Darling be home soon

[Reckless666]

Im the bass player in a Aussie cover band that specialises in 70-80’s rock with Both Uk and LA rock with a fair bit of Aussie rock thrown in.
I want to play Slade’s version of Darling be home soon, but 1/2 the band agrees but the other 1/2 say it’s too unknown, too slow and that it will lower the crowds enthusiasm and they will loose interest and we may not get em back up dancing etc.
Your thoughts please.

 

[Marko 1]

it’s too unknown, too slow and that it will lower the crowds enthusiasm

This.

 

[friskinator]

This might get more traction in the Band Management forum.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Joe Cocker's version maybe. But Slade played an absolute dirge.

 

[1coil]

Combination of too slow and too unknown, you’ll lose the crowd. A ballad at the end of set1 is ok but it’s gotta be a crowd favourite. Plenty to choose from in your genre.

 

[HaphAsSard]

It is a lovely song. (I prefer the original though.)
The arrangement can make or break it, in terms of its success within a live song list. Good dynamics are paramount. A judicious use of keyboards and/or other atmospheric instruments, if there, and vocal harmonies if possible, would greatly help. If it ends up being just a slow, by the numbers episode, it could indeed kill the overall mood.

 

[jd56hawk]

Im the bass player in a Aussie cover band that specialises in 70-80’s rock with Both Uk and LA rock with a fair bit of Aussie rock thrown in.
I want to play Slade’s version of Darling be home soon, but 1/2 the band agrees but the other 1/2 say it’s too unknown, too slow and that it will lower the crowds enthusiasm and they will loose interest and we may not get em back up dancing etc.
Your thoughts please.

Play one of these instead.

 

[godofthunder59]

I am a big SLADE fan and DBHS is one of my favorites off SLADE Alive. I say give it a try see how the crowd likes it! Don't forget to belch!

 

[beaglesandbass]

Moved to Band Management

 

[Bunk McNulty]

C'mon man. Just play it. Your audience will tell you whether or not it works. My band often tries out stuff that we all like, and we get it all rehearsed and arranged...but it doesn't go over on a gig. So we chuck it and move on to the next thing.

 

[BassFalcon]

I have never heard the song in question, but its always a good idea to program in a ballad or something slow after a string of high energy dance songs. Give people a chance to catch their breath, slow dance, hit the bathroom, or go to the bar and order a drink without yelling. But perhaps this particular track is too obscure. Whenever planning set lists I always like to think of intensity level like a graph, start high, go higher, then ease up a touch, then crank it back up, etc etc. Make sure your set list has a sense of forward motion, take people on a journey. Also, people tend to forget the middle of things so start strong and end strong.

 

[TomB]

Here’s a cool article about Steve Boone, the bassist for the Lovin’ Spoonful, who were the original artists (John Sebastian, writer) on this tune…

Lovin' Spoonful Archives | Know Your Bass Player

 

[ebo]

C'mon man. Just play it. Your audience will tell you whether or not it works. My band often tries out stuff that we all like, and we get it all rehearsed and arranged...but it doesn't go over on a gig. So we chuck it and move on to the next thing.

Sometimes you gotta get it out of your system. My band wanted to do a song that was slow but it was suggested we speed it up. I thought it would lose its groove and just not sound good. Turns out it’s better faster and would have bombed at the dirge speed. Practice it, record it and give it an honest listen. Ultimately the audience is always the judge jury and executioner.

 

[chazolson]

Im the bass player in a Aussie cover band that specialises in 70-80’s rock with Both Uk and LA rock with a fair bit of Aussie rock thrown in.
I want to play Slade’s version of Darling be home soon, but 1/2 the band agrees but the other 1/2 say it’s too unknown, too slow and that it will lower the crowds enthusiasm and they will loose interest and we may not get em back up dancing etc.
Your thoughts please.

Play them the Tedeschi Trucks band version of this song. If they don’t like that …. Find another band

 

[Oddly]

Play them the Tedeschi Trucks band version of this song. If they don’t like that …. Find another band

Beat me to it...that version is sublime.
Actually I like Slades's take too...never heard that before.
Both are a lot better than Lovin' Spoonful's take, in my opinion.

 

[51PRI]

I can't see the harm in trying it.

 

[mwbassace]

I'm far from a newbie, but today, thru this OP, is the 1st i've ever heard of this song. I just listened to Slade's version, then the original & Joe Cockers & then Tedeschi Trucks band's. WOW! What a fantastic piece of music! Every version is a great song in it's own way. The Tedeschi Trucks version is a masterclass in band dynamics!

 

[prowla]

Addi it to the tapes which are on before you play...

 

[Ric5]

Im the bass player in a Aussie cover band that specialises in 70-80’s rock with Both Uk and LA rock with a fair bit of Aussie rock thrown in.
I want to play Slade’s version of Darling be home soon, but 1/2 the band agrees but the other 1/2 say it’s too unknown, too slow and that it will lower the crowds enthusiasm and they will loose interest and we may not get em back up dancing etc.
Your thoughts please.

I was never a Slade fan ... but they did have unattractive haircuts

 

[TomB]

Sebastian was really a folkie at heart. He really needed to be convinced that rock was a good direction. I’m pretty sure Summer in the City was their biggest hit, so he must have understood the financial wisdom. I think that Darlin’ was a real return to his roots. It’s a tribute to his writing skills that so many have chosen to cover it. After all, who the hell else would rhyme dawdled with toddled, eh?

PS - You still may not want to do it depending on your gig. I think of it as best-suited to a “ listening room”, not a dance hall.