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Covers you refuse to play now or ever again

60bass

60bass

Gold Supporting Member
Apr 24, 2005
4,924
5,870
74
North Carolina
#1
I thought I'd see what cover tunes everybody either hates and will never play, or played before and you swear you will NEVER play again.

I can think of many, but my top three that I will NEVER play again are:

1. Walk This Way :spit:

2. Cocaine :rolleyes:

3. Free Bird :scowl:

Ok, lets have your lists.

Keep Low :bassist:
 
#3
Man is this embarrassing......I once played the Killers version of a Morrisey song called Why don't find out for yourself. I was the new guy in the band, and didn't want to step on any toes.

BTW - it was a rockabilly-surf kinda band.....so a Killers/Morrisey songs = fail. big time.

I quit about a month later.
 
#7
IMHO, it's never the fault of the song, just the band's ability or inability to get a groove going. I've picked a few for our cover band that you woulda thought would kick it, but whether it's our guitar players' approaches to the song or the drummers approach to the song, or my approach, or a combination of all of the above (most likely), I just don't get a feeling from those tunes, and they seem to fall flat with the audience as well. Take another band, have them play the same song, and its a completely different story. Take the MOney and Run is one of those for us, I hate playing it, we just have zero groove, likely because the bass part is just mind numbing and my lack of enthusiasm comes through. I've seen places really get into performances of Cocaine, believe it or not, even with people dancing to it and yelling the words, and it wasn't at a Biker Bash.

Mess with the arrangement is my advice, and force everyone to get creative. Make it a Reggae version, or a surf version.
 
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#10
I get paid to play in my cover band. That makes it a job. If my boss at my day job tells me to jump on a plane and go fix a customers machine, I go. If a patron at a place my band is playing wants to hear Mustang Sally, I put my bass face on and play it.

There are songs that I don't want to hear played on my IPOD, but if I have a job to do, I'll do it.
 
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#14
I refused to even consider anything by Faith Hill about a year ago and severely strained relations w/my beloved drummer, and although I love no musician like I do this man, I'd do the same thing today. My issue w/her is 1- she'd be completely unknown if she weren't a picture-perfect blond, & 2- she did a cover of Take a little piece of my heart and claimed not to know Janis Joplin did it first(lying or ignorant- can't decide). :spit:
 
#16
Phalex said:
I get paid to play in my cover band. That makes it a job. If my boss at my day job tells me to jump on a plane and go fix a customers machine, I go. If a patron at a place my band is playing wants to hear Mustang Sally, I put my bass face on and play it.

There are songs that I don't want to hear played on my IPOD, but if I have a job to do, I'll do it.
Click to expand...

I can't add anything to that. Well put.
 
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#17
billmason Mess with the arrangement is my advice, and force everyone to get creative. Make it a Reggae version, or a surf version.
Click to expand...

I agree with that. Doing your band's own version of a cover is a great way to show your stuff and mix it up. On the other hand, I'm sitting here wondering how I could arrange the songs Cocaine and Play That Funky Music White Boy into something I would actually want to play.

Phalex I get paid to play in my cover band. That makes it a job. If my boss at my day job tells me to jump on a plane and go fix a customers machine, I go. If a patron at a place my band is playing wants to hear Mustang Sally, I put my bass face on and play it.

There are songs that I don't want to hear played on my IPOD, but if I have a job to do, I'll do it.
Click to expand...

Well said and I know exactly where you are coming from on the "job" thing. I did over 10 years straight road work in clubs and believe me it WAS a job albeit a fun one at times. Our band did strictly club work 6 nights a week, 4 to 5 sets a night. None of the multi-band stuff you see today. We were the show. We had to be entertainers first and musicians second. Back then you had to get the people in, keep em there, and make sure they got drunk. So the bar could make money and you could get paid. Plus the "band house" forget about it. Those are some memories I'd rather forget. Thankfully towards the end of the "club" years we were in lots nicer clubs so the sleeping arrangements got way better.

The "job" thing is the reason I won't ever again play certain tunes. Just plain sick of them after playing them for too many years. I've been asked to join bands and when I looked at their set list and said "sorry but I ain't playing that song" it sometimes led to my being asked to leave. If that makes me a snob to some, oh well, I don't care.

There's a difference between getting paid to play versus having fun with what you choose to play. Now that I'm an "old geezer at 57", a "seasoned player", or just another "old hack", It's the best of both worlds. I can finally get to play just to have some fun and not to pay the bills :)

Keep Low :bassist:
 
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