Your favourite stuff to play

[Blue_floyd20]

Not sure if this thread already exists but here goes. If you're in a covers band, what do you enjoy playing from a purely selfish bass-centric POV? I'm not a particularly high-level player, due to a finger injury I play with a pick which can hamper some stuff but there are some songs I really look forward to if they are in the set:

 

Neat Neat Neat - Literally the easiest thing to play but I get lost in this and it gives me the opportunity to crank everything up with some heavy distortion. Proper sweep your legs loud.

Don't stop me now - I play this a bit heavier and busier than John Deacon, It's a 3 piece and it fills some sections out

I Predict a Riot - Again, I've busied this up a little it's a fun one to play that crosses a couple of keys, I would never listen to the original but enjoy playing it, not sure if that's odd!

Down in the Tubestation at Midnight - some fun little licks in this and some backing vox to keep me interested

Timebomb (Rancid) - Cool Ska riff with some backing vox, good fun

 

[cetera]

At the moment.....

 

Duran Duran - Rio & Girls On Film
Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick

Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army & Accidents Will Happen

Squeeze - Another Nail In My Heart, Pulling Mussels From The Shell & Cool For Cats
 

[Lozz196]

At present I`m in a non-gigging classic rock band and my fave songs to play are Tarot Woman & Stargazer by Rainbow, Highway Star by Deep Purple, Fool For Your Lovin` by Whitesnake and Dazed & Confused by Led Zep. After years of playing solid/powerful root note punk I relish a bit of spider-finger riffery!

[Franticsmurf]

In the Hulla Band, I love playing the more funky songs although I'm not really a fan of funk music on record. Currently we're playing through 'Land of a Thousand Dances', 'Take Me to the River', 'Stayin' Alive' and 'Your Love'. But then we're also working on more rocky stuff and my particular favourites in that genre at the moment are 'I Fought the Law', Town Like Malice' and 'Get Your Rocks Off'. Last night we were working on 'Suffragette City' and I really enjoyed the bass part. I think that will become a new favourite. The song that I look forward the most, though, is the Sheryl Crow version of 'Sweet Child of Mine' in which I am given free reign to play more melodic bass lines (if you know the song, I'm doing a lot of the little guitar fills).

 

 

 

[Blue_floyd20]

1 hour ago, Franticsmurf said:

In the Hulla Band, I love playing the more funky songs although I'm not really a fan of funk music on record. Currently we're playing through 'Land of a Thousand Dances', 'Take Me to the River', 'Stayin' Alive' and 'Your Love'. But then we're also working on more rocky stuff and my particular favourites in that genre at the moment are 'I Fought the Law', Town Like Malice' and 'Get Your Rocks Off'. Last night we were working on 'Suffragette City' and I really enjoyed the bass part. I think that will become a new favourite. The song that I look forward the most, though, is the Sheryl Crow version of 'Sweet Child of Mine' in which I am given free reign to play more melodic bass lines (if you know the song, I'm doing a lot of the little guitar fills).

 

Land of a thousand dances is one we play too, but a punkier version closer to The Rezillos cover -  rocks along at quite a pace. 

 

1 hour ago, cetera said:

At the moment.....

 

Duran Duran - Rio & Girls On Film
Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick

Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army & Accidents Will Happen

Squeeze - Another Nail In My Heart, Pulling Mussels From The Shell & Cool For Cats
 

Ah some good tracks there might steal those as suggestions  - We play Pump it up by Elvis Costello, one of those that's fun to start with but the endless repeats in the outro outgrow their welcome.

[tauzero]

Robbie Williams - Angels. With lots of added twiddly bits.

Guns'n'Roses - Sweet Child O'Mine. With lots of added twiddly bits.

Cockney Rebel - Make me smile. I sing it too for added fun.

The Cult - She sells sanctuary. No added twiddly bits, just energy.

Rainbow - Since you been gone. Just because it's a song I really enjoy.

[Al Krow]

Killers - Somebody told me. Fun bass line which really drives the song!

[Rich]

3 hours ago, Blue_floyd20 said:

Timebomb (Rancid) - Cool Ska riff with some backing vox, good fun

 

Yeah, that's one of my favourites in my ska band's set. Bit of pick action and a driven SVT tone, and as close as I get to leaping about. 

Other ska favourites are:

Nite Klub (I get a wee solo )

Ghost Town (gorgeous dubby bassline, Horace is a genius)

Night Boat to Cairo (great fun)

Is This Love? (love it to bits)

[Blue_floyd20]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Killers - Somebody told me. Fun bass line which really drives the song!

Cool, this has come up in our latest round of suggestions for new songs. We've been playing 'All these things I've done' after I saw a group going mental for the chorus but it's never really taken off, so going to swap in 'Somebody told me'.

[MacDaddy]

4 hours ago, Blue_floyd20 said:

, I would never listen to the original but enjoy playing it, not sure if that's odd!

 

I don't listen to disco, but I like playing Bernard's bass lines.

[Newfoundfreedom]

I really enjoy the chilled vibe of Dock of the Bay, and David Bowie's Heroes. 

[Muzz]

My current faves from the set are Rio (which I play with a pick, because...errr...I think I was watching a lot of Bobby Vega at the time it was suggested, and I wanted to faff about with all the ghost notes) and Stuck In The Middle, because when that's right, it bounces along a treat. Both go down very well with the crowd, too.

[beely]

Much to my surprise, I'm very much enjoying "Shut up and dance". (Walk the Moon)

[Hobbayne]

I quite enjoy paying Alive by Pearl Jam. Its not overly tricky to play, but I like doing it. 

Also London Calling and Black Night I get a kick out of playing.

[Hobbayne]

5 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

At present I`m in a non-gigging classic rock band and my fave songs to play are Tarot Woman & Stargazer by Rainbow, Highway Star by Deep Purple, Fool For Your Lovin` by Whitesnake and Dazed & Confused by Led Zep. After years of playing solid/powerful root note punk I relish a bit of spider-finger riffery!

We do a couple of AC/DC covers which are are basically root note plodders. 

I tried to to make them a bit more interesting by adding a few fills etc. 

Unfortunately, it didn't work with those songs. So I guess less is better in that case. 

Edited October 7, 2024 by Hobbayne

[itu]

Sometimes I wonder is this about what I would like to sound like: the original player, or myself? It would be nice to sound exactly like some star, and on the other hand could I create something original with my own fingers? During last gig I had maybe two, three times an exceptional flow feel, but that came from the whole band rather than my playing only. And it was really fun!

[Jackroadkill]

I love playing the Clash's version of I Fought The Law, Holiday in Cambodia and Crazy Horses a lot at the moment.  Well, before my injury...

[paul_5]

I LOVE playing 80's synth basslines (octave, envelope filter and/or fuzz) and soul/Motown stuff is always welcome. 

 

Mostly I'll play anything though.

 

I like complex, syncopated stuff but sometimes you can't beat laying down solid 8ths with a P bass and a pick - that kind of playing has its own kind of joy.

Edited October 7, 2024 by paul_5

[Count Bassy]

Bandless at the moment, but in the past:

Pick Up The Pieces

Dancing in the Moonlight (the Thin Lizzie one)

[super al]

On 07/10/2024 at 12:03, Franticsmurf said:

In the Hulla Band, I love playing the more funky songs although I'm not really a fan of funk music on record. Currently we're playing through 'Land of a Thousand Dances', 'Take Me to the River', 'Stayin' Alive' and 'Your Love'. But then we're also working on more rocky stuff and my particular favourites in that genre at the moment are 'I Fought the Law', Town Like Malice' and 'Get Your Rocks Off'. Last night we were working on 'Suffragette City' and I really enjoyed the bass part. I think that will become a new favourite. The song that I look forward the most, though, is the Sheryl Crow version of 'Sweet Child of Mine' in which I am given free reign to play more melodic bass lines (if you know the song, I'm doing a lot of the little guitar fills).

 

 

 

When I joined a soul band and realised Take Me To The River was in the set I was very happy. I'm a big Talking Heads fan but prefer Rev Al's version and got the tingles and 'wow' moments in rehearsals and the first few gigs (helps if you're playing alongside a great drummer too!). Don't think I'd had as much of an endorphin rush as I had with that song.

I Wish and Superstition sounded great when playing with a cookin' horn section, I feel blessed to have bathed in the funky lake of Wonderland.

I'm in an originals band now that dabbles with covers when required although recent consensus is that we avoid them altogether. That's a shame as this band have been my baptism into AC/DC and they only seem to play songs from Powerage! 

Riff Raff started off as a PITA but I've grown to love it. I think a couple of times we started the set with Rock n Roll Damnation and encore with Riff Raff!

Another originals band I was in would encore with Del Shannon's Runaway which was just sublime and other times I've had the joy of playing obscure songs like Whiskey in my Whiskey or Hobo Heaven on an upright bass.

 

 

[SH73]

Maiden 

Hallowed be Thy Name

Powerslave

Two Minutes to Midnight 

The Number if the Beast 

And some other Maiden Songs

 

Anthrax Among the Living 

Metallica - Enter Sandman 

Sometimes I play Everlong by FF

 

I also use dirty punk bass setting aka Matt Freeman and mess around 

 

Lately, I dialled into Geddy Lee tone so experience with songs. Sama with Billy Sheehan. 

I use p and jazz basses to achieve the sound, with Geddy Lee the tone is slightly rolled off on jazz bass. Amps and compressor have same setting, but the Tech 21 settings change to get desired sound. 

 

 

[Rodders]

Bohemian Like You - Dandy Warhols - We play it slightly slower and it grooves a bit more, lots of potential for fills.

Rebel Yell - Billy Idol - Really nice just to drive it along with drums, again might be the way we play it but it feels like it grooves more than the original. 

Sweet Child of Mine - GnR - Energy builds and builds until the end solo, which by then I'm really hitting hard. 

Jumpin Jack Flash - This is often our set opener again (anyone notice a theme here?) it grooves, once I'd realised Bill doesn't double the guitar riff and we have fun with it. 

[FretsOnFire]

Kiss - Love Gun and Bad Company - Can't get enough are big favs 

[Geek99]

She sells sanctuary at the moment 

“I still haven’t found” to be next 

[Barking Spiders]

I like listening to soul, funk, disco, New Romantic and House and also playing the basslines.  In the distant past I played in covers bands and covered Chic, KC & TSB, Beegees, Stevie W, stuff from the Solar label like Shalamar and The Whispers and 80s bass heavy pop like Too Shy, Rio, It's My Life and Visions of China by Japan. That last one is great for fretless antics but tricky to get Mick Karn's tone. Loads of great House basslines that aren't played on a B/G e.g. Can't Get Enough by Soulsearcher.