The Beatles – Paperback Writer

The bass sound on “Paperback Writer” was actually John Lennon’s idea, yet another example of the astounding creative dynamic he and McCartney shared.

Lennon had heard a booming bass sound on a Wilson Pickett record and thought it would be cool to replicate. Together with their legendary studio engineer Geoff Emerick, the band rigged up a way to use a loudspeaker as a microphone and, with Paul using a Rickenbacker instead of his iconic Hofner, boosted the volume higher than anyone had done before. The result: Paul’s bass line, showcasing his mixture of melodic and rhythmic capabilities on the instrument, drives the song.

In the comments, Wilson Pickett and “Get Me Back On Time”, great bass line played by ‘Duke’.