From the Bottom: The Bassists of THE LOW END THEORY (1991)
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- #basshistory #analysis #hiphop #atcq #transcriptions #grooves #paulthompson
#FromtheBottom returns to break down one of my favorite albums, the iconic sophomore release from A Tribe Called Quest: 1991's THE LOW END THEORY. I'll do a deep dive with transcriptions, play-throughs, and some analysis of each bassline. We'll also find out where these samples came from and who the original bassist was. I'll top it off with some easter eggs you might not know about the record along with some trivia regarding it's creation. From Jaco Pastorius to Ron Carter to Sam Jones--this album is a bass treasure waiting to be discovered!
FREE PDF of all played examples can be found here: drive.google.com/file/d/1A9CK...
00:00 Intro
00:55 Excursions
01:45 Buggin' Out
02:44 Rap Promoter
03:32 Butter
04:26 Verses From the Abstract
06:14 Show Business
06:58 Vibes and Stuff
07:48 The Infamous Date Rape
08:43 Check the Rhime
09:36 Everything Is Fair
10:25 Jazz (We Got)
11:27 Skypager
12:21 Scenario
13:25 Outro
Website: www.paulthompson.us
Instagram @pdbass74
WOW! Thank you for including me here and for your kind words. Appreciate you keeping the music alive!
You are a hero to us all. Thank you for all of your music! 🙏🏽❤️
@@pdbass Dig THAT! RC himself...👊🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽😎🤗
No, thank you sir. for all you've done for all of us
my man Ron Carter on the bass
We love you, you are my total inspiration. You are a True living legend. Thank you Mr. Ron Carter, , 34 years later you are still the best ever to me.
I was 20-something hard core jazz head until this CD dropped. My life was never the same after that. I appreciate how you spared no details in this awesome break down of this classic CD.
Senior year NP High School September 24, 1991 this drops with RHCP Blood Sugar and the game changer Nevermind… was a great day in music!!! Love this channel! Thank you for play by play, track for track!
As a teen jazz drummer who paid attention to rap samples at this time, this album blew me away!! Thanks for the memories & back stories!
"The Star Of A Story"... that was killer! That song is so haunting. Rod Temperton, RIP.
The Easter Eggs never cease! Your URB & EB sound sooooo phat. Caramba.
The love you put into all of your content is felt by everyone who watches 🙏
This is HANDS DOWN, my favorite Hip hop Album, of all time. For all the reasons you mentioned and more. I was fortunate to se Ron Carter, maybe a dozen times, in Boston. I told him how amazing he was on this Album. He is my favorite Bassist, without question, followed closely by Christian McBride and Ray Brown.
Hi Paul! My friend Doug just shared this with me. This is so cool! I've never seen the bass lines to this actually played. I love it!! 🔥 The breakdowns are so informative and extremely well done. My daughter plays double bass so I'll definitely share this with her. I also had the honor of doing all of the hand lettering on The Low End Theory as well as designing the singles for Check The Rhime, Scenario and Jazz (We've Got) under the moniker of ZombArt NG. Looking forward to checking out your other videos!
Excellent breakdown of each song. I was 20/21 overseas in the military when this came out. Is definitely set the time for the 90s.
Groups like Tribe, The Roots, Free style fellowship, digable planets got me into jazz..
Great video! It’s a trip to look back in the 90s and realize what a magical time it was for music… The bass tones on this record are amazing too… That fat deep, dark acoustic fretless sound…
The organ player on that Grant Green live track in Vibes and Stuff is the late great Neal Creque (pronounced "KREE-key") who I had the pleasure of studying with at Oberlin Conservatory as a Jazz major. I was at Oberlin when The Low End Theory came out and we played it over and over. Had no idea our teacher was on it until now! Thanks Paul! You are an inspiration as an online educator.
Thank you, Sir. What a Blessing to have cause to revisit some of the best compositions of foundational hip hop. Didn’t Guru also majorly tap into the Jazz idiom? For me, your channel has become an international treasure trove. God’s Infinite Uplifting Blessings!
Gurus work in jazzmatazz was legendary imo, I know some of gurus jazz inspiration had to come from in part, the low end theory.
@@captainspaulding2693 Gangstarr did release "Jazz Thing" a year earlier than Low End Theory but whether one inspired the other I've no idea. Seems there might have been a jazz/hiphop sub culture developing in NYC at the time.
Another classic!! When I was a jazz snob back in the day, this album (along with athe Roots “do you want more” and “things fall apart”) this was my gateway into hip-hop. I’m psyched to go check out all the samples now.
Do You Want More is a classic
I came to jazz late in life. I think I was in my 30s. Prior to that I was a serious hip hop head. I love how you're bringing two of my favorite genres of music together here. I love the Easter Eggs and I will be checking out some of these originals. Thank you brother!
I came into jazz , soul, funk and blues because of hip-hop. Hip-hop was a fusion of all those genres.
This album is absolutely gold! Even though I was also a low key fan of jazz at the time, it was ATCQ that introduced me to Ron Carter. Thanks for highlighting the bass lines on this hip hop masterpiece!
Yes! I made a video playing the whole album and linking every bass line sample to the original song a couple of year ago.
I just downloaded all of Tribes albums on Spotify last week so seeing you cover this is exactly what I needed.
Thanks for teaching me about one of my favorite albums to bump on my way to work.
I’m so glad you recognized Fred Thomas because it doesn’t seem like people recognize him or his bass work with JB that much like they do Bootsy’s. Thomas work is just as extraordinary and sampled as well, he was really funky just a little precise not as wild and freaky.
Hi Mr. PD,
Thank you enormously for once again highlighting a real classic by NYC's legendary A Tribe Called Quest. I still have my vinyl copy of this specific release. Referencing the legendary Ron Carter as well as Walter Booker who was also an incredible bassist by all considerations, makes the " The Low End Theory " such a tour de force.
I've got to listen again to this album in its entirety after this video! I'm happy there's a new episode of From the Bottom online!
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Wow, thanks for taking me back! That was a very important time and expansion in hip hop creativity. Everybody always thinks Guru's Jazzmatazz was the first hip hop album to incorporate jazz. I remain to this day that '90-'95 was the greatest 5 year stretch of hip hop album releases.
Not just in hip hop, either. 92 alone had 4 major rock/metal albums drop in the span of two weeks
This is my favorite hip hop album of all time. First album I ever bought with my allowance. Love bro 😎
I gotta go back and listen to this whole album again.
Thank you for this! So awesome. Actually your whole channel is incredible. 🙏🏽 ps. I hope you do Midnight Marauders one day
+1 to doing Midnight Maurauders!
Gem after gem! Great musical taste. Probably the best YT channel! 👍🏾🙏🏿🔥
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Ron Carter is on the bass, yes my man Ron Carter is on the bass.
Excellent theme for a video wow! Aaaaand - You have been sampled!;) Thanks man, hello outta Zagreb.
Thanks Paul very educational!!
Appreciate your break-downs and the back-bone of the music.
More homework! Man, how did I miss this?? Actually I know- I was prejudiced against hip-hop in the early 90s... foolish child that I was! Again, super video and lesson. Thank you as ever!
I recently saw a program on Tribe and it shows Tip in the music stores of lower Manhattan digging albums out of crates. Avant-garde Hip Hop. Who knew
Man, I love this video! Time to stream The Low End Theory all day today!
Bro PLEASE make one of these for D'Angelo's Voodoo!!!
🤫
im dyin for this one too....n i'll keep waitin
Wow!! Another great one Paul! Thanks brother.
The Ron Carter example figures were so funny. You are extremely talented.
This is gold! Best hip hop album ever, IMHO, and this is encyclopedic. I went to music school (the first time) in '94 and vividly remember the excitement (and derision from many!) around the jazz hip hop crossover stuff happening then. I flipped out the first time I heard Jazzmatazz being spun on vinyl, and can still remember the exact skate shop where it happened, lol. Great that artists like Kiefer and Takuya Kuroda are keeping this flame alive too.
Love how you prepare your videos: lots of research and precious information.
One of my favourite bass channels.
Peace!
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
My favorite album of all time - thank you for reminding me why! 🥲
JDilla put a lot of beats together for ATCQ a master beat maker💯
Not on this album. JD started working with ATCQ on Beats, Rhymes and Life.
What a great inspection of a classic album!
Thanks for everything The Low End Theory is a classic hip hop album in which you have hip hop and jazz collaborations in it
This is an incredable channel keep it up please
Well done sir, well done.
The very first album in which I knew every song you were about to play!!❤😂
The fact you did the bass line covers to this album, makes me love your channel and i watch it religiously. Thank you, Good sir!
My favorite album!!!
Man - Im so digging your videos!
This is one Funky Channel... glad I found this! THANKS 😊
Great video...excellent commentary.
Thank you for this. Low End Theory is in my top 5 right next to EWF’s All n’ All.
Thanks for sharing the love. This is my favorite album. I became a bass player late in life and now appreciate this album even more. Love your channel. Keep up the good work.👍🏾
Paul Thompson! When you started in that this was about hip hop & rap, I was quietly quasi-vomiting into my 5 o’clock post-online JamKazam-rehearsal beer, despite my son being a prodigious producer in the genre, once upon a time before two beautiful children needing to be educated took priority but to my mind, a cut above.
Persevering to example 1, I was HOOKED! So far every one is so damn groovy, I still wanna Q-V, this time with JOY!
Xcellent post . . .I used to think you were cool but now, you just RULE!
Keep it comin’ Mister! You got a patron site? You deserve some sugar! Greetings from Oz! pierre
Such great content - thank you! I admit I'd forgotten about this album, and haven't listened to it in many years. Fixing that now, and man it still sounds incredibly good.
Star of the story from "Heatwave" is also a great tune written and composed by the great Rod Temperton ( MJ's Thriller, etc.) 🔥🔥🔥 Great video here!!! THX
Great video. Thanks!
That's how we do as hip hop producers
A++ Thank you for this amazing video. I will have to show this to my children. It's important to listen to and enjoy music but to understand origins and artists histories is another level. Thank you so much for your excellent work. I hope you are teaching music somewhere is this world.
If I could chose a album diesect, I would pick Blowout comb from Dig PL. - anthor wonderfully put together work of Art.
Low end is def. In the top 5 best, tight, influential of all music types.
This album changed my life it opened my mind to so much more, than I knew even existed.
Wonderful stream you got going here thank you for your knowledge , and time
Peace - love - unity
--DE--
This was so dope! One of my fav albums.
This album was one I could just hit play on and let it ride all the way through !
work of art
Best Hip hop album ever!
Yesss!!! That was amazing, I liked the video before watching it, I knew it would be so good. My question is, were you learning these basslines at the time of its release? That must have been amazing to play them and have jazzers and hip hop heads recognising them. Thanks again for another great video.
Another brilliant breakdown on one of the best records ever! I Always look forward to watching these... Thank you!
Thanks, Jared!!
Nice video, and awesome channel!
I ALWAYS learn something from your videos Paul. THANKS!!!
Yeah man, great video. Keep up the good work!
Excellent video! Very inspiring!
This is a Bass Master class….
Such an amazing album. Great video.
I really appreciate that this man is so so studious with his craft. Incredible!
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Well done this was a great video to watch. Props
Hey Brother great breakdown. Much enjoyed. I believe a tribe called quests "Everything is fair" is a sample of Willis "Gator Tail" Jacksons song "Don't knock my love" with Bob Bushnell on Bass?
Unless Bob bushnell lifted it from Byrds Song? Check it out👊🏼
Fantastic channel
As a jazz loving bass player who always loved great low-end playing, I grabbed this when it came out after heading ‘Jazz (We Got)’ on the radio driving to work (back when you had stations that could mix in just about anything!) … and I was hooked - this remains one of my all-time favorite albums, and I love how many ‘I think I know that’ moments there are, but they are all musically integrated. Amazing artists, legendary album.
Bro, you killed the bass on this video, my God!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
"Excursions" contains samples from "Time Is Running Out" performed by the Last Poets and written by Omar Ben Hassen, appears courtesy of Greg Reed, Esq.
"Check The Rhime" features samples from Average White Band recording "Love Your Life" (H. Stuart/A. Gorrie/O. McIntyre/S. Ferrone/M. Duncan/R. Ball) Joe's Songs (ASCAP) courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp. By arrangement with Warner Special Products.
"Everything Is Fair" contains samples from "Let's Take It To The People" (G. Clinton/G. Shider/E. Hazel) performed by Funkadelic. Westbound Records, Inc. Bridgeport Music Inc. Used by permission.
"Jazz" - EMI Feist Catalog Inc.
"Vibes And Stuff" contains samples from "Down Here On The Ground" (L. Shifrin/G. Garnet) performed by Grant Green. Licensed from Blue Note Records, a division of Capitol Records, Inc. Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI). Used by permission.
Those aren't all of the samples, those are only the one's that they got permission to use.
@@KardiFan2000 Got it. Thanks
Thank you Master.
Thanks for the inspiration to pick up my bass and play Wicky Wacky! 👌🏼
I love 90's hip hop. And in the early 90's, New York groups used jazz samples. Eric B & Rakim used some good samples too
Had to get the upright out and play along!
Thank you for this
So great! Thanks for this video, would you consider doing another one on the midnight marauders album?
This is a great video my brotha
One of the greatest albums ever
As USUAL Terrific Breakdown
If you like this, check out what De La Soul did with 3 Feet High and Rising *2 years earlier.* Or US3's Hand on the Torch, where hip hop and jazz were next-level fused. Cheers!
The baseline you are looking for is by Jack DeJohnette's, from the song Minya’a the Mooch
@pdbass this is great thank you! I’d love to see you do a video on the bass lines & samples from Dr Dre’s The Chronic. There’s some great stuff on it & I’ve always been curious about what was played live & what was sampled.
Don't know if you remember him, but a couple of years after "The Low End Theory", O.C. released the album "Word... Life". Heavily influenced by ATCQ, with great jazz, funk, soul & bass samples and great topical rhymes that are still relevant (unfortunately).
This is one of my favorite Tribe albums along with Midnight Marauders. The Idris Muhammad drum sample on Vibes and Stuff is incredible.
The rave of the town to your foes and your friends.
Yo this is what i have been saying forever CAPA represent BTW when are you coming to VA beach you are my guest and meet my new bass guitar.
Whoa this is why I was blessed to find this channel, this has to be my all time favorite hip hop album,, actually I still have the CD 💿 man you broke it down to the last compound!❤️❤️When my Son started studying music 🎶 in High school, I challenged him to play that exact base line from this album,, he went on to finish his Masters Degree and now works playing music on the Disney cruise 🚢!! Thanks I throughly enjoyed this!! Much love❤️
lovely! 🥰
Hi P. D., Great work!! Only a thing: my generation is a Who song. Ciao da Faenza, Italy
Another video greaaat