10 Greatest Hard Rock Basslines

10. My Generation - The Who

When the Who first broke out on the British club scene, much of their sound was indebted to the R&B coming from across the pond. The crux of the Mod scene was built on music that consisted of basic covers of soul songs from America, only injected with a healthy amount of distortion and aggression. Once Pete Townshend came through with a strong composition of his own, "My Generation" was birthed and set the entire scene on fire.

Even with its straightforward blast of noise, this song not only signaled the arrival of hard rock, but also gave aspiring bassists one hell of a workout routine. Being the most seasoned musician in the band, John "The Ox" Entwistle's playing on this track sounds like he's practically playing lead guitar on a bass. Whereas most bassists of the time were peddling on the root note, Entwistle's midsong showcase shows him flying all over the fretboard with his bluesy licks.

The way that Entwistle attacked the strings also gave them a distinct throaty sound, almost as if the instrument is vocalizing its own pain. There's probably a countless number of bands who have played this tune in their garage, but there's never been anyone who has come close to Entwistle's fury on this track.