given them more satisfaction, their studio work might not have been given the incredible energy and attention it was. If so, then let us give thanks to the screaming fans. Without them, perhaps "Revolver" wouldn't have happened.

"GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE"

McCartney really began to take his instrument seriously in 1966. His playing throughout the album, throughout 1966, was at a peak. At times bold, at times tender. Sometimes quiet, sometimes loud; whatever the song called for.

Would he agree, however, that something more might have been done on "Got To Get You Into My Life." If, as books indicate he was looking for a Motown sound, he might have beefed his line up just a bit; played a line that moved the song a little more. This is not an assault on simple playing but McCartney's attack (the dynamic of how he puts pick to string) sounds as if it's back to the old style of hammer picking. Without much backing instrumentation (aside from horns), it leaves things a bit empty sounding.

"TAXMAN"

On Taxman, the bass playing sounds like the bass is going through a Marshall stack, giving it a power rock sound. Excellent all the way around, especially when you consider that Paul was also busy recording that incredible guitar solo. With Lennon adding his now familiar sledgehammer rhythm and Ringo doing his usual excellent backbeat job, one wonders what the Beatles might have been like had George taken up the bass and Paul stayed on guitar. Hmmm. For one thing, this article would be a heck of a lot different.

"AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING" ("Anthology" version)

Take 2 of this song seems, in retrospect, as solid and interesting as the excellent released version. The bass playing on this earlier version is certainly more prevelant. If only we could hear this without the giggling Beatles, we might have a new classic Beatles song on our hands. The bass line that brings the vocals into the song is precise and heavy. Good work.

OTHER SONGS ON "REVOLVER"

"I'm Only Sleeping," obviously slowed WAAAYYY down, had a nifty treat for us - an actual solo bass line and some good crash style drumming. "And Your Bird Can Sing," "Dr. Robert," "I Want To Tell You" and the amazing "Tomorrow Never Knows" all feature great, solid bass playing. Yeah, it was 1966, and bass playing was starting to flourish. Rarely again would the words "bass should be felt and not heard" pass out of tired lips. The revolution that had begun over 20 years earlier with Woody Herman's amazing bass player, squelched and then revitalized for a while with Chuck Berry's bass player, and then squelched again, was back on - never to be squelched again.

(Note: I'm not positive "Tomorrow Never Knows" was recorded with the Rickenbacker. Emerick says that "Paperback Writer" was the first song to use the new bass and that was recorded after TNK. It may be, though, that Emerick was referring to the fact that PBW was releasedfirst. McCartney's recent comments that the Rickenbacker was used on "Rubber Soul" really make this something worth researching.)

To analyze, most people who work with a tool of any kind know that when you get something that completely outshines what you had before, you can get more creative. People who buy new bench saws suddenly start creating all kinds of things. People who get new calligraphy pens litter the house with their writings. People who get new musical instruments that sound better than before suddenly become many times better in their musicianship. Combining the bass that Paul began using in 1965 with the studio techniques and sounds available to them during these years, '66 and '67 were banner years for Paul's bass playing.

"PENNY LANE"

Some personal musing and meandering: After I discovered that "Penny Lane" was done on a Rickenbacker, I thought about it and felt that that bass line could not be successfully played on a Hofner. I probably sound as if I'm constantly on the attack of the bass that contributed to The Sound Of The Beatles, but I really felt this theory to be true. Then, on the "McCartney Up Close" special from a few years back he sure proved me wrong. He's got his old Hofner bass up there and plays it (while singing) to a 't'. I've heard "Penny Lane" tossed aside by many critics and it again just leads one to believe that most critics don't know what they're talking about. It was a song of incredible consequence. As I recall, "Strawberry Fields" seemed to get more airplay but I have to think that "Penny Lane" affected more hopeful hitmakers at the time. That piano line was worked to perfection, and the bass line is constructed to move that song in and out of moods.

During the opening lines to the verses such as "In Penny Lane the barber shaves another customer," the bass is walking jauntily and with great restraint, not pushing the beat at all. The mood is light. But when we see the banker sitting "waiting for a TRIM", the song takes a sudden left turn into Strangeville. The smiling masks come off and when you hear the following line, ". . the fireman rushes in from the pouring rain", we realize we're heading right down Main Street.

The effect is driven by two things. The piano, dubbed many times over, goes to a minor chord and the bass stops walking. It's as if you're walking down a street and suddenly everything stops. Like good acting, or sometimes good living, it's amazing the effect you can have when you suddenly stop something that's been going on. People look around, hardly having noticed that the original sound was even there until it stopped. Similarly, you might be sitting in your living room watching TV while one of those crazed and brain-damaged mocking birds is chirping away outside. Then, he flies away (or is shot at) and you look around suddenly. You hadn't really acknowledged the sound until it was gone.

Talk about lessons. The Beatles were learning them and using them to excellent advantage

1967

"SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND"

George Martin: "It's been 25 years now since it's been issued, and there aren't many records which really last in the memory for a quarter of a century. It evoked the spirit of the age." (footnote 8)

George Harrison: "I remember track-by-track it was very exciting at that time. Nothing like that had ever been." (footnote 8)

Paul McCartney: "That's probably the big difference is that people played it a bit safe in popular music. But I think that's when we suddenly realized that you didn't have to." (footnote 8)

Ringo Starr: "It was colorful and it was peace and it was love and it was music" footnote 8

John Lennon: "Sgt. Pepper is called the first concept album, but it doesn't go anywhere. All of my contributions to the album have absolutely nothing to do with this idea of Sgt. Pepper and his band. But it works 'cause we said it worked." (footnote 1)

Not only has so much been written about this amazing album, but the words "so much has been written. . " have been written hundreds of times. Where do you start?

Most of his bass playing on this album was not ensemble playing but him sitting in the studio on a stool, his left handed Rickenbacker across his lap his mustache curled around his lip. When you see pictures of Paul in the "Sgt. Pepper" days, you see a man looking for something new and far away.

He found it, again, on this album. When you listen to what he plays, you can generally picture how he positions himself when he plays it. It's fairly expressive; well very expressive. While the "Revolver"/"Paperback Writer" style was straight ahead and very much rock, "Sgt. Pepper'" was different. The expression is cool, laid back a bit, but creative and completely different - again - than anything yet done. Once again, the cry in bands was "play like McCartney plays". This time it could not be done because of the simple fact that on most tracks he was given his own track and his own time to record it. Since he lived nearby, he was usually first and generally last at the studio and had time to play with his bass parts. Perhaps never before had a bass player been given such leverage and time to come up with exactly the right thing to play on each song.

Geoff Emerick: "On 'Pepper' we were using the luxury of utilizing one track for bass overdub on some of the things...We used to stay behind after the sessions, and Paul would dub all the bass on. I used to use a valve C12 microphone on Paul's amp, sometimes on figure-eight, and sometimes positioned up to eight feet away. Direct injection wasn't used on the guitars until 'Abbey Road.' " (footnote 7)

As the group dynamics allowed for more and more experimentation, Paul's bass playing became more innovative. "As time went on, I began to realize you didn't have to just play the root notes. If it was C,F,G, then it was normally C,F,G that I played. But I started to realize you could be pulling on the G, or just stay on the C when it went into F. And then I took it beyond that. I thought, Well, if you can do that, what else could you do, how much further could you take it? You might even be able to polay notes that aren't in the chord. I just started to experiment." (footnote 2)

Paul McCartney and George Martin discussing the bass playing on "Sgt. Pepper," listening to "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds":

McCartney: It was much better for me to work out the bass later, you know.

Martin: I think it made it better.

McCartney: Yeah, I think it was . . .but the good thing about doing it later is it allowed me to (hums the bass line to the chorus as it comes up) get melodic bass lines (hums and air guitars the bass at the end of the chorus).

Martin: ...all the bass lines were always very interesting.

McCartney: On this album I think that was one of the reasons.

"LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS"

The sound of the instruments on this song all have a floating feel to them and the bass is no exception. This is another example of a Beatles song that has a bass line completely different than one might expect, and yet fits perfectly. It doesn't anchor the song to the ground; that is a role that the bass seldom plays on this album. But somehow it does hold it to some floating anchor and is probably THE representation of Sgt. Pepper style bass playing. If the song comes from a different place, as Lucy does, then why not anchor it in that place in a tricky, bizarre and different way.

"On Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds for example", McCartney says, "you could easily have had root notes, whereas I was running an independent melody through it, and that became my thing. It's rally only a way of getting from C to F or whatever, but you get there in an interesting way. So once I got over the fact that I was lumbered with bass, I did get quite proud to be a bass player. It was all very exciting." (footnote 2)

"BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF MR. KITE"

More inspired bass playing here. On the verses, the bass starts out as an almost typical one/five bass line, but by the end of the verse has transformed into a melody that counters Lennon's lead line. The bass, in fact, seems to counter the rest of the recording. The keyboards and drums stand on one side, plodding along beneath the vocals, with the bass on the other.

"GOOD MORNING...GOOD MORNING"

On this song, Paul and Ringo began using a one-beat technique that they kept in their repertoire through "Abbey Road." At the end of the verses, they add an exclamation point by slamming the beat home together, the bass starting at one note and sliding downward. In fact, the whole song showcases the rhythm section to great effect. The song opens with a galloping rhythm and there are sections in the song where Ringo's bass drumming rolls at a super-fast rate.

"FIXING A HOLE"

Another perfect example of "not" playing to perfection. The bass line continues to seem to go somewhere and then suddenly stops. Very untypical of a bass line, and very reflective of the mood of the song.

"SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (REPRISE)"

Put that reprise on with the bass turned up all the way.

There's Paul counting off. . .there's the four bars of drumming, and then on the final eigth note of the fourth measure, Paul gives the intro note and slams it into gear. From there, it's full speed ahead and rock solid, and John must have been proud. His playing on this song is actually a portent of styles to come. When the beat needed to be laid down, he did it. Unfortunately, the song comes and goes so fast. Thanks to the advent of the cd, however, it's very easy to start the song over right up to the point where the instruments come in, time after time until the police are summoneed. According to George Martin in his book "With A Little Help From My Friends," the idea for a reprise was Neil Aspinal's idea. They worked hard on making it sound live and it is incredibly live sounding, and very powerful.

McCartney: "Once you realized the control you had over the band, you were in control. They can't go anywhere, man. Ha! Power! I started to identify with other bass players and talk bass with the guys in the bands. . . So I was very proud of being the bass player. As it went on and got into the melodic thing, that was probably the peak of my interest." (footnote 2)

Yes, the bass style on the album is a very cool Paul McCartney, poised and confident. The judgement on whether it was his top stuff is completely up to the listener. It certainly was revoluationary. It certainly fit the music and that's really the main thing. In the author's opinion, it's his most creative and melodic, but not his best. That was yet to come.

"BABY YOU'RE A RICH MAN"

On May 11, '67, The Beatles started recording the song that brought the sonic boom to bass playing, "Baby You're A Rich Man." This was recorded at Olympic Sound Studios and engineered by Keith Grant. It's may be one of the many that qualify for "the most unique Beatles' record".

It's sound is almost communal, not so much a rock song but a rock congregation.

To hear the bass on this song in it's full glory requires a fairly good speaker system, one that can handle extreme low end. Of all the Beatles' records, Grant got the deepest bass end. Pure sound, pure low end feel. It was as if he were weilding a powerful weapon, and weilding it pretty nicely, too.

George Martin: "Paul says his dad liked to play boogie-woogie on the piano, which is interesting when you look at Paul's own development into one of the world's great bass guitarists. In a boogie-woogie piano tune, the bass line, played by the left hand, produces a strong contrapuntal melody, rather than just a rhythmic thud. Paul's own bass guitar playing is of course the most melodic ever. He set a standard no one has ever reached. Sometimes he even composed songs around a bass line melody. Paul's bass line on "Baby You're A Rich Man" is a good example of what he can do. (footnote 9)

Like the '64/'65 period, Paul remained fairly constant throughout the remainder of 1967. Nothing bad, nothing earthshaking or historic. You almost got to expect something incredibly new with every record put out, a stigma that Paul lives with to this day. It wasn't until "Hey Bulldog" and then the incredible "The Beatles (White Album)" that new innovations were to come.