Beatles Bass Lines

There are several songs in the Beatles' catalog for which there is some controversy over who played what instrument. One of those songs is "She Said She Said," recorded in June 1966 for the Revolver album. During the recording session for this song, Paul McCartney had an argument with John Lennon and stormed out of the studio. He claimed he didn't appear on the recording of that song at all. But is his memory accurate? Who played bass on "She Said She Said?"

Here's a quick bass lesson video on how to play Paul McCartney's bass line on "Taxman."  

Here's a video bass lesson on how to play Paul McCartney's bass line on "You Won't See Me" from the Rubber Soul  album (1965). Learn a few patterns and choose your own adventure! I am playing a 1985 Rickenbacker 4003 strung with LaBella flatwounds. Music and lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney Full transcription is below (no tab)

Paul McCartney’s bass playing on the Beatles’ 1965 album Rubber Soul is outstanding and is light years ahead of his playing on the previous album Help , which had been released only 4 months earlier. McCartney’s bass playing on Help and earlier albums was solid and appropriate for the songs they were writing and the musical styles they were playing. But with the recording of Rubber Soul , several things occurred/converged that led to this giant leap forward in his approach to creating bass lines.

Paul McCartney plays a great R&B groove on "Drive My Car," the opening track from 1965's Rubber Soul album. He was beginning to be inspired by bass players like James Jamerson of Motown, Donald "Duck" Dunn of Stax Records, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys (and, unknowingly, Carole Kaye of the Wrecking Crew who played bass on many of the Beach Boys' iconic recordings). These players showed McCartney that the role of the bass in a pop song could be far greater than he had imagined.  For "Drive My Car," McCartney basically copied Duck Dunn's bass line on the Otis Redding song "Respect," which had been released earlier in 1965. The chord progression is different, but the groove is almost exactly the same. 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

"The Word" from Rubber Soul  (1965) is one of McCartney's funkiest bass lines. It shows the influence of Motown bassist James Jamerson and Stax bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn. It has melodic passages in a couple of places, primarily at the end of each verse under the lyrics "It's so fine/It's sunshine," but this groove is most notable for its repetition of a one-measure pattern that gets transposed from D to G. It also has some really fun and tricky fills. 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