What Is & What Should Never Be - Isolated Bass track

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  • Опубліковано 13 жов 2013
  • John Paul Jones isolated bass track from "What is & What Should never be" from the Led Zeppelin II.
    I had a blast transcribing this awesome JPJ bass line, which is, IMHO, one of some of his best work along with all of the other tracks on this album. You can hear every single nuances & inflection in JPJ's playing. So I was able to come up with a pretty accurate bass transcription/tab of John Paul Jones's performance. You can check out my transcription in standard notation & tab at sellfy.com/p/xkG9/
    Try out Sellfy, a simple yet powerful e-commerce platform designed for creators.
    bit.ly/3dFK7Kl
    No Copyright infringement intended.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 178

  • @Fretfeeler
    @Fretfeeler 9 років тому +176

    This bass line is even more Epic isolated, because you can hear just how incredibly awesome JPJ is in the studio... wow.

  • @altierianthony01
    @altierianthony01 4 роки тому +141

    I crank this video and other isolated bass vids to make my neighbors think im great at bass

    • @baberoot1998
      @baberoot1998 3 роки тому +3

      😂😂😂😂😂 Amazing what our ego will allow us to do.

    • @772tsweet77
      @772tsweet77 3 роки тому

      Hearty chuckle at your comment! :-)

    • @toddplessers2157
      @toddplessers2157 3 роки тому +1

      Aaaand!.....so do I!!

    • @jeffreyjohn2037
      @jeffreyjohn2037 3 роки тому +3

      Kidding aside, I used to play this song with my friends. One night at an open mic, I brought my first amp ever, a Alamo Electronics 2566 Fury amp. Circa 1977.
      And my Fender P bass with flat wounds.
      Was a memorable moment.

    • @amadeuswolfe7180
      @amadeuswolfe7180 2 роки тому

      lol

  • @trappedintheidiotbox
    @trappedintheidiotbox 4 роки тому +40

    his sense of timing, grooviness, phrasing, and serving the rhythm are what made him and Bonham one of the best rhythm sections of all time

  • @luvbasses5487
    @luvbasses5487 8 років тому +147

    ...just think about HOW FORTUNATE we all are to have these isolated tracks readily available! I mean, it's like being spoon-fed the milk and honey. Sometimes it's hard to hear exactly what John was doing...amid all the other instrumentation and production tricks by Page. But now...all of us bassists have the goods and JUST the goods. I mean, what more could we ask for, right? Oh, I know...video footage of John laying down the Lemon Song line that was used on LZII. That would be my all-time dream come true!

    • @modain47
      @modain47 7 років тому +8

      It's not JPJ, but Virtual Zeppelin does a cover of The Lemon Song. The bass player nails it, and you can see all the fingerwork glory of the tune. Search UA-cam and ye shall find...

  • @robwalsh9843
    @robwalsh9843 3 роки тому +28

    You can really hear that Motown influence. Such a buttery bass line.

    • @jyotishkoray
      @jyotishkoray 3 роки тому +9

      It’s the James Jamerson sound. One of the most beautiful bass sounds ever created in my opinion

  • @allrequiredfields
    @allrequiredfields 9 років тому +251

    Aside from being a killer bassline, this is my favorite bass tone of all-time.

    • @GuyOnTheInternet53
      @GuyOnTheInternet53 8 років тому +2

      +allrequiredfields is that a fact, because this is the most generic bass tone, its a just plug and you got it, right away

    • @allrequiredfields
      @allrequiredfields 8 років тому +25

      +Skylar Cook Stick to video games and 'metal', and when you finish jr high, you may have a more developed ear - but I wouldn't bet on it.

    • @GuyOnTheInternet53
      @GuyOnTheInternet53 8 років тому +1

      well no, if anything i have had a developed ear for about 5 years now, thats what 5 years of playing does, you can plug into any bass amp and get this tone, straight lows

    • @GuyOnTheInternet53
      @GuyOnTheInternet53 8 років тому +5

      and if this was his fender he would have the bridge pickup all the way down, neck full blast, and tone all the way off, its an easy tone to accomplish, this isn't some rush song where your looking on the internet on how to get a geddy lee tone

    • @allrequiredfields
      @allrequiredfields 8 років тому +28

      +Skylar Cook Look, you really have no idea what you're talking about. This is clearly his J, with BOTH pickups on. And you think the tone is turned off?? That's hilarious - he's playing flatwounds, with the tone all the way UP.
      I've been playing bass professionally for 22 years, and own both a '65 Jazz and P bass, both with flatwounds - I absolutely know what I'm talking about here.

  • @dannepohl62
    @dannepohl62 7 років тому +63

    JPJ is one killer musician. Period. Mr Zeppelin if anyone.

  • @rodneylee4026
    @rodneylee4026 3 роки тому +14

    I'd take an album of nothing but Jonsey's bass parts and listen to it everyday.

  • @gitaaa7740
    @gitaaa7740 4 роки тому +13

    JPJ, Jaco, Chris, and Geddy. My favorite bass players. This is one of my favorite basslines!

    • @fonzario
      @fonzario 6 місяців тому

      And Mel Schacher. Not sure if I spelled that right.

  • @anthonyglennmollicasr.425
    @anthonyglennmollicasr.425 6 років тому +28

    John is the man! He and Chris Squire were my inspiration for playing the bass!!!

  • @aferguson850
    @aferguson850 5 років тому +8

    Love how gentle the bass sounds before the chorus - could listen to that all day

  • @rdhudon7469
    @rdhudon7469 Рік тому +6

    Bonham was such a powerful drummer he can't even be isolated out ! . Lol There will never be another like these guys .

  • @luvbasses5487
    @luvbasses5487 8 років тому +63

    The Fender Jazz Bass debuted at the dawn of 1960 and came loaded with individual felt string mutes, mounted behind the bridge PU. These would ‘deaden’ or ‘shorten’ the response of the bass note plucked. These string mutes were discontinued by mid ‘63. Sometimes you see players with a piece of foam or a sponge tucked under the strings close to the bridge to create a similar effect. Jones left these string mutes installed for the better part of the recordings of the first two albums. His was an earlier ‘62 JB featuring the famed “slab RW fretboard.” You can clearly hear the mutes here in this audio clip. Maybe this is why some listeners claim it’s not loud enough.

    • @smackythefrog23
      @smackythefrog23 7 років тому +1

      as did the rickenbacker 4001.

    • @Apemopo
      @Apemopo 7 років тому +6

      listen to the bass on Immigrant Song. Guess he took them off for some of the third album and what a difference it makes, like DAMN

    • @luvbasses5487
      @luvbasses5487 7 років тому +3

      I do believe that the stripped '51 Precision Bass was used for Immigrant Song.

    • @Apemopo
      @Apemopo 7 років тому +1

      that makes sense

    • @peanutbutterimfeelinbetter7291
      @peanutbutterimfeelinbetter7291 6 років тому +1

      An awesome information :)

  • @HeroT
    @HeroT 7 років тому +76

    This song and ramble on have great bass lines!!

    • @amiahelzeler2170
      @amiahelzeler2170 6 років тому

      HeroT
      Nice pfp.

    • @amiahelzeler2170
      @amiahelzeler2170 6 років тому

      Also, I agree

    • @HeroT
      @HeroT 6 років тому

      Amiah Elzeler Likewise

    • @amorodioamor4388
      @amorodioamor4388 4 роки тому +5

      Lemon Song my favorite

    • @gutbucket260
      @gutbucket260 3 роки тому

      I run thru "Ramble On" every time I go thru my warm up routine on my basses. Don't really know why. It was on the first Zep album I heard as a kid. 50 years later the damn thing is stuck in my noggin.

  • @jgraz42
    @jgraz42 5 років тому +20

    Most underrated bass player of all time.

    • @guyseabrook3735
      @guyseabrook3735 2 роки тому

      Ever heard of Andy Fraser?

    • @kevintunaley5079
      @kevintunaley5079 2 роки тому +1

      @@guyseabrook3735 Or John Entwhistle

    • @bderrick4944
      @bderrick4944 2 роки тому +7

      @@kevintunaley5079 John Entwhistle and John Paul Jones both consistently make the top 10 lists of greatest bassists of all time, with Entwhistle oftentimes making number 1. I think they are both rated fairly.

    • @BenDover-vg9ep
      @BenDover-vg9ep 3 місяці тому

      no he's not, why do people constantly say this? that is just objectively not true

  • @bobbylight5875
    @bobbylight5875 3 роки тому +3

    One of the most relaxed chilled bassist ever.

  • @jyotishkoray
    @jyotishkoray 3 роки тому +2

    The perfect motown and James Jamerson tribute from JPJ. This and Ramble on

  • @chadjcrase
    @chadjcrase 3 роки тому +2

    I think this is the best of all John Paul Jones, it's outstanding.

  • @ugtibo
    @ugtibo 9 років тому +60

    That's a bassline.

  • @raulduke6394
    @raulduke6394 4 роки тому +10

    Of course I give it up for Bonham and page, hey, I obviously give credit where credit is due. Though I honestly believe that John Paul Jones was the most impressive of the group, he just had the professionalism and good tact to play what was necessary but he played it with a ferocity that is unparalleled by the majority of bass players to come after him. And he aged like wine, not just physically. I mean the guy looks 43 and he's what, seventy years old? He looked younger than Josh Homme on stage with Them Crooked vultures. But what I'm really getting at, is that he can still put it down just as good if not better than when he was with Zeppelin. His bass lines on Them Crooked vultures album were just as impressive as Josh's guitar riffs or Grohl's Drums. the guy truly is a legend, and a master of his craft. And his name deserve to be spoken with just as much reverence as any Of the other three men to form that band.

  • @fr3rdsky
    @fr3rdsky 7 років тому +16

    Where was this isolated bass when I needed it for covering Led zeppelin?? Awesome bass line!

  • @howardtyler7
    @howardtyler7 5 років тому +9

    Wonderful!
    A bass master virtuoso performance.
    Lovely dynamics.
    Brilliant.

  • @johnzeljko4252
    @johnzeljko4252 3 роки тому +3

    Killer off beats and rhythm also some fantastic dynamics. What a human can do is better than any computer.

  • @carloseugeniocarlos4287
    @carloseugeniocarlos4287 3 роки тому +1

    Happy Birthday ,John Pul Jones! What a amazing musician!

  • @Stewkeithmtb
    @Stewkeithmtb 4 роки тому +1

    Just watched an interview with the great man himself. Talks about this melodic bass line but stresses the bass must always 'serve the song' fundamentals, harmony and rhythm. Amen.

  • @tambeirne1163
    @tambeirne1163 6 років тому +7

    this is heartbeat stuff...

  • @BASSMANN2007
    @BASSMANN2007 6 років тому +4

    I was stoned when listening for the very first time LZI and LZII at once, needless to say I fell in love immediately with the music, and this bassline is one of the strongest fever givers of all time for me

  • @floouk
    @floouk Рік тому +1

    Pure magic. . . a masterclass in "serving the song."

  • @kenduffy5397
    @kenduffy5397 4 роки тому +5

    God he’s sooooo smooth!! He just has that gift from God! Nothing else I can say?

  • @ShaZAM514
    @ShaZAM514 7 років тому +51

    Brilliantly crafted bass line.
    That man knows music.
    Touch, taste, subtlty, knowledge, creativity and spontaneity.
    Dang.
    The drum bleed must be from miking the bass amp rather than going direct.
    Maybe they did both.
    Anybody know what amps he used?

    • @TeeCeeBee
      @TeeCeeBee 5 років тому +1

      Acoustic 360, he had a wall of them for arenas!

  • @jamesreinolds3968
    @jamesreinolds3968 6 років тому +10

    Bass Legend!

  • @claresykes7793
    @claresykes7793 5 років тому +11

    i love these isolated bass tracks. reminds the people who don’t appreciate JPJ just how amazing he is!

  • @xerxesxylophone7188
    @xerxesxylophone7188 6 років тому +20

    I like that nice warm tone. Just oozes into your ears without biting your brain.

    • @bflo1000
      @bflo1000 6 років тому +2

      I agree. Ironically it sounds more like a P bass than a J.

    • @Matois1
      @Matois1 6 років тому +1

      sounds way more like a P, 100% agree

    • @Knightfriend
      @Knightfriend 6 років тому +2

      Jamersons tone has a lot of punch to it and isnt quite as soft and padded as this

    • @ddbedguy
      @ddbedguy 7 місяців тому

      Vintage Fender bass, vintage amp , and flatwound strings . Blissful bassline

  • @WhiskerWhippers
    @WhiskerWhippers 9 місяців тому +1

    That walk down to the low E at 2:04 is sooooo good

  • @cheveroletllnova2672
    @cheveroletllnova2672 5 років тому +3

    In an interview given back in 2003 JPJ stated that this was one of if not the best songs he enjoyed playing.

  • @scottsmith3593
    @scottsmith3593 4 місяці тому +1

    Bass is not an instrument likely to lend itself to shifts in dynamics, but here JPJ shows how it's done.

  • @ssdancehiphopcheeseetc
    @ssdancehiphopcheeseetc 7 років тому +6

    absolutely beautiful

  • @Head318Hunter
    @Head318Hunter 7 років тому +42

    1:50 to 2:12 ...DAMN

  • @nickv4073
    @nickv4073 3 роки тому +2

    Aside from knowing how to play, he knew when to go quiet as well. Great instincts.

  • @connorclarke1218
    @connorclarke1218 3 роки тому +2

    The funkiest bass player period

  • @ConnorArchibald
    @ConnorArchibald 7 років тому +16

    omg you can hear page's guitar being picked up by the mic on the bass amp

  • @kingsecho3351
    @kingsecho3351 5 років тому +11

    I am determined to learn this

    • @amorodioamor4388
      @amorodioamor4388 4 роки тому

      Brett Walzer 'll

    • @Djoubot
      @Djoubot 4 роки тому +2

      It's actually easier than it seems(and not at all less genious than it seems)

  • @aarondavis4341
    @aarondavis4341 2 роки тому +1

    Being a bass player myself I'll listen to these isolated tracks to learn the feel of the song better dynamics the little stuff you don't hear with the full song but it's crazy because a lot of what John does notes he picks I feel like if I was in his shoes at that time of recording I would picked the same notes exactly the same,I know most aspiring musicians like myself we sit and listen to music and improvise it as if it's up to us to create the respective track, J.P.J is defiantly a musicians musician!

  • @jerendeb
    @jerendeb 4 роки тому +2

    Thank you for this! I am currently working on a 5 Led Zeppelin songs for an audition in 3 weeks. This will help immensely. Especially being able to slow it down until I fully grasp it.

  • @melissalemar5372
    @melissalemar5372 5 років тому +3

    JPJ is a master! I’d love to hear Bonham isolated on this track.

  • @oparazzi53
    @oparazzi53 2 роки тому +3

    Stupid me, one other…Leland Sklar, his accolades are practically unmatched.

  • @Head318Hunter
    @Head318Hunter 7 років тому +3

    oh wow my fav isolated JPJ yet!!

  • @ElSalvador7
    @ElSalvador7 7 років тому +1

    One of my favourites ever! So fun to play too!

  • @cloverman9815
    @cloverman9815 3 роки тому

    love the groove on these isolated bass tracks

  • @pageluvva
    @pageluvva 3 роки тому +1

    Legend

  • @hoolandthegang
    @hoolandthegang 6 років тому +4

    still one of the best lines in rocknroll!

  • @kenduffy5397
    @kenduffy5397 4 роки тому +4

    No wonder why he was the most requested Session Bassist back in the day? Just listen 👂 WOW

  • @JoeRivermanSongwriter
    @JoeRivermanSongwriter 5 років тому +2

    Ace of bassists.

  • @TheDoobie76
    @TheDoobie76 3 роки тому +1

    So awesome. Love it.

  • @cinnamongirl5410
    @cinnamongirl5410 4 роки тому +1

    Amazing.

  • @Olegzyan
    @Olegzyan 8 років тому +2

    Lonely rocker loves this bass line!

  • @Black5heep62
    @Black5heep62 3 роки тому +1

    I really wish it was possible to have an isolated bass track of JPJ on the live version of Dazed and confused on Zeps song remains the same album.
    Absolutely mind blowing what he does in that song,but most people miss it because the focus was all on Jimi Page.
    You have to have patience because it's a long song...but treat yourself and listen to it just focusing on the bass... AMAZING!

  • @ThinWhiteAxe
    @ThinWhiteAxe 5 років тому +1

    My brain just imploded from the awesomeness

  • @RedMissou
    @RedMissou 3 роки тому +1

    Flirting with the strings of one's heart

  • @DTAY45
    @DTAY45 2 роки тому +3

    The verse in this bass line reminds me of the verse in something by the Beatles

  • @DavidSmith-ur1ih
    @DavidSmith-ur1ih 4 роки тому +2

    He's one of my favorite but he seems like he's underrated

  • @AndrewValkauskas
    @AndrewValkauskas 5 років тому +2

    After Ramble On this is what I'm learning

    • @AndrewValkauskas
      @AndrewValkauskas 4 роки тому +1

      After learning this and Ramble On, I've moved onto James Jamerson bass tunes

  • @WraithMinecraft
    @WraithMinecraft 4 роки тому +2

    The basslines so good u almost dont need the other instruments

  • @Braglemaster123
    @Braglemaster123 5 років тому +1

    Great 👍

  • @pifpafponto
    @pifpafponto 2 роки тому +1

    Muito discreto. Seu baixo deveria estar mais `a frente. 👏👏👏

  • @dundaravewine2390
    @dundaravewine2390 3 роки тому +1

    Walk it home JPJ!

  • @angelafoxmusic7265
    @angelafoxmusic7265 Місяць тому

    Oh yeah. So goood.

  • @AS-fn3qk
    @AS-fn3qk 8 років тому +61

    Its not loud enough!😄

    • @crazeyjoe
      @crazeyjoe 4 роки тому +2

      Turn it up to eleven??? lol

  • @arbogash1852
    @arbogash1852 4 роки тому +1

    GOAT

  • @MrThiagoide
    @MrThiagoide 4 роки тому +1

    Incrível.

  • @GestapoPussyRanch
    @GestapoPussyRanch 6 років тому +1

    That flat dead tone that JPJ was famous for in those days.

  • @rickoursler2583
    @rickoursler2583 5 років тому +1

    The real talent in LZ

  • @danielpinto5143
    @danielpinto5143 2 роки тому +1

    These isolated tracks are so useful in transcribing lines . . . .
    If I could ask, how do you get them? Is there some software you use? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

  • @bigjohn1227
    @bigjohn1227 3 роки тому +1

    Mr jones is a god

  • @fatkidinabucket
    @fatkidinabucket 7 років тому +1

    Turn it up

  • @flash001USA
    @flash001USA 6 років тому +2

    It almost sounds like he is playing a fretless on this song at least for this recording. That would explain the smooth note transitions on some of the runs without the fret sounds. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know.... Update: I am now listing to the studio song itself and the bass line is a bit different where on this isolated track he hits only one C# with a small rest after the first first verse where on the studio recording with the full band he is playing cromatic with the following notes C#-D-D#-E. after the first verse. Interesting. Now I wonder if these isolated tracks are from multi takes some got their hands on where he or the band choose what they felt worked the best for the song while mixing it down for production. I do like how he lets the notes breathe in the intro on these isolated tracks before he gets a bit busier in his playing. Here is a link to the studio cut. Is this not the original released track? ua-cam.com/video/jrqMdja4eYs/v-deo.html

    • @bobeichvalds6608
      @bobeichvalds6608 6 років тому +2

      That link is the BBC Sessions, different than what in on Zeppelin II. I'm always too impatient to wait till the second verse for the chromatic walk-up myself.It's a Fretted Jazz Bass with Flat Wounds. I once heard an interview where he said he wouldn't use the flat-wounds live 'cause they wouldn't resonate long enough for Plant's unpredictable style.

    • @flash001USA
      @flash001USA 6 років тому +4

      Hey thanks for that bit of info. At first I thought I was losing my mind until I figured out the released recording with the band was different. Yeah I like to play a mixture of letting the notes breathe or the chromatic walk-up just depending on what hits me at the time. I've been learning a lot of his riffs through the album releases over the last couple of weeks just for the fun of it. Yeah the guy can play!

  • @Olegzyan
    @Olegzyan 8 років тому +1

    круто!

  • @ralphcozzino2796
    @ralphcozzino2796 3 роки тому

    God damn........

  • @Cap683
    @Cap683 6 років тому +1

    There has to be a foam must underneath those flatwounds.

  • @scottcooneymusic6736
    @scottcooneymusic6736 3 роки тому +1

    This man was the god of bass in his time. The Claypool or flea of his era

  • @brianbaker5640
    @brianbaker5640 Рік тому +1

    In the last part of the song, around 3:40, does it sound like a fretless bass to anyone else, where it goes up then goes down? Little glissandos.

  • @MBH5587
    @MBH5587 4 роки тому +1

    After yrs of following Zep...I found out that JPJ was heavily influenced by the great Mr James Jameson...of Motown...I can definitely hear that in his playing....

    • @abelincoln5698
      @abelincoln5698 4 роки тому +1

      How does a white English kid in his mid 20s have that much soul? He's classically trained but as funky as any of the Motown or Stax players. He can play anything and could and has conducted orchestras and composed film scores . But he prefers to play and create heavy rock . Which makes him even cooler . Jones is a total musician . He knows how to write , arrange , produce and play ,and he does them all expertly

  • @jgfunk
    @jgfunk 2 роки тому +1

    1:50 to 2:10 🤯

  • @Alchemyrecordingstudioatl
    @Alchemyrecordingstudioatl 4 роки тому +2

    Sounds like it’s DI strait into a console ..

  • @ingwevanyarin3839
    @ingwevanyarin3839 6 років тому +96

    Forget all those wacked up bass tones and that stupid guitar like ultra-fast wankery that in no way serve the song or the feel. I want tastefullness groove and a nice huge thumpy sound. JPJ is the most musical and effective bassist rock has seen. Plays maturely and with versatility. Im just so tired of prog rock lovers/metalheads worshiping bassists for speed loudness and slapping/tapping. Give me a break. JPJ out grooves the lot of them.

    • @JM-ik9kw
      @JM-ik9kw 5 років тому +2

      Good words, I totally agree!

    • @arbogash1852
      @arbogash1852 4 роки тому +3

      he reminds of eddie van halen on this track, or mozart, because he's always going somewhere with an explicit sense of purpose. jpj has the jazz swing and timing which contradictorily adds the ying to the yang and is one reason these early albums in particular have that special edge, with the bass forward in the mix.

    • @sergio3713
      @sergio3713 4 роки тому

      Please, let me stole your words!

    • @lartensgrill6106
      @lartensgrill6106 4 роки тому +7

      Bassists should never forget that their main goal is to stay in the pocket and lock down the groove.

    • @Djoubot
      @Djoubot 4 роки тому

      THANK YOU

  • @oparazzi53
    @oparazzi53 2 роки тому +1

    Too Me, the top bass players in the world, not necessarily in this order…Chris Squire(RIP), JPJ, John Entwistle(RIP). Jaco Pastorius(RIP) Les Claypool
    I’m going to be hated for saying this but, honourable mention to Paul McCartney and James Jameson.

  • @GeoZeppelin1979
    @GeoZeppelin1979 5 років тому +1

    eat your heart out Phil Mccartney

  • @SciFiArtman
    @SciFiArtman 6 років тому +2

    This isn't JPJ! It's a very good performance, but it lacks many little touches, including the way it's recorded. I basically learned to play from this album (and a few others), and therefore studied it like a beast over 100s of play-alongs, and this lacks many grace notes throughout. Off-timings, dragging the beat, lack of playing confidence, doesn't sound like a Jazz bass, and a few simple clams don't give me much hope either. Plus, the original 1969 version fades out. And yet, it's still fun to hear the brilliance of JPJ's basic writing ideas isolated!

    • @NautilusGuitars
      @NautilusGuitars 6 років тому +5

      This is from the BBC Sessions.

    • @nesbittheisman10
      @nesbittheisman10 5 років тому +1

      It’s most definitely JPJ it’s been isolated from a studio session