Beatles Bass Lines

This is my transcription of Paul McCartney's bass line on the Beatles' song "Paperback Writer," released as a single in May 1966. The song was recorded during the Revolver sessions in April 1966. McCartney played guitar on the basic track (along with George Harrison), then overdubbed his bass line with his 1964 Rickenbacker 4001S. Recording bass as an overdub afforded him the opportunity to be much more adventurous in what he played. This bass line, while it provides a suitable support for the song, is fairly soloistic, a feat he would repeat the following day for the recording of the single's B-side, "Rain." Lennon referred to this song as "son of 'Day Tripper'" because of the heavy guitar riff. McCartney's approach to the bass line, however, is one major difference between the two songs. On "Day Tripper" he doubles the iconic guitar riff on bass, adding more emphasis to it. For stretches of the song, the riff and drums ...

This is my transcription of Paul McCartney's bass line on the 1965 single "Day Tripper." This song was recorded during the Rubber Soul  sessions in fall and released on the same day as the album in December 1965. Primarily a Lennon composition, it was a double-A-side single with the largely McCartney-penned "We Can Work It Out." I am playing a 1985 Rickenbacker 4003 through a SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. My bass is strung with LaBella flatwound strings.  Music and lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Here is my transcription of Paul McCartney's bass line for "We Can Work It Out." This song was recorded during the Rubber Soul  sessions in fall of 1965. Though it didn't appear on the album, "We Can Work It Out," along with its partner on the double-A-side single, "Day Tripper," were released the same day as Rubber Soul  in December 1965. I am playing a 1985 Rickenbacker 4003 through a SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. My bass is strung with LaBella flatwound strings.  Music and lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

This is my transcription of Paul McCartney's bass line on the Beatles' song "Doctor Robert" from the album Revolver (1966).  I am playing a 1985 Rickenbacker 4003 through a SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. My bass is strung with LaBella flatwound strings.  Music and lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Here are the bass lines for 10 Beatles songs. You'll hear 25-30 seconds of each one. As a hint, halfway through each clip I'll show you the album that song is from. The answer is revealed at the end of each clip. See how many you can name! (Some of them are tricky!!)

Venus and Mars was Wings' followup to the enormously successful Band on the Run . While it performed well on the charts, critics largely viewed it as a poor successor. In this video, I'll explore some of the intricacies of the album from a musical and lyrical perspective. We'll find out why it is much deeper than it is often given credit for. This content was adapted from a presentation I gave in the Beatles area at the Pop Culture Association Conference in April 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.