Ask anyone to list their favourite bass players and chances are Flea's name will crop up. As the super energetic, slap-happy and endlessly creative bassist for Red Hot Chili Peppers, what this man doesn't know about writing a killer bassline could be contained on the back of a postage stamp.
A musical powerhouse on stage and in the studio, Flea's ability to channel the syncopation of James Jamerson and the slap of Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins while placing it at the centre of a rock band has made him one of the most influential bassists of all time. Here are nine of his funkiest basslines to prove it...
Higher Ground
Stevie Wonder's Innervisions classic opens with a wah-filtered Clavinet (the same sound he employed a year before on Superstition). The Chilli's version sees Flea reimagine it as a tight slap bass line. It's the perfect entry point to playing in the slap style with a mix of sustained and staccato muting, and the shuffled groove gives us a solid grounding in playing alternating groups of slaps and pops.
The Power Of Equality
The verses are based around a simple-but-effective sliding line where Flea glides between the root and octave, fingerstyle. Get to the chorus and he's sliding into slapped root notes and bright, popping octaves, interspersed with some tasty muted ghost notes.
By the time the outro hits, it's all thumb with the rubbery sliding line of the verse played slap style. What better way to open one of the best alt-rock albums of the '90s?
Aeroplane
The Dave Navarro-era RHCP only produced one album, and while it's often overlooked in the canon, One Hot Minute contains some seriously funky moments, starting with Aeroplane.
Flea's melodic, high-register opener gives way to yet another addictive sliding riff. Next up, Navarro drops back in the verse while Flea's showpiece busy slap line fills the foundations for Kiedis' vocal with pumping slaps, pops and mutes, and an incredible tone.
On to the bridge and Flea locks in with Chad Smith with a simple staccato groove, throwing in some lane-hopping upper-fret fills. But the fun still isn't over yet, because we still have a bass solo before he's taking us for a hike along the scenic route during the outro as he walks it home.
Give It Away
While Chad Smith's instantly recognisable drum fill is a siren song at rock club nights, it's the bass line that keeps the punters moving. Flea's neck-spanning riff could have been simplified by playing the notes at the lower frets, but instead he again adds interest with a massive slide, filling the space in Frusciante's jolting guitar part.
Give It Away created air bassists out of all of us and made this a benchmark rock track of the 90s. Its omission would be criminal.
Mellowship Slinky In B Major
The Dave Navarro era RHCP only produced one album, and while it's often overlooked in the canon, One Hot Minute contains some seriously funky moments, starting with Aeroplane.
Flea's melodic, high-register opener gives way to yet another addictive sliding riff. Next up, Navarro drops back in the verse while Flea's showpiece busy slap line fills the foundations for Kiedis' vocal with pumping slaps, pops and mutes, and an incredible tone.
On to the bridge and Flea locks in with Chad Smith with a simple staccato groove, throwing in some lane-hopping upper-fret fills. But the fun still isn't over yet, because we still have a bass solo before he's taking us for a hike along the scenic route during the outro as he walks it home.
Naked In The Rain
Just when you thought Blood Sugar Sex Magik had peaked, track 12 throws up this slab of glorious filthy funk, complete with greezy bass solo. Stick that up 'yer Billboards.
Around The World
RHCP delighted fans upon John Frusciante's first return to the band with 1999's Californication. Flea's overdriven hammer-on riff opens the album, bringing the intro to a huge crescendo before his staccato plucks punctuate Frusciante's quirky two-note verse lick.
Flea adds some variety with a range of fills in the verses where Flea employs The Sting, and some fast fingerstyle 16th-note runs. The hypnotic syncopation of the outro sees the song out, with Flea underpinning Frusciante's simple melodic lines with rock-solid weight.
Look Around
Despite gradually moving away from their funkier roots, the bassline on this standout track from I'm With You is a nod to the Flea of old, providing the melody during the intro while bouncing and skipping around the main guitar riff in his inimitable style.
The verses see him laying back with a largely 8th-note groove, before we get to the jazzy breakdown section where Flea again takes the space-filling role to Josh Klinghoffer's sparse guitar playing.
Tippa My Tongue
With Frusciante back in the fold for his third stint in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, we've had not one but two double-length albums from the band in under 12 months.
With Tippa My Tongue, Flea and Co. are showing no sign of removing the funk from their blend of funk rock. This one mixes up straight 16th-note finger technique with a funky-as-ever weaving slap line during the verse, alongside some quintessential unison lines.
It even includes a nod to the 'Funky Monks' being back on the run, and if Return of the Dream Canteen's high funk levels are anything to go by, we couldn't ask for much more than that.
