Numbers you hate playing

[Gasman]

Everyone’s musical tastes are different but as a bass player I find that there are a few numbers that although I might not mind listening to them on the radio, I absolutely hate playing. Why? Well, let’s take an example - Sweet Home Alabama. It’s not difficult (three chords and a little rinky dink about the governor) but it’s like that mythical country rock star, Loudon Boring. Utterly tedious. Goes on forever. Nothing the bass player can do to liven it up without potentially upsetting the guitarist’s extended twangy solos. Grit the teeth for a seven minute excursion to Tedium-on-Sea.

 

So what’s  your set list poison?

[Downunderwonder]

Your guitar player isn't playing SHA right. The bass bops along with many intricacies that only go with the corresponding rhythm guitar work.

[Woodinblack]

Knocking on heavens door or Cocaine. Both terminially dull songs to play (and listen to) that I have managed to remove from set lists.

I wouldn't really call sweet home particularly dull, there is quite a lot you can do on it. 

[BigRedX]

Since the vast majority of songs I've played since I started my first band almost 50 years ago have been ones that I have written, or at least had a hand in writing, I have never had this problem.

[Franticsmurf]

I don't think there's anything that I like listening to that I don't like playing. I became jaded with 'Comfortably Numb' (which I used to sing as well) and that's still one of my favourite Pink Floyd tracks but I haven't done that one for a while so I'd come to it refreshed, I think.

 

From my days in a duo it was always the songs that we had to play as they were temporarily popular - 'Hey Baby', 'Alice' and 'Achey Breaky Heart' spring to mind. My heart sank when they appeared on the set list. In the bands I play with now, it's the likes of 'Bad Moon Rising', most of the slow Eagles songs, 'Help Me Rhonda' and 'Then I Kissed Her'. I'll give almost anything a go and with the aforementioned songs, if they're in the set for good reason then I'll play them. But I don't have to like it! 😃 

 

 

[Newfoundfreedom]

I think the one of the biggest contributing factors to leaving my previous band was having to play Rockin' in the Free World. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Newfoundfreedom

[Franticsmurf]

I've never left a band over specific songs, but I did leave one because the set list hadn't changed for several years and wasn't likely to. 😃

[bassbiscuits]

Personally, anything by Oasis. I have an unnatural dislike of them; having missed them in their heyday, my only connection with Oasis songs is them being lowest common denominator pub rock anthems for drunk people. 
 

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by bassbiscuits
Edited for typo

[Marky L]

I will NEVER EVER play Mustang Sally again.

 

Purple Rain is now on my swerve list. We used to do it live and I'm utterly bored of it and it was never in the right place in the set either.

 

Plodding rock songs make me shudder too.

[NikNik]

Long ago, but it was either Bob Dylan's 'Rolling Stone' or Janis Joplin's 'Me and Bobby McGee'.

 

Grim.

[Lozz196]

I always hated playing Born to be Wild yet audiences loved it.

[Old Horse Murphy]

18 minutes ago, Marky L said:

I will NEVER EVER play Mustang Sally again.

 

Purple Rain is now on my swerve list. We used to do it live and I'm utterly bored of it and it was never in the right place in the set either.

 

Plodding rock songs make me shudder too.

Amen Brother from another Mother. 
 

I'd definitely add Knockin On Heaven's Door to my list of "only if you pay me danger money" songs. 

[Mykesbass]

Summer of 69 - what an awful song. 

[Woodinblack]

23 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

Personally, anything by Oasis.

 

I have a ban on that for the group that I am in anyway, so it doesnt' really feature.

 

THere are some songs on the set list that I don't actually like as songs, but don't mind playing that much. And I guess some that I don't mind as songs because I enjoyed playing them.

[Barking Spiders]

I've left many bands entirely due to dull and predictable set lists, drawn up to appeal to the lowest common denominator to whit several tunes mentioned - Cocaine, SHA, Rockin in The Free World, anything by Oasis, Mustang Sally plus Valerie, Brown Eyed Girl, Living on A Prayer, Sex on Fire, Mr Brightside, Caroline, Sweet Caroline and Alright Now. If I never hear any of these again it'll be too soon.

[Rich]

I had to play Dance The Night Away by the Mavericks for a dep gig once. Worse still, I had to sing lead vocal on it too which meant I had to play it more than once in order to practice it.

5 notes....

E  Ab  B  Ab   B  Eb  F#  Eb

E  Ab  B  Ab   B  Eb  F#  Eb

E  Ab  B  Ab   B  Eb  F#  Eb

E  Ab  B  Ab   B  Eb  F#  Eb

over and over and over and over...

 

I still wake up screaming. 

 

EDIT: I've just looked out my notes, and at the top of my lyric crib sheet I've written "E Ab B Ab B Eb F# Eb repeated ad nauseum".

Edited March 29, 2023 by Rich

[Roger Phillips]

Well I don't actually play, just used to jam locally. Every time the Mustang Sally riff started I always wanted to rush to the stage and sing the Stones 'Down Home Girl'. Whenever a Thin Lizzy song was announced, bet ya bottom dollar it's The Boys Are Back in Town; for a two-guitar band why not Emerald. And don't get me started on Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird.

Scenic in the Mist, aka Roger

[Downunderwonder]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

Cocaine

Most people don't have the nerve to play the bass on the beat all on their lonesome against the syncopation but it makes the tune.

[Crusoe]

In the very brief time that I played in a band, I hated playing Zombie by The Cranberries. It was just plod along and tedious.

[Boodang]

Normally I play jazz gigs but a friend asked me to dep in their covers band for a bit. The songs I hate playing the most is anything with vocals..... and the covers has become a permanent gig!

I don't mind tho because A. They're all mates and it's a good laugh, and B. I'm slowing infiltrating their set with some funky instrumentals.

[NancyJohnson]

Not a cover, but my old band had this thing called Strip.  God I hated it.  Singer was deeply enamoured with the guitarist, guitarist could literally drop wind in a jam jar, say it was a new song and the singer would love it.  Guitarist literally threw the song together while he was tuning up before the drummer and singer turned up to rehearsal.

 

Strip was just awful, kind of a Guildford and Woking Alliance League Division Four homage to Ace of Spades, based around a two chord sequence that dropped a tone and went back up a tone, guitarist just hitting open strings and screaming Strip into the mic at random intervals.  We played some sh*thole once, I forget where.  About 15 people in and the singer decided we should do it as the opener or second song.  I remember seeing a small group of punters watching and one of them shook his head, mouthed 'Nah mate, this is sh*t,' to one of his mates and they just walked out.

 

Happy days.

 

*An addendum here, a day or so after the original post.  I've not really listened to the band since I left but @Wolverinebasshas.  I believe he described their final recordings as sounding like scrap metal being thrown down a stairwell.  Probably got out at the right time.

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by NancyJohnson

[BassAdder60]

16 minutes ago, Crusoe said:

In the very brief time that I played in a band, I hated playing Zombie by The Cranberries. It was just plod along and tedious.

I actually really like playing Zombie especially with a pick.

Simple but a song that always goes down well if you have a good female vocalist ( which we have thankfully)

[lowdown]

54 minutes ago, Rich said:

I had to play Dance The Night Away by the Mavericks for a dep gig once. Worse still, I had to sing lead vocal on it too which meant I had to play it more than once in order to practice it.

5 notes....

E  Ab  B  Ab   B  Eb  F#  Eb

E  Ab  B  Ab   B  Eb  F#  Eb

E  Ab  B  Ab   B  Eb  F#  Eb

E  Ab  B  Ab   B  Eb  F#  Eb

over and over and over and over...

 

I still wake up screaming. 

 

EDIT: I've just looked out my notes, and at the top of my lyric crib sheet I've written "E Ab B Ab B Eb F# Eb repeated ad nauseum".

 

I think I would wake up screaming if I had seen the notes Ab and Eb written in a tune that was in the key of 'E'....*

 

😁

 

[ead]

Nobody has mentioned All Right Now yet, amazing.

 

I left my last covers band because a goodly number of tunes already listed (and ARN) were on the set list.  Mostly in a decent originals band but I do play in a covers band occasionally with a female singer so doing more interesting tunes now.

 

Also fair to say that one man's meat is another man's poison.  We will never all like the same things, which is good.

Edited March 29, 2023 by ead

[Bassfinger]

I'll play anything and if it's fun to play will enjoy it regardless of whether it's my type of music. Thrashing away at I Predict A Riot or Buddy Holly are great fun to play just for the fun of it regardless of any technical merit or taste.

 

But some stuff is so easy, or just such a dirge, it's almost painful to play. Titanium and Pompeii wpu,d be high on thwt list, but so many people paying good money to hire us ask for them I have to grit my teeth for the greater good.

 

Thankfully I do the mandolin as well, which gives me something else of Interest to play and a chance to dodge playing some dull bass lines.