25 Songs every auditioning bass player should know

[corinpills]

This is a good list to know in order to stay away from bands that still insist on playing these worn-out songs (yes I played most of them...)

Only one reason to play them: the audience. if you're just doing it for yourself and don't need to get paid, play whatever you want.

 

[Fretless1!]

The bass on Freebird is outstanding, and fun to play.

I hope you'll give it another listen.

Damn Straight!

Wilkerson is highly underrated in many circles. Actually, the whole band, in their heyday, were excellent, excellent players.

Sounds elementary until you try to do it properly.

I know. I'm off topic.

 

[j-raj]

I have been doing the 7-piece variety act gig for a little bit these days and some of the staples are:

Brick House
Superstition
Love TKO
I Wish
Fantastic Voyage
Good Times/Rapper's Delight
Midnight Hour
Mustang Sally
Thriller (not just for Halloween anymore)
What have you done for me lately?
Play that Funky Music
Sex Machine

 

[Catbuster]

When we put together our set, we decided on a variety of classic, punk and mainly hard rock music.

1-Slither- VR
2-Paradise City- GN'R
3-Driven- Rush
4-Angie- Rolling Stones
5-Sweet Emotion- Aerosmith
6-Panama- Van Halen
Humans Being- Van Halen
7-Sweet Child O' Mine- GN'R
8-Back in Black- AC/DC
9-Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes- Buffet
10-Tomorrow's Industry- DKM
11-Respect the Wind- Eddie/Alex Van Halen
12-Look Around- Red Hot Chili Peppers
13-Leave That Thing Alone- Rush
Another one Bites the Dust- Queen
14-Get Out the Door- VR
15-Rope- Foo Fighters
16- Watch This- Slash, Dave Grohl & Duff McKagan
17- Runnin' With the Devil- Van Halen
18-God Willing- DKM
19- Brown Sugar- Rolling Stones
20- Have a Cigar- Pink Floyd
21- Down Under- Men at Work
22- Hot for Teacher- Van Halen
23- Leader of Men- Nickelback
24- Who can it be now? Men at Work
25- Estranged- GN'R.

Those are the 25 to learn to be in the cover bands I enjoy being in because of the music.

 

[Shanannigan]

Maybe ever bass player who wants to play classic rock

Implying that a working bassist gets to choose what music they play.

 

[rtslinger]

Roadhouse Blues: the Doors
Southbound: Allman Bros
Hotel Ca. The Eagles

 

[countrybass007]

Lots of old blues tunes, lots of old rock and roll tunes, and a few Grateful Dead tunes works for me. I play country on a regular basis, so I'm up on most of those.

 

[whitefuneral]

Smells like teen spirit. It's the first thing everyone learns. Gotta be on there.

 

[Aussie Player]

I like White Room 2005 Cream live version.
Jack plays well and leaves some gaps for your own input.

Sweet Emotion and Sweert Child of Mine, are so easy they should be on everyone's list as they are great crown pleasers.

 

[gfaulkner]

I've worked full time for over 30 years in cover bands and never once played Red House on stage. That's a song jam bands play when nobody knows any songs.

Really,You must not play any blues or blues rock because I think I've played that song 200 times in the last ten years alone on gigs and open blues mics.

 

[gfaulkner]

Implying that a working bassist gets to choose what music they play.

Right on my brother

 

[Ben Noblit]

Take a look at Dock of the Bay, Wonderful Tonight, Honky Tonk Woman, and Wagon Wheel.

 

[Derek Smalls]

I've only ever played 2 off the OP list!
But as a non-working bassist (well, I'm an electrician), I only play what I like, and if the audience likes it, excellent. If they don't, they know what they can do!
Apart from "Play that Funky Music", and "Superstion", the only covers (well, interpretations) have been:
Mongoloid - Devo
P-Funk - Parliament
We are Family - Sister Sledge
Get the Funk outta my face - Brothers Johnson
Foxy Lady - Hendrix (in a reggae style!)
Sunk in the Funk - Jamaaladeen Tacuma

 

[Dave W]

Yep, my band (or previous bands) doesn't play a single song from the OP. So learning those 25 would get me pretty much nowhere.

 

[T-MOST]

Thats a pretty good list... if you play in a bar band.

 

[avvie]

Around here you have to know West Coast folk/Troubadour standards which I really couldn't care less for:

Dixie Chicken
The Weight (which I can't stand)
That other Band song that slows waaay down in the chorus for no apparent reason
She Took Off My Romeos
Black Magic Woman (because both Carlos Santana and Mick Fleetwood live here)
Any and all Eagles songs before Joe Walsh showed up
All four hits by America (Tin Man, Ventura Highway, Horse with No Name, Sister Golden Hair)

PLUS: You must know a few basic island tunes:

Hawai'i 78- The Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau
Somewhere Over The rainbow as interpreted by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
On the Island- John Cruz
I'm Yours- Jason Mraz. Yes, Jason Mraz.

 

[iamoldschool]

1. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
2. Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett
3. Take it Easy - The Eagles
4. Jenny 8675309 - Tommy Tutone
5. Suzy Q - CCR
6. Crossroads - Cream
7. Margaritaville - Buffett
8. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
9. Sweet Home Chicago - Robert Johnson
10. Cocaine - Clapton
11. My Girl - Temptations
12. Turn The Page - Bob Seger
13. I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
14. Hot Legs - Rod Stewart
15. Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
16. LaGrange - ZZTop
17. I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner
18. Twist and Shout - The Beatles
19. Long Train Runnin - Doobie Bros.
20. Sweet Home Alabama - Skynyrd
21. Gimme Three Steps - Skynyrd
22. Feel Like Makin Love - Bad Company
23. Wonderful Tonite - Eric Clapton
24. Tequila Sunrise - Eagles
25. Pride and Joy - SRV

Every song in this list is in our repertoire and the ones in bold were on our setlist last Friday. It's only business. Play what they wanna hear and you get invited back.

 

[avvie]

BTW, "Sweet Home Alabama" is on my refusal list. I let every band know that right up front. I was born in Alabama and I can verify that it is NOT worth singing about.

Another on my refusal list is "Brown Sugar". When your native state is best known for George Wallace and Selma the last thing you want to do is glorify the beating and raping of slave women.

 

[avvie]

Every song in this list is in our repertoire and the ones in bold were on our setlist last Friday. It's only business. Play what they wanna hear and you get invited back.

I'm gonna have to disagree with that.
There's a certain age group who really believes that this is the case... as if there has been no music made in the last 40 years. At some point you're going to have to understand that you have done the exact opposite of what rock wanted: you're now playing your grandpa's music. Maybe you're the grandpa, which makes it even worse: "Kids today, with their hair and their clothes!...they don't know what real music is!!..."

There's plenty of old and new stuff that gets great response without having to play the exact same set list that every bar band in the country is playing.

 

[iamoldschool]

I'm gonna have to disagree with that.

That's what forums are for.

Maybe you're the grandpa, .

Why, in fact, I am. And rather proud of the fact.

There's plenty of old and new stuff that gets great response without having to play the exact same set list that every bar band in the country is playing.

Sorry, pal. You aren't going to change our setlist. The people we play for love the music we play. We don't play the same setlist, but there are standards that make the cut for each show. As long as we keep getting booked, we will play this type of music. Two bookings this week and two more this month keep this "Grandpa" about as busy as I want to be.