"Bernadette" By Four Tops is a Jamerson masterclass!
The 1967 Hit by the Four Tops is just a lesson in mastery of bass. I always remembered this song when I was a kid, of how great the bass playing was, but Ive been listening to it the past few days and I am just blown away by James Jamerson's playing on this track. SO tasty, so groovy, so much punch, so "in the pocket"... The ghost notes, the perfectly timed delays to switch things up(something he did regularly like in "Aint No Mountain High Enough"), and just the rhythm. It makes the song just come alive. And when you casually listen to it, you almost miss how insane the playing actually is, and that, to me, is the test of truly great playing, when you just compliment a song so perfectly. And I don't think I would have given this a listen if it wasn't for Chuck Rainey mentioning in an interview, that this was one of his favorite bass lines of all time. And you really have to listen closely to catch all the nuances and little things he does on the record. It is an absolute gem!