New Wave Outpost Forum

What do you think are some of the best guitar and bass riffs that came out of new wave?

A Riff is a repeating segment or phrase that the guitar or bass plays.



Best ever:
The Police--Message in a Bottle (I believe it is A_sus, C_sus, D?_sus, E_sus) I'm probibly wrong on the notes

other great guitar and bass riffs
Blondie--One Way or Another(love that chunky overdrive on Chris Stine's Les Paul)
The Fixx--One Thing Leads to Another (a great shuffle)
The Fixx--Saved by Zero
Television--See No Evil
The Pretenders--Message of Love (simple and catchy with a nice chorus effects)
The Jam--Tales From the Riverbank
The Jam--Precious
The Replacements--I Will Dare
The Style Counsil--My Ever Changing Moods
Killing Joke--Eighties



Best Bass Riff ever.
Sorry Mick Karn but this prize goes to Paul Simonon who only wrote one song but he did it right.

The Clash--Guns of Brixton

other Great bass riffs
Japan--Adolecent Sex
Japan--Quite Life
Japan--Visions of China
The Police--Voices Inside My Head
The Clash--This is Radio Clash
The Jam--Start (Though Bruce Foxton borrowed the riff from the Beatles "Taxman" consider it a tribute)
The Jam--Town Called Malice
The Specials--Gangsters
Bauhaus--Kick in the Eye (this riff has so much energetic swing to it it's just silly David J should be proud)
The Stranglers--Peaches


jr

always redacting

I don't know about listening but playing the bass lines from The Strangles "SOmething Better Change" and Bauhaus' "Bela Lugossi's Dead" is always fun at band practice.

I always liked the bass line in "Barbarism Begins At Home" by the Smiths.

Devo's Whip It bass line. Catchy and memorable.
The Cure's Fascination Street bass line
U2 - Streets have no Name - bass line

Riff List Additions:

AKU AKU - Ground Zero
Tim Scott - Swear
Good Rats - Mr. Mechanic
[:)]

Key to your heart-Joan Armmetrading (Guitar by Adrian Belew)
Impossible Guitar-Phil Manzanera (Guitar by Manzanera)
Bass
Dali's Car-Dali's Car (Bass by Mick Karn)

I'm no musician, and they usually chew up what I say, and spit it back at me. But I always like the guitar riff in the Inmate's "Dirty Water" (mine you it is a cover of a 60's song). I also like the bass work in their song "The Walk".

I just found out

Off the bat, here are some songs with my favorite bass riffs:

"It's Obvious" - Au Pairs
"Dislocated" - The League of Gentlemen
"Good Thing" - Talking Heads (love the ending)

and a few others I can't think of, of course. [:)]

I was getting Message ina Bottle all wrong no wonder it sounded so weird when I playing it either that or I suck that much.

Message in a Bottle:
C#_sus2, A_sus2, B_sus2, F#_sus2

how about that bass riff from "PLanet Earth"...ahhh, that's good stuff.

i'll be back with more, later.

Devo's "Mongoloid" was always a favorite.

ExRat, I love playing Mongoloid on the bass. Simple and fun!!

Mick Karn is the world's greatest bassist, so anything he does, as long as it doesn't involve that ever-so-annoying guitarist David Torn.

Primary - The Cure
Love Like Blood - Killing Joke
Destination Unknown - Pseudo Echo
White Wedding - Billy Idol
The Perfect Kiss - New Order

One of my favorite bass lines ever is the one Chris Layhe plays in "Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)" by ICICLE WORKS. When it appears during the intro of the track (before the drums kick in) and when it plays behind the chorus, it's an amazing thing....