Items12The creator’s order
- 1
Under PressureJohn Deacon's two-note repeating bassline is one of the most instantly recognisable riffs in recorded history. Born during an impromptu Montreux jam session with David Bowie, its pristine, staccato bounce creates the steady heartbeat that anchors Freddie Mercury and Bowie's soaring vocal duet.0 - 2
The Guns of BrixtonPaul Simonon composed this reggae-rock masterpiece by writing the menacing, heavy bassline first. Built on deep dub spacing and driving minor chords, Simonon's Fender Precision bass prowls through the mix, setting an unyielding atmosphere of urban defiance.0 - 3
Age of ConsentPeter Hook redefined the role of the bass by playing high up on the neck with a chorus pedal, turning the instrument into the primary lead voice. Beneath Bernard Sumner's vocals, Hook's sparkling, acrobatic bass melodies carry the track's entire emotional weight.0 - 4
TransmissionBefore Joy Division even had vocals or guitars worked out for this track, Peter Hook's unrelenting two-note bass motif drove the rehearsal room. Paired with Stephen Morris's motorik hi-hats, the bassline builds an icy, hypnotic momentum that feels completely relentless.0 - 5
DebaserKim Deal kicks off the track with an infectious, bouncy eight-note bass riff that hooks the listener before Joey Santiago's bent guitar feedback even arrives. Deal's warm, unfussy bass tone provides the steady melodic spine that holds Black Francis's shrieking surrealism together.0 - 6
The ChainJohn McVie's ten-note bass descent during the instrumental coda is a landmark in British rock arranging. Coming out of quiet acoustic picking, the sudden entrance of the solo bassline, joined by Mick Fleetwood's thumping kick drum and Lindsey Buckingham's guitar solo, creates unmatched dramatic…0 - 7
MoneyRoger Waters wrote this blues-rock anthem around an idiosyncratic 7/4 time signature riff. Locked to rhythmic tape loops of ringing cash registers and tearing paper, the buoyant walking bassline turns an unusual compound metre into an irresistible global hit.0 - 8
HysteriaChris Wolstenholme runs a distorted Big Muff pedal alongside an aggressive synth-wah filter to create one of the heaviest, most blistering bass riffs in modern alternative rock. The rapid sixteenth-note bass runs drive the verse with relentless mechanical power.0 - 9
Fascination StreetSimon Gallup commands this Disintegration epic with a brooding, chorus-drenched bass groove that prowls through the mix for nearly two minutes before Robert Smith sings a single line. Thick, melodic and dark, Gallup's bassline gives the gothic nocturne its hypnotic sway.0 - 10
Around the WorldFlea kicks off Californication with a ferocious burst of heavily distorted, slap-and-pop funk bass before locking into a rolling, melodic groove in the verses. His dynamic command and melodic phrasing elevate the rhythm section into the song's primary melodic engine.0
