Super Freak

I have to admit that I heard this bassline first on MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This. But Rick James is the real thing. The riff is repeated over and over and over during the song... and you never get tired of it!

Song:Super Freak (Album Version)
Artist / Band: Rick James
Album:Street Songs
Bass: Rick James
Year: 1981

Bass tab (external link)

Billie Jean

The contagious bassline of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean was played by Louis Johnson - one of the precursors of slap and an incredible bass player all around. I was a fan of the Thriller album when I was a kid, and this is the kind of song that I hear, years later, and think "ooohhh, so it was the bass that did the trick"!

Song: Billie Jean
Artist / Band: Michael Jackson
Album: Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller (CD+DVD)
Bass: Louis Johnson
Year: 1983

Bass tab (external link)