New Band Potential Song List - Your thoughts?

[SteveC]

1999 Prince
Addicted to Love Robert Palmer
Alive Pearl Jam
Another One Bites the Dust Queen
Any Way You Want It Journey
Back in Time Huey Lewis
Bad Case of Loving You Robert Palmer
Better Man Pearl Jam
Billie Jean Michael Jackson
Bohemian Rhapsody Queen
Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison
Centerfold J Geils
China Girl David Bowie
Come on Eileen Dexy's Midnight Runners
Crazy Little Thing Called Love Queen
Crocodile Rock Elton John
Devil Inside INXS
Doctor My Eyes Jackson Browne
Don't Stop Believin' Journey
Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds
Everybody Wants You Billy Squier
Eye of the Tiger Survivor
Faith George Michael
Fat Bottomed Girls Queen
Feeling Alright Joe Cocker
Fishin in the Dark Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Footloose Kenny Loggins
Gimme all Your Lovin' ZZ Top
Here I Go Again Whitesnake
Hold on Loosely 38 Special
Hold the Line Toto
Hotel California Eagles
Hungry Like the Wolf Duran Duran
In the Air Tonight Phil Collins
In Your Eyes Peter Gabriel
Jessie's Girl Rick Springfield
Jump Van Halen
Just What I Needed Cars
Kiss Prince
Let's Get it On Marvin Gaye
Let's Go Crazy Prince
Life is a Highway Tom Cochrane
Livin' on a Prayer Bon Jovi
Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress) Hollies, The
Love Stinks J Geils
Magic Carpet Ride Steppenwolf
Money For Nothing Dire Straits
More Than Words Extreme
Mr. Brightside Killers, The
Nothin' But a Good Time Poison
One Headlight Wallflowers
Our House Madness
Pour Some Sugar On Me Def Leppard
Pretty Woman Roy Orbison
Private Eyes Hall and Oates
Purple Rain Prince
Raspberry Beret Prince
Right Here Right Now Jesus Jones
Rio Duran Duran
R.O.C.K. in the USA John Cougar
Runnin Down a Dream Tom Petty
Santeria Sublime
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting Elton John
Scar Tissue Red Hot Chili Peppers
Separate Ways Journey
September Earth Wind and Fire
Sexy MF Prince
Shake it Up Cars
Simply Irresistible Robert Palmer
Sitting On the Dock of the Bay Otis Redding
Sledgehammer Peter Gabriel
Summer of '69 Bryan Adams
Superstition Stevie Wonder
Suspicious Minds Elvis Presley
Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond
Sweet Child O' Mine Guns n' Roses
Sweet Emotion Aerosmith
Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd
Tainted Love Soft Cell
Take on Me A-Ha
Tush ZZ Top
Twist and Shout Beatles
Under Pressure/Ice Ice Baby David Bowie
Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers
Undone (Sweater Song) Weezer
Walk of Life Dire Straits
Wanted Dead or Alive Bon Jovi
What I Got Sublime
What I Like About You Romantics
What You Need INXS
Whip It Devo
Working for the Weekend Loverboy
Written in the Stars Tinie Tempah
You May Be Right Billy Joel
You Might Think Cars
You Shook Me All Night Long AC/DC
Your Love Outfield, The
You're My Best Friend Queen

We have:

Guitar
Guitar/Keys
Keys/Sax
Bass
Drums

Everyone sings at least background.
Everyone can play at a high level.
The thought is do stuff no one else is doing (country/classic rock), be different, but still danceable/employable.

[cableguy]

That's a lot of songs for a new band. Very 80's if that's what you're going for. It would be helpful knowing what your market is like or target audience is if you want feedback. Not a bad list though, I've heard all at one time or another.

[Rockmusician]

I like the list. It has a good mix of songs that most cover bands play combined with songs that you rarely hear at a club.

[xxpigxx]

If you can pull off Bohemian Rhapsody, may I suggest "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" by Weezer. I like the list though.

[GeoffT]

I like it, lots of good popular songs to get people up and dancing, heavy on the 80s, where do I sign up? The trouble with a list like that IME is always the guitar players. Not enough stuff for them to pretend they are guitar heros on. The ones who can actually play some of the funkier danceable stuff and willing to do so are already in successful bands.

[Richland123]

You have a lot of tunes that my band does and they go over well. Also, you have a good mixture of tunes that are not over played. One of the best comments we get is that we play a wide variety (we cover 6 decades) and that we play a lot of songs that other bands don't do and people like that.

[SteveC]

We're only starting with 20-40 and we know many already. Our guitar players are fine with the list. Fortunately we don't have a lot of ego in the band. We are going for an 80's thing a bit. We can/do play from 60's - now. I just wanted to see what others thought. I wasn't sure about some of the lesser known tunes by well know artists.

[MysticMichael]

Some good tunes on that list, for sure. Nice to see that Robert Palmer is well-represented. And I like the fact that you've got China Girl (cool bassline). The Huey Lewis tunes are a great choice. I love the Journey tunes as well. What I Like About You has got to be one of the all-time best rock & roll dance tunes ever.

Frankly, I think you've got a few crap tunes in there (i.e. Love Stinks, Sweet Child O' Mine, Jump, Pour Some Sugar On Me, etc.). You could do a lot better than those.

I guess if I had a covers band with the instrumentation that yours has, with people who can really play and can really sing, and the ambition and talent to tackle such a challenging tune as Bohemian Rhapsody, I'd focus on more of the British/Euro New Wave early 80s tunes, along with some choice selections from the 70s in the vein of Toto and Journey, even a couple of Beatles tunes..

May I suggest the following:

Modern Love - Peter Gabriel
Fly By Night Lady - Head East
Getting Better - The Beatles
Hey Bulldog - The Beatles
Situation - The Jeff Beck Group
Green-Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf
Out Of The Blue - Roxy Music
Song For America - Kansas
Changes - Yes
Does It Really Happen - Yes
Through The Lens - Yes
Freedom Fighters - Todd Rundgren's Utopia
Nice, Nice, Very Nice - Ambrosia
Holding On To Yesterday - Ambrosia
Don't Say It's Over - Crowded House
The Metro - Berlin (requires female vocal)
Love My Way - The Psychedelic Furs
Good Thing - Fine Young Cannibals
Something About You - Level 42 (got those slap chops ready?)
Electric Avenue - Eddie Grant
Maneater - Hall & Oates
Maid In Heaven - Be Bop Deluxe
Love In Flames - Be Bop Deluxe
Hold The Line - Toto
Talk To Ya Later - The Tubes
Who's That Lady - The Isley Brothers
I'm A Man - Chicago Transit Authority
Gimme Gimme Some Lovin' - The Spencer Davis Group
Burning Down The House - The Talking Heads
Once In A Lifetime - The Talking Heads
She Moves In Mysterious Ways - U2

Hope some of these suggestions were constructive...

MM

[Munjibunga]

I like the list. I hope your vocalists are as strong on vocals as they are on their instruments.

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Hope some of these suggestions were constructive...

MM

They were. Thanks.

[MNAirHead]

What does your audience base want to pay for.... I'm not catching a strong marketing theme

[SteveC]

That's a god question. We aren't sure. We know that no one else is doing this stuff, but there might be a good reason no one is doing this around here. There's a lot of country and classic rock around here.

[tommy gilstrap]

Some radio friendly Steely Dan such as 'Reelin' In The Years' would be a nice addition to the mix.

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by tommy gilstrap

Some radio friendly Steely Dan such as 'Reelin' In The Years' would be a nice addition to the mix.

I agree.

[aztomr]

I like the song list, that being said, I don't see what would set you apart from other bands. The list seems pretty heavy on standard bar tunes.

[SteveC]

Here's a 4 set list:

Where the Streets Have No Name
Whip It
Need You Tonight
Eye of the Tiger
Hold the Line
Cold as Ice
Summer of 69
ROCK in the USA
Working For the Weekend
You May Be Right

Just What I Needed
Your Love
Tainted Love
Sledgehammer
Obsession
Another One Bites the Dust
Billie Jean
Hurts So Good
Rio
Under Pressure/Ice Ice Baby

Money For Nothin'
Gimme all Your Lovin
Take on Me
Let's Go Crazy
Centerfold
Come On Eileen
Dreams
In the Air Tonight
Rebel Yell
Footloose

Livin' on a Prayer
Faith
Jack and Diane
Sweet Child O' Mine
Mony Mony
Here I Go Again
More Than Words
Don't Stop Believin'
Pour Some Sugar
Purple Rain

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by SteveC

Here's a 4 set list:

Where the Streets Have No Name
Whip It
Need You Tonight
Eye of the Tiger
Hold the Line
Cold as Ice
Summer of 69
ROCK in the USA
Working For the Weekend
You May Be Right

Just What I Needed
Your Love
Tainted Love
Sledgehammer
Obsession
Another One Bites the Dust
Billie Jean
Hurts So Good
Rio
Under Pressure/Ice Ice Baby

Money For Nothin'
Gimme all Your Lovin
Take on Me
Let's Go Crazy
Centerfold
Come On Eileen
Dreams
In the Air Tonight
Rebel Yell
Footloose

Livin' on a Prayer
Faith
Jack and Diane
Sweet Child O' Mine
Mony Mony
Here I Go Again
More Than Words
Don't Stop Believin'
Pour Some Sugar
Purple Rain

Better...

MM

[hrodbert696]

It's a very long list, more than you'd ever play in a gig (unless you go for five hours). How did you come up with it? I would expect it to go over well, especially with crowds old enough to remember the 80s. I disagree with MysticMichael about Love Stinks etc. They're not brilliant compositions, but it looks to me like you're going for crowd appeal and I think audiences get into those.

[timber22]

I like it. It would be a well received mix in a lot of the places around here.

[mboogiemanusa]

A lot of popular songs on the list. We play many of the same tunes. i like the fact that you have way more songs then you need for a typical 3 or 4 set bar gig and can change the list to cater more to a dance crowd or for folks that just want to chill to do music. I disagree with this statement "Frankly, I think you've got a few crap tunes in there (i.e. Love Stinks, Sweet Child O' Mine, Jump, Pour Some Sugar On Me, etc.)." Sweet Child is a show highlight for us since we are lucky to have a vocalist and lead guitarist that are spot on. Keep in mind that that in the cover band scene ....the musicians in the band are usually the hippest people in the room. Customers want to hear familiar jams.....when you play the more obscure B sides and music that only appeals to band geeks......the less people on the dance floor, clapping and singing along, tipping the band and paying attention.