In my opinion, a song without a solid bass line is incomplete. Well-scratch that-solid isn’t the word I’m looking for. More like, relevant. Yes. A song with a relevant bass line is truly a good song, in that it truly utilizes the full potential of sound. Really, its what ties the song together—the floor on which the music stands, if you will. For example, the Beatles (and if you don’t like the Beatles you have no soul)- during the song “Dear Prudence” (YouTube Link), a little more than halfway through (2:11), George Harrison picks intricately on his guitar between the verses “Dear Prudence” and “Let me see you smile.” All the while, underneath, the bass is backing it up. If it weren’t for that bass underneath, what was going on in the treble would sound out of place and less interesting. Bass is often one of the most over-looked instruments in a musical group. Bass provides a rhythmic AND harmonic foundation at the same time. Honestly, the bass takes a song where it wants to go, the rest is all fluff and extra (that’s not to say that what may be the fluff and extra isn’t AMAZING).
Really, bass is the most interesting concept, musically, as an evolutionary science. Music has been evolved from early humans as a form of communication of both emotion and also ones surroundings. Beginning as beats and cries/grunts, it had evolved into a more religious, than an artful or traditional form of communication. Most talking and early musical instruments (except for drums and beat-keepers alike) are all represented by the treble clef. Bass is therefore an era-defining concept in our evolutionary process.
“Is This It?”- by the Strokes (note that there is no bass until 0:51). This isn’t my favorite bass song, but it just really gives a good contrast of the effects that bass has on the sound of a song. Most classic rock, rap (OLD-SCHOOL OR BUST), R&B, grunge, punk, new wave, 90s alternative, and not to mention blues, jazz, classical, etc., are all rich in bassiness. Most songs one would hear on any pop radio station are all treble heavy, with those few exceptions of songs that are equal in bass-treble deliciousness. Do you know why good songs sound better live or on LP? It’s because, in a live venue, TEAMS of people’s jobs are to set up a good all-encompassing sound system that can provide both the short sound waves of the treble, and the long wavelength sounds of the bass. On a record player, the process by which the sound gets from the record surface to the speaker separates the sound in such a way that you get this similar fullness of wavelength and sound quality. On digital songs, like on a CD or and ipod, the middle sections of the sound are crunched together. You HEAR the exact same song, but it just doesnt sound as good unless you download some type of equalizer.
Get a record player. Go to shows. Listen to music that is good, but ditch the bassless crap or the crap that claims to have bass but it’s irrelevant or boring. Imagine a song like a building. If the building doesn’t have strong foundations, it will fall. Much like a song, if the bass is weak, so is the entirety of the song itself.