Bassfinger Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 (edited) Summer of '69. I hate it. Its treacly and horrible, and has all the musical merit of a doorbell. I feel like shouting "I was only one effing year old in the summer of '69." Yet the crowd love it. Edited May 27, 2022 by Bassfinger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris7273 Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Yellow Creep knockin on heaven’s door (guns) you really got me 7 nation army Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Sweet home Alabama... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 7 hours ago, chris_b said: But. . . . you have a huge choice. There are a massive number of hits and popular songs to choose from. You could play a different set for a week and not repeat a song. The real problem is lazy bands or band leaders. If they chose to play the same limited list of songs then boredom can set in. That was precisely my arguement in my last covers band. There are an uncountable number of songs in the world. It should be perfectly possible to string together a couple of dozen that everybody in the band likes, without being forced to play something that any member of the band can't stand. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 23 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said: There are an uncountable number of songs in the world. It should be perfectly possible to string together a couple of dozen that everybody in the band likes, without being forced to play something that any member of the band can't stand. Indeed - that is my take on it. you don't have to like everything you play, but there shouldn't be anything that someone in the band hates. OK, the crowd are always going to want wonderwall, but that is ok, there are a whole group of other cover bands doing that, and we are the only band doing timber, surfin usa and baker street in our area. There needs to be something different between you and the next cover band so that there is a reason to pick one band over another, and not just what level of massacring you do to sex on fire. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 17 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said: Rocking in the Free World was the reason I left my last covers band, or at least the straw that broke the camels back. I decided I would rather not play at all than play utter dross. I highly doubt I'll ever play in a covers band again. Lol! My brother resisted that song for ages, then eventually acceded because it is the drummer's favourite. They found a blast to play. When they did it at a big gig they managed to blow up the venue's PA 🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Just now, Stub Mandrel said: Lol! My brother resisted that song for ages, then eventually acceded because it is the drummer's favourite. They found a blast to play. When they did it at a big gig they managed to blow up the venue's PA 🤣 Probably for the best. 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 17 hours ago, Lozz196 said: In an old glam/rock covers band we did Born To Be Wild, I hated it but it always went down really well. Depends how you do it - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 I don't have an issue with playing songs people enjoy. Also I don't mind playing songs with boring basslines that let other band members have some fun. That said there are songs I don't enjoy, one is Feeling Good, because in one rehearsal I nailed a really fitting walking line for it, but I just can't repeat it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said: When they did it at a big gig they managed to blow up the venue's PA 🤣 I would certainly call that a bonus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 5 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: That said there are songs I don't enjoy, one is Feeling Good, because in one rehearsal I nailed a really fitting walking line for it, but I just can't repeat it. I record all the practices in case I need to remember something that happened! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SumOne Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 I'd need to draw a line at Robbie Williams 'Angels'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Thing is, people know what they like and they like what they know. As entertainers we've got to do what the punters want. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 7 minutes ago, paul_5 said: ...As entertainers we've got to do what the punters want. I'm not sure that I agree entirely with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownote Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 On 26/05/2022 at 13:31, Nail Soup said: In my now defunct punk / new wave covers band we said we wouldn't do Teenage Kicks, Pretty Vacant etc as they are too obvious. But we did end up doing them and of course they went down well with the crowd. We do Teenage Kicks which is a farce because we're between 67 and 78 years old. But we do it because apart from Honky Tonk Women it gets the best welcome from the crowd. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 3 minutes ago, paul_5 said: Thing is, people know what they like and they like what they know. As entertainers we've got to do what the punters want. To some extent! Some punters will only ever like what they know, they're usually the sort of punters who don't really like music and wouldn't go to a specific music venue. Last thing they'd want is new music they've never heard before - what they want is a nice easy sing a long and plenty beer. That's fair enough! However, I wouldn't go to the sort of place where everybody stands next to each other, shouting in their mates' faces, due to being an equal opportunities misanthrope. Dedicated music venue with new bands? Yes. Big packed boozer with covers bands, and large screens showing football at all other times? No. That's why I play in a shouty punkfunk band - last thing we want is an audience! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 I am no fan of playing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" as I think it's a terrible song which doesn't go anywhere or do anything but I just get on with it. People at our gigs like it, know it, sing and dance along to it. I just have to take some satisfaction from that, because the song gives me nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 6 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: I don't have an issue with playing songs people enjoy. Also I don't mind playing songs with boring basslines that let other band members have some fun. Pretty much where I'm at. Some covers we do I'm really not fussed about but the band are there to entertain so it sort of goes with the territory. Thankfully I also play in an originals band so have the ying and yang thing to balance it all out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 1 hour ago, Woodinblack said: I record all the practices in case I need to remember something that happened! Most bands I've been in do that. Usually the ambient sound is so bad I can't bear to listen... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 54 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said: Most bands I've been in do that. Usually the ambient sound is so bad I can't bear to listen... The sound isn't great, but it is enough to help with what it is I want to know. Normally it is something I did wrong, I remember there was something but can't remember what it was! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 3 hours ago, paul_5 said: Thing is, people know what they like and they like what they know. As entertainers we've got to do what the punters want. I'd go as far to say that I absolutely disagree with this on a fundamental level. If this was the case, we'd all still be playing classical. As musicians, we should follow our passions and instincts and create. People following what we do comes later, or doesn't at all. Either way, creativity is king. Rehashing what people already know is absolutely pointless in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said: I'd go as far to say that I absolutely disagree with this on a fundamental level. If this was the case, we'd all still be playing classical. As musicians, we should follow our passions and instincts and create. People following what we do comes later, or doesn't at all. Either way, creativity is king. Rehashing what people already know is absolutely pointless in my opinion. Pays better though. Apart from the miniscule number of people who "make it" in original music, there's FA money in it. That's why I do both originals and covers. It's also easier in the gratification department. Instant enthused people, just play songs they like and already know. Originals, you've got to build up a following, and even then you get a bunch (if you're lucky) of people watching and chin stroking rather than dancing. It's a harder sell than ever in today's world of reduced attention span. Edited May 27, 2022 by neepheid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 (edited) I was in a really fun band that managed to avoid almost all of the usual stuff for a cover band. We played a lot of 90s dance music and some garage and found that the audiences knew it all (it was the kind of stuff you’d hear on Heart a lot) and found it refreshing. I was listening to rock and grunge in the 90s, so it all passed me by and I was hesitant at first but it was so much fun to play. Sadly that band folded and ever since I have struggled to get away from the usual dirge like Mustang Sally, Get Lucky, sex on fire, Dakota etc. I know people love those tunes especially after a few beverages, but I have just got to a point where I would rather not play than have to play those songs at low paid gigs. I have two kids and time is precious. Edited May 27, 2022 by NJE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chienmortbb Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 6 hours ago, lownote said: We do Teenage Kicks which is a farce because we're between 67 and 78 years old. But we do it because apart from Honky Tonk Women it gets the best welcome from the crowd. Snap, usually song 1 set 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chienmortbb Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 13 hours ago, FinnDave said: Depends how you do it - Half decent but telecasters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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