stewblack Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 BL has come back from her holidays got stoned listening to some godawful new soul track and decided it's what the punters down the Dog and Trumpet want for their knees up at the weekend. No problem, I'll learn whatever I'm told to, but don't see this one lasting. She has also asked us to learn Grapevine so lovely bit of Jamerson to get my teeth into and handy to have in my repertoire. However the third track we will be throwing out there unrehearsed is Mustang Sally. As I sat learning the bassline I couldn't help but wonder - am I the only person on this forum never to have played Mustang Sally? Am I in fact the only bass player in the world who had to sit down and learn it? What about you? Are you the only person alive who has never played Superstition? Not been asked to learn Play That Funky Music? Mr Brightside entirely unknown to you? Not had the pleasure of a quick Brown Eyed Girl? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickJ Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Never played Mustang Sally, always hated that song though I do keep meaning to listen to it again actually listen to the bass line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mep Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 We do the CCR version of Grapevine. I've played Mustang Sally many times years ago and just played what something that felt and sounded right. Had some fun with it as it's what the punters want but not in my current bands set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 I don’t mind Mustang Sally. Ive sung it too. Great fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Never 'learned' Mustang Sally. First time I gigged it was the first time I ever played it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Grapevine. One of the legendary opening riffs that still make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Call it a cliche but its still a classic. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicbassman Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Sounded out for a potential dep gig, and I was pleased that I knew a lot of the band's material (covers). Then asked if I knew 'Can't feel My Face' by the Weeknd. Had to confess I'd never heard of it. BL seemed more than a little surprised at this. Later, a quick search on YouTube and I'm embarrassed to find it has over ONE BILLION views. So obviously I'm becoming an old git. 😨 Still, bass line on this is fun, so should be a good one to run through. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Grapevine, nope. Mustang Sally, nope. Superstition, nope. Play that funky music, nope. Mr. Brightside, nope. Brown Eyed Girl, nope. I've always been in bands that will choose a setlist from the other few thousand big hits that are popular rather than the fifty that 90% of other bands play. The Slits did a good version of Grapevine. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Smoke on the water, best left to DP, just no for me, period, no! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 I've never played the One and Only. does that count? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted November 20, 2019 Author Share Posted November 20, 2019 51 minutes ago, musicbassman said: Sounded out for a potential dep gig, and I was pleased that I knew a lot of the band's material (covers). Then asked if I knew 'Can't feel My Face' by the Weeknd. Had to confess I'd never heard of it. BL seemed more than a little surprised at this. Later, a quick search on YouTube and I'm embarrassed to find it has over ONE BILLION views. So obviously I'm becoming an old git. 😨 Still, bass line on this is fun, so should be a good one to run through. 🙂 until I joined a couple of function /pub covers bands, I had literally never heard nor heard of Mr Brightside nor Sex On Fire. Oh an that Weeknd one, yeah learned that a month back, fun to play but knew not of its existence until I was asked to learn it. I understand bands not wanting to do what everyone else does but the great unwashed know what they like and like what they know. Now I'm trying to make my corn from music it's what the majority of the audience wants not what I want, that's all that matters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Stew, I have played all those songs. Many times. I like them all. They are well crafted pieces of music, and better still they are songs that audiences like. I played some Jessie J, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars for the very first time awhile back. Never thought I'd be asked to play anything like that. What great songs and a blast to play. IMO you've got the right approach. Songs are only as good as we play them. So if they are crap, we're not playing them well enough. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted November 21, 2019 Author Share Posted November 21, 2019 4 minutes ago, chris_b said: Stew, I have played all those songs. Many times. I like them all. They are well crafted pieces of music, and better still they are songs that audiences like. I played some Jessie J, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars for the very first time awhile back. Never thought I'd be asked to play anything like that. What great songs and a blast to play. IMO you've got the right approach. Songs are only as good as we play them. So if they are crap, we're not playing them well enough. Spot on. The Bruno Mars songs are great fun to play. Losing my musical snobbery was such a gift. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 I have never played a cover 😕 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 No you're not alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassfinger Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 No, never played Superstition. Rock covers, and if the punters at the Goat and Vasectomy don't like it they can bog off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 10 hours ago, stewblack said: BL has come back from her holidays got stoned listening to some godawful new soul track and decided it's what the punters down the Dog and Trumpet want for their knees up at the weekend. No problem, I'll learn whatever I'm told to, but don't see this one lasting. She has also asked us to learn Grapevine so lovely bit of Jamerson to get my teeth into and handy to have in my repertoire. However the third track we will be throwing out there unrehearsed is Mustang Sally. As I sat learning the bassline I couldn't help but wonder - am I the only person on this forum never to have played Mustang Sally? Am I in fact the only bass player in the world who had to sit down and learn it? What about you? Are you the only person alive who has never played Superstition? Not been asked to learn Play That Funky Music? Mr Brightside entirely unknown to you? Not had the pleasure of a quick Brown Eyed Girl? I've never played or learned any of the above. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 11 hours ago, stewblack said: She has also asked us to learn Grapevine so lovely bit of Jamerson to get my teeth into and handy to have in my repertoire. However the third track we will be throwing out there unrehearsed is Mustang Sally. As I sat learning the bassline I couldn't help but wonder - am I the only person on this forum never to have played Mustang Sally? Am I in fact the only bass player in the world who had to sit down and learn it? What about you? Are you the only person alive who has never played Superstition? Not been asked to learn Play That Funky Music? Mr Brightside entirely unknown to you? Not had the pleasure of a quick Brown Eyed Girl? My main group played mustang sally, and this is the first time that I have played it. We normally open with it. We removed it once as we were sort of fed up with it but got complaints and brought it back. I don't actually mind it. Superstition I played in the last group and in my alternate group, along with funky music in both. We are suposed to be learning brightside but it sounds bad (not just the song, the way we do it). However, what is wrong with brown eyed girl - we do it (like this) and everyone loves it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 I've never played any of the songs mentioned, and have only ever covered a song if we can put an interesting spin on it... Currently our only cover is "Don't Dictate" by Penetration, which we've done as a sort of mash-up with "Word Up" by Cameo. And I'm currently working on a version of "Nice and Sleazy" which (mostly) keeps the iconic riff, but it's faster and has a slap-punk-funk chromatic verse at double speed. Which might be nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbandit599 Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 (edited) Always played in covers bands but have dodged all of those mentioned - I've played Grapevine and Superstition at home just because they were fun to play. Brightside sets my teeth on edge - it's the lyrics - horrible, whiny, needy boy no wonder she dumped you!😂 Edited November 21, 2019 by redbandit599 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petebassist Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Don't Dictate by Penetration - christ that's a blast from the past, and a great bass line. Was brought up a couple of miles from Ferryhill, their home town, so I always thought there was something mythical about them. I confess to playing Moondance a few times, and Fever, though on the jazz circuit we get to call them 'standards' rather than covers 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted November 21, 2019 Author Share Posted November 21, 2019 Function band I dep for also do that version of Brown Eyed Girl. Great fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 10 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said: When you get the right group around you, it’s worth it’s weight in gold. I believe that is the key to most things. I'd rather be part of a band that plays a song I don't like well rather than one I love badly. Of course nothing beats playing songs I love really well, which is the current situation with my blues rock trio. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigyin Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 played all of them at some point apart from Mr.Brightside don't think I've even heard it lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blink Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 We play Mustang Sally late on in the second set but only if we can get some ladies up on stage to sing the BV's. This usually works very well. Occasionally we get some really good singers! Superstition is a great dance track played at the right speed (not too fast). We morph into Rappers Delight, Good Times, Another one Bites the Dust etc. before bringing it back for the 3rd verse. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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