The Bass Line That Made Grace Jones Cry

#bass #history #analysis #pop #dub #transcription #paulthompson
Digging into Grace Jones' signature hit song from 1981's NIGHTCLUBBING album (Island Records), "Pull Up to the Bumper", it's ICONIC bass line, and how she gave it a second life after hearing it as an instrumental. I'll dig into the amazing bass line as played by the late, great Robbie Shakespeare (of Sly & Robbie) and talk about how important drummer Sly Dunbar and Robbie were to the Compass Point All-Stars during this time. An iconic groove that somehow combines funk, disco, new wave, reggae, and dance all at once!

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[ezekielthemack]

Thank you PDBass for the homage to the late great Robbie Shakespeare. He was a Jamaican national treasure. Sly (Dunbar) once said of him: "Playing with a bass player like Robbie is like being a passenger in a Rolls Royce". I'm inclined to agree.

[michael_caz_nyc]

"Slave to the Rhythm" = Killer Track too !!!

[Andrew_M_Ward]

I loved this album so much...
I was in 11th grade in 1981 and this hit me hard. The song "I've done it again" to close out the album is a masterpiece

[basementstudio]

Oh man, I heard this in the DC clubs back in the day. Went and bought the album and wore it the hell out.

[KrakenSoundscapes]

Had the honor to see her live last week, fantastic performance at age 75, what a legend.... old and young people in the crowd were in awe. This being said, kudos for your superb channel!

[OriginalOldSkoolFunk]

Another awesome review of a classic dance floor groove. Sly and Robbie were on top of everything at Island Records and their music stayed on the airways and in the club. The bass line is iconic and unforgettable but as a guitar guy...shout out to that phase shifter drenched riddem guitar part too... 👌🏾

[francispower]

The 1980s would not have been the same musically had it not been for Sly and Robbie. I got to see them play live once, a Yellowman concert in London’s Brixton Astoria. Amazing, despite the tear gas incident…

[lundsweden]

Grace Jones was mega talented, complimented by great musos and producers. Robbie Shakespere certainly was da bomb!

[dumafuji]

Great song. Those grace Jones album of the 80s were fricken awesome

[TheKnobCalledTone.]

"Pull Up To The Bumper" is timeless. It sounds just as fresh today as it did in 1981, and that bassline player a big part. Grace's vocals really brought out its full potential tho.

[danieljones]

Paul as a guy from Canada, you have turned me on to so much music I can never thank you enough man

[intrepidfox]

When I was a kid, I didn't know the double entendre in the lyrics of this song. And also, the radio station V103 in Chicago used to use this sample as background music when they gave their traffic reports in the morning. I had to grow up to put it all together! Brilliant!

[bagweed]

what an interesting history this track has. thanks for all the cool stories on your channel!

[joelemerou]

Awesome. Love the early Grace Jones albums. Amazing vibes.

[aguycalledbunny]

I remember first hearing this as a kid. And yeah, you're right. It's still powerful enough to move a dance floor to this day.

[Funkybassplayer]

Hello pdbass, songs like this and especially Slave To The Rhythm. Made me decide two years ago to start learning to play the bass. And to this day I regret I didn’t start sooner. What a soulful instrument is it. My Mustang has flats on it. So it is even more funky. It has given me so much joy. There still is a heaven. Greetings pal.

[SombraDeLaMosca]

amazing bass line and so much fun to play =) I remember an album Sly & Robbie recorded with jazz pianist Monty Alexander,
totally worth to listen to it. Great vid, THX!

[RaiderClarke]

Man....
I Didn't Know Robbie
Played Bass on this Song.
Thanks for this Music

[ricardodubatti]

Nice video! All "Nightclubbing" is phenomenal. And "Living My Life" too. Awesome stuff.

[stevem-h]

Private Life, written by Chrissie Hynde, produced by Sly and Robbie, sung by Grace Jones.

F'in EPIC!!!