Cover Song Advice

[richntiff]

You are a man of great wisdom!

I used to work with a guitar man who had his own originals that he wanted us to work into the show....... Okay.

We put it off for a long time, but he was a friend, and killer player so we agreed, "Okay. We will play one of your songs at the next gig. Now, be happy!"

We played it the next job. Song was a quirky, off beat number with an annoying hook, and was pretty much a piece of crap....... We played it in the middle of our rock covers set, and the crowd just stared at us like we had passed a cloud of noxious gas. But the guitar player was thrilled.

The club manager actually came up to me and whispered in my ear; "Don't ever play that again, okay." Okay.

Our LS played us a 'song' he wrote the other day. OMFG. The LG and I just looked at each other and shook our heads 'NO'. It was ungodly, painful, and horrific. Three chords, I-IV-V, inane lyrics with no identifiable hook, verse, chorus, bridge, or anything. We are hoping he doesn't ever try that again.

 

[mboogiemanusa]

Depends on what the goal of the band is. Sounds like your right at the beginning so it doesn't really matter what you play. Learning any song is all good. I would try to find out what kind of band your going to be. If your going to be an originals band which usually only play 10 song shiowcases .....then adding a blues lead guitar wankfest may not be a good choice. If your going to be rock and dance cover band playing bars for 4 hours then may be a good song for 1st set before any starts to dance or at the end of the night. Either way probably not an A material song.

 

[sparkyfender2]

see now, I disagree. You HAVE to do at least 3 Clapton/Cream tunes. You HAVE to play Mustang Sally, Tush, Keep Your Hands to Yourself, What I Like About You, and other tunes that have been trampled to death my legions of cover bands before you. Do NOT try to play any music newer than about 1980 except for the couple mentioned above. Make sure to play some Bad Company, because everyone REALLY wants to hear an old guy singing about how he Feels Like Makin' Love. Finally - make sure you definitely play a few blues songs (SRV is a great example) then constantly be looking to add MORE blues to the set, even though it very clearly doesn't go over at ALL.

I'm sorry. That's my current band frustration. Let me simply give a BIG +1 to the poster above who said "it's not about what you want to play, it's about what people want to hear" Now, if you have a good ear for that, you can do well. Sounds like you may have that ear, and are thinking in that vein. This is very good. If you are like your guitar player (and my band) then clearly, it's not going to go well. If you play that SRV tune, nobody will know it, and very very few will like it - unless they are your friends you are telling you 'you guys sound GREAT!' - just because they don't want to hurt your feelings.

Oh, yes. We had a band leader who kept adding blues tunes to our sets, even though blues always cleared the dance floor,
killed a party atmosphere, and sent people scurrying to buy a drink or to find their coats......

All because he loved the blues, and because there would always be a couple of his buddies sitting in the dark at a back table yelling, "Play the blues!" Which he took as a mandate from on high, and would then launch into a 12 minute version of "Red House."

Blues is great stuff, but if people ain't buying it, then play one and move on.

P.S. I LOL'd at your line about an old guy singing about ".......Making Love." Hilarious, and some of the times, oh so true. Kind of reminds me of when I watch Aerosmith singing about love in an elevator and stuff...... Kind of silly at their age, unfortunately.

 

[Bassist4Eris]

Yea I see your point but Commercially is all that matters and pays the $$

I hope you're kidding, but knowing this forum, I doubt it.

we have been working on born under a bad sign at drone speed with drum loops, therefore i'm not sure anybody will realize it's a jimi song

I hope you're kidding too. That was written by Booker T. Jones, and I'm pretty sure the original recording was Albert King.

 

[Bassist4Eris]

And again I think it needs to be said: the OP is in an originals band that is starting to include some covers. That does not mean he is in a cover band. The value system is different. Pleasing the audience is still a factor, but you can't please that type of audience with pandering; they need to feel that you are authentic. The folks who want to be pandered to are down the street at the bar with the cover band.

 

[Phalex]

The idea with any audience is to have them love the band and the music that you play. If you play a cover that goes over like a fart in church, drop it and pick up another one. If you write an original that goes over like a fart in church, don't blame the audience for being too stupid to understand how awesome that song is, retool it or drop it and write another one.

Creativity is cool, but if nobody gets your genius, maybe it's not them that don't get it.

 

[trimslinger]

Yea give the people what they want. Jimi or Stevie's version is not going to go over well in allot of venues unless its a blues club.

Stick to the known songs. I hate when a band member digs up an old B side or album deep cut and says " let's play this man the folks will love it" Ummm.... no they wont

Agreed! very hi percentage of songs in my band are
chosen by the BL and lead singer. They have come up
with some really obscure/b side /d side material.

They say,these songs they like and feel an attachment to,
which helps them to perform them.
So far I think we have a 75/25 split-
I'm all for ANY songs that will get people dancing...YES even Mustang Sally!
Good Luck mate!

 

[Bassist4Eris]

The idea with any audience is to have them love the band and the music that you play. If you play a cover that goes over like a fart in church, drop it and pick up another one. If you write an original that goes over like a fart in church, don't blame the audience for being too stupid to understand how awesome that song is, retool it or drop it and write another one.

Creativity is cool, but if nobody gets your genius, maybe it's not them that don't get it.

Hey man, I understand what you're saying, and I respect it. It does make sense. But there are many artists who, when they started, were not loved by audiences. They had to stick to their guns long enough for people to catch on. I'm a huge Frank Zappa fan, and I've also been re-living a teenage love of Black Flag lately. Both are excellent examples of what I'm talking about.

Now, granted, perhaps most guys doing originals that aren't well-received are simply not that good. Perhaps. And perhaps anyone who is really being true to themselves is going to sound weird to anyone else, because we're all unique. Again, perhaps.

BUT: how will you ever know if you don't go for it? Life is not about playing it safe. Life, properly lived, is about laying it all out on the line. And that is the difference between an artist and an entertainer. And as ridiculous and pretentious as it may sound in our fabulously anti-intellectual and materialistic culture, some of us still choose art.

Look, I don't need the money. I'm not rich, but I have a decent day job. The only reason money is important to me band-wise is so I can continue to attract quality players. But I understand that some of you are trying to pay the rent doing this. I respect that. But the rest of you have very little excuse for your sycophantic attitudes.

There's a contingent of players on here I like to call the uber-pros, and I find them amusing. They seem like a miserable lot, hating the material they play and the audiences they play it for, but they know that a true professional must please the audience, please the bar owner, please the promoter, please everyone but themselves. And I just have to wonder, is there anyone you're NOT willing to be subservient to? Is the money really worth it? Did you really grow up idolizing corporate wedding bands?

The whole mentality is just foreign to me. I want to make art that challenges the idiocracy, not entertainment that reinforces it.

 

[Phalex]

I used to play with a singer song writer that wrote good stuff, but would throw tantrums, berate the audience, and get mad at other bands who had better followings.

I thought he wrote decent stuff, he had great stage presence, and the guy could really sing, but he could not take constructive criticism. I think that had a lot to do with the band (great players in that band) not being a success.


I get what you're saying, but in my experience the band is only half of the equation. To get people to hear your stuff, you have to start with stuff people like.


I'm not arguing with you per-say, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[mellowinman]

 

[tspallone]

You say, "Ok, we'll do that but, we HAVE to do this King Crimson one". Done.

 

[mpdd]

I hope you're kidding, but knowing this forum, I doubt it.



I hope you're kidding too. That was written by Booker T. Jones, and I'm pretty sure the original recording was Albert King.

wasn't kidding, but thanks for the info, i know a lot more about 90s college alt rock, unfortunately

 

[Bassist4Eris]

I used to play with a singer song writer that wrote good stuff, but would throw tantrums, berate the audience, and get mad at other bands who had better followings.

Yeah, unfortunately, the originals scene does attract some prima-donna types. I think these things are mostly maturity issues.

I thought he wrote decent stuff, he had great stage presence, and the guy could really sing, but he could not take constructive criticism. I think that had a lot to do with the band (great players in that band) not being a success. .

My take on constructive criticism is this: the tricky part is sorting out the stuff that will contribute to your aesthetic vision from the stuff that's being offered because someone else has a different aesthetic vision they're trying to impose on you.

I think I'm pretty good with constructive criticism in this sense: when I get a suggestion to try something different, I often end up really liking the results and embracing the suggestion wholeheartedly. But there are times that I simply disagree, and can be quite adamant in my rejection of the suggestion. If you're going to do original music, you have to have the belief in your own vision.

To get people to hear your stuff, you have to start with stuff people like.

OK, but with stuff that *some* people like. That doesn't necessarily mean aiming for the lowest common denominator. It just means doing whatever you're doing with quality. If you're truly offering something worthwhile, they will come around.

 

[Robus]

You are a man of great wisdom!

I used to work with a guitar man who had his own originals that he wanted us to work into the show....... Mmmm.

We put it off for a long time, but he was a friend, and a killer player so we agreed, "Okay. We will play one of your songs at the next gig. Now, be happy!"

We played it the next job. Song was a quirky, off beat number with an annoying hook, abrasive vocals, and was pretty much a piece of crap....... We played it in the middle of our rock covers set, and the yuppie-esque crowd just stared at us like we had passed a cloud of noxious gas. We were red faced and quickly shifted gears to something a bit more palatable. But the guitar player was thrilled, screw those dimwit bar patrons.

The club manager actually came up to me and whispered in my ear; "Don't ever play that again, okay." Yes, sir.

We didn't directly tell the songwriter about the manager's displeasure with his tune, or he would have thrown the offended artist hissy fit. Unfortunately, he heard about it from a third person, {bar waitress} and was, per choice, outraged. He showed late up at the next band meeting wearing a bitter little smirk, and when our BL called out a friendly, "There's our guitar player," he shot back, "Not any more I'm not!!" And then packed up his stuff. Bye.
'

Obviously you weren't worthy of a composer of his genius.

 

[bassbully]

I hope you're kidding, but knowing this forum, I doubt it.



I hope you're kidding too. That was written by Booker T. Jones, and I'm pretty sure the original recording was Albert King.

Me joking...no..why?

 

[mellowinman]

Did anyone click that?

 

[lilcrate]

Did anyone click that?

I did. I saw it before actually, but cool post none the less.


I decide to just do the song and have fun with it. It can't hurt to see what we can do with it or how it goes over. Just in it for fun.

 

[sparkyfender2]

Obviously you weren't worthy of a composer of his genius.

No. I wasn't.

BUT; I still consider him a friend, even though he was big on berating my chops and my vocal skills.

I certainly was not on his level "musicianship" wise, but I sang much better than him on his best day, and I am very, very mediocre.

But, he considers himself an artist, I consider myself a song player.......

 

[sparkyfender2]

Did anyone click that?

Oh yes I did!

Thanks for posting that!

 

[deathsdj]

Play it. Maybe you guys will really rock it.

I also agree with the songs should fit your age. I'm 46 so I write things like "Get Off of My Lawn" rather than "Get Off In an Elevator."