Note For Note Vs. "Wiggle" Room

[ObsessiveArcher]

It's rock n roll, you're supposed to speed up! Never heard of anyone slowing down though, must be jazz

Rock, Alt-Rock, Dirty-Rock and some blues. No jazz.

 

[RoadRanger]

If someone wants to hear the original, why wouldn't they just listen on their phone or Ipod?

Or go-to-see/hire a DJ? Increasingly they do rather than listen to some hack band butcher covers .

 

[JTE]

"Honky Tonk Women" on "Get Your Ya Yas Out"

"Crossroads" by Cream ca '68 vs ca '05, vs by Derek & The Dominoes ca '72, vs any of the different recordings by Clapton since then with Nathan East, Duck Dunn, et. al.

Similar With "Let It Rain" from Clapton's first solo album vs the same bassist, Carl Radle ( and I think the same drummer ) on the live Derek and the Dominoes album.

NEVER confuse "song" with "arrangement", "performance", or "recording"!

 

[Badwater]

In this case the note for note would win out because if they're playing cover tunes, there are specific bass grooves (and arrangements) that make the songs the popular hit that it became. Adding in stuff or leaving out stuff will likely make the entire song sound different, and not what the audience expects. And because they are playing for an audience (and not themselves), playing the song as close to the original is the best way to succeed. That is of course if their intent is to play cover tunes, and not make their originals of those cover tunes. If the band is going original, than they may want something different than the original groove.