COVERS to keep in your back pocket?

[adouglas]

Yes, yet another cover list thread...but with a small twist.

I play in a semi-acoustic pop cover band, doing mostly older stuff (Eagles, etc.) and a lot of things that few people have heard of to keep it interesting. Our set list is about 45 songs, and generally we don't take requests because we don't know a lot of stuff outside the set list.

But we keep on getting asked for some simple, standard three-chord covers, e.g. Bob Seeger's "Old Time Rock 'n Roll."

So we're considering picking up some songs to keep in the back pocket to accommodate those wishes. One thing we thought of was to learn at least one song by every likely band so that even if we don't know the specific song, we can play something by the same artist.

Some stuff so far:
Steve Miller - Take the Money and Run
Stones - Only Rock and Roll
Springsteen - Glory Days
Monkees (Smashmouth version) - I'm a Believer
Who - Magic Bus
Spenser Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin'

Stuff like that. All uptempo, all simple, all very standard.

Suggestions?

TIA.

[nashvillebill]

My suggestion: look at all the tunes listed in the "Covers NOT to Play" thread. Learn them all.

[secretdonkey]

Originally posted by nashvillebill
My suggestion: look at all the tunes listed in the "Covers NOT to Play" thread. Learn them all.

Ahhh - bitter irony!

[rickbass]

Drunk crowd - "Mustang Sally" The Wicked Pickett

20-something crowd - "Hash Pipe" Weezer

30-something crowd - "What I Like About You" The Romantics

40-something crowd - "Gimme Some Lovin'" Spencer Davis Group

[fastplant]

Originally posted by nashvillebill
My suggestion: look at all the tunes listed in the "Covers NOT to Play" thread. Learn them all.

Haha, I agree, 99% of the songs in there go over amazingly well with my band.

[Bassin']

Originally posted by adouglas
One thing we thought of was to learn at least one song by every likely band so that even if we don't know the specific song, we can play something by the same artist.

I think that’s a great way to go about it. I just finished up a stint with a cover band last spring and when someone came up to ask us to play a song, half the time they wouldn’t ask for a particular song as much as a particular artist. Even if they wanted a particular song, if we new another song by the same artist they were usually happy.

Here are some artist suggestions that I’ve heard:

The Doors
The Stones
The Beatles
Elvis Presley
Lynyrd Skynyrd (sp?)
James Brown
Metallica
Iron Maiden
Stevie Wonder

I really don’t like a lot of the songs from some of these artists but there is usually one or two that I wouldn’t mind playing. By looking more at the artist body of work rather than particular songs you can play songs that you don’t dread performing and the audience will still be happy as well.

[adouglas]

...you're clearly thinking along the same lines we are.

Metal is RIGHT OUT! Doesn't fit us (we're in our mid-40s), our style (Eagles/Paul Simon/Buffett/Little Feat/CSN, etc.), or our audience.

But some of the other suggestions are really interesting. Thanks.

Keep 'em coming!!!

[stinky634]

i saw george thuroughgood a few years back, and id say a very good song to have is "one burbon, one scotch, one beer."


gets the crowd moving

[Munjibunga]

Originally posted by nashvillebill
My suggestion: look at all the tunes listed in the "Covers NOT to Play" thread. Learn them all.

My thoughts precisely.

[Thor]

Seeger - Beautiful Loser

Stones - Beast of Burden

Stones - Can't always get what you want

Cocker - Bye Bye Blackbird, Do I still figure in your life. You can leave your hat on.

Fleetwood Mac - Spare me a little, Black Magic Woman

Otis - Knock on Wood, Mr Pitiful

Airplane - Today, It's No Secret, Miracles {Starship, actually iirc}

Tull - Beggars Farm, Nothing to Say

Birds - 8 miles high [This one is excellent acoustically ! ], Bells of Rhymney,

Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone, Positively 4th Street, Lay Lady Lay, Takses a lot to laugh, takes a train to cry.

Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper used to do 2 covers that used to knock me out, a slow version of the 59th Street Bridge Song, and Dear Mr. Fantasy.

Dave Mason - Only you know and I know.

Stills - Love the one you're with

That's good for now.

[Ricky Daion]

I play in a pub band, albiet an aggressive pub band. Some tunes that always go over? Brown Eyed Girl(this one works well because if your bantering with a girl you can ask what colour(color for you Yanks)her eyes are and simply change the lyric - chicks love that kind of s**t. Some others are Squeeze Box,Stuck in the Middle,Give a Little Bit,Ballad of John & Yoko,Here Comes the Sun,believe it or not Hurts so Good and Authority Song by Mellonhea...er...camp.Some heavier tunes that go over(still!)Cinnamon Girl(we do a very aggressive version)Rockin in the Free World,Hash Pipe, Yellow(coldplay) anything by the Tragically Hip(up here)anything by Tom Petty.Nuff for now.

[JPJ]

You probably can't miss when it comes to the Beatles (or McCartney solo tunes). You might think about "American Pie" (a short version), Bellbottom Blues, Born on the Bayou, If I Was a Carpenter, Fire on the Mountain, etc.

[IvanMike]

learn some motown tunes too like "second that emotion" "groovin" "brand new bag", etc
and ya can't know enough stones tunes