Covers you are doing that get the best reaction [Archive] - Harmony Central Musician Community Forums

Lee Flier

07-25-2005, 09:25 AM

Well most of the time cover bands and original bands are at odds with each other. Cover bands are looking to make money, and will usually do what the crowd and the folks who hired them want them to do. Original bands of course, are focused on making their own art. It's two different things.

My band is a bit on the fence in that we're an original band but we happen to know a LOT of covers, mainly 60's stuff, so we occasionally get hired to do a paying gig doing covers. We would never make that our primary focus, but it's fun to do once in awhile for variety and profit. We enjoy playing covers, and we don't do "Freebird" or any of the usual expected stuff.

I think playing anything helps you play better as a band, and I don't like being in bands that refuse to play anything but their own stuff. But I definitely agree that you have to enjoy what you're playing, no matter what it is. There are some covers that we really enjoy doing, so we do them. Otherwise, we stick to our own stuff.

Thunderbroom

07-25-2005, 09:36 AM

Originally posted by Savage Jack
btw... once in a while when some drunk redneck yells out "free bird" my response is to flick him the bird and say.... no charge bro! ....of course, my drummer was a navy seal and my frontman was airborne so... i can get away with more than most can lol

I've got a suggestion for even a better response...when "some drunk redneck" yells "Freebird"...stop your current song immediately and start playing "Freebird". It's the easiest way to shut them up without the macho bullsh!t. Both of my bands are adding a shortened version of the song for this very reason.

Micky Z

07-25-2005, 10:16 AM

Originally posted by Thunderbroom

...when "some drunk redneck" yells "Freebird"...stop your current song immediately and start playing "Freebird".
If you're in a band that actually has a slide guitarist, is it a requirement to play "Freebird" at every gig? How many times a night? :rolleyes:

worthyjoe

07-25-2005, 10:58 AM

Originally posted by Savage Jack
covers? bah! ptuiiii! *spits*

covers are so overrated... we do all originals, never ever played any covers, have no problem getting gigs, never have any problems with crowd control either... as long as you keep kicking ass and your beat is awesome, your sound is thick and thumping you are good to go. i figure i played enough covers when i was a kid i dont need to be doing it now.

plus there's something that every working musician needs to cultivate... it's called integrity to one's self... never compromise and stick to your guns. !if you dont believe in what you are playing, your audience will sence it and you'll never hold the crowd.

...just a thought there

btw... once in a while when some drunk redneck yells out "free bird" my response is to flick him the bird and say.... no charge bro! ....of course, my drummer was a navy seal and my frontman was airborne so... i can get away with more than most can lol

Why bring this into the discussion? Honestly?

Oh, and I think you should consider a longer signature section. ;)

GWS5987

07-25-2005, 11:00 AM

I asked about covers some time back. Received some good responses, as follows:

Hello fellow guitar players,

So, you've got a pretty good crowd, but it's one of those nights where they'll dance .... and then they won't dance. Kind of hard to figure out what they want, and you've got 2 1/2 more sets to go.

Now, based on your song list, what seems to be the top five songs that usually gets them off their ass and on the dance floor?

(Yes, I'm looking to steal a few ideas here!)

Thanks for any input.

George

NEXT:

You Shook Me All Night Long

NEXT:

Its not songs your looking for, its a band.

Sly and The Family Stone

NEXT:

Brown eyed girl
All right now
Takin care of business
Old time rock and roll
Play that funky music

OR

any disco song (KC, Outkast, Kool, etc).

People dancing = bigger crowds = people drinking more = happy club owners = call backs and bigger paychecks for the band.

That's just the way it is. And it took me a LONG time to realize this. And even longer to embrace it.

NEXT:

Wonderful Tonight
Play that funky music
Born to be wild
Mustang Sally

Pretty much anything by ZZ Top.

NEXT:

I'm not saying I enjoy playing these songs, but....

Mustang Sally
Play that Funky Music
Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself
Keep Your Hands to Yourself
Brown Eyed Girl
Sweet Home Alabama

Basically, any song that has been played to death and that even in their drunkest state they know. Dream Theater would probably clear the bar out, even if the real band walked in and played it. Sad but true..

NEXT:

CCR - Fortunate Son
Ween - Voodoo Lady
Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
Jimi - Crosstown Traffic
Everlast - Who Got The Hooch

NEXT:

Old Time Rock and Roll
La Bamba/Good Lovin'
Johnny B. Goode
Smooth
Start Me Up

NEXT:

Play That Funky Music -- even the lyrics will tell you that you need to play this song!!

NEXT:

Higher by Sly & The Family Stone.
It's got the groove and it's open ended so you
could do a jam version that would go on for
quite a while, even sneak a guitar solo in.

NEXT:

Shout! for the wild dance crowd
The Lass Kiss for the slow-dance crowd

NEXT:

GQ - Disco Nights
Phish - Weekapaug Groove
any Akimbo
lots of Stevie Wonder
Grateful dead - Shakedown Street
Marvin Gaye - Got to give it up
Rick James - Give it to me baby
Rick James - Mary Jane
Michael Jackson - Dont stop till you get enough

NEXT:

Bill Withers - Use Me
Stevie Wonder - Superstition
Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground
James Brown - The Payback
Rare Earth - I Just Want To Celebrate

NEXT:

(She's A) Brick House
Brown Sugar
Proud Mary
Mustang Sally
anything by Kool and The Gang
honestky, I spend time i nclubs checking bands, and even the young bands can't find 'modern' dance material that is not hip-hop oriented...stick with the classics...

NEXT:

This is how it is- nobody wants to hear your crappy originals- they want to dance.

Here's our third set, the killer- timed perfectly for the drunk girls in the audience- It's non-stop booty shakin'.
Set Three
Sweet home Alabama
Hard to handle
What I like about you
Brick House
Cold hard bitch
Harder to breathe
White Wedding
What I got
She talks to angels
What was I thinking?
Faith
Sin City
Play that funky music

NEXT:

few more:

"Super Bad"- James Brown
"It's Your Thing"- Sly And The Family Stone
"Who's That Lady"- The Isley Brothers
"And The Beat Goes On"- The Whispers
"Stomp"- Brothers Johnson
The aforementioned Rick James covers

At bar gigs, if you want people to dance, you've gotta funk.

Some *very* early rap like "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow or "Rappers Delight" also works well in rock bars, because they're still basically funk tunes.

An added feature of funk is that you can throw a couple of those covers into your originals set and get people to dance while avoiding the dreaded bullshit schlock covers that people think you have to play to get paid.

Of course, you can play clubs that only do original music and avoid the

NEXT:

What I Like About You
The House Is A Rockin'
Twist and Shout
Brown Sugar
Rock and Roll (Zep)

JBJ

07-25-2005, 12:21 PM

people who think playign covers is tantamount to blasphemy usually have really shitty attitudes with regards to band work.

i know a handful of people who play for a living. some doing covers, some doing originals with labels.

the guys doing the covers make money constantly, have good gear, always have a crowd, can change the set lists to their liking or the venue and crowd, always get appreciated, don't have any of the bullshit attitudes that come with playign with other original bands and most of all, they enjoy doing it.

guys i know signed to labels on the other hand: the only bit they tend to like is the actual playing. the rest of the time they're being fucked about by the label or record stores, always have to play the same sets pretty much every night, alwaysat each others throats because they need to spend so much time together, constantly having to write not because they want to but cause they need to... amongst other things...

My band does originals and covers so it's really like 2 projects but a coupla years ago when we were just doing originals it started getting like the people I just described, playing out several times a week, always at each others throats, too much pressure and to be honest, it stopped being fun to the point where I'm glad to do things at our own pace now and i can never see the covers thing get to the point where we're ready to just walk away from it all.

worthyjoe

07-25-2005, 12:35 PM

thank you

the bottom line is: not everyone wants to become a rockstar. And once you pass a certain age the chances go from slim to none. There is something to be said for having a career and playing for fun and cash on the side.

That said, my objection was that this thread was clearly about cover bands and people feel the need to bash.

rim

07-25-2005, 02:08 PM

I'm in a cover band and I like it. As an audience member, I'd prefer to hear a decent cover band live than an original band with sucky songs. But it is pretty special to hear an original band with good songs. Unfortunately, in my experience, I've ran across more decent cover bands than decent original bands.

Anyway, here's what seem to get people on the dance floor for us:

Killing in the Name Of - RATM

Hey Ya! - Outkast

Just a Girl - No Doubt

Ready to Go - Republica

Savage Jack

07-25-2005, 02:24 PM

Originally posted by GWS5987

This is how it is- nobody wants to hear your crappy originals- they want to dance.

...lol!! lesson there is dont play your crappy originals, only play your great ones... the trick is to write 40 great ones and build a 4 hour show around them.

.....always remember that the covers you play were once someone else's originals (club owners usually fall for that one when we say we dont do covers and dont want to book you for that reason...so remember to say that!), and someone (actually a whole lot of someones) wanted to hear them enough to make them popular enough for other bands to cover them.

....as for dancing, it dont matter what you play, covers or originals, if your band is tight, well rehearsed, PREPARED, professional and otherwise has their shit together, ...if you play it well, they will dance, if you play it well... they will buy up the bartender's swill they're slinging... simple formula eh?

and otherwise simply put... if you consistantly kick ass and take names your band will play gigs and make money no matter what you're playing.

worthyjoe

07-25-2005, 02:27 PM

Originally posted by Savage Jack

...lol!! lesson there is dont play your crappy originals, only play your great ones... the trick is to write 40 great ones and build a 4 hour show around them.

is that the trick? haha

worthyjoe

07-25-2005, 02:30 PM

But seriously. I'm all for original music, but the fact is that 99% of local original bands suck. This is not to say they are not talented musicians, but their songs are not likable.

but that is all beside the point. There's no reason to bring the argument in this thread.

Savage Jack

07-25-2005, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by worthyjoe
But seriously. I'm all for original music, but the fact is that 99% of local original bands suck. This is not to say they are not talented musicians, but their songs are not likable.

but that is all beside the point. There's no reason to bring the argument in this thread.

true that for sure! but not only do most original bands suck but most cover bands do too.... why? lack of practice, lack of commitment, lack of focus, in a big rush to get out of the garage or basement... and it all reflects in their performance. that is a topic for another string though... the question originally was, if my swiss-cheese memory of mine serves me, what covers to play at gigs? i simply stated in so many words, why covers? why not originals?

also, someone mentioned that (and i cant remember who in this string and dont feel like looking for it to quote it) bands who do covers have better equiptment? i strongly disagree... 5 years of playing in the same band doing originals only (and i gave up my day job last year) and look at my equipement list... and that's not mentioning ANYTHING of my PA system and my bass rig

FINNS

07-25-2005, 02:45 PM

We played mostly harder rock and Metal-ish covers and without a doubt the two biggest crowd pleasers were when we ended our show with "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, going right into "Killing In The Name Of" by RATM. Even if people had ignored our whole set, by the time we hit those songs we had almost 100% crowd participation, and even a bit of moshing!:)

I agree with the guy who stated just about any Metallica song. "Enter Sandman" always got a reaction from the first few notes and a big crowd favorite was " Fade To Black"...especially on the nights that I really nailed the solos.

"Self Esteem" by The Offspring and "In The End" by Linkin Park usually got the girls dancing and singing along.

Also, the punk version of "Tainted Love" off of the X-Games soundtrack always seemed to impress people.

But, alas, I recently quit the band rather than endure ever having to play "Creep" by Radiohead again!:mad: EVER!!!

worthyjoe

07-25-2005, 03:03 PM

Originally posted by Savage Jack

true that for sure! but not only do most original bands suck but most cover bands do too.... why? lack of practice, lack of commitment, lack of focus, in a big rush to get out of the garage or basement... and it all reflects in their performance. that is a topic for another string though... the question originally was, if my swiss-cheese memory of mine serves me, what covers to play at gigs? i simply stated in so many words, why covers? why not originals?

also, someone mentioned that (and i cant remember who in this string and dont feel like looking for it to quote it) bands who do covers have better equiptment? i strongly disagree... 5 years of playing in the same band doing originals only (and i gave up my day job last year) and look at my equipement list... and that's not mentioning ANYTHING of my PA system and my bass rig

Generally speaking, local cover bands make more money than local original bands. I think that is what they meant.

FuelGTRX

07-25-2005, 03:06 PM

A few of the covers that we play that go over well are:

Killing in the Name - Rage Against The Machine

I Alone - Live

Say It Ain't So - Weezer

our old school punk version of Last Kiss :D

Hey Man Nice Shot - Filter

Plush - STP

Would? - AIC

Roadhouse Blues - The Doors

machinegun78_2

07-25-2005, 05:08 PM

the covers band I play with once in a while is called The Dave Winans Project...

the crowd goes NUTS when we do Superstition, and Voodoo Child back to back....and Man In The Box does it too....

:cool:

Tedster

07-25-2005, 05:40 PM

Lee, you know where I stand on the issue of the "worn out bar tunes". I don't feel like going through it right now...I'd be typing all night. :D

Covers are great, but, you have to decide how to use covers, and the purpose of your band. If you're going to be a party/bar band, covers will probably make up 90% or more of your repertoire. Even if you're an original band doing shows, I think throwing in a couple well-placed covers can enhance the crowd's familiarity. If you're in the latter type band, you don't need to do covers verbatim, but, experiment with style. Case in point...the Foo Fighters cover of Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street". Some band (could have been Blink 182 but I'm not sure) did a cover of Britney Spears "Baby Baby"...that was never put on a CD, but it was great. For those that automatically negate all covers, keep in mind that one of the first bands to record their own original material, The Beatles, basically started as a cover band, and played a lot of covers during their early gigs. They even had hits on a few covers ("Twist and Shout" for example). Whatever works for the audience.

The bottom line...be imaginative.

Savage Jack

07-25-2005, 06:39 PM

worthyjoe,

how much money a band makes has little to do with what it plays and everything to do with how they play it, how they control an audience, their show, their musicianship, level of professionalism (ruthlessness of their manager *evil grin*) and so on. i've been in a few cover bands (lol, just a few) and this is my first original only band... and i can add up all the money i made in 9 cover bands in 20 years and it dont add up to what i made in the last 2 years with this all original UNSIGNED and independent band.

ok, a little luck, a whole lot of drive, an attitude, presence, a collective charisma (that one is a whole topic on itself!), focus and devotion is required too... not to mention good management: but that applies equally to cover bands as well.

...did i mention a little luck? lol! yeah that too

on another note... i cant believe how many times i see bands playing covers that absolutely do not suit or serve themselves... for instance... a band with a female lead singer playing stinkfist... her range didn't permit it, or a band with an baritone frontman playing ac/dc, ...he blew his throat out too and wasn't worth spit the rest of the night ... songs that require back vocals and no one in the band besides the frontman knows how to sing... that's an off key mess that happens all the time... or another band who just lost their lead player and their frontman, who played rhythem filled in for him... he was fine on the greenday songs but any band they covered that wasn't a 3 piece or had a badass solo in it... well, it was a noble effort *grin* (these all true stories happening in the last month and a half too).

choose your songs carefully... they have to serve the band well, choose songs that fit the abilities of all the musicians in the band... (this is especially important if you write originals too... write to the abilities of your musicians, not everyone can play like satriani) ...the weakest musician in your band usually determines the songs your band will pull off well ...or not.

tell me if this one sounds familiar... the band gets together for their first practice and the singer says... well i know this list of songs... the lead player has his list, the bassist his list and so on... then they just choose the songs that most of the band already knows and it's instant set list... no thought, no planning, they havent got a chance!

or this one... hey man, i want to do this song, someone else says well, if you want to do that one, then i want to do this one, the singer says, i cant do that one, it's out of my range, the lead player says, that's ok, i'll transpose it in a lower key...geezus!!... talk about a 3 humped camel! set list design by commitee is a disaster in the making. to quote my drummer "....man, that's all cracked out"

if you determine that your band is say for instance ...an 80's metal band... dont play freakin brown eyed girl! if your a classic rock band... dont be playing any death metal... set lists should be consistant with the bands agenda, billing and abilities all at once.
i read that huge post with the so called "set list to make you rich and famous" and my god! ...that's a show i'd definitely want to miss, ...i think i have a root canal scheduled for the day that band plays at my favorite watering hole! lol!! (to the author of that post, i dont mean disrespect... but that set list is definitely cracked out, quilted patchworks are fine for country venues i suppose but mixing classic rock, old pop & top 40's music, funk, disco and newer sounds is just confusing to an audience... and you cant build your band's identity or even a show around it... )

always remember first and foremost... the audience sees our job as one thing and one thing only.... we are to ENTERTAIN them, we are the backdrop to their evening of swill drinking, pool shooting and vain attempts to get laid...and we're not to bore them, confuse them, amuse them or even steal their girlfriends from them (well... forget that last one hehe!) add to that what your band's job really should be.... develop your following... consistancy in what you play will help... choose your songs wisely.

gravfed

07-25-2005, 07:01 PM

A couple songs that we get a big reaction to are Shine-Collective Soul, Paint it Black-Stones, and a hard rock version of Seven Nation Army, I swear people love that bass line. Yeah and one Metallica riff and people are goin nuts.

BillyWa

07-25-2005, 07:21 PM

We groove to the standard Sweet Home Alabama, What I Like About You and a Louis Louis/Wild Thing/Hang on Sloopy medley.

A few things that we get great response that I don't believe I have seen mentioned here are Twilight Zone - Golden Earing and Never Been Any Reason - Head East.

riffdaddy

07-25-2005, 09:46 PM

Savage Jack, I don't think it's your goal, but you're coming off as more than a little brash. Quite a few cover bands have at least two or three guys who are using the band as financial support for their original projects (this is my situation), so the generalization that cover band guys aren't creative musicians is really actually quite offensive.

Furthermore, my experience has been that most of the guys around here who refuse to play covers couldn't if they wanted to. Most lack the talent or the ambition to actually learn how to play a song correctly. I'm not saying by any means that this is the case with you, but it's something I've noticed.

To respond to the question posed, our biggest draw is "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" by The Gap Band. Nobody remembers this tune, but it's a real buttshaker. We're a funk band, but we rock it out (pick scrapes, harmonics, offbeat breaks in the middle of the verse, bass run through noisy-ass synth pedal, etc.).

CAC

07-25-2005, 10:24 PM

I'm in a band that's unabashedly covers only right now. This is the first band I've been in as a guitar player and we're a bunch of thirty to fiftty somethings with families looking to have a good time once or twice a month playing the music we like. So at 35 with two kids, a mortgage, a wife, and a dog I'm way over the hill to become a rock star and I'm not about to go out on the road and leave my job and family. I've got no time to write the next Dark Side of the Moon. Here are some the tunes that get 'em going for us. We try to play only songs that are danceable, and sometimes that means Mustang Sally or Brown Eyen Girl (Shudder) but we do every song our own way so it is like a new version anyways:

Any Stones tunes: Brown Sugar and Bitch come to mind
Are You Gonna Be My Girl? We do an extended version with the opening bass line that gets the crowd really groovin'.
Walkin' the Dog - Sort of a hybrid of the Stones and Aerosmith version with the intro of Sweet Leaf by Sabbath thrown in.
Leavin' Trunk by TaJ Mahal
Jailbreak by AC/DC
Highway to Hell
Them Changes
Rock This Town
Gimme Three Steps
Tightrope
Runaround by Blues Traveler

Savage Jack

07-25-2005, 11:54 PM

riffdaddy

brash? well... perhaps... but i never said that cover band musicians had no creativity or talent... dont put words in my mouth (or in my posts) i never said or even insinuated. in fact i know tons of extremely talented musicians who are playing in cover bands, ...many of which can totally smoke me on the guitar. offensive? well... i mean to be provocative and make people think.

as for your comment of believing that most guys who play originals because they cant learn to play covers correctly i've found that to be the opposite.... it takes a keen knowledge of structure, timing, song construction, transitioning et al and ad nauseum to write original music... how does one learn this? well...unless you're classically trained, which i'm not, you learn it by dissecting other people's music, studying it carefully, listen to their interviews, their musical philosophies -- and learning from it.

Inearthed

07-26-2005, 04:09 AM

One band I played in was all originals because one of the other members was just too lazy to learn any covers. Lame eh?

Another band I play in (metal band) does mostly originals except we throw in a cover of Slayer's Criminally Insane which always gets the people going. We do it right in the middle of our set and usually the crowd reaction to every song after that is really positive. It is different in metal because people are really picky and then they hear something they remember from first getting into metal and it opens them up.

Originally posted by riffdaddy
Quite a few cover bands have at least two or three guys who are using the band as financial support for their original projects (this is my situation), so the generalization that cover band guys aren't creative musicians is really actually quite offensive.

I actually knew a bunch of guys that were in a black metal band that had a top 40's band made up of all of the same members. They just dressed up nice and played the covers, made a bunch of money, and then used that money towards recording their CD / duplicating it, flyering etc. The whole concept though just made me laugh.

I know of a few people locally that are in very lucrative cover bands and use the performances to basically build their stage experience and get a lot better at their instruments. Then they take that experience (and the money they make) and apply it to their own bands.

worthyjoe

07-26-2005, 07:28 AM

Originally posted by Savage Jack
riffdaddy

brash? well... perhaps... but i never said that cover band musicians had no creativity or talent... dont put words in my mouth (or in my posts) i never said or even insinuated. in fact i know tons of extremely talented musicians who are playing in cover bands, ...many of which can totally smoke me on the guitar. offensive? well... i mean to be provocative and make people think.

as for your comment of believing that most guys who play originals because they cant learn to play covers correctly i've found that to be the opposite.... it takes a keen knowledge of structure, timing, song construction, transitioning et al and ad nauseum to write original music... how does one learn this? well...unless you're classically trained, which i'm not, you learn it by dissecting other people's music, studying it carefully, listen to their interviews, their musical philosophies -- and learning from it.

get out of my thread!!!!!!!

Seriously. Start a thread on this topic. This was intended for people to post cover songs their COVER BAND has had luck with. You have successfully ruined the this thread.

This is not the thread to argue cover vs. original. Please. Stop talking.

fastplant

07-26-2005, 07:32 AM

worthyjoe

07-26-2005, 07:49 AM

Originally posted by fastplant

Cover bands are stupid :p

It's true.

Terry Allan Hall

07-26-2005, 08:35 AM

Originally posted by Micky Z

If you're in a band that actually has a slide guitarist, is it a requirement to play "Freebird" at every gig? How many times a night? :rolleyes:

We do "Freebird" a bit differently...the fret-less bass covers the slide guitar part, and my phase-shifted 12-string covers the organ fills and a lead in the middle...the big "build up" at the end, we trade "leads". We've ALWAYS gotten an enthusiastic reaction to our arrangement. :)

Playing covers doesn't mean you have to regurgitate 'em out just like the originals...we never have and we gig a lot!

Back to the original question...

Songs that consistently have been successful for us:

Wonderful Tonight (Clapton)
Red House (Hendrix)
Hazy Shade of Winter (Simon & Garfunkle)
Freebird, Call Me The Breeze and Give Me Three Steps (Skynnyrd)
Day Tripper and Just 17 (Beatles)
T for Texas (Jimmy Rogers)
Traveling After Dark (Mountain)
Ripple and Freind Of The Devil (Grateful Dead)
El Paso (Marty Robbins)
Swing '42 and Nuages (Django Reinhardt)

Now, keep in mind that we just about never play bars, as we make much better $$$ in restaurants, festivals, coffeehouses and private affairs...

JBJ

07-26-2005, 08:57 AM

back to the original question.

to be honest the idea of cover bands doing rage and shit kinda dumbfounds me. all the covers bands here tend to do roughly the same stuff which alot of people here have labelled worn out but at the end of the day. I work a bar most weekends and there's a reason all the bands we have through and the dj's we have are playing summer of 69, brown eyed, girl, honky tonk woman etc... week in week out.

because they're great pieces of songmanship and everyone loves them.

anyways apart from those tunes stuff we get a good reaction with.

I fought the law: the clash

500 miles - the proclaimers. being in scotland and a ginger haired twin, whos other half happens to drum for us, kinda sells this one on its own :D )

why does it always rain on me - travis

suspicious minds - elvis (this is my karaoke standard and I can do a semi decent elvis impersonation so people love that when i do it for the 1st verse and get all the moves going)

I'm a believer - the monkeys. its amazing how you can rock this one just moving up the tempo a bit and sticking on some dirt

don't look back in anger - oasis (love them or hate them there isnt many covers you can play and not sing to because the crowd singing along is loud enough to be heard over the band ;) )

we're still young and it's me my bro and a long time mate who have been playign together since we were 13 so we literallty feed off of each other and still do our original stuff when it suits us but this is just fun and a great way to make some more beer money playing tunes we like and people like to hear.

Electric_Porpoise

07-26-2005, 11:14 AM

We played Master of Puppets followed by RATM's 'killing in the name of' at the end of a show once and all the drunk kids practically tore the place apart. We're not allowed to play there anymore. :D

True success! :cool:

Savage Jack

07-26-2005, 12:09 PM

Originally posted by worthyjoe

get out of my thread!!!!!!!

Seriously. Start a thread on this topic. This was intended for people to post cover songs their COVER BAND has had luck with. You have successfully ruined the this thread.

This is not the thread to argue cover vs. original. Please. Stop talking.

sorry, i'm an asshole, put a sign on my head lol!

ok.... you want the truth? *said like jack nicholson* can you handle the truth? answer me the following questions and i'll give you killer suggestions as to what your band needs to play, all i see you've been getting is what other bands do, but they dont know what your band is capable of--only you do, and i can only imagine you reading all these other posts shaking your head saying to yourself... well, i know my bassist wont do that, my lead player wont do that, that one is out of my singer's range and so on...

1. what do you bill yourselves as? ie: hard rock, classic rock, metal (what type of), alt (what type of) you get the picture

2. level of musicianship in your band?...use the weakest member of the band for this, NOT the strongest or the average... ie: beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, insane

3. what is the vocal range of your frontman and name 4 known singers he or she sounds, or can sound, most like?

4. what is it your band wishes to accomplish with the music you play? is it to play background music? to capture an audience's attention and hold them in the palm of your hand all night? make chicks dance and get their panties wet? crush skulls? shatter internal organs? or somewhere in between?

5. who is your audience? their age bracket? ie: bikers or suits?

6. what venues are you playing?

feel free to add any information you feel is relevant as well!!

if you answer those questions honestly, sincerely and completely i will put together a one hour (plus or minus) set list for you that will absolutely serve your band well and help put you on the map.

then, if you'd like we can get into other aspects... light show, posturing & moves, dress, expression, showmanship, props, packaging, promotion and so on

as an aside: my band did fairly recently discuss doing covers, we took all the above questions into the discussion and determined that IF we did covers we'd do the entire Lateralus CD as our first set, the second set would be all Filter tunes, the third set would consist of various ozzy, cold, black lable society, godsmack, audioslave (first cd NOT 2nd!!), soundgarden, stp, pearl jam songs and we'd hold on to stinkfist and sober if encores were needed... the level of musicianship in my band is at the top is our drummer, who is almost at the insane level and i'm at the bottom somewhere between intermediate and expert, our bassist is almost expert and our frontman is expert on vocals and intermediate on rhythm. we bill ourselves at a heavy progressive metal band with classic metal, rock and fusion undertones, our vocalist is baritone and sounds like maynard, cornell, lane staney and ozzy, we set out to crush skulls and shatter internal organs with our music, our audience is in the 20's-30's bracket and is working class for the most part, the venues we play are catering to the audience we've targeted. be careful with venues, you choose them, not the other way around... or your fucked (remember the scene from the blues brothers when they walked into bob's country bunker? ...been there - done that - and had the beer bottles thrown at us! lol! ..and it was my fault too, as i booked the gig hehe!)

machinegun78_2

07-26-2005, 12:14 PM

Originally posted by Electric_Porpoise
We played Master of Puppets followed by RATM's 'killing in the name of' at the end of a show once and all the drunk kids practically tore the place apart. We're not allowed to play there anymore. :D

True success! :cool:

I forgot about RATM.....when we do Bulls On Parade, people BREAK shit.

it's cool.

:cool:

cherri

07-26-2005, 12:24 PM

We get a good response to Superstition, too. And pretty mcuh anything by Susan Tedeschi or Derek Trucks.

Badside

07-26-2005, 12:33 PM

Originally posted by Savage Jack

as an aside: my band did fairly recently discuss doing covers, we took all the above questions into the discussion and determined that IF we did covers we'd do the entire Lateralus CD as our first set, the second set would be all Filter tunes, the third set would consist of various ozzy, cold, black lable society, godsmack, audioslave (first cd NOT 2nd!!), soundgarden, stp, pearl jam songs and we'd hold on to stinkfist and sober if encores were needed...

Honestly, I (and most people I know) would leave right in the middle of the first set... It might be fun to do has a band, but if you want to be a Tool tribute band, market yourself has such and stick to it. This is cool music to play has a musician, but people hanging in bars couldn't care less about Tool, they might sit through the single, but that's pretty much it.

This goes back to the "If you're a cover band, you're there to please people" theory.

One thing though about covers, if you play stuff they like and have fun doing so, they'll let you play stuff YOU like as long as it's a smaller part of the gig and that you have fun playing it.

riffdaddy

07-26-2005, 12:43 PM

Originally posted by Savage Jack

sorry, i'm an asshole, put a sign on my head lol!

ok.... you want the truth? *said like jack nicholson* can you handle the truth? answer me the following questions and i'll give you killer suggestions as to what your band needs to play, all i see you've been getting is what other bands do, but they dont know what your band is capable of--only you do, and i can only imagine you reading all these other posts shaking your head saying to yourself... well, i know my bassist wont do that, my lead player wont do that, that one is out of my singer's range and so on...

1. If you elect to quote Jack Nicholson, at least quote it correctly.
2. Come back when you learn to write a sentence.
3. An entire set of Filter tunes? Yeah, go ahead and criticize the rest of us for doing Clapton and Stevie Wonder.
4. Bring your head on over here. Your sign awaits.

Savage Jack

07-26-2005, 12:48 PM

roflmao!! did i fail to mention we do originals, not covers? and after the band's discussion as to where covers would go to, that's why we're not doing covers... we realized all by ourselves that a set of tool wouldn't go over well, a set of filter would do a little better but not much... the third set would kick ass though

oh, too late for the sign, i had it tatoo'd on /grin

Badside

07-26-2005, 12:59 PM

Savage Jack: it does suck though that we are not "allowed" to do such things. We all, as musicians, have certains songs that we would kill to play live, but we happen to be the only ones caring about...

I remember when I was like 16, I was listening to this local metal band called Obliveon and I was picturing myself in my head, on a stage banging my head while playing these songs. I would've paid to play them. But no musicians I know would've been interested in learning them, and I doubt an Obliveon tribute band would've attracted much audience. That's why I started programming my own backing tracks at home so I could jam by myself... but self satisfaction has its limits

Anyway, just a ()

Savage Jack

07-26-2005, 01:21 PM

Originally posted by Hardtailed
Savage Jack: it does suck though that we are not "allowed" to do such things. We all, as musicians, have certains songs that we would kill to play live, but we happen to be the only ones caring about...

I remember when I was like 16, I was listening to this local metal band called Obliveon and I was picturing myself in my head, on a stage banging my head while playing these songs. I would've paid to play them. But no musicians I know would've been interested in learning them, and I doubt an Obliveon tribute band would've attracted much audience. That's why I started programming my own backing tracks at home so I could jam by myself... but self satisfaction has its limits

Anyway, just a ()

there's no law on the books i know of that says we cant, is there? we are limited only by ourselves, our imaginations and our perceptions bro. we are musicians... no one tells us what to do! if you believe you can pull it off, you'll be real happy when you do for you only have to try it and you'll do it... and you'd be extremely suprised with what you can get away with on a stage --very suprised in fact!... i used feel like my originals like you feel about playing obliveon... i'd kill to do it but didn't think it was possible, then i had my eyes opened for me. i found out first hand that as long as you totally kick ass, and take no prisoners and deliver the goods -- what you're playing is secondary.

Mr. Botch

07-26-2005, 01:21 PM

Our crowd favorites:
"Fat-Bottomed Girls" (complete with 4-part harmony)
"Hellagood" (yeah, with a guy singing it :p)
"Orange Blossom Special" (I play a wireless fiddle and run thru the bar, great fun)
"Pour Some Sugar on Me"
"Enter Sandman"
"She F&%^$ Hates Me" (our closer)
"Never Been any Reason"
"Comfortably Numb"

We also do a Prince medley that has, uh, very mixed reactions. Usually it packs the floor but one night a huge biker way in the back of the bar yelled "F&$^% YOU!" (we could hear him over our in-ear monitors), he flipped us off, and stormed out of the bar!

Badside

07-26-2005, 01:33 PM

Originally posted by Savage Jack

there's no law on the books i know of that says we cant, is there? we are limited only by ourselves, our imaginations and our perceptions bro. we are musicians... no one tells us what to do! if you believe you can pull it off, you'll be real happy when you do for you only have to try it and you'll do it...

True, in our basement we can do whatever we want.

For the record, I gig almost every weekend, fun to play and paying gigs. I do know what I can and can't get away with (like when we end up playing a venue with people in thier 40s-50s, we please them with classic rock in the first set, and then blast them off with modern stuff once they're drunk. But you have to make choices sometimes. There's no way we could continue gigging on the same level if we decided to only play things that please us. We WILL throw originals in the mix, but the intention is really to make that a side project but use our notoriety to promote it.

riffdaddy

07-26-2005, 05:20 PM

Explain to me how I'm putting words in your mouth:

Originally posted by Savage Jack

1.covers? bah! ptuiiii! *spits*
2.covers are so overrated
3.we do all originals, never ever played any covers, have no problem getting gigs
4. plus there's something that every working musician needs to cultivate... it's called integrity to one's self

Justify to me exactly how this isn't meant to be derogatory towards musicians in cover bands.

MattFacingSouth

07-26-2005, 05:49 PM

Hmm...

Captain Jack, New York State of Mind, and Piano Man stole the show.

Honorable mention:

Mary Jane's Last Dance
Crazy (Seal)
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - I hate it when everybody says "what was that song... Elvis?"
Long Train Running
Listen to the Music

riffdaddy

07-26-2005, 05:56 PM

Originally posted by MattFacingSouth
I hate it when everybody says "what was that song... Elvis?"

:D

Cortfan

07-26-2005, 06:35 PM

"Play that funky music" usually gets almost everyone that will dance on the floor. Since we only have 1 guitar, its a little hard to play "Freebird". We do the rest of the cover band /bar band stuff to death. AC/DC and Aerosmith seem pretty popular in these parts.

Savage Jack

07-26-2005, 08:25 PM

Originally posted by riffdaddy
Explain to me how I'm putting words in your mouth:

Justify to me exactly how this isn't meant to be derogatory towards musicians in cover bands.

opps!... looks like i made someone mad, well... i suppose we all have to be good at something eh? roflmao!

superiorparts

07-27-2005, 06:17 AM

with all the hoopla about the new dukes of hazzard movie we played "just a good ole boys" and the crowd went nuts. we have been covering it ever since. it is a very easy song that you wont have to practice to get it right. i am from mississippi so our rednecks really enjoyed it especially from a rock band.

kevin james

www.monkeyboneband.com

THX1138

07-27-2005, 07:06 AM

To name a few...

Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
Turbo Lover - Judas Priest
Metal Health - Quiet Riot
Fight For Your Right - Beastie Boys

fastplant

07-27-2005, 07:41 AM

Originally posted by worthyjoe
right now I have to say our hottest song is Mr. Brightside by the Killers. It's probably on the tail end of it's popularity but people freaking LOVE the song and I also love playing/singing it.

We also start and end a medley with 500 Miles by the Proclaimers and that seems to get peoples' attention (in a good way).

What are some others? Can be new songs or old.

I'd have to say Mr. Brightside by the Killers, a medley with 500 Miles by the Proclaimers, oh wait, I'm in your band.

riffdaddy

07-27-2005, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by Savage Jack

opps!... looks like i made someone mad, well... i suppose we all have to be good at something eh? roflmao!

No, you didn't make me mad. You just made an ignorant statement and backed it up with more ignorance. The fact that you don't see how your statements were offensive--especially given the title of the thread--really says something.

Try going a little more gently when you elect to piss on somebody else's thread. Otherwise, check out Open Jam.

Also, please reduce the size of your signature. Either condense it a little or put it in a smaller font (if you're unsure how to do this, let me know--I'll gladly help). Most of your posts have been about a third the length of your sig. There's really no need for that.

wheresgrant3

07-27-2005, 03:16 PM

Originally posted by Savage Jack
worthyjoe,

how much money a band makes has little to do with what it plays and everything to do with how they play it, how they control an audience, their show, their musicianship, level of professionalism (ruthlessness of their manager *evil grin*) and so on. i've been in a few cover bands (lol, just a few) and this is my first original only band... and i can add up all the money i made in 9 cover bands in 20 years and it dont add up to what i made in the last 2 years with this all original UNSIGNED and independent band.

ok, a little luck, a whole lot of drive, an attitude, presence, a collective charisma (that one is a whole topic on itself!), focus and devotion is required too... not to mention good management: but that applies equally to cover bands as well.

...did i mention a little luck? lol! yeah that too

on another note... i cant believe how many times i see bands playing covers that absolutely do not suit or serve themselves... for instance... a band with a female lead singer playing stinkfist... her range didn't permit it, or a band with an baritone frontman playing ac/dc, ...he blew his throat out too and wasn't worth spit the rest of the night ... songs that require back vocals and no one in the band besides the frontman knows how to sing... that's an off key mess that happens all the time... or another band who just lost their lead player and their frontman, who played rhythem filled in for him... he was fine on the greenday songs but any band they covered that wasn't a 3 piece or had a badass solo in it... well, it was a noble effort *grin* (these all true stories happening in the last month and a half too).

choose your songs carefully... they have to serve the band well, choose songs that fit the abilities of all the musicians in the band... (this is especially important if you write originals too... write to the abilities of your musicians, not everyone can play like satriani) ...the weakest musician in your band usually determines the songs your band will pull off well ...or not.

tell me if this one sounds familiar... the band gets together for their first practice and the singer says... well i know this list of songs... the lead player has his list, the bassist his list and so on... then they just choose the songs that most of the band already knows and it's instant set list... no thought, no planning, they havent got a chance!

or this one... hey man, i want to do this song, someone else says well, if you want to do that one, then i want to do this one, the singer says, i cant do that one, it's out of my range, the lead player says, that's ok, i'll transpose it in a lower key...geezus!!... talk about a 3 humped camel! set list design by commitee is a disaster in the making. to quote my drummer "....man, that's all cracked out"

if you determine that your band is say for instance ...an 80's metal band... dont play freakin brown eyed girl! if your a classic rock band... dont be playing any death metal... set lists should be consistant with the bands agenda, billing and abilities all at once.
i read that huge post with the so called "set list to make you rich and famous" and my god! ...that's a show i'd definitely want to miss, ...i think i have a root canal scheduled for the day that band plays at my favorite watering hole! lol!! (to the author of that post, i dont mean disrespect... but that set list is definitely cracked out, quilted patchworks are fine for country venues i suppose but mixing classic rock, old pop & top 40's music, funk, disco and newer sounds is just confusing to an audience... and you cant build your band's identity or even a show around it... )

always remember first and foremost... the audience sees our job as one thing and one thing only.... we are to ENTERTAIN them, we are the backdrop to their evening of swill drinking, pool shooting and vain attempts to get laid...and we're not to bore them, confuse them, amuse them or even steal their girlfriends from them (well... forget that last one hehe!) add to that what your band's job really should be.... develop your following... consistancy in what you play will help... choose your songs wisely.

Apples to Oranges....
Money earned playing in original band -4 years $500 (approx)
Money earned 6 years playing in a cover band- $31, 600 (approximately)

I understand your point... however if all you say is true, the I believe you are probably the expection. And not to pass judgment but you've made more money in 2 years playing originals than 20 playing covers.... and you're not signed yet?!??! Not sure that even makes sense.

People choose to be in bands for different reasons. I've played in my share of great original bands... and enjoyed myself immensely. The last two I've played with a successful local cover band and made some good cash. I will always favor my original music.... but never denounce when I get paid to play in any situation.

wheresgrant3

07-27-2005, 03:26 PM

To answer the question in the thread... "Killing In The Name" RATM.... will bring the house down!

tucktronix

07-28-2005, 02:35 PM

With the blues band...

I would say that "All About My Girl" gets the most applause, mainly because it's a jazz swing/shuffle where I'm doing piano.

With Mind Sky...

I'd say definitely "The Big Puzzle' by The Flower Kings, lots of peaks and valleys with an epic ending.

ZenFly

07-29-2005, 07:45 AM

We are a 3 plus 1 band
Drums, Vox
Bass, Vox
Guitar, Vox
Vox

We do classic rock Best reactions lately:

Baba O'Riley
Gold Dust Woman (I use a nice Sitar Drone on that one)
Hands Off (Rory Gallagher)
Ball and Chain
When It's Love (Van Halen)
I'm Your Captian (Grand Funk)

fastplant

07-29-2005, 08:15 AM

In my bass band, the songs that got the most attention were the obvious ones:

Pour Some Sugar On Me
Livin on a Prayer
Sweet Child O Mine
whatever song came out that week, but then we could only play it for a few shows before it got tired.

ratthedd

07-29-2005, 08:45 AM

The ones that get the most response from our audiences which have already been mentioned include:

Wonderful Tonight
Sweet Home Alabama
Gimme Three Steps
Mustang Sally
Brick House
Play that Funky Music

These songs also heat up the dance floor for us:

Friends in Low Places
Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) <--Fills the floor every time we play it.

For our third set we do a staggered intro thing where each member of the band comes up on stage, picks up their instrument and starts playing with whoever else is playing while our singer says a bunch of stuff to introduce them to the audience. I've always been the first to start (as I play rhythm guitar more than leads) and usually do some melodic wanking before sliding into a funky groove for the rest of the guys to play to. A few weeks ago, for the first time, I decided to start off with a slightly tamer version of Jimi's Star Spangled Banner with full on distortion and throwing in some of the more memorable catch phrases (like TAPS). Even though I left out the larger sections of noise, I expected to get a bunch of grief from the crowd since it was a small-town festival we were playing and there were a large number of senior citizens there, but to my surprise, as I started in I heard the whole crowd singing along and big cheers when I finished up. ...so that one's a definate keeper. :D

riffdaddy

07-30-2005, 12:09 AM

Originally posted by ratthedd

Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) <--Fills the floor every time we play it.

It's a total shite song, but you're right about the audience reaction. I played in a band that did this for a while, and I couldn't believe how well-recieved this song was. It's total garbage!

The guy who took over for me in that band calls it "Write a Hit, Save a Braincell". :D

caveman

07-30-2005, 07:42 AM

Rocky Moutain Way, but it could be regional.

Josh S

07-30-2005, 02:36 PM

We are an originals band, but we do two full covers in our set: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt 1 (by the Flaming Lips) and Hem of Your Garment (by Cake)... Occasionally we'll do Big in Japan (by Tom Waits) considering it just plain speaks about our situation :cool:

We also throw little tiny bits of other songs into our own songs all over the place... I'm sure everyone else does this, but we generally do the same ones every time <g> Those little bits are generally as follows (this is an example from a recent show):

1st Song: Ends with a medley of Anther Brick in the Wall pt 1 and Run Like Hell (this really gets the crowd going <g>)

4th Song: This is a piano song- in the bridge we straight up start playing I Would Do Anything For Love, with me doing a great Meatloaf impressioon and full on harmony... Then at the end of the song we totally bring it back and do it again. All the girls fucking love this, and the guys get a kick out of it.

5th Song: I tend to mangle the main riff of this song to make it sound like the riff from Weezer's Holiday. But only sometimes :D

8th Song: In the first two bars of the solo I quote the first two bars of Bohemian Rhapsody's second solo.

10th Song: In the solo, I pretty much exactly quote the Edge's solo in All I Want Is You. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when we actually record this song on our next album, because the Edge's solo here fits _so_ exactly it's silly.

12th Song: Our one and only funk song. During the break of this song, I'll quote any old rockin' song I can think of... Some crowd favourites are Bombtrack, Get Off, 1+1+1 = 3, Discotheque, Can't Stop, and my recent personal favourite, Black or White <g>

So, I mean, there's basically a lot of quoting going on.. But I feel that's fair, and kind of fun. I mean, I absolutely love seeing a band (mostly famous ones, of course) just throw little bits in like that... Some may look at it critically, but I think it's a fun way to show everyone who your influences are and keep 'em guessing :cool:

tdempsey

08-01-2005, 12:40 PM

We just added Aerosmith's "Dream On" and it works everytime.

srsfallriver

08-01-2005, 02:30 PM

Many probably already mentioned:

Son of a Preacher Man
Play That Funky Music
Me & Julio
Sugarpie Huneybunch
Mustang Sally
I Will Survive
At Last
Brown Eyed Girl
Superstition
December '63
Sweet Home Alabama
My Girl
Good Lovin'
Have I Told You Lately
You Shook Me All Night Long
Respect
Love Shack
I'm a Believer
Sweet Child O'Mine
American Girl
Mack The Knife
Just The Way You Look Tonight

Many more on my band's website:
www.the-RETURN.net

Tedster

08-01-2005, 03:20 PM

Originally posted by ratthedd
The ones that get the most response from our audiences which have already been mentioned include:

Wonderful Tonight
Sweet Home Alabama
Gimme Three Steps
Mustang Sally
Brick House
Play that Funky Music

These songs also heat up the dance floor for us:

Friends in Low Places

(figure who's been hiding unnoticed in the shadows steps into the light, sets an empty shot glass down, lights up a cigar)

Well, it's time for the ol' Tedster to chime in...I reckon'. I'm fighting a (probably) losing one man battle to eliminate, or at least severely limit, a lot of these songs from common band repertoire.

Now, before y'all get to buckin' and kickin'...I realize that's never going to happen. But here is as good a place as any to say, "Yup, the audience loves those songs, but what other songs could you play that the audience loved JUST as much, without them being totally worn out?"

In other words, I'm here to challenge those people who have a setlist full of these songs to relegate them to the back burner. Get creative with your setlists. Rather than "Gimme Three Steps" (which, c'mon, admit it, it's on your set list because when you put the band together, everyone ALREADY KNEW IT...), play "Saturday Night Special".

Songs I'd vote for elimination:

Turn The Page
Old Time Rock and Roll
Boot Scootin' Boogie
Proud Mary
Mustang Sally
Wonderful Tonight
Sweet Home
Margaritaville
Gimme Three Steps
House of the Rising Sun (yes, people still request that)
Wipeout (yes, people still request that one too)
Cocaine
Freebird
Long Train Running
Brown Eyed Girl

And a butt-ton of others.

Okay, I challenge those of you who play in bands that do any of these songs routinely...think of a song to replace one of these songs with. I've already given an example..."Saturday Night Special" rather than "Three Steps". And don't tell me that out of 35 years of rock and roll and country chart toppers you can't do it!!!!

Another ferinstance, what would happen if someone said "Play "Old Time Rock And Roll" and you all said "We don't do that one, but how about "Her Strut"?

A lot of times, it's the crowd that says "SEEEEEEGER!" and the band just plays "Old Time R&R"

Thundercranium

08-01-2005, 04:48 PM

I'm as sick as the next guy of Mustang Sally and Brown Eyed Girl. The thought of playing them yet again almost makes me want to retch. It's funny how I still enjoy playing them in front of a receptive crowd though!

We do try to choose some less "worn" covers. The following all work well:

Venus (I forget who wrote it...Bananarama had a hit with it in the 80s.
Let's Just Kiss and Say Goodbye - The Shi-Lites?
Puttin'On The Ritz - Irving Berlin cum Taco
Heroes - Bowie
Radio GaGa - Queen
Love Really Hurts Without You - Billy Ocean
Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - The Animals (or if you came of age in the disco era, Santa Esmeralda)
Rocket Man - Elton John

ratkent

08-01-2005, 11:35 PM

My band has been my full time job (200 shows a year) for nearly 16 years and I'm sure there are songs in our set list that we have played more often than the original artist. I'm sort of proud and sad at the same time.

BndGrl

08-04-2005, 09:36 PM

Originally posted by riffdaddy

The guy who took over for me in that band calls it "Write a Hit, Save a Braincell".

We have actually changed the words to "Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver." :eek: ;)

riffdaddy

08-04-2005, 11:52 PM

Originally posted by BndGrl

We have actually changed the words to "Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver." :eek: ;)

:D No comment.

Tedster

08-05-2005, 09:07 AM

Originally posted by BndGrl

We have actually changed the words to "Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver." :eek: ;)

Works for me ;)

jim e. grappler

08-05-2005, 12:47 PM

Some of the songs that get the best reaction for us include

flagpole sitta
praise chorus
hash pipe
buddy holly

RoboCop00

08-05-2005, 10:18 PM

Originally posted by Thunderbroom

I've got a suggestion for even a better response...when "some drunk redneck" yells "Freebird"...stop your current song immediately and start playing "Freebird". It's the easiest way to shut them up without the macho bullsh!t. Both of my bands are adding a shortened version of the song for this very reason.

Hahaha, that's great. The moment my band gets a good slide guitarist (or I quit being lazy and take the time to learn), we're adding it to our setlist.

Igneroid

08-06-2005, 09:57 AM

Makin it Work by Doug And The Slugs.....lovit
This Flight Tonight by Nazareth....hmmmm
Im On My Way by The Proclaimers
Rivers OF Babylon by Boney M....sic yetch barf

ratthedd

08-08-2005, 03:11 PM

Originally posted by Tedster

(figure who's been hiding unnoticed in the shadows steps into the light, sets an empty shot glass down, lights up a cigar)

Well, it's time for the ol' Tedster to chime in...I reckon'. I'm fighting a (probably) losing one man battle to eliminate, or at least severely limit, a lot of these songs from common band repertoire.

Now, before y'all get to buckin' and kickin'...I realize that's never going to happen. But here is as good a place as any to say, "Yup, the audience loves those songs, but what other songs could you play that the audience loved JUST as much, without them being totally worn out?"

In other words, I'm here to challenge those people who have a setlist full of these songs to relegate them to the back burner. Get creative with your setlists. Rather than "Gimme Three Steps" (which, c'mon, admit it, it's on your set list because when you put the band together, everyone ALREADY KNEW IT...), play "Saturday Night Special".

Songs I'd vote for elimination:

Turn The Page
Old Time Rock and Roll
Boot Scootin' Boogie
Proud Mary
Mustang Sally
Wonderful Tonight
Sweet Home
Margaritaville
Gimme Three Steps
House of the Rising Sun (yes, people still request that)
Wipeout (yes, people still request that one too)
Cocaine
Freebird
Long Train Running
Brown Eyed Girl

And a butt-ton of others.

Okay, I challenge those of you who play in bands that do any of these songs routinely...think of a song to replace one of these songs with. I've already given an example..."Saturday Night Special" rather than "Three Steps". And don't tell me that out of 35 years of rock and roll and country chart toppers you can't do it!!!!

Another ferinstance, what would happen if someone said "Play "Old Time Rock And Roll" and you all said "We don't do that one, but how about "Her Strut"?

A lot of times, it's the crowd that says "SEEEEEEGER!" and the band just plays "Old Time R&R"

You're not the only one fighting that losing battle. Every time my band starts talking about what songs to add to the list I keep suggesting that we do the lesser known songs from popular bands and we end up adding the overplayed stuff anyway.

This same argument is being discussed in the Live Suond and Production forum under the thread title "What songs do you never want to hear again" or something along those lines. Mark (audiopile) makes a good argument that the reason we (soundmen and musicians) hate these songs is because we've heard them too damned often and the reason we've all heard them too damned often is because that's what people want/expect the band to play.

You're absolutely right that "Her Strut" would be a lot more fun to play than "OT RnR", but when it's all done and said, when someone in the crowd wants to hear a Seger tune it's either "Turn the Page" or "OT RnR" and damn-you if you play "Hollywood Nights" or "Night Moves" instead.

The only other option is to take the lyrics from the popular songs and sing them to a different beat/melody arrangement. Joe Cocker's version of "Feelin' Alright" and Grand Funk Railroad's version of "Feelin' Alright" are both good but they definately don't sound like the same song. Take a fast song and make it slow or take a slowsong and make it fast, or intruduce a jazz beat to an old blues 4/4 beat--whatever it takes to make the audience think they remember the song from way back when but it's still fresh enough to make them want to come back and hear it again.