Rock: well recorded bass...60s/70s

Not quite rock, but I'm listening to "Mix Up" by Patriok O'Hearn.

Whenever I do, it seems to always re-establish itself as a benchmark recording in my collection not only for bass, but mind blowing sound overall.

Oh and its from the 90's, but its just such a dam good recording that I just wanted to mention it in this thread anyway.

"Hesitation Blues" - Hot Tuna

I would look back and question the technology that existed for actually tracking bass in the 60-70's.

First, the bass guitar itself was just barely becoming its own instrument at the time. The bass was being developed from a stand up hollow-body instruument to a horizontally held solid-body. There was probably much speculation on the appropriate scale of the neck, the wind of the strings, the materials, not to mention was technology would go into the pickups or what type of amp-speaker cab would be usable.

On top of that running bass direct, combinded with stage amps as we know it today didnt exist then. Players sought out reliable stadium level equipment. Not to say they didnt do a damn good job, but todays bass equipment has 60+ years of science and passion in it...they had 20 tops.

Then go to the studio -- now your tracking an instrument that is relatively new. What speaker cabs and mics are best? What mic distance and angle provides the best results. etc, etc.

All of this new technology was done magnificently well for how young it was. I'm not suprised in anyway that bass recordings are lacking from that time range compared to other periods and genres.

Fightingwords

Really like your addition to the thread. Bass reproduction from a playback and recording perspective was in its earliest stages. With that said,there were some great producers who knew how to record the bass. Ken Scott and Glynn Johns come to mind.

Any thing done by Supertramp.