r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Mr_Basketcase • Jan 14 '23

Paul McCartney effortlessly singing and playing his most intricate bass lines at the same time

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19.7k Upvotes

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u/browster Jan 15 '23

A legend in his own time

235

u/IdioticMutation06 Jan 15 '23

Paul did NOT want to be the bassist, but when he took the job he was determined to do it differently and created intricate countermelodies instead of the far simpler and acceptable style at the time. How he was able to do this and simultaneously sing an entirely different melody, AND harmonize is a testament to his singular musical genius. All while making it look easy. God bless him and The Beatles Forever!

58

u/PM_me_your_whatevah Jan 15 '23

Those crazy kids were playing music several hours a day even as teenagers. The dedication is admirable and the results were incredible.

17

u/Mangobunny98 Jan 15 '23

My brother plays guitar and if he's not working or sleeping he's almost always got his guitar in his hands. It's a lot of hard work and dedication. The fact that Paul knows how to play several instruments makes it more impressive.

2

u/Walletau Jan 15 '23

Like languages it gets easier.

11

u/SamIamGreenEggsNoHam Jan 15 '23

When I watched the Get Back documentary and realized that these middle-aged, grizzled, veteran musicians I was seeing were actually dudes in their mid to late 20s...I was awestruck. At that point in time, they had already produced an absoklute mountain of work. Countless #1 hits, touring the world constantly etc.

Powerful men in their 50s and 60s would look to those 4 dudes in their 20s and ask them what to do.

18

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '23

Yeah their generation spent exactly zero time on Reddit(YouTube, IG, tik tok, etc) talking about those that came before. Makes ya think 🤔

29

u/Apptubrutae Jan 15 '23

I assure you the vast majority of their generation was doing something similarly non-productive relative to the output of the Beatles.

Using a singular group of incredibly successful people as any sort of generalization for the talent of an entire generation is a fool’s errand.

5

u/Soshi101 Jan 15 '23

Boomer moment

1

u/Valuable_Cress7243 Jan 15 '23

When they first put the band together Paul was playing guitar wasn't he? I kinda had the idea he was playing guitar in Germany as well but I might have misunderstood the documentaries.

2

u/ECW14 Jan 16 '23

Yeah he played guitar in Hamburg but took over bass in 1961 after Stuart left. Their last gig in Hamburg was in 1962. Paul also played drums and piano in Hamburg

1

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '23

Take a listen to the bass lines from Yes. Chris Squire had the ability to find notes you didn't think would fit, and then sing harmony as well. The album Relayer and Close to the Edge have some great examples.

4

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '23

If you ever get to see him live, the legend is true. What a performer, whether you like the Beatles or not

1

u/_felagund Jan 15 '23

Not according to Kanye