Church bassists - most inappropriate tunes heard during church

Last Sunday, I was leading worship and took a little time in the middle of the set to perform a version of Larry Norman's Christmas Time (which is a satirical look at how materialistic the celebration of Christ's incarnation has become) to a solo bass accompaniment based on the changes to Autumn Leaves. It worked pretty well - not really subversive at all but it wasn't one of the tunes found in our standard worship books.

I think I did manage to squeeze the riff from Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train into something a while ago as well but I can't remember what that was.

Wulf

 

I was playing a pre-Easter play that adapted songs from Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell at my church. During the 39 Lashes scene, rather than playing the regular Heaven On Their Minds background theme, the guitarist and I broke into Forty Six and Two by Tool, except twice as fast. Same key, similar pattern, but it sounded way cooler and nobody was the wiser.

 

The choir I sing in occasionally uses Get Right Church as a recessional. Part of the lyric is "Get right church and let's go home". Although this is a legitimate gospel song, some of our members take it personally. They think we are implying they aren't "right".

Once during a break in rehearsal I just started thumpin' out Brick House for no apparent reason. The pastor told the keyboard player to talk to me about it.

Peace,

James

 

Hell is for Children.

 

After one song when everyone was celebrating I broke out the line from Superfreak by Rick James.



The drummer picked it up, but the singers (fortunately) sang another line to it. What fun!!!

 

My musical director was playing guitar by himself after the offering, and he started playing "Signs".

The only version of "Signs" that I have ever heard was the one by Tesla, and every time he came to "blanking up the scenery", I cringed, thinking he was going to drop the f-bomb in church. He didn't.

 

I've played that line to that song too... its fun and no one actually notices... everyone is like "Why were you playing shaggy songs?" afterwards.

 

It's been a few years, but we used to do a fairly edgy Saturday night service. One of the favorite praise tunes was "Let It Rise."

If you have ever heard it, it starts on guitar with a little 2nd register bass diddy to get everybody else in. I can't tell you how many time I evidently dropped in the lick from Ozzy's "I don't know" instead.
The guitarist was the only one who ever noticed.

 

At a church wedding.

Never ever trust anyone else with the background easy listening music selection. They played Earth Wind and Fire's "After the Love has Gone". *cringe*

 

Well my guitarist rewrote "I could sing of your love forever" to sound like some stupid AFI song... and I was the only one who knew, so I kept quiet for him... My youth pastor would have been REALLY pissed had he found out... I always try to throw a jaco lick in sometimes... good times

 

Yeah, some basslines you can sneak in (and I've used):

"The chicken" progression in:
chorus of "Days of Elijah"
verse of "Mourning into Dancing"

and (I'm embarrassed to say this):

"Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia in:
"Your Love is Amazing"

 

My mom and I are playing at a wedding the day after Christmas and we are planning to play joyful joyful from sister act 2 during it its not that inaproprite but it shall be good entertainment value to see what they do

 

We are always doing crazy stuff...

We played Enter Sandman after the service was over.

A couple of weeks ago we played "My Glorious"... By the time it was over we were jamming to "Foxy Lady" by Jimi H.

Our Keyboard player will at times break out some ELP, Journey, and Van Halen.

Myself and the lead guitarist will play really funky blues riffs all the time. Even Johnny Lee Hookers "Whiskey and Women"... Now that is a great church song... lol

 

We do the doobie brothers song "long train runnin'" to the lyics of let it rise.

 

At church about a year ago, we did "Amazing Grace" to the tune of "House of The Rising Sun". The Pastor walked in during practice as we started instrumentally and was shocked until we added the vocals. He thought it sounded good (after hearing the approved words, of course) and OK'd the use of it during the Sunday Morning service.

 

Sympathy for the Devil ........

 

One of the "every once in a while" soloists had written a song we were doing that Sunday. He's showing it to us and I suggested a bass intro. It was a direct rip off of Tool's "46 and 2".

Please forgive me,
Fo'

 

My organist has thrown in the Pink Panther theme song on more than 1 occassion until the Pastor asked him "What was that?