The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist also celebrates a very specific Parliament bassline.
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea took to Twitter to answer questions from the community. There was some real news. For example, Michael Balzary, Flea’s real name, let himself be elicited information about his musical preferences when he was asked what his three favorite basslines were.
Flea then didn’t just name funk tracks, but used a wide variety of genres when choosing his top three list. In fact, Parliament, Led Zeppelin and Alice Coltrane made it onto his list.
1. Parliament with “Flash Light”
Parliament is a project by US funk musician George Clinton, who is also the head of Funkadelic. The track “Flash Light” mentioned by Flea is the last song on FUNKENTELECHY VS. THE PLACEBO SYNDROME from 1977 – the album went platinum in the USA. In 1978 “Flash Light” was released as a single and crawled up to number one on the R’n’B charts. The special thing about the bassline is that it wasn’t played on a real bass, but on a Moog synthesizer.
2. Led Zeppelin with “Ramble On”
Second, Flea cites Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On” as a track with an exceptional bassline. John Paul, the band’s bassist, plays a groove on the track from the album LED ZEPPELIN II (1969) that ties the whole song together. The other members of the group hold back at times, allowing Paul’s play to come to the fore.
3. Alice Coltrane with “Journey In Satchidananda”
The 60-year-old rounded off his list with a song by Alice Coltrane. “Journey In Satchidananda” is the title song of the jazz work of the same name from 1971. Psychedelic elements are accompanied by a somber bassline that Cecil McBee recorded. The record JOURNEY IN SATCHIDANANDA marks a transition of sorts in Coltrane’s career and reflects the influence of Swami Satchidananda, whose disciple Coltrane was.
How did Flea’s fans react to the selection of the top basslines?
Since Flea’s followers are mostly rock fans, it’s not surprising that they jumped at the choice of “Ramble On”. “Applause for Paul Jones,” wrote one user. Another was sure that “Ramble On” is the best bassline of all time.
But “Flash Light” was also liked by his fans: “Flashlight, so simple and yet so perfect,” summed up a user of the platform. Another described the bass line of the Parliament song as “wild”.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are up for the summer of 2023 world tour. A show of it will take place in Germany, more precisely in Mannheim. Namely on June 26th, with Iggy Pop and The Mars Volta.
Flea’s band released two albums in 2022 with the support of their returning guitarist John Frusciante: UNLIMITED LOVE was released in spring and RETURN OF THE DREAM CANTEEN in autumn.