Yo. I'm thinking about music where the bass is the only tonal instrument. Like Jaco Pastorius' solo-things, "Portrait of Tracy" and the like. Perhaps some vocals and a little bit of percussion, but no guitars, keys or that kind of stuff. Anyone got any wonders to share? I'm mostly interested in "ordinary" musical structures; real songs rather than improvised bass solos. Squarepusher has some nice bass thingys going on, but it's a bit too cluttered by electronics. I want to hear the bass tone, the harmonics, what's going on.

Anyone? Figures this oughta be the best place to ask seeing how my request stretches a bit beyond the ordinary sphere...

cheers & thanx

There was a strange pop-rock project called "No guitars" playing here some years ago. It is exactly what you wrote - ordinary songs, ordinary structures and the bass guitar (distorted and so) being the main instrument, without using any guitar... Although it fits in your description, I am pretty much sure you would not like it...
P.S.: The singer was (amongst others activites) the main representant of Jesus Christ in this JC Superstar thing...

Ruins. Drums, bass and sometimes vocals. I know there were one or two other bands I know, but I can't seem to remember them now.

Nulla Osta from croatia: 2 basses and drums!

RUINS are awesome, at least the Vrresto album. A bit too crazy-jazz for me, I'm more after calm and soft music. This time.

Nulla Osta - myspace or other link so one may hear them?

Some of Bill Laswell fits that. I have the album Invisible Design and the songs are mostly synth/bass ambiance but a few of the songs are more based just on bass. I'd look into songs like Oceans of Borrowed Money and Aisha which is almost entirely bass.

No particular Primus or Les Claypool songs are coming to mind but they have to have some like that.

Laswell... thanks, I'll check up on him.

Hah, yeah, Primus... they're one of a kind and a must of you're into bass as an instrument.

How about the old punk band, Flipper? They were just two basses, drums, and vocals. Or maybe they did have one guitar, but bass was the dominant instrument.

Mike Watt's project "DOS", with his wife Kira (formerly of Black Flag)

Michael Manring's solo works (fretless bass with loop accompanment)

any of Trey Gunn's solo works, ...

I'm not interested in punk, but thanks anyway! Manring, Watt and Gunn will be looked into.

Check out Moonchild http://www.myspace.com/pattonmoonchild but it's not really "ordinary"...

some of Morphine (RIP) stuff wher the sax shuts up...aweseom dark norisih rock songs with no guitarv (barring maybe like 4-5 tunes in theri doscography)

...and let's not forget, ... Mark Sandman actually played a TWO-string bass with a SLIDE, ... talk about avant garde!

yeah pure genious...some of greatest songs and bass-lines ever penned.......plus great smoky lo-key vox

for starters chk out : Good
and their swan song (The Night)......then work backwards into the catalogue......like the theme band for gotham city or sin city...all smoky under lit bars, private eyes, devious assasins and double crossing broads

+ 1 and the following Astronome and Six litanies for Heliogabalys