The 5 Best Bass Riffs In Classic Rock

A hit pop song once declared it's all about that bass, and that's certainly been the case within the realm of classic rock. In fact, there are some iconic rock songs in which the four-stringed instrument pulls focus, laying down a lowdown groove that not only drives the track, but has actually come to define it. 

Truth be told, the humble bass is often seen as the workhorse in a rock band, providing a steady, deep foundation upon which the vocals, guitars, drums, keyboards, and other assorted sonic elements can shine. In that respect, the bass is an often-overlooked yet utterly essential component of any rock song; even the music of the Doors, one of the few bands to famously have no bass player, featured memorable bass lines courtesy of keyboardist Ray Manzarek's left hand. 

Certain songs, though, feature the bass in ways that bring the instrument to the forefront, not merely as the underlying foundation but as a melodic element unto itself. When circling in on those considered to be the best, we focused on iconic tracks that emphasize the bass to such a degree that it's simply impossible to imagine them without it. That's why the following songs contain the five best bass riffs in classic rock. 

Not only does Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" boast one of the five best classic rock album covers of the '70s, the LP itself also features a host of iconic songs that have kept the ambitious concept album on the charts for a record-breaking five decades and counting. One of the album's best-known songs is "Money," which begins with the rhythmic sound of clinking coins and an old-school cash register before Roger Waters' beefy bass line kicks in.

Yet, what makes "Money" unique among classic rock bass lines is its 7/4 time signature, a rare deviation from the typical 4/4 signature of most rock songs. That time signature allows the bass line to seemingly loop back on itself with each repetition, while remaining just a bit off-kilter. The result is a slow, swaggering groove with an almost-hypnotic quality that draws the listener in immediately. "It's Roger's riff," Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour told Guitar World. "Roger came in with the verses and lyrics for 'Money' more or less completed. We just made up middle sections, guitar solos and all that stuff."

Waters' playing is also rock steady. That comes through loud and clear when listening to the isolated bass line, free of all the additional instrumentation.

Queen charted numerous hits. However, only two of those made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — one of which is the bass-driven dance track "Another One Bites the Dust." 

Powered by a muscular bass line from John Deacon (who is also its songwriter), "Another One Bites the Dust" boasts one of the most instantly identifiable bass riffs in rock history. The song served up significantly more funk than Queen had been known for, which had been Deacon's intent. As he explained in a 1996 interview with the now-defunct Bassist & Bass Techniques magazine, he'd long been a fan of soul music. "I'd been wanting to do a track like 'Another One Bites The Dust' for a while, but originally all I had was the line and the bass riff," he said, via Rock and Roll Garage. "Gradually, I filled it in and the band added ideas. I could hear it as a song for dancing but had no idea it would become as big as it did."

Not only did the song take Queen to No. 1, it also opened the band to a whole new audience who were previously beyond the band's reach. "The song got picked up off our album and some of the Black radio stations in the U.S. started playing it, which we've never had before," Deacon recalled. 

There are few classic rock songs that are as recognizable as Lou Reed's 1972 single "Walk on the Wild Side." That, of course, is because of the loping, sliding bass line that serves as the song's intro. That singularly unique bass line is courtesy of session musician Herbie Flowers, and there's a reason why it's become so iconic. First, Flowers played the line using his standup bass, providing a thick, organic sound. Then, he overdubbed an electric bass atop it, not doubling the same notes but playing a tenth above the original. "That's 10 notes about what the double bass was doing," Flowers recalled during an interview with "The One Show." "It's quite a distinctive sound," he continued, explaining that when the two bass lines combined, "it takes on another character."

That bass line is at the very core of the song, instantly identifiable by rock fans. When Reed heard what Flowers had done, he was bowled over. "Lou said, 'That's gorgeous.' Because he said it actually suited what the song was about — which was luck, because I had no idea what the song was about," Flowers admitted.

As for how long it took to produce bass brilliance that has stood the test of time for more than five decades and counting, Flowers offered a surprising revelation. "Twenty minutes," he recalled.

Released in 1971, "Fragile" was the fourth studio album from British band Yes, going on to become one of five classic albums that define prog rock. A standout track from that album is "Roundabout," built around the propulsive fretwork of bass player Chris Squire. From the get-go, it's clear that Squire's bass line both underpins the song while weaving throughout it, a thumping, driving riff that requires the fastest of fingers. That's particularly evident when hearing his bass line in isolation, highlighting a twangy tone that differentiates Squire's bass sound from the often muddy tone heard within classic rock songs. 

Another reason for the treble-heavy timbre of his Rickenbacker bass was the result of a bit of studio wizardry, with Squire using one of guitarist's Steve Howe's hollow-bodied Gibsons to double the bass line in an overdub. "We mic'd it acoustically and mixed it in with the bass," Squire told Guitar World. "That's also what gave it such a bright sound."

Interestingly, Squire attributes the bass-forward sound that Yes developed to a faulty headphone output, which rendered his bass tinny to the producer listening in the control booth. "So the engineer at the time was surprised when the producer was saying, 'I need to hear more bass, I need more bass,' because he wasn't getting much bass on his headphones," Squire told For Bass Players Only. "He had decided to mix the album on headphones and that [had] a lot to do with my general success, I think, because of that weak headphone socket."

Released in late 1965, The Who's "My Generation" proved to be a breakout hit for the band — in their native U.K., that is; in the U.S., the single peaked at No. 74. Despite that ignominious chart position, the song is now viewed as a classic on both sides of the pond. A potent anthem celebrating the fury of youth, "My Generation" blazed trails in rock with Roger Daltry's stuttering vocals and, most importantly, John Entwistle's stunning bass work.

Rather than laying down a typical thumping bass line, Entwistle's bass stutters along with Daltry while maintaining the bottom end. Yet it's the bass solo that's become iconic, displaying his virtuosity without ever feeling self-indulgent (Entwistle once griped that the solo had become so recognizable that whenever he'd improvise something different, he'd be taken to task by fans for getting it wrong). 

According to metal bassist Rudy Sarzo (whose credits include stints with Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie James Dio, Quiet Riot, and Whitesnake), the late Who bassist will always be in a class all his own. "What I loved most about him was that he had a unique tone — a sound that was his and nobody else's," Sarzo told Guitar World's Bassplayer. "He knew what his position was in the band and he knew what the songs needed to sound good, and he played like no one else was playing — at the time or since then. John Entwistle's bass playing is mandatory listening for anyone who wants to understand the bass guitar."