Must-Know Classic Rock Tunes?

[TwinDad]

OK, so I went to a jam session over the weekend... first one in decades. I had a blast, but one thing became glaringly obvious. When the host turned to me and said, "What do you know that you'd like to play?" ... my mind went blank ... slightly because I was put on the spot, but MOSTLY because I realized I don't actually *KNOW* very many songs outside of the worship stuff I do regularly. I was able to fake it for most of the stuff they knew, either by following the changes or by recalling the tunes once they started playing them, but...

So... to help fill up my bag of tricks... besides Mustang Sally, what classic rock tunes (let's say late 60s through early 90s) should I bone up on and have at least a good general knowledge of?

 

[Robroy]

My mind goes blank because I've given up on anything other than blues jams (and I've gotten bored with those). One time I went to Stevie Ray's in Louisville during their "rock jam". The house band started us off with several BLUES songs. Grrrr! I was there specifically because it was NOT blues jam night.

So I wanted to sing "House of the Rising Sun". Nobody could do it. It was a train wreck.

Only blues or Jazz jams really work because they don't have the kind of structure that other songs do. They may not start or end that well in a jam setting, but you can fake the middle pretty well.

The above also hints at why I'm burned out on Blues jams.

I will say that if you are fairly new to bass, blues jams are a great training tool. It was a real trial by fire for me. It was time well spent - until it wasn't.

 

[lokikallas]

Tush
La grange
All right now
Sweet home Alabama
Rebel yell
Hit me with your best shot
Paranoid
Stranglehold
Black magic woman
Oye como va
One way or another
Are you going my way
Jumping jack flash
Brown sugar
Rocky Mountain way
The dreaded brown eyed girl

These have been common songs between a few different bands I've been in.

 

[Robroy]

I'm 63 and between moving from Seattle to KY, I've been in quite a few classic rock bands. What really amazes me is that though my repertoire is now several hundred songs, I'll still join a band and find that about 15% of their set list is stuff I've never even heard before, much less played. And often they consider them as "standard" as Stairway to Heaven.

It gives you an appreciation for just how much stuff is out there.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

[Bodeanly]

Tell em you know all the bass lines to any Doors song, then pretty much just sit there until "Roadhouse Blues" or so...

 

[Nashrakh]

Video

You meant to say "Ace of Spades", right? (Does that even count as classic rock?)

 

[lz4005]

... what classic rock tunes (let's say late 60s through early 90s) should I bone up on and have at least a good general knowledge of?

Find a classic rock radio station. Be able to play every song they play.

 

[Alkali Ike]

Find a classic rock radio station. Be able to play every song they play.

Around here that will be about 20 songs. Maybe 25 tops. Easy peasy!

Also keep this in mind: Nobody doesn't like ZZ Top!

 

[oldrocker]

These songs seem to keep popping up in the bands I've played with:

One Way Out
Born On The Bayou
Green River
Can't You See
Come Together
Hard To Handle
Summer of 69
American Band
The Letter
Sweet Home Alabama
Gimme Three Steps
The Weight
American Girl
Keep Your Hands To Yourself
Pride and Joy
Comfortably Numb
Born to be wild
Old Time Rock And Roll
La Grange
No Matter What
They Call Me The Breeze
Sympathy For The Devil
I'm Tore Down
Hoochie Coochie Man
All Right Now
You May Be Right
Two Tickets To Paradise
Dead flowers
Knock On Wood.
Evil Ways
Moondance
Roadhouse Blues
Taking Care of Business
Honky Tonk Woman
Jumping Jack Flash
Long Train Running
Before You Accuse Me
Under The Boardwalk
Good Lovin'
Midnight Hour
Love Me Two Times

I think we have more than enough for 3 sets

 

[TwinDad]

Wow! Thanks y'all. I'd better get to the woodshed! This has already turned into a long list of really great tunes!

Keep 'em coming!

 

[Jeff Scott]

Just a few, because my list could end up being very long:

Money
Beds Are Burning (okay, more modern classic)
Midnight Confessions
Dazed And Confused

And LOTS more................

 

[Robroy]

These songs seem to keep popping up in the bands I've played with:

One Way Out
Born On The Bayou
Green River
Can't You See
Come Together
Hard To Handle
Summer of 69
American Band
The Letter
Sweet Home Alabama
Gimme Three Steps
The Weight
American Girl
Keep Your Hands To Yourself
Pride and Joy
Comfortably Numb
Born to be wild
Old Time Rock And Roll
La Grange
No Matter What
They Call Me The Breeze
Sympathy For The Devil
I'm Tore Down
Hoochie Coochie Man
All Right Now
You May Be Right
Two Tickets To Paradise
Dead flowers
Knock On Wood.
Evil Ways
Moondance
Roadhouse Blues
Taking Care of Business
Honky Tonk Woman
Jumping Jack Flash
Long Train Running
Before You Accuse Me
Under The Boardwalk
Good Lovin'
Midnight Hour
Love Me Two Times

I think we have more than enough for 3 sets

That's a great list, and interestingly it proves a point I was making earlier. I've played in quite a few classic rock cover bands and yet there are at least two songs on that list I've never heard of and two i've never played.

I'm 63 and have played since 1998 and only in the last three years discovered a band called "U2". I like three of their songs.

And there is a reason for that: I stopped listening to pop radio in the early 80's and started raising a family. I just didn't get exposed to an amazing amount of stuff until I picked up the bass in 1998 and found out about songs like Hard to Handle, They call me the breeze, etc.

Time travel is an interesting thing.

 

[Jeff Scott]

...only in the last three years discovered a band called "U2". I like three of their songs...

I highly recommend learning (if you don't know it, already) "Where The Streets Have No Name". Great, fun to play bass line.