Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Singing bassists, what's your set list?


uk_lefty
 Share

Recommended Posts

I do a lot of singing in my band, not the lead but I provide all 2nd vocalist parts. We only do originals though. My former band was a '90s rock cover outfit, lots of fun and I had a blast in singing things from Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Faith no More etc. A lot to like from that ERA in my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I share lead vocal duty with the guitar player , and the drummer mucks in too , but my songs are currently

Bad Case of Loving You ( the gary glitter middle bit got stopped , too many complaints)
Why did you do it/another brick in the wall medley
Tainted Love ( played like it nicked my wallet)
Winner takes it all ( see above )
Nutbush city limits ( alternative lyric version - usually reserved solely and gleefully for Sunday gigs since some woman grabbed hold of me and screamed 'fancy saying 'w***ing' on a Sunday , you're a f***ing disgrace')
Fight for your right to party
Roadhouse Blues/Blockbuster/Gene Genie medley
Cum on Feel the Noize
Get your rocks off but I can't remember it properly so I just make the words up.

Mostly all done with a degree of aggression I only usually feel when using automatic check out tills , seeing or hearing the words 'Kanye West' or trying to get through on the phone to British Gas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1508422122' post='3392088']
...Mostly all done with a degree of aggression I only usually feel when using automatic check out tills , seeing or hearing the words 'Kanye West' or trying to get through on the phone to British Gas.
[/quote]

Nicely descriptive. I have a very clear idea of where your head is at from those three examples.

This is a good topic, thanks UKL for posting. I want to start in on singing and playing at the same time so I am cherry picking for some songs to start me off.

An artist by the name of Rob Strong inspired me in the Harcourt Hotel basement, Dublin, thirty years or more back but I gave up the band before doing owt about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Suppose o should have shared my own! Not doing lead vocals at the mo but in the past I was responsible for singing and sometimes murdering some of the following while playing bass. Not all in the same band, I should add:
Light my fire
Hey Joe
Voodoo child slight return
Stuck in the middle with you
Message in a bottle
Mama told me not to come
Wishing well
Anarchy in the UK
NIB
All along the watchtower

Will add more when I can remember back a bit further!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few of the usual suspects already mentioned plus:

Brown Eyed Girl
Losing My Religion
Sweet Home Alabama
Born To Be Wild
Stand By Me
Spanish Harlem
It's All Over Now
CC Rider
Knock On Wood
Midnight Hour
Oh Pretty Woman
San Francisco
Sweet Home Chicago
Mustang Sally
Go Your Own Way
2-4-6-8 Motorway
Take It Easy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Band before current one was a rock trio with me on lead vox bar one number.

Sweet child o mine
Comfortably numb
Midnight rider
Breaking the law
Ever fallen in love
Crossroads
Whiskey in the jar
Boys are back in town
Don't believe a word
Lights out in London
Shoot to thrill
Highway to hell
Rocking in the free world
Hush
Smokin in the boys room
Hard to handle
Rock and roll
Hotel California
Word up
Pretty vacant
The hunter
All the small things
Basket case
You really got me
Sharp dressed Man
Back in the USSR
Born to be wild
Rocking all over the world
Get it on
Down at the doctor's

I've lost interest now but there were probably another twenty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's our current set list I either sing lead or backing on -

its a bit out of date but we normally do 70 or so a night

[color=#000000][b][u]2010's[/u][/b]

GET LUCKY - DAFT PUNK

HAPPY - PHARRELL WILLIAMS

PRICE TAG - JESSIE J

[b][u]2000’s[/u][/b]

EVERYBODYS CHANGING - KEANE

MR BRIGHTSIDE - THE KILLERS

RAISE YOUR GLASS - PINK

SEX ON FIRE - KINGS OF LEON

VALERIE - AMY WHITEHOUSE

WHISTLE FOR THE CHOIR – FRATELLIS

[b][u]1990’s[/u][/b]

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S - DEEP BLUE SOMETHING

I’M GONNA BE (500 MILES) - PROCLAIMERS

LOSING MY RELIGION – REM

[b][u]1980’s[/u][/b]

BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON

DANCING IN THE STREET - MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS

HEROES - DAVID BOWIE

I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR - U2

SHARP DRESSED MAN - ZZ TOP

SUMMER OF 69 - BRYAN ADAMS

TOWN CALLED MALICE - PAUL WELLER

WALK OF LIFE - DIRE STRAITS

YOUR SONG - ELTON JOHN

[b][u]1970’s[/u][/b]

BLACK IS BLACK - LOS BRAVOS

BORN TO BE WILD - STEPPENWOLF

BROWN EYED GIRL - VAN MORRISON

CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN

CROCODILE ROCK - ELTON JOHN

DAYDREAM BELIEVER - MONKEES

DECEMBER 1963 - FOUR SEASONS

DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW? - ABBA

DON'T STOP - FLEETWOOD MAC

GET IT ON - T-REX

I HEAR YOU KNOCKING - DAVE EDMUNDS

LAY DOWN SALLY - ERIC CLAPTON

LETS STICK TOGETHER - ROXY MUSIC

LOVE IS IN THE AIR - JOHN PAUL YOUNG

MAGGIE MAY - ROD STEWART

PROUD MARY - CCR

ROCKING ALL OVER THE WORLD - STATUS QUO

SHANG A LANG - BAY CITY ROLLERS

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE -STEALERS WHEEL

SWEET CAROLINE - NEIL DIAMOND

SWEET HOME ALABAMA - LYNYRD SKYNYRD

SWEET HOME CHICAGO - BLUES BROTHERS

TIGER FEET - MUD

WATERLOO SUNSET – KINKS

[b][u]1960’s[/u][/b]

ALL OVER NOW - ROLLING STONES

BROWN SUGAR - ROLLING STONES

CAN'T BUY ME LOVE - BEATLES

DREAM LOVER - BOBBY DARIN

HANG ON SLOOPY - THE MCCOYS

HONKY TONK WOMEN - ROLLING STONES

I SAW HER STANDING THERE - BEATLES

JUMPING JACK FLASH - ROLLING STONES

KANSAS CITY -BEATLES

MARY LOU - RICKY NELSON

MUSTANG SALLY - WILSON PICKETT/COMMITMENTS

SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME - DRIFTERS

SINGING THE BLUES - GUY MITCHELL/DAVE EDMUNDS

STAND BY ME - BEN E KING

SURFING USA - BEACH BOYS

WHEN YOU WALK IN THE ROOM – SEARCHERS

[b][u]1950’s[/u][/b]

ALL SHOOK UP - ELVIS

AT THE HOP - DANNY AND THE JUNIORS

GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND - ELVIS

GREAT BALLS OF FIRE - JERRY LEE LEWIS

GUESS IT DOESN’T MATTER ANYMORE - BUDDY HOLLY

HALFWAY TO PARADISE - BILLY FURY

HIGH HEEL SNEAKERS - ELVIS

HOUND DOG / WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN - ELVIS/JERRY LEE LEWIS

JOHNNY B GOODE - CHUCK BERRY

LET'S TWIST AGAIN - CHUBBY CHECKER

LETS DANCE - CHRIS MONTEZ

MESS OF THE BLUES - ELVIS

MOVE IT - CLIFF RICHARD

MYSTERY TRAIN - ELVIS

ROUTE 66 - ROLLING STONES

RUN AROUND SUE - DION

SUMMERTIME BLUES - EDDIE COCHRAN

THAT'LL BE THE DAY - BUDDY HOLLY

THE WANDERER - DION[/color]

Edited by BobVbass
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1508510485' post='3392693']
Here's our current set list I either sing lead or backing on -

its a bit out of date but we normally do 70 or so a night

[/quote]

That's an impressive list! Includes a lot of stuff I've done in previous bands - and I wish we were doing in the current covers band.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1508510485' post='3392693']
Here's our current set list I either sing lead or backing on - its a bit out of date but we normally do 70 or so a night...
[/quote]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1508520747' post='3392771']
...some very dodgy decade allocations there...
[/quote]

Not that dodgy when you consider that punters watch Vintage TV and similar mass media platforms and believe it when they give the release year for a song on a music vid that was made more than a decade after the song last hit revenue thresholds (charts, if you will).

If you looked for the first release of every song in a set I don't think there would be many musos that can say without question that they cover the first released version of ALL of the songs therein. You might have to be both muso and pedant with a tendency towards OCD for it to be a serious niggle anyway.

This could be discussed further on a Punters vs Pedants thread but who cares? I have a big [size=5]respect[/size] for bass playing front men and women doing songs from any decade[size=5]*[/size] you'd care to mention.

@ BobVBass;

How long are your sets please? 70 songs a night must be heading towards [color=#0000cd]Blue[/color]ish territory. Three mins per song would make 210 minutes with no breaks and that's three and a half hours! Tell us more.

[size=3]*This statement is limited to decades after the fashion for singing tripe like "[i]With a hey and a ho, hey-nonny-no![/i]" died. Other decades are available.[/size]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

March of the Sod/United Forces - SOD
Troops of Doom - Sepultura
Caught in a Mosh - Anthrax
House of the Rising [strike]Sun[/strike] Dead - Turner/Martin

Although the last few shows we only played our originals and response was great!

Edited by Bolo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote]Agreed, but some very dodgy decade allocations there ...[/quote] well yeah (blush) it's something I need to sort out on the website :)

We normally do 2x 1.5 hour sets or an hour first set and 2 hour second - lots of the fifties songs are actually really short 2-2.5 minutes and we try to go straight from one to another, few medleys etc. But normally 3 hours plus a couple of encore songs. Sometimes we play shorter sets if a club wants us to play for a shorter time. I share lead and backing with the guitarist so we both sing all night. Fine when you haven't got a cold :D

I love it as it lets you run some themes through the set as well, rock and roll phase, 80s phase, everyone's drunk and wants to sings along phase etc - we like doing a juke box every so often as well where we put a menu on each table and people can tell us what they'd like us to play (2nd set) - we also do on the fly requests which are a lot of fun - on song is awesome for this, real seat of your pants stuff, but you have to be bloody careful :) we're all old farts that have played most songs people request anyway.

Edited by BobVbass
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1508608671' post='3393334']
...we're all old farts that have played most songs people request anyway.
[/quote]

I am not sure if the [i]About Time[/i] clips on YT are yours. One thing is certain. This set of yours might count as news in Milwaukee even if it doesn't quite match a four hour stand with no breaks.

I like your band's approach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No we haven't got anything on you tube and our websites is about 4 years out of date - I really must update it as its a bit crap not to really - we should get some decent recordings and videos as well - but we're already booked out until this time next year so it's hard to convince the other two that we need to when we haven't got any spare slots if it generates any new business.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1508655374' post='3393511']
No we haven't got anything on you tube and our websites is about 4 years out of date - I really must update it as its a bit crap not to really - we should get some decent recordings and videos as well - but we're already booked out until this time next year so it's hard to convince the other two that we need to when we haven't got any spare slots if it generates any new business.
[/quote]

Yes. I saw the site you list in your sig file.

Being fully booked out for a year is not the worst complaint to have. I would side with your band mates but then I do [i]not[/i] like social media. I need a secretary.

I'm at the stage where I am going to have to work up a couple of songs for bass and vox only. I might need to practice stomping too. I like [i]Queen Bee[/i] but it might be ambitious and meaningless to an audience without blues guitar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Solo bass and stomping?

Try Some Kind Of Wonderful.

I've sung it at jam nights as a drum'n'bass duo, though it unarguably benefits from the arrival of power chords near the end ("can I get a witness?").

And yes, that's four punctuation marks in sequence and it's grammatically bang on the money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few of the above.

currently Jean Genie with my current band [url="https://www.facebook.com/missbowieband/"]https://www.facebook.com/missbowieband/[/url]

and for open mic acoustic stuff I do 'Hit me baby one more time' ......usually goes down a storm (don't do the twerking tho')

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...