Louis Johnson’s squelchy slap bass is the signature sound of Strawberry Letter 23 by The Brothers Johnson; and much more besides, including Billie Jean and Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.

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Basslines #22: Danny Thompson is folk music’s best known bassist; in fact, I’m not sure I can name another.

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Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett was the first reggae bassman I ever saw, when Bob Marley & The Wailers made their debut on the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1973.

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Memorable basslines don’t get much more memorable than Tina Weymouth’s intro to Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer.

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I’m not going to present a case to reappraise the underrated musical genius of Captain Sensible, but this bassline is iconic.

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Lee Perry’s song Dreadlocks In Moonlight was originally intended for Bob Marley & The Wailers – until a chance meeting at his studio in Jamaica.

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I bloody loved The Cramps the moment I heard them. They had all the energy, lo-fi spirit and antisocial appeal of punk – channelled into rockabilly.

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Here’s a heavenly marriage of the glorious harmonies of The Congos and the madcap production genius of Lee Perry.

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The Controllers enjoyed a brief moment in the first wave of LA punk bands, including this love song for an amputee.

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Stiv Bators, the Dead Boys singer, was probably the nearest thing American punk had to Johnny Rotten.

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