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(This was hard, but I'm gonna instill a three-album limit for each artist; otherwise, half this list would consist of Yes and Rush albums alone. Also, these are only albums that I've actually so far heard.)

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Enigmatic Ocean (Jean-Luc Ponty)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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The great thing about this album is that it saves the best for last, and by best, I mean probably the greatest bass solo I've ever heard, "The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea, Part 3." What makes it so great? I think because Ralphe Armstrong stays super busy, but never once does he step out of the pocket. And the solo's got length: Armstrong was a big FX guy, and he hooks up for the second half and just continues shredding. And the bassline he plays during the following guitar solo by Daryl Stuermer (which isn't half bad, either) is much the same way: busy, but always keeping up, which really was a testament to the guy's sheer stamina. Basically, if Ralphe Armstrong isn't a bass name you've heard of, he should be: he was only 21 when he played on this album, oh, and it was all done on a fretless (which he actually started playing around the same time as Jaco).

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Cosmic Messenger (Jean-Luc Ponty)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​​

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I have "Egocentric Molecules" in that basslines playlist, but another fun one from this album (and one that's a hell of a lot easier to play) is "The Art of Happiness."

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Jaco Pastorius (Jaco Pastorius)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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This album, and the one below it, are pretty much essential listening if you call yourself a serious bassist.​

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Heavy Weather (Weather Report)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Mr. Gone (Weather Report)

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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Honorable mention: that foreboding synth bassline on the title track.

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There's the Rub (Wishbone Ash)

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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I really just like Martin Turner's gnarly tone on this album, heard best on the songs "Don't Come Back" and "F.U.B.B." He's a great player in general, though. Very melodic; reminds me a lot of Chris Squire. (He even played a Rick in the early 70s like Chris did, and with a pick. Heck, his singing voice was even on the higher end, like Chris'.)

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Fragile (Yes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Relayer ​(Yes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Drama (Yes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Features a fretless on "Run Through the Light," played by singer Trevor Horn. He didn't really wanna play the part, but Chris insisted, who himself plays piano on the track (which is buried in the mix and barely audible lol), in what I can only imagine was a cheeky throwback to the music video for "Then," an early Yes song in which Chris and then keyboard player Tony Kaye are seen playing each other's instruments. Other than that, look out for the sick solo at the end of "Does It Really Happen?" and the sonic bass riff in "Tempus Fugit."

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Fish Out of Water (Chris Squire)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Larks' Tongues in Aspic (King Crimson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Starless and Bible Black (King Crimson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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I particularly like "The Mincer." Also, check out that beautiful (and entirely improvised, like most of the tracks on this album) arpeggio work on "Trio," which really makes the song.

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Red (King Crimson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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Ocean (Eloy)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Consider also checking out Dawn and Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes, which also feature great moments from the extremely underrated Klaus-Peter Matziol. (I feel like Ocean contains his most exemplary work, though.)

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Animals ​(Pink Floyd)​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Ironically, two of the greatest basslines in the entire PF output were both played by Gilmour, not Waters. It's a shame the bass on "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is mostly buried in the mix - I had to look up a cover of the bass part before I fully appreciated it. Meanwhile, the bassline in "Sheep" is a lot less complex, but the syncopation combined with the ghost notes, as well as the use of Waters' signature phasing tone, just make it sound fuckin' nasty and I can never quite get enough of it. (Oh, and I guess the bassline in "Dogs" is alright, too, though that song's great for other reasons.)

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A Farewell to Kings (Rush)

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Hemispheres (Rush)

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Moving Pictures (Rush)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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There's a Riot Goin' On (Sly and the Family Stone)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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Fresh (Sly and the Family Stone)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l

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The great Larry Graham was on his way out of the band around this time and only features on two tracks, "Que Sera, Sera" and "If It Were Left Up to Me" (itself an outtake from an earlier album), but his successor Rustee Allen (and probably Sly himself, who has bass among his credits on this album) does a good job filling his massive shoes.​​

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Wired (Jeff Beck)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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I've always liked Bascomb's major pentatonic lines on "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." (Some fun basslines can be found on Beck's previous album, Blow by Blow, as well.)

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Alleycat (Nucleus)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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This album has it all: a catchy bassline on "Phaideaux Corner"; the occasional spotlight on the title track; some lead bass-playing on "Splat" (with a dope wah-wah pedal, which I suspect served as the namesake for the track); "You Can't Be Sure," a cool little trio featuring twelve-string guitar, bass, and muted trumpet; and even some walking bassline action on the up-tempo "Nosegay."

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Journey to Love (Stanley Clarke)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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School Days (Stanley Clarke)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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Likely the pinnacle of Clarke's abilities in effortlessly bringing to the forefront an instrument usually relegated to the background, and infusing jazz with a pop sound (the genre, as well as the component of slapping - see what I did there?). And one cool thing about Clarke was that he wasn't afraid to dabble on the upright - even including the bow.

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Caravanserai (Santana)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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Venusian Summer ​(Lenny White)​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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Thrust (Herbie Hancock)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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Secrets (Herbie Hancock)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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Histoire de Melody Nelson (Serge Gainsbourg)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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Graceland (Paul Simon)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​

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Fool for the City (Foghat)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1pE_8TlbM&list=PLx3gPQ-E_ONnA3g41odXJX3WdD4SwGP6l​​​

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​The funny thing about this album is that the bassist, Nick Jameson (who was also Foghat's producer/engineer at that point), only stepped in to do the job after the band's previous bassist left and before they hired another one by the following tour. But judging from his brief bass stint in the band, it's clear the guy had talent. Just listen to those fills on "Slow Ride" (which he composed most of the music for), especially during that "solo" in the middle - it's clear the guy knew what he was doing. He also lives a pretty colorful life outside of music, at least according to his Wikipedia page.​​

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(As if all of that wasn't enough, Jameson also came up with the idea for the album cover, which features drummer Roger Earl, and he played keyboards on the final track, "Take It or Leave It," which he co-wrote - specifically, it sounds like he plays a Wurlitzer, which the Supertramp fan in me enjoyed.)​

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