Off The Beaten Track Covers That Go Down Well

[ColinB]

Build Me Up, Buttercup - The Foundations
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

[Raymondo]

We play Don't stop by Fleetwood Mac and My coo ca choo ,Alvin Stardust. They always get a good response.

We finish our night of (mostly) classic rock covers (the kind that appear in the "other thread") with a Monkey man/Lip up fatty mix that always has people dancing and generally larking about.

It's the only band I've played in that has covered these but I am willing to accept that they might not make the list as you guys have all probably played them before!

[Raymondo]

[quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1437561893' post='2827005']
Build Me Up, Buttercup - The Foundations
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
[/quote]

I am assuming that this is a wind up....in the nicest possible way ColinB....As I had to play these virtually every night of the week when I was earning a living in Tenerife.

I hated them both but they did make the tourists happy!

Edited July 22, 2015 by Raymondo

[doctorbass]

We do the theme from Get Carter

[51m0n]

Nice one! |Roy Budd is criminally underated, The Marseille COntract theme is awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ute99FPI-s8

[tauzero]

[quote name='Raymondo' timestamp='1437562377' post='2827012']
I am assuming that this is a wind up....in the nicest possible way ColinB....As I had to play these virtually every night of the week when I was earning a living in Tenerife.

I hated them both but they did make the tourists happy!
[/quote]

Context is all. Build me up, Buttercup and Sweet Caroline are songs that have taken up residence in social clubs, not in many pub band sets. Don't think I'd want to do Buttercup in a pub but Sweet Caroline would be worth a shot.

[Raymondo]

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1437573689' post='2827181']
Context is all. Build me up, Buttercup and Sweet Caroline are songs that have taken up residence in social clubs, not in many pub band sets. Don't think I'd want to do Buttercup in a pub but Sweet Caroline would be worth a shot.
[/quote]

That's interesting and very true. I suppose the tourist bars in Tenerife do have a more "social club" type customer base.

I've played more than my fair share of those places in my time

They are both staples in Karaoke bars too......yes I have been a Karaoke compare in the past....gotta earn a living some how

[gary mac]

[quote name='Raymondo' timestamp='1437562377' post='2827012']

I hated them both but they did make the tourists happy!
[/quote]

For the record Ray, they didn't make this tourist happy










But quite a few of the other numbers did.

[paul h]

For me it's not about the "off the beaten track" songs but the massive hits and very popular songs of the last 35 years which are totally ignored.

I can't think of any right now. I'm stoned on painkillers.

[allighatt0r]

Maybe it's worth trawling through these lists then.... :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_Singles_Chart_number_ones_of_the_1970s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_Singles_Chart_number_ones_of_the_1980s

[pjb13.bass]

I rehearsed this morning for a gig we are doing Sunday. It's a duo that isn't really going any more as such but just has a few legacy gigs from a few venues. Amongst the songs we did were...

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You
Baby Now That I've Found You...Alison Krauss arrangement
One Love
They Don't Know About Us
Is She Really Going Out With Him
Wichita Lineman
Rikki Don't Lose That Number

None of these are unique to us of course but they are far from hackneyed and they all go down well. On the other hand we also did ...

Sultans Of Swing
Whiskey In The Jar
The Thrill Has Gone

...but as has been said many times on this thread many people like to hear familiar tunes.

[Raymondo]

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1437576662' post='2827220']
For the record Ray, they didn't make this tourist happy










But quite a few of the other numbers did.
[/quote]

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1437576853' post='2827225']
For me it's not about the "off the beaten track" songs but the massive hits and very popular songs of the last 35 years which are totally ignored.

I can't think of any right now. I'm stoned on painkillers.
[/quote]

Yes, even not on Tramadol, it wasn't the best thread title, just a response to the Groundhog thread. Been on Tramadol once - weird, very, very weird!!

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1437578178' post='2827241']
Maybe it's worth trawling through these lists then.... :

[url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_Singles_Chart_number_ones_of_the_1970s"]https://en.wikipedia...es_of_the_1970s[/url]

[url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_Singles_Chart_number_ones_of_the_1980s"]https://en.wikipedia...es_of_the_1980s[/url]
[/quote]

I did, and didn't find that much!

[paul h]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1437581076' post='2827280']


Yes, even not on Tramadol, it wasn't the best thread title, just a response to the Groundhog thread. Been on Tramadol once - weird, very, very weird!!
[/quote]

It's a perfectly fine thread title

[FinnDave]

[quote name='synthaside' timestamp='1437494456' post='2826536']
if the crowd is my age or younger ;-)

Sixpence none the richer version of , Don't dream its over , Crowded house
Stone sour , through the looking glass
Slide * Goo goo dolls , the more overlooked
Kyptonite - 3 doors down


For the wedding party staples ;-)

Moves like jagger , Maroon 5 ( great fun) [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqyXMXRyD5g"]https://www.youtube....h?v=EqyXMXRyD5g[/url] especially if your singer can strut.
Toxic - Juliet turner ( Brittney spears)
Everytime , Glen hansard and colm Maclomaire [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNKzdbEDlHI"]https://www.youtube....h?v=qNKzdbEDlHI[/url] ( we've filled it out a bit but you get the idea)

Raiding the early 90's bin

Roll to me last to know Del amitri
Get what you give New radicals
Real gone Kid Deacon Blue
SmashMouth All star .. complete with fake keyboard scratching sounds.

A shocker where the quiet bass player at the back give's his tbird to the keyboard player and sing's
because he cant get anywhere near the highs when he's playing.

Barenaked Ladies All been done before
[/quote]

I look at that list and realise I have never heard of any of the songs or bands named there. I feel old!

[mrtcat]

You Can Leave Your Hat On - goes down a storm but can lead to mass nudity in the wrong venue tho.

[bassbiscuits]

My band sometimes does the music from Barry Norman's Film 98 ( or any other year around that time ) which is called something like Oh For A Life of Dreams I think.

We talked about doing Sparks ' this town ain't big enough for both of us' but it never got further than that.

I do some occasional solo acoustic/vocal/harmonica gigs and chuck in anything I feel like, however off the wall it is.

Included in that has been Fleetwood Mac 'Big Love', Roachford 'Cuddly Toy' and Duran Duran's 'Ordinary World' which are all epic, seldom heard gems in my view...
There's also been some Charles Aznavour and They Might Be Giants in there, in the same gig...

Edited July 22, 2015 by bassbiscuits

[Cato]

The cover that most impressed me I saw done at a beer festival a few years back - a full on funk version of Bobby Gentry's Ode To Bille Joe complete with horns section.

Completely filled the dance floor even though I'm not sure how many people would have known the original.

I think it must have been the band's own arrangement because I've never been able to find a recording of the song being done that way.

[bassbiscuits]

[quote name='Cato' timestamp='1437600050' post='2827557']
The cover that most impressed me I saw done at a beer festival a few years back - a full on funk version of Bobby Gentry's Ode To Bille Joe complete with horns section.

Completely filled the dance floor even though I'm not sure how many people would have known the original.

I think it must have been the band's own arrangement because I've never been able to find a recording of the song being done that way.
[/quote]

That's a belting song too. Love to have heard that!

[TimR]

For me it's all about the arrangement and the attitude of the players.

Any tune can sound tired and hackneyed. Particularly if you've got a five piece playing Rolling Stones covers slavishly to the original.

We have a singer who seems to be too keen of saying "Well, we can do it like that, but it's not how they do it in the original." Fill a band full of musicians with that attitde and you'll get the audience you deserve.

[DaveFry]

[quote name='bassbiscuits' timestamp='1437599685' post='2827550']
My band sometimes does the music from Barry Norman's Film 98 ( or any other year around that time ) which is called something like Oh For A Life of Dreams I think.
[/quote]
Maybe you mean " I wish I knew how ( it would feel to be free ) " by Billy Taylor .
If so , then good call !

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brBtTluod_w[/media]

Also covered by Nina Simone , The Lighthouse Family and maybe others ;

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sEP0-8VAow[/media]

[Mykesbass]

OK, a couple of editorial decisions, and tried to keep it down to one or two per poster. Hopefully some food for thought for those that want to break away from Moondance, Sex on Fire or Alright Now!

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]1. Drift Away Dobie Gray[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]2. In A Broken Dream Thunder/Python Lee Jackson[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]3. You Make My Dreams Come True Hall & Oates[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]4. Squeezebox The Who [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]5. Philadelphia Freedom Elton John[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]6. Zoot Suit Riot Cherry Poppin' Daddies[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]7. Police & Thieves Junior Murvin [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]8. 6th Street Louisa Marks [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]9. Up Around The Bend CCR [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]10. Boys of Summer Ataris/Don Henley[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]11. Iris Goo Goo Dolls [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]12. Video Killed The Radio Star Buggles [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]13. Theme From Night Rider[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]14. Lady Eleanore Lindisfarne [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]15. How Come Ronnie Lane [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]16. Lovely Day Bill Withers[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]17. Burning Down The House Talking Heads[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]18. Mississippi Queen Mountain [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]19. Beds Are Burning Midnight Oil[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]20. Theme From Starsky & Hutch[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]21. I'll Be There For You Rembrandts[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]22. Friction Television[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]23. Time Pink Floyd[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]24. Don't Dream its Over Sixpence None the Richer/Crowded House[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]25. Fortunate Son Creedance Clearwater Revival[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]26. Live & Let Die Wings[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]27. Good Souls Starsailor[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]28. Middle of the Road Pretenders[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]29. All the Way From Memphis Mott the Hoople[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]30. Lately Stevie Wonder[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]31. Roxanne Police[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]32. What a Wonderful World Joey Ramone[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]33. Build Me Up Buttercup Foundations[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]34. My Coo Ca Choo Alvin Stardust[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]35. Don't Stop Fleetwood Mac[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]36. Get Carter Roy Budd[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]37. They Don't Know About Us Kirsty MacColl[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]38. Is She Really Going Out With Him? Joe Jackson[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]39. You Can Leave Your Hat On Joe Cocker[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]40. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free Dr Billy Taylor/Nina Simone/Film 1988-2012 (or similar)![/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]4[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]1. Ode to Billy Joe Bobby Gentry[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]42. Copperhead Road Steve Earle[/font][/color]

Edited July 23, 2015 by Mykesbass

[Paul S]

My band Illegal Tender has a lot of odd stuff included in the set list. The one that *never* fails to get people dancing/clapping etc is Steve Earle's 'Copperhead Road'. A country classic that I would think 99% of punters would have never heard before. Very strange.

[Graham]

We're going to try out Galway Girl by Steve Earle at the moment, if it goes down well it might be worth looking at Copperhead Road too