WAR's Greatest Bass Line
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- Опубліковано 12 чер 2024
- #bass #basshistory #analysis #transcription #paulthompson
Digging into the amazing grooves from one of the greatest genre-defying bands of the 70's: WAR. From the iconic "Low Rider" to "Cisco Kid" to "Slippin' Into Darkness" which song contains their GREATEST bass line?
I'll also introduce you to the unsung vocalist and original bassist of WAR, Morris "B.B." Dickerson, and show you why his style was so important to WAR's sound and success.
00:00 Intro
00:51 Contender #1
01:59 Contender #2
03:13 Morris "B.B." Dickerson
03:54 Contender #3
04:39 Contender #4
05:49 Winner
06:32 Outro
Website: www.paulthompson.us
Instagram @pdbass74
Twitter @pdbass74
For me, hands down, it's Low Rider. I see that as arguably one of the most iconic and recognizable bass lines in the Western world, and more than a little popular in the East as well.
Thanks again for another wonderful and inspiring video, btw.
I remember learning that bass line. I would even play along when "George Lopez" came on since it was the theme song.
People will hate on that choice since it’s their most popular song but it’s popular for a reason
WAR's music was a soundtrack to my life growing up thru out the 70s, AWESOME!!!! band.
+
I too grew up on All Day Music, and The World is a Ghetto. Thrilled to hear these recognized here!! These guys and Mandrill forever!!! Hmm how about a nod to Ape is High :)
@@jackdolphy8965 Mandrill! The beast from the east!
Thank you, B.B. Dickerson for doing your part to help tame mankind with your gift, talent and bass contribution. Your legacy is sealed, and in the meantime, I'll help keep the music playing.
Let’s not forget they were there the last time Jimmy Hendrix played live at Ronnie Scott’s my favourite club . What a place that was . The last day before …. Love you Jimmy . Actually the guy on the door that took the money was at the club that night and said Jimmy was out . God bless him .
Slipping into Darkness the bass riffs on the changes are insane.
It just makes me wanna get and stand up. 😉
I only knew “Lowrider” growing up as a kid but then I came across “Don’t Let No One Get You Down” and it’s been the song of my life ever since.
Here in Europe they were mostly known for their collab with Eric Burdon, Tobacco Road was a riot at every 70's party. Personally i'd vote for Low Rider, always makes me smile and move at the same time. But they're all great. Thank you for another awesome vid!
Spirit is such a good tune.
spill the wine was big here
I don't know if I agree, I was clubbing from about 73 onwards and War were regular floor fillers, I only discovered the Eric Burdon connection later, maybe a slight generational difference?
Maybe generational maybe regional. Spill the Wine was the introduction to War in the area I resided in. I was fortunate enough to see them live in concert
@@AndrewKerr2406Maybe that (i'm 60), maybe regional differences. I'm from Germany. As far as i know, Tobacco Road was gigantic here and War were discovered here that way.
Low Rider is the most fun to play but I'm a "The world is a ghetto" sitter for best line. It really makes that song. War is also some of my earliest recollections of music (the earliest being Return to Forever: Romantic Warrior). The 70s were an excellent time to be born or growing up. :)
War is one of my all time favorite bands. I saw them in concert in San Jose CA in 1993. Small auditorium and they were wheeling in their own equipment with no road crew. I was studying the bass at the time and after the concert, I was one of the those people fortunate enough to get a back stage pass to meet the band members. I had a nice conversation with BB Dickerson and took a photo with him. The highlight of my visit was that he taught me how to play the lowrider riff. That is one of my cherished memories. Rest in Paradise BB!!❤🎸🎶
B.B. Dickerson is grossly underrated. Thanks for this Must Needed Video
Low Rider... Wow- what a unique groove! I never realized that tension between the bass and the drums before. That bass is so far behind the beat, it sounds like the drummer is dragging the bass player across a shag carpet floor by the scruff of the neck!
I've heard that song a thousand time but now I realize how it gives the whole song its character. Thanks, PDBass- love your channel!
Spill the Wine is always my favorite. Thanks professor for great video bringing me down memory lane.
You nailed it WAR. One of my many favs is Heartbeat. "Play it funky for me B.B."
Bring in the bass and play it funky
Play it funky for me B.B.
Play it funky funky funky
Play it funky B.B. play it funky funky funky
Bring it on down
Listen to my bass man play it funky
His name is B.B. funky funky B.B.
Play it real funky for me
*Man, this song will NEVER get old for me* and that bass line & percussions unmatched.
I've been saying B.B. was an unsung hero forever. Thank you pd bass.
Galaxy is my favorite bassline from War
I 100% agree
It's outta sight!!
I’m sick and tired of the rat race
@@BassByTheBay It’s gone
Take me to your place in space! 😎
My dad used to love this band. His favorite song was "The World is A Ghetto" and we played it at his funeral.
Cisco Kid was my favorite bassline. Funny thing though, I played bass for many years and never once tried to play WAR. This video made me want to try.
The most underappreciated band in history. I'm only slightly older than you, and their songs really bring me back to my childhood.
Love all of those cuts. One of the lines that gets slept on is Outlaw from 1982.
I love world is a ghetto, slipping into darkness a close second. Word they have a bunch of dope bass lines. Love the video!
Man my dad LOVED war so I would hear it all the time in my household. You cant help but to appreciate those eloquent B.B. drives. W.A.R. WE ALL REMEMBER
5:57 - 👀 AND thee most ICONIC album cover since Pepper. 😮💨🤘🤘🤘
Anyone remember their comeback record that had “Peace Sign” on it? Kinda wish he’d’ve tossed that in as an honorable mention-that had more stank in it than most of their catalog! ✌️
“Where Was You At” was always a fave bassline of mine.
A great deep cut!!!
Mine too!❤
The best BB Dickerson bass line is: Slippin into darkness bridge, and the mysterious outro fade-out along with the rhythm section:
(evokes an emotion)😮
Love WAR and Low Rider was one of the bass lines I enjoyed playing back in the 70s when I was learning bass.
Thanks, Professor Paul!
Cholly!
@@JosePerez-vz1qq JP?!?! My FAVORITE Wildcat?!?!
Great band...with a fantastic original sound. Grew up at a time when all their songs were playing on the radio.
I loved WAR so much, I name my record store All Day Music. Their albums are masterpieces. On the All Day Music lp, Get Down is amazing. City Country City is one of the greatest r&b instrumentals, off The World is a Ghetto. From the same lp, Where Was You At is great. Deliver the Word is a sweet ballad from the lp of the same name. Either car or motorcycle, Gypsy Man is a great driving song. B.B. shines vocally on Lotus Blossom (Why Can’t We Be Friends lp). The seven minute, Leroy’s Latin Lament with all of its changes could’ve been in a Broadway musical. Platinum Jazz lp is a must have, with tracks like War Is Coming, Slowly We Walk Together and L.A. Sunshine. Galaxy lp has another one of my favorites. Hey Senorita is a playful song about flirting and trying to woo a latin girl. Thanks.
As a pre-teen and in my early teens, War was my favorite band with the Ohio Players coming in second. The only of those bass lines I did not learn was “Why Can’t We Be Friends.”
I had the privilege of seeing War during their prime. I remember them coming out and playing an unnamed instrumental and the crowd of 11,000 was perfectly quiet and listening as if it were a classical concert. Of course, they got funky after that. On a side note, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan was the opening act with the great Bobby Watson on bass.
War also sang so many unique songs. I like to say they were six African Americans and a Jew from Denmark, who sang a bunch of songs about Mexicans. They also sang deep social commentary about street life and police brutality like “Slippin’ Into Darkness” and “Me and Baby Brother,” that really talked about the same issues that Gangster Rap would cover 17-15 years later.
Only later (WAR was huge when I was young), did I recognize how hip and unique their grooves were.
Love what you do here - celebrating great bassists throughout time is a great way to honor music and musicians while introducing them to younger players!
Man, what a band!!! I'll go hunting those vinyls. Bravo y olé. Greetings from Spain.
Love seeing war get some love, underrated legends
My favorite is a toss up between the banger groove of "Low Rider" and the simple groove of "The Cisco Kid". Thanks UA-cam for recommending this channel!
"This is my bass man, playin it funky. His name is BB, funky, funky BB."
My dad had their biggest album on vinyl and 8-track tape. I remember riding around with him in San Diego blast their tunes blasting out of his green Gran Torino. Find memories. Thanks again for this wonderful video.
"Southern Part Of Texas" from the 1973 "Deliver The World" LP.
Bro that’s a great album and a great song !
I think I put in a request a couple months for you to highlight the BB Dickson/ Harold Brown rhythm section. I don't know if you choose to honor my request or not but I'm grateful this posting. I would say slippin into darkness for me.
YES!!!!
Absolutely great choices. Thanks for giving recognition to Morris Dickerson. He certainly defined their music. I always loved the bass in "Hey Senorita" from Galaxy...."no puedo, no puedo (giggles), no puedo.... ))
These lines went so far into me as a kid that, happily, they could never be removed by any means - love 'em more now than ever. Have to go with Low Rider for pure personality.
I've had the honor to cover the bass chair for the modern iteration of WAR. WAR usually gets overlooked for their greatness. Thanks for making this video. BB was a special bass player that crafted unique bass lines and should be considered as one of the greats of all time.
As a bass player these are staple songs to play.
Low Rider
Cisco Kid for me, I'm so glad my neighbors had a diverse library of tunes in the early '70s
Slippin and a Ghetto are my favorites!
The track by the group War which was released in the year 1977 was Galaxy.. That was one 0f my favorite war songs. 🤗
Great video! I think you forgot to mention that one.
I don't know how you limited it to 4 or 5 songs. So much great stuff to choose from. For me, The World is a Ghetto has me grooving every single time I hear it. I agree with all your choices as well. B.B. was amazing!
Thank you for this, the group war is so so underrated. I always wondered why they never got an unsung. I have sing a happy song from the young blood soundtrack on my phone, Which was sampled by brand nubian for their song feels so good. Plus their song with Eric burden, Spill the wine. This extraordinary group is never talked about🤔
Slipping into Darkness ! What a track what a groove . Great vocals . Had a 12 inch single of this
FANTASTIC VIDEO! I'm a child of the 60s and 70s, and WAR's music was a constant part of my experience. I first started playing bass in 1976, so learning some of these bass lines was fundamental! For me, Low Rider is the perfect groove. It's the bass line I use to warm up, almost every time I practice, rehearse, or perform. Thank you for this one!
Thanks pdbass for a great video ! Low Rider is my favourite, especially after you mentioned each instrument plays a hook.
Now I know why you're such a dedicated, cool bass player - you were already listening to this music in the womb !
Just because of the feel, i think Summer time would be my favourite. That bassline is so soothing.
Low rider! A jam I can play over n over, back to back to back!!!
Heartbeat. That was a stepping jam here in Chicago in the 70's
War was one of the great 70s bands, so completely capturing the vibe of the time. I still listen to them fairly often. A great take me back to the time song is Summer, even though it came out later as a single. 8 tracks, street musicians, vans, CBs, people playing bongos in parks, as soon as it begins to play I'm pulled through a pipe back to those wonderful warm weather laid back hanging out days. We had a lot of things wrong in our country then, as now, but some things and many people were truly wonderful. Sort of hopeful times. Baltimore was a living city still, lots of live music, kids drumming on drywall buckets, all sorts of music on the corners, people cheering them on and putting money in the open buckets. Sadly it's a scary place now. Thanks for this video.
I love the bass, it's my fav instrument, but for a long while my love for it was built on really absurd & flashy bass players, also stuff that's more easily definable as rock.
This video is what got me listening to WAR, and as such, allowed Dickerson to quickly become one of my favourite bass players.
Dickerson was the first bassist to get me to realise that you can be a master of the instrument without constantly being the centre of the action, he's equally great at leading the tunes and playing support, he's a killer vocalist too, thanks for making this great video & getting me hooked on the band
"Don't let no one get you down" ..fantastic song
Incredible group! Took my dad to see them about a decade ago….unreal huge sound!! They even did spill the wine!!
Truly B.B. Dickerson was the man. Watching the old cop shows like Barretta and the like then hearing War I would think about the grittiness of the LA streets and how cool the soundtrack was and I was just a kid feeling this. Summer must be played ushering in the season and All Day Music feels so good walking through the park on a warm day, especially on a Sunday for me. Just adding my 2 cents. Rock and Roll HOF, don’t wait until they’re all gone to honor them.
I dig Cisco Kid, Low Rider, Sippin' into Darkness and The World is a Ghetto. Been working out on my bass to the first three mostly. Thanks for sharing this badass group from my HS days!
So many awesome lines from B.B., but think my favorite’s gotta be his line on “War Drums” (monster part on a monster track). Also the live version of Slippin’, especially the part where he and Howard Scott start trading off on licks right before Howard takes his kick-ass guitar solo. War was sooooo damn good. Another great video Paul, keep ‘em coming!! 🎸🎸
Absolutely
Me And Baby Brother ❤
Nothing will ever beat You've Got the Power for me
I loved War as a kid. I grew into a person who makes music but have always struggled with crafting bass lines as good as the ones that I adored from my youth. I am a vocalist primarily and I lean towards making music that could be considered “unique” (weird), because of that, I sometimes find it hard to find other musicians with similar tastes (especially where I live). So rather than give up, I often work alone. Your channel is a great resource in helping me understand the subtleties of the great bass lines that inspire me. Hopefully I can apply those techniques to my own work! Thank you!
Amazing band. Thanks for this breakdown.
Not possible to pick the best - they’re ALL fantastic!!
Are you like me? You watch PDBass's videos more than once.
I think I've watched the Leon Sylvers vid like 5 times now.
Summer was my favourite, just close your eyes and your on the beach, and that bass 🫶🏻
WAR gotta go in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame…C’mon now! 🤨
Agreed!!!! What’s up RRHOF 😱😱😱
Always liked that driving baseline to Galaxy. My second fave song by War ❤
Thanks. War got rhythm goin' on!
Killer band. Love those early albums with Eric Burdon too.
I’m very happy to say I saw them in NOLA! What a show!!!
WAR was the first music group I fell in love with. The World Is A Ghetto blew my teenaged mind. I believe that The Seven Tin Soldiers is their most underrated song. I can listen to that song every day.
I know you better mention "Heartbeat" BB was on the one with that bass, and you're absolutely right, another band that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has overlooked
Not me ramdomly singing funky funky funky the other day😂 all these are top tier❤ shoutout to my daddy 💙for making me utterly obsessed with this band 🥰
Great video! I remember WAR from the early '70's and for me "Why can't we be friends" is the best, and it's very timely!
I love this video, its like a showcase of this band’s known songs. The gap between songs isnt too long, just a short 8 minutes of song showcase that will not make me bored, im appreciating the layout of this video. Now i dont know what WAR was until this video but low rider sounds familiar
"Life (is so strange)". Thank you for sharing your perspective. Keep reminding the world that your opinion matters.
My Dad had the 'World Is a Ghetto' album. I loved the hand drawn cover when I was a little kid! When he stopped playing vinyl, he gave me his collection. He didn't have many, but they were all in mint condition, and I've still got them!
It's difficult to decide. I love a lot of their tunes. You hit some of my favorites.
"Listen to the beat, it's a beating hard...listen to my heartbeat it's beating real funky...bring in the bass and play it funky...play it funky B.B. play it play real funky". I was stationed in Hanau, Germany when that hit...Those were the days!!
Low rider, I was 15 years old when I first herd Low Rider hear in the UK and it woke me up to a whole new genre
Honorable mention: "Galaxy"(1978). That bass line at the beginning of the song is very funky.
I knew it! I knew you weren't gonna go with the obvious choice! There's so many good ones but I think the one you chose has GOTTA be my favorite. That entire album is full of amazing basslines!
Howlin' Wolf's Killing Floor and variations on the riff is the bassline, I can't stop playing. Came for the WAR appreciation, wasn't disappointed.
Killin it, as always, Paul. !!!
My favorite war bass line was from “Galaxy”. The percussion intro right into that sweet bass line then on to piano and the rest is golden… “Take me to your place in space..!! Ah 😅 madness!!
Great job as always Paul. Actually our band did 6:57 a medley of Summer and Cisco kid. Two of my favorites. See you soon.
6:31 Heartbeat is my personal favorite. Thanks very much. With those Vibes (vibraphone)....
The track " Galaxy " is worth a mention and a demo of how to play it. Chuck D also mentions it as one of his influences growing up in the 1970s
War was just funky as all hell and they were absolutely a groove band. Got to see them live in the early 80s and they were solid as ever. My favorites are Low Rider, Cisco Kid and Slippin Into Darkness.
Why Can’t We Be Friends
It’s a time machine. Takes me back and puts a smile on my face, every time.
Thanks PD for another great video and the shout out to BB Dickerson, what a player and he could sing! The annotation is nice too. Baby Brother is prolly the most recognizable except in Europe apparently.
Bolero is killer.Riding that groove is sublime.
Another Tremendous and Vitally Informative Video for all us Bass Players to be Inspired by❤ Many Compliments!
My favorite is "Low Rider". I did a transcription of it in Sibelius. It was also featured in the movie "Up In Smoke".
Low Rider was one of the first songs i remember hearing and getting hooked on, wanting to listen to that bassline over and over again
it's crazy i was just practicing slippin into darkness, cisco kid....city country, the world is a Ghetteo .....those runs in slippin into darkness ..just awesome!! my older sister took me to a War concert In Baltimore city...at the Civic center back in the day! Howard the guitar player lit up a joint on stage ..this was in the 70's i'm a kid watching this saying to myself..he can't do that !t's against the law//LOL!
I introduced my kids, born in 1996 and 2000, to War when they were in elementary school. They are both fans. I still remember listening to Slippin' Into Darkness on our mono transistor radio back in '71. It and Lowrider are my favorite War pieces. Fantastic band.
Alex
“Slipping into Darkness:” brilliant. I was in my teens and 20s in the 70s. War is classic. 😀
Awesome. They've been there my whole life and just needed this to pay more attention. Thank you
So excited to listen to this seeing your upload I saw War play at the wetlands in New York City decades ago and most certainly they are underrated their music is so creative and groove inducing
The world is a ghetto was one of my favorite albums.
That was a groovin bass line on WHERE WAS YOU AT.
Great vid. I keep going back to back to 70’s War year after year. Such a great band