Tribute bands

[thisnameistaken]

I once saw a Tina Turner impersonator in a nightclub in Wakefield because I wanted a late drink and it was the first place we came to. It was beyond terrible, but at least it wasn't a whole bandof fat men in wigs pretending to be Aerosmith.

[Dad3353]

As for covers better than originals, there are not many Dylan songs that he has done better than others. From Hendrix to the Fairports and all points west, I choose the cover every time (well, almost...).

[Diablo]

I think cover bands probably started many centuries ago when someone would piano a Bach or other such dusty type composer in an ale house or at a private ball event.

More recently surely people covered all the main 20-30's blues/roots bands all the way from the 30's onwards. As they say, nothing is new!

[BassTractor]

Re the exchange between BetaFunk and Flyfisher:
Twas me who brought up classical music, and twas only for bringing in an idea about that it all depends on what kind of music one talks about.

Orchestras, ensembles and individual classical artists do indeed exist who'll only play music by one composer, but I'd think they can hardly be compared to tribute bands in the pop/rock vain, because it's customary in the classical world not to try and sound exactly like a perceived period-correct performance of the work, but to try and interpret the work in a fashion deemed valid for a modern audience: "a new look at old music".

There's a funny bit here though that makes it more complicated, as the last 50 years have seen a growing interest in "authentic" interpretations, if you forgive the contradictio-in-terminis that this seems to be. Some of them would mainly perform works of one composer only.
A good example would be Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra playing mainly Bach.

These orchestras and ensembles would be closest to a tribute band, I reckon.

Much could be said about it, but I've deleted the even more verbose stuff before hitting "Post".

[BassTractor]

[quote name='Diablo' timestamp='1400881007' post='2457957']
I think cover bands probably started many centuries ago when someone would piano a Bach or other such dusty type composer in an ale house or at a private ball event.
[/quote]

Aye. It's said that one always played the music of one's time until that dusty ole Mendelssohn studied some dusty notebooks with Bach music in them, and decided to perform it, something which became an avalanche that has not stopped yet.

[BetaFunk]

I went to see an orchestra play music by Haydn recently. None of musicians wore frock coats, buckle shoes or powdered wigs tied at the back of the neck with a ribbon. If they had then maybe they could have been a tribute band. They didn't so maybe they were a just covers orchestra.

[BassTractor]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1400882416' post='2457973']
I went to see an orchestra play music by Haydn recently. None of musicians wore frock coats, buckle shoes or powdered wigs tied at the back of the neck with a ribbon. If they had then maybe they could have been a tribute band. They didn't so maybe they were a just covers orchestra.
[/quote]

Aye. That's why I wrote:

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1400321307' post='2452854']
I've been to a lot of Bach and Strawinsky tribute shows. Music was always good, but they tend to dress poorly, really looking nothing like the originals. I think I'm done with this now.
[/quote]

... but truth be told, some orchestras do not only use period instruments and play them in perceived period-correct ways, but will also dress in olde period-correct clothing as well as perform in buildings from that time, especially when they're making a tv programme.

Not that I condone it.
Most of the time it gets to be slightly too half-arsed, and even tacky. Just look at their digital watches and their modern sets of glasses if you can't be arsed to have a stern look at heir facial expressions.

[Bassman Sam]

I've played in 2 tribute bands, a Wishbone Ash clone in the '70's and a Status Quo one in the '90's. I've made friends with Martin Turner, all of the Quo and gigged with John Coghlan as part of Coghlan's Quo. With the Quo tribute band, I've played in front of 3000 people who dug it and I travelled with the band all over the UK and Ireland. Loved every minute of it.

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1400882973' post='2457977']
Most of the time it gets to be slightly too half-arsed, and even tacky. Just look at their digital watches and their modern sets of glasses if you can't be arsed to have a stern look at heir facial expressions.
[/quote]
I'm looking forward to the day when at the next concert i attend of works by say Stockhausen, Xenakis or Penderecki the orchestra will be togged out in period bri-nylon shirts, terylene trousers and slip-on shoes. Mind you the audience might not noticed all the crackling of all that static during the Stockhausen pieces.

[BassTractor]

... or the Xenakis!

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1400885932' post='2458000']

... or the Xenakis!
[/quote]

[casapete]

[url="http://www.gigwise.com/news/91167/roger-taylor-ive-formed-my-own-queen-tribute-band"]http://www.gigwise.com/news/91167/roger-taylor-ive-formed-my-own-queen-tribute-band[/url]

[lonestar]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1400880151' post='2457947']
What was the first 'tribute' band, paying 'tribute' to a previously successful group..? The concept didn't exist, or if it did, I don't remember it, back in the '60s and '70s. Was it simply with the decline of the 'super-group' that this ball started rolling..? Who were the first to have tribute paid to them in this way..? Hmm...
[/quote]

I think the Australians started it with Bjorn again and the pink floyd one whose name escapes me.
I remember seeing ads for a ZZ to tribute act when i was living in Darwin late 1980's and that's my first awareness of such a thing.
There were quite a lot of tribute bands in the Antipodes. I guess 12000 miles is a long way to go and play for a country with small population with big spaces between cities, making it a costly business.

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='lonestar' timestamp='1400924155' post='2458168']


I think the Australians started it with ... the pink floyd one whose name escapes me.

[/quote]
Imaginatively named "The Australian Pink Floyd'

Edited May 24, 2014 by Roland Rock

[lonestar]

Thats the one

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='lonestar' timestamp='1400924155' post='2458168']
I think the Australians started it with Bjorn again and the pink floyd one whose name escapes me.
[/quote]
The Bootleg Beatles were going for many years before either of those started. Nearly a decade before if i'm not mistaken.

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='Diablo' timestamp='1400860267' post='2457697']
To raise the point, there are plenty of covers that are far better than the original ever was. CCR do my favourite version of "Heard It Through The Grapevine", much better than the Smokey Robinson one.
[/quote]
My pop covers band does [i]Grapevine[/i], and we have pretty much followed CCR's version as (1) it's cool, and (2) it works better for our guitar/bass/drums format.

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 19, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Dingus]

What about a Milli Vanilli tribute act, or Boney M?

Would it be wrong to mime to songs that were mimed by the original acts that were supposed to have performed them , but in fact didn't? You would in fact be being more authentic by performing to a backing track created by someone else.

[KevB]

Another reasonably early Aussie trib was the Australian Doors, extremely precise in tracking down the correct vintage instruments and general attention to detail. Well worth seeing at the time, must have been the 90's?

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1400877403' post='2457903']
I'm sure that the experts on here will tell me different but there can't be many (if any) symphony orchestras that perform music by just one composer (the original thread was about tribute bands).
[/quote]

True that the big ones have varied programmes. But there are plenty of performing ensembles that specialise in different periods or genres - Early Music, Baroque, Choral, etc.

It is the same when one drills down to specific composers. For example, The London Mozart Players have been around since the fifties.

And certain performers become known for their affinity for certain tunesmiths. While known for his interpretations of many different composers, Alfred Brendel has recorded the complete Beethoven Piano sonatas no less than three times in his career.

The thing about interpreting classical composers (particularly the better-known and more popular) is that the performer is expected to bring a highly personal component to the exercise of reading off a pad. Their success - or otherwise - is judged upon their 'faithful' rendition of the piece in an [i]individualistic[/i] way.

This was brought home to me the other night when on Classic FM I heard an orchestra (I forget which) deliver the overture to Figaro as if they had been liberally dosed with amphetamines. Jesus, I thought, they're fairly rattling through that.

Edited May 24, 2014 by skankdelvar

[Raymondo]

I once mimed keyboards in an act for two and a half years......the agents knew and anyone who asked was told .In all that time only one person asked me if I was miming,most of the time I didn't even bother plugging the keyboard in!

We supported an ABBA tribute once,we were on £200 they were on £1500.....all their band mimed,the Keyboard player had a rack of three keyboards on stage but just "vamped" on the bottom one all night!

It's not something I am particularly "proud "of but people loved what we did...the singer is now a professional singer songwriter and we made a bit of money so no harm done.....oh....I did play my bass on some of the songs!!

Edited May 24, 2014 by Raymondo

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1400930606' post='2458252']
The Bootleg Beatles were going for many years before either of those started. Nearly a decade before if i'm not mistaken.
[/quote]

And the Rutles before them, although they were a parody more than a tribute, and have now had their own tribute band!

[oggiesnr]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1400949019' post='2458485']

And certain performers become known for their affinity for certain tunesmiths. While known for his interpretations of many different composers, Alfred Brendel has recorded the complete Beethoven Piano sonatas no less than three times in his career.

[/quote]

... and they're fascinating to listen to as you can hear him changing the way he played them as he grew older and more experienced. Which is also fascinating with some live bands who've been around for a while.

Mind you I feel that there are some bands (The Who for example) who are really covers bands replaying their early hits. Last time I saw The Who they were trying to sell their latest CD and the crowd had zero interest in any of their new music.

Personally I prefer a good covers band who stamp a bit of their own personality on the music but them I'm really a folkie so most of what I play is "covers" anyway. For a fun night out I would usually avoid original bands (and singers) like the plague unless I knew something about them. The number of identikit SGWAGs I've seen over the years is far too many, Dylan and Cohen have a lot to answer for!

Steve

[basskit_case]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1400948903' post='2458483']
Another reasonably early Aussie trib was the Australian Doors, extremely precise in tracking down the correct vintage instruments and general attention to detail. Well worth seeing at the time, must have been the 90's?
[/quote]

Yes, definitely back in the mid 90's, really authentic from what I remember, I saw them at the UEA.