“Super Bad” - Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins — James Brown (1970)
Single: Super Bad (Parts 1, 2 & 3)
Recorded shortly after Bootsy joined James Brown’s band
Bootsy Collins’ bassline on “Super Bad” is one of the clearest examples of his early funk identity forming in real time: raw, confident, behind the beat, and built on rhythmic personality rather than harmonic movement. This track is Bootsy learning James Brown’s discipline while injecting his own loose swagger — a perfect document of the moment when funk began shifting toward a more elastic, personality-driven feel.
For Working Pro players, this bassline is a study in pocket, space, articulation, and the subtle tension between discipline and attitude.
The Line — Loose, Minimal, and Personality-Driven
“Super Bad” centers around a repetitive pentatonic-based idea that Bootsy shapes with micro-timing rather than melody. The notes are simple: roots, 5ths, and small blues inflections. But the way he places them gives the line its identity. Bootsy delivers the groove like a conversation — slightly behind the beat, slightly elastic, always relaxed.
This is funk minimalism, but with more attitude than “Sex Machine.”
You hear Bootsy beginning to stretch inside the groove, hinting at the future “Bootsy sound” while staying inside Brown’s strict rhythmic framework.
Pocket + Time — Behind the Beat With Elasticity
Bootsy sits noticeably behind the beat on this track — deeper than “Sex Machine,” and with more bounce. His feel has weight and hang-time, almost like the notes are dropping in slow motion.
But the crucial detail:
He never drags.
He stays locked to the drums while adding a hint of stretch to the subdivisions.
This is one of the hardest feels to execute:
relaxed + elastic + controlled + authoritative.
Bootsy makes it sound effortless, but it’s the product of extremely mature time awareness.
Tone + Touch — Warm, Dry, and Percussive
Bootsy’s tone is thumpy, dry, and entirely pocket-focused.
Short decay keeps the line punchy
Rounded attack shapes the groove
Controlled muting prevents clutter
This tone is exactly what makes the behind-the-beat phrasing work — the sound is soft enough not to muddy the groove but strong enough to anchor the drummer.
The articulation is rhythmic, almost drum-like, setting the foundation for the entire track.
Interaction With the Band — Discipline Inside Freedom
James Brown’s instructions to the band were famously strict — repeat the groove, don’t add unnecessary motion, keep the groove clean. Bootsy follows those rules, but his feel brings a looseness and internal dance that changes the entire character of the track.
He doesn’t chase hits, he doesn’t answer horn phrases, and he doesn’t decorate.
He simply deepens the pocket with each repetition.
This creates a hypnotic, trance-like groove that becomes a J.B.’s hallmark.
Working Pro principle:
Behind the beat isn’t late — it’s intention.
Bootsy shows that a deep, relaxed pocket isn’t about delay; it’s about control.
Shed Like A Pro
Hear every detail. Feel every nuance.
This isolated bass track gives you full access to the clarity, articulation, and pocket of the original performance—without the rest of the band masking the subtleties. Shed with the exact phrasing, dynamics, note length, and feel that define master-level bass playing.
Step into the band. Fill the chair.
This minus-bass version of the original recording places you directly in the bassist’s role—same mix, same energy, same interaction, with the entire ensemble responding to your time, feel, and sound.