What do you think of this setlist?

[Phil Starr]

It's a great set list for me. It says straight away that this is a band who want to entertain an audience and gig a lot. Sure it's a bit cheesy and not what I'd listen to at home but the audience will love it and also love you if you play it with conviction.

 

For me they aren't Dakota's they are Mustang Sally's and every covers band has a few of these in the set if they have the sense they were born with. Solid reliable songs that most audiences want you to play, floor fillers but also songs that cost you nothing to learn.  It's like the posh restaurant that won't put salt on the table as the chef knows better than you, why be in hospitality if you don't like being hospitable. 

 

Personally something I try and avoid is being in a band with people who think a particular song is beneath them. It's usually because their part isn't up to their own selfish needs, no high C for the singer to show off their range, no guitar solo for the guitarist, straight 8's for the bassist and so on. You are in a band, being paid to entertain an audience who want to have fun. I've happily gigged We Will Rock You (no bass) and Seven Nation Army (even I'm bored with that, but the audience think it's my favourite song) Being in a general covers band isn't about you the musician it's about delivering pleasure, being in the centre of a big happy room.

 

Of course there are other approaches, you can go down the tribute band or genre band routes or have a bit of identity, nothing wrong with a blues/classic rock/ska/soul/reggae band either. 

 

Dakota has great lyrics by the way and Tommy Cogbill's  bass on Mustang Sally is a joy to play as is his line on Sweet Caroline. There's nothing as powerful as cheap perfume and cheap music.

[cetera]

11 hours ago, Belka said:

The Doobie Brothers and Stevie Wonder have such rich back catalogues and yet these are the only songs of theirs people choose to play. I suppose to be fair it's difficult to find a vocalist who can do anything with Michael McDonald on it any kind of justice. 

Long Train Running was sung by Tom Johnston in 1973, not Michael McDonald - who didn't join the Doobies until 1976.

[Mickyk]

1 hour ago, cetera said:

Long Train Running was sung by Tom Johnston in 1973, not Michael McDonald - who didn't join the Doobies until 1976.

And even then at that point he was Singing and playing Piano with Steely Dan 76 /77

[BassBunny]

We have some "done to death" numbers in our setlist but not the original versions and they go down really well because they are a bit different. It's a 10 piece Soul Band with three vocalists and obviously we don't fit in the Dog and Duck but they work at Weddings, Corporate, Festivals.

 

Seven Nation Army - Ben L'Oncle Soul

Mercy - The Third Degree

Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Baby Charles

Edited August 9, 2023 by BassBunny

[asingardenof]

3 minutes ago, BassBunny said:

We have some "done to death" numbers in our setlist but not the original versions and they go down really well because they are a bit different. It's a 10 piece Soul Band with three vocalists and obviously we don't fit in the Dog and Duck but they work at Weddings, Corporate, Festivals.

 

Seven Nation Army - Ben L'Oncle Soul

Mercy - The Third Degree

Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Baby James

Baby Charles, n'est-ce pas?

[BassBunny]

41 minutes ago, asingardenof said:

Baby Charles, n'est-ce pas?

Correct. What was I thinking.

[Belka]

11 hours ago, cetera said:

Long Train Running was sung by Tom Johnston in 1973, not Michael McDonald - who didn't join the Doobies until 1976.

I know - only a fool would believe Michael McDonald was on Slow Train Runnin 😉 I was trying to make the point that it would be a brave singer who attempts coverts to McDonald era Doobies.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Belka

[solo4652]

Anybody else covering Levitating? I like the bassline, but the Teletubbies style lyrics make me cringe. 

[neepheid]

On 09/08/2023 at 07:56, Phil Starr said:

I've happily gigged We Will Rock You (no bass)

 

We do the fast version (from Queen's BBC Session October 1977 Maida Vale) - even has a bass "solo" in it

 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by neepheid

[BassAdder60]

3 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

We do the fast version (from Queen's BBC Session October 1977 Maida Vale) - even has a bass "solo" in it

 

 

We do We will rock you leading into Tie Your Mother Down 👍🤟

[TimR]

@solo4652

 

Is this an established band you have joined and done 6 gigs with or is or a new band who have only done 6 gigs?

 

The setlist looks a bit cobbled together with little thought. More of a 'who knows this one?'. Either that or it's an established band that has failed to get rid of the really older stuff when choosing newer tunes. 

 

I'd be dropping the tunes @hiram.k.hackenbacker has highlighted in red as you pick new ones. 

 

I prefer to stick to a style rather than try to please everyone - and fail - by trying to cast the net too wide. Pick well known tunes you enjoy playing rather than tunes you just think will go down well, or tunes you have seen bands play and have gone down well. 

Edited August 10, 2023 by TimR

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, solo4652 said:

Anybody else covering Levitating? I like the bassline, but the Teletubbies style lyrics make me cringe. 

 

you could always play the original

 

 

[gt4ever]

For me, being in covers bands is always a bit of give and take, but the main purpose is to have fun and entertain, simples.

[Jo.gwillim]

I'd go along with the last post. Our covers band i think it's tight and well rehearsed and there's a lot of banter with each other and the audience. We go down well and get repeat bookings. The only thing we don't do is play stuff that's well known as covers band material or play stuff we don't like. I think if we weren't tight and fun it wouldn't work, but we are and it does!

[diskwave]

Well must say this has got me thinking about those sunny uplands we had in the pub scene back in the 70's.

But Im so long out of it now I no longer know what tunes go where and whats what anymore in the gigging scene.

 

So Mustang sally is still a crowd pleaser?  And do pubs still have bands? I would have thght young people would rather just play with their phones rather than listen to half of that list. And do middle aged peeps like me still go to pubs to listen to music? I await to be educated. 

[Woodinblack]

People still seem to like mustang sally, pubs still have bands, and young people like to see the bands while filming each other with their phones. Middle aged and older (ie, people who remember a pub scene in the 70s!)  still go to pubs.

[Leonard Smalls]

To be honest I don't go to pubs that have bands very often, simply because they usually play The Same Old Songs!

I'd be far more into it if the covers were more interesting, but that by definition would make it less crowd pleasing... 

However, I'd be very happy if a covers band started with a Spizz Energi medlay (Red and black, SoldierSoldier,Captain Kirk), then something like He's Frank by the Monochrome Set followed by Something Better Change, Bowie's DJ and Boys, Funkadelic's Who says a rock band, and then Pumpme up by Trouble Funk. I'd be amazed too!

[Downunderwonder]

16 hours ago, greavesbass said:

Well must say this has got me thinking about those sunny uplands we had in the pub scene back in the 70's.

But Im so long out of it now I no longer know what tunes go where and whats what anymore in the gigging scene.

 

So Mustang sally is still a crowd pleaser?  And do pubs still have bands? I would have thght young people would rather just play with their phones rather than listen to half of that list. And do middle aged peeps like me still go to pubs to listen to music? I await to be educated. 

I went to the pub and a band of 30 somethings were playing a lot of tunes recorded before some of their parents were born to a crowd of 25 to 30 somethings, and me. The crowd knew the words better than me.

 

Everything old is new again.

[diskwave]

2 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Everything old is new again.

Probably more to to do with...'cream always rises to the top'  my guess. 

[TimR]

It just shows a general lack of imagination and/or laziness. 

 

It's easy to copy a song if you just stick to guitar/bass and drums songs. 

 

It's generally hard to get bands to even consider rearranging songs that have keyboards, synths, strings, choirs or brass to suit their lineup. 

[Dad3353]

52 minutes ago, TimR said:

It just shows a general lack of imagination and/or laziness...

 

... or competence. It's not given to everyone to be as musically gifted. Easy for those that do it; less so for many others. 

[G-Lo]

On 12/08/2023 at 11:30, Leonard Smalls said:

To be honest I don't go to pubs that have bands very often, simply because they usually play The Same Old Songs!

I'd be far more into it if the covers were more interesting, but that by definition would make it less crowd pleasing... 

However, I'd be very happy if a covers band started with a Spizz Energi medlay (Red and black, SoldierSoldier,Captain Kirk), then something like He's Frank by the Monochrome Set followed by Something Better Change, Bowie's DJ and Boys, Funkadelic's Who says a rock band, and then Pumpme up by Trouble Funk. I'd be amazed too!

Plymouth's Bus Station Loonies do a good Where's Captain Kirk along with a good GG Allin's No Rules. Alas, they are not a covers band