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Learning songs you REALLY DON'T LIKE
- Thread starter petrus61
- Start date
LOL
Heart for me. They are a clear #1 on my most hated band list. Just ahead of INXS. I have never played a Heart song and never will out of principle. When I hear Dreamboat Annie, I want to shove pencils in my ears.
Also, I actually avoided playing Mustang Sally until I was 40 (4 years ago). I caved only when we did a Legion gig and needed to pull some older stuff out of our butt at the last minute for the very old crowd. I thou I would go to my grave without ever playing Mustang Sally. That would be impressive for a lifelong coverband guy!
I have pretty strict policy on what I will and will not play today. It's not so much songs as it is music styles. I will not play any hard rock or metal, funk, classic rock or jazz. It's not that I do not like those types of music some I do it's just I'm not playing them. I will play oldies, country , folk and blues.
I just joined and band with a good keys player. We are doing blues ,oldies and a little rockabilly covers. Learning new music is also a key for me and with these older cats I'm doing it. Oh BTW I won't play three steps or brown eye girl for anyone.
I just joined and band with a good keys player. We are doing blues ,oldies and a little rockabilly covers. Learning new music is also a key for me and with these older cats I'm doing it. Oh BTW I won't play three steps or brown eye girl for anyone.
Heh, I married a brown eyed girl. Three Steps is a song I think is funny. I didn't even hear Mustang Sally until I told myself today that I'd better listen to it since everyone's talking about it. I'd even play Paradise by the Dashboard Light.
I'll play all the songs you guys won't. Gimme the gigs (and the cash.) Send them my way!
I'll play all the songs you guys won't. Gimme the gigs (and the cash.) Send them my way!
You know the difference between a slut and a bitch?
A slut sleeps with everyone - a bitch sleep with everyone but YOU.
I don't have time to play anything I don't like. The last time I left a cover band was partially over the set list.
For those not familiar with "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" it's not so much a 'song' as an 8-minute long epic mini-opera. Meatloaf's producer previously worked on Broadway shows. The song has at least 3 or 4 different sections, tempo changes, male and female singers. It's not something you can grit your teeth and soldier through in 3 or 4 minutes.
When I was in high school in 1979, it was actually played quite often on a Phoenix, AZ radio station. It's the longest song I can think of that was regularly played on radio. I mentioned the song to my 10 years' younger wife, and she had never heard it or even heard of it, which surprised me. So I pulled up YouTube and played it for her... she frikkin' LOVED IT. "OMG!" flipped her lid loved it. Called her girlfriends and told them about it. "OMG! You have to hear this song! Go to you tube and...."
My foray into 'serious' bass playing started when I joined a country band. I never really listened to nor played much country before, but I enjoyed learning the songs and had FUN playing them on stage. Now I'm in a R'n'R cover band, and I'm learning a couple of Led Zeppelin tunes but there's quite a few 'yacht rock' tunes in the setlist too, like Bread.
I played in originals bands off and on for about twenty years, playing in a cover band is different, but I like it as it's forced me to practice, learn and improve my skills as a musician.
When I was in high school in 1979, it was actually played quite often on a Phoenix, AZ radio station. It's the longest song I can think of that was regularly played on radio. I mentioned the song to my 10 years' younger wife, and she had never heard it or even heard of it, which surprised me. So I pulled up YouTube and played it for her... she frikkin' LOVED IT. "OMG!" flipped her lid loved it. Called her girlfriends and told them about it. "OMG! You have to hear this song! Go to you tube and...."
My foray into 'serious' bass playing started when I joined a country band. I never really listened to nor played much country before, but I enjoyed learning the songs and had FUN playing them on stage. Now I'm in a R'n'R cover band, and I'm learning a couple of Led Zeppelin tunes but there's quite a few 'yacht rock' tunes in the setlist too, like Bread.
I played in originals bands off and on for about twenty years, playing in a cover band is different, but I like it as it's forced me to practice, learn and improve my skills as a musician.
Well
Ironically, I am likely the age of your wife, but have a much older brother and then spent my teens in a rural area where apparently all the radio stations stopped buying records in about '83 so the local rock station sounded pretty much like WKRP without the cool and all the school dances sounded the same.
Well, honestly, it's the kind of thing many of us would like if we didn't remember it being played 6 times a day on the radio and at every school dance - it is musically ambitious, and frankly incredibly well played and put together (and yes just about the cheesiest thing since Velveeta, but...). So while I would personally never want to have to play it both for the fact that it is challenging in terms of remembering all the parts and because I feel similar to yourself and the OP about it as a SONG, it is also a case of, what would have been "cool" and "ambitious" in the hands of Steely Dan or (insert pretencious 70s prog group here), overplay and the fact that it's by Meathloaf makes it ghastly to us.
Ironically, I am likely the age of your wife, but have a much older brother and then spent my teens in a rural area where apparently all the radio stations stopped buying records in about '83 so the local rock station sounded pretty much like WKRP without the cool and all the school dances sounded the same.
I think what happened was they gave up on the new music when the new little silver records they bought wouldn't work on their turn-table. "The guy at the record store said they'd sound better!"
P.S. Not opposed to 70s music - it's most of what I listen to (nearly all in fact), but there were worthwhile albums after The Wall.
P.S. Not opposed to 70s music - it's most of what I listen to (nearly all in fact), but there were worthwhile albums after The Wall.
So I guess this is the thread where everyone congratulates themselves for being loaded with such musical integrity. Fine by me. That just makes more opportunity for me, a guy who doesn't give a rat's ass. I once knew a dude who played in a polka band, and because they were the only polka band in a 5-state radius, they worked constantly and made great money. There is good money in playing music that musicians hate.
Further to your point - as a bass player I find it hard to be picky if I want to play. Generally, songs are determined by what the singer can sing and likes, filtered by what the guitar player can play, and vetoed if the keyboard player or drummer can't do it, if the bass player starts being picky you can end up with NO material. Either you want to play and have pretensions of being a pro which means you want to do it in front of people for money or you don't.
Of course, it doesn't stop that crawling feeling up my back while I play OTR&R - but I count the money at the end of the night and don't have to think about it till the next gig (and hardly then since it's the lamest bass line I can think of (11-33-55-65 repeat for 5 Minutes).
I can't speak for everyone else, but I'll be the first to admit my disdain for my choice is completely irrational. Can't explain, just can't stand it.
Unrelated, if my band played polka, I would polka-bass like no one's business until I collapsed from exhaustion or someone broke a hip.
In all honesty Jimmy - it's evenly split between those of us consoling each other on the "facts of life as a bass-player" and those who are too cool to play (insert popular song here).
If bass-player complains in the rehearsal room, does anybody hear it?
Just hope that it isn't you breaking your hip AS you collapse from exhaustion.
Interesting how this thread evolved into a debate on cover bands vs original. I tried to lay everything out in my OP to avoid this kind of debate, since it's not really what I intended. Many, if not all of us, are sidemen in our respective groups. Whether cover or original, we are often asked to play other peoples music, whether it was written by Joe the carpenter or Neil Diamond. The source isn't really so much the issue as it is the material itself. I also see a few posts that seem to link not wanting to play and learn certain songs somehow equates to a lack of musical skill, which I also tried to sort out in my OP...the song has lots of parts, but my issue isn't the difficulty of the material, it's the fact that I loathe the song and that, and only that, is why I'm venting here.
As for an update, I spoke with the band leader yesterday. We talked about a few of the other songs on this list and finished our conversation. Just before he left, I said "Have I ever told you how much a despise that Meatloaf song?" He looked at me like I had two heads. "I would probably rather have the flu for a month than endure listening to it for one more minute, let alone playing it." He was still kind of searching for words so I said what he was going to say for him..."But I'm sure the crowd goes nuts for it and it's always gone over really well and is probably going to be the nights closer, right?" He said yes, kind of looking crestfallen. "Then I'll have it in the bag for Thursday rehearsal, but I just had to share that with you." He smiled but I could tell he was a little taken aback...the poor guy actually LIKES the song! It's all good though.
I'm going to get through it, and though I definitely will NOT be a better skilled musician for it, I'll have considered myself a SURVIVOR with the patience and mental stamina of a NINJA...
But I can't help but feel a little piece of me dying inside as I imagine myself committing to the song. Sometimes a song just really, really SUCKS.
As for an update, I spoke with the band leader yesterday. We talked about a few of the other songs on this list and finished our conversation. Just before he left, I said "Have I ever told you how much a despise that Meatloaf song?" He looked at me like I had two heads. "I would probably rather have the flu for a month than endure listening to it for one more minute, let alone playing it." He was still kind of searching for words so I said what he was going to say for him..."But I'm sure the crowd goes nuts for it and it's always gone over really well and is probably going to be the nights closer, right?" He said yes, kind of looking crestfallen. "Then I'll have it in the bag for Thursday rehearsal, but I just had to share that with you." He smiled but I could tell he was a little taken aback...the poor guy actually LIKES the song! It's all good though.
I'm going to get through it, and though I definitely will NOT be a better skilled musician for it, I'll have considered myself a SURVIVOR with the patience and mental stamina of a NINJA...
But I can't help but feel a little piece of me dying inside as I imagine myself committing to the song. Sometimes a song just really, really SUCKS.
