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Covers that make you angry.

#101
ggunn said:
It's why I finally quit the cover band I was in. How many times can one play YMCA and Play That Funky Music, and pretend to enjoy it?
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As many times as the audience likes it and dances to it. As many times as the club owner is willing to pay you to play it. If you are in a working band you do what brings home the bacon. You can do all the stuff you really want to do at practice or a jam. I don't see the problem here.
 
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#102
I mostly don't care much about covers either way - if the song grabs me, cool, if it happens to be a cover, that's also cool. There is one recording I disliked as a cover, though. Michael Bolton's version of "Dock of the Bay" makes me cringe. Otis Redding does the tune as a gently swaying, but heartfelt, meditation on life. Bolton does it as a screeching, whining, yelling, stilted clusterf*** of a song - the man has got no rhythm. No Rhythm = No Soul, so his rendition (and I do mean rend-ition) of the soulful classic just doesn't cut it. Redding's mom appreciated it though - gotta love those royalty checks!
 
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#108
hsech said:
As many times as the audience likes it and dances to it. As many times as the club owner is willing to pay you to play it. If you are in a working band you do what brings home the bacon. You can do all the stuff you really want to do at practice or a jam. I don't see the problem here.
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It wasn't a problem. I got bored and I quit. It was an amiable split; they are still at it and I still get together with the other co-founder for beers from time to time. It was never my livelihood and I bought enough toys with the extra income to last me. I decided I'd rather team up with a songwriter and play originals even for free or nearly so than keep doing the cover thing. It was my choice and I have never regretted it.

YMMV and DSFDF, of course.
 
#109
hsech said:
As many times as the audience likes it and dances to it. As many times as the club owner is willing to pay you to play it. If you are in a working band you do what brings home the bacon. You can do all the stuff you really want to do at practice or a jam. I don't see the problem here.
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I can't do that--life is too short to play songs I don't like.

But then I am not making my living playing music--so I can afford to play what I like--but for me that's my whole reason for playing--fun & enjoyment.
But even in a band there are songs I wouldn't play--even if it was my main source of income.

I realize some people feel differently--but I have to play what I like & believe--Anything else feels dishonest.
Out there somewhere may still be a couple of videos of me playing guitar with others--one is a song I don't like, and I look bored and in pain.
The other is a song I like, but when we played it over & over & over at a party for others--I looked real bored and in pain.

In both cases I was.
I can bend to a degree, but not that far.
 
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#111
redzebra6 said:
On a more serious note, bands or artist that cover a tune and put there own twist on it:
...

Most covers suck because they have no personality of there own. It's like the band is putting on a mask and trying to be like the original, or make it so different that you want to forget it.
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I'm confused you seem to be complaining about people who put their own twist on it (Which I like when people do that)
Then you complain the cover has no personality of its own. (And there are covers that seem to have no personality or energy)
To me this seems contradictory--maybe I'm misunderstanding your meaning, if so please let me know.

And I like all three songs you posted.
 
#112
orange joe said:
If one more person asks me to play the mutha******* Seinfeld theme song one more time......
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Yes, it has replaced the Barney Miller song when it comes to Bass in the minds of the people.

Not on topic, but related. Flipping channels one day, I came across a Def Leppard interview, I was amazed to discover it was an episode of CMT's "Crossroads" with the Def boys and Taylor Swift...
Both painfully embarrassing and strangely magnetic to watch, like a train wreck.
Especially uncomfortable is Taylor talking about her high school journal songwriting methodology, with Joe & the boys feining interest but really looking like they'd like to be anywhere else on the planet but there.
Just TRY to turn away ;)
 
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#113
zontar said:
I'm confused you seem to be complaining about people who put their own twist on it (Which I like when people do that)
Then you complain the cover has no personality of its own. (And there are covers that seem to have no personality or energy)
To me this seems contradictory--maybe I'm misunderstanding your meaning, if so please let me know.

And I like all three songs you posted.
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No, your right. I went back and reread that post and realized the point I thought I was making made sense only to me. I can't blame it on anything except my own inability to transpose my thoughts to the keyboard.:eyebrow:

I like the 3 songs I posted also, I just forgot to say something like 'here are some examples of some covers completely redone'. My complaint was mainly based on bland, dry covers that have no personality of their own, whether they are like the original or are distinctly different: mostly Christmas songs.

p.s. I'm not as big of a humbug as i used to be
 
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#114
zontar said:
I can't do that--life is too short to play songs I don't like.

But then I am not making my living playing music--so I can afford to play what I like--but for me that's my whole reason for playing--fun & enjoyment.
But even in a band there are songs I wouldn't play--even if it was my main source of income.

I realize some people feel differently--but I have to play what I like & believe--Anything else feels dishonest.
Out there somewhere may still be a couple of videos of me playing guitar with others--one is a song I don't like, and I look bored and in pain.
The other is a song I like, but when we played it over & over & over at a party for others--I looked real bored and in pain.

In both cases I was.
I can bend to a degree, but not that far.
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I don't play music for a living, but when I gig I like to be paid. The audience and bar owner are your customers. If your lot in life is being in a covers band then you play all the covers they want to hear. It's another thing if you are in an originals band. The problem is, at least where I live, originals bands don't get hire.

I see where you are coming from and I appreciate your point of view, but if you are in a working band, sometimes you just have to hold your nose on some songs. It's OK to be an artist and a free spirit, but you wont last long in the bands around here.
 
#115
hsech said:
I don't play music for a living, but when I gig I like to be paid. The audience and bar owner are your customers. If your lot in life is being in a covers band then you play all the covers they want to hear. It's another thing if you are in an originals band. The problem is, at least where I live, originals bands don't get hire.

I see where you are coming from and I appreciate your point of view, but if you are in a working band, sometimes you just have to hold your nose on some songs. It's OK to be an artist and a free spirit, but you wont last long in the bands around here.
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Well one reason life is too short to play songs I don't like is that I've done that too much in the past.
ANd I'm not gigging or playing guitar for a living.
I still sometimes come across a situation where I might be playing something I'm not that into--but only if I can learn from it or some other benefit.
 
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#116
Wow.
Very surprised we have come into page 6 without anyone mentioning Madonna doing American Pie - just travesty.

And +1 billion to comments about Neil Finn. Everyone should check out 7 Worlds Collide DVD concert just to hear pure beauty in songwriting and delicate touch and taste in performance. A truly underrated genius.
 
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#118
hsech said:
As many times as the audience likes it and dances to it. As many times as the club owner is willing to pay you to play it. If you are in a working band you do what brings home the bacon. You can do all the stuff you really want to do at practice or a jam. I don't see the problem here.
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A good cover band can do both.
Yes, we play some of the very popular dance covers, but we try to also bring some identity of ourselves to the set. We try to play songs that we like, and are perhaps overlooked by most show bands. There is a ton of material out there that people like, without having to resort to Mustang Sally every show.
 
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#120
cronker said:
And +1 billion to comments about Neil Finn. Everyone should check out 7 Worlds Collide DVD concert just to hear pure beauty in songwriting and delicate touch and taste in performance. A truly underrated genius.
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Certainly not underrated by me. I'll have to watch it. A few nights ago I stayed up way too late watching the Sydney Opera concert with Neil Finn and Paul Kelly doing each other's songs. Just incredible. Paul's version of Into Temptation is a GREAT cover of an amazing song by Neil.

Y'all are so fortunate to be in close proximity to these artists. Paul Kelly is completely unknown here in the US. I never heard of him until a friend from Adelaide told me about him 15 or so years ago. Got to see him in a tiny club in Austin, and it blew my mind that he's a national hero of sorts down under.
 

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