I don't know what Mustang Sally is. What demographic is asking for this song? I think whatever covers you do would be tailored to your audience.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Overplayed Covers
- Thread starter PennyroyalWe
- Start date
If you consider yourselves “Americana”
(another way of putting it is ‘roots rock’, Red Dirt is a modern day Oklahoma version of the Willie/Waylon Texas thing), there’s a number of directions you could go in, for variety’s sake. American music is a gumbo anyway, you could pursue a number of sources without getting stuck in any one genre, and still have continuity.
I’m guessing you’re playing to an older audience, and there’s always a song by an artist that they’ve heard, that wasn’t necessarily the “big hit”. If you touch upon 50’s rock a little bit, I’d leave Elvis alone, but there’s plenty of great Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent hits that aren’t “Peggy Sue”, “Somertime Blues”, or “Bebop A Lula”. You don’t have to become a honky-tonk band, but give ‘em a taste of Bakersfield with something from Merle or Buck, “Act Naturally” was good enough for the Beatles. Anyway, I could go on all day with this, so I’ll just throw out some ideas to see what might stick for you...
Then you need to do some homework. You don’t have to necessarily like the stuff, but it certainly can’t hurt to know where everything comes from, regardless of what kind of music you like. It’s like jazz players knowing standards/fake book/great American singbook tunes. Go to a blues jam, it will make you think fast on your feet. You can never know too much. Expand your vocabulary of bass moves.
Last edited:
Last night we played a gig. Near the end of the night someone yelled out "Gimme Three Steps". A bunch of someones. It's not on our song list but we can surely play it. And play it we did. Because in the end I can have all kinds of standards and lists of things I won't do but if the band is booked in a club where a group of paying customers wants to hear a song we can do then guess what....
I'm never going to be in a situation where I need to know Mustang Sally. It's something like you being required to know all of the works of Villa Lobos. There is too much music out there to know everything.
Hey, neighbor,
I've been out of it for over 3 decades, just getting back, and never heard of mashups. Gotta say, though, that's BRILLIANT! I cannot imagine the warped mind that first hears those tunes juxtaposed in their head, but I bet they're someone quite entertaining with whom to create audible-art.
Honestly, I'm not certain I could hold up my part in that band, essentially playing 2 songs at the same time, but dang, wouldn't it be fun trying? And I just know it would really mess with an audience. They'd love it or they'd hate it, but they'd all be listening 100%. And ain't that the real goal?
(Side note -- Love your other profile-page slogan, ya geek, about there being 10 kinds of people...)
Be well, and be thumpin'!
I'm there to entertain the crowd, so I'll play whatever songs they want to hear (that we can play). Not that I'm playing paying gigs - it's all social events at my church. We get invited back to these events because we have fun making sure everyone attending is having fun. Otherwise what's the point?
IMHO the issue with Roadhouse Blues is finding a drummer who can nail the feel of the hi-hat pattern.
@jamro217 Any idea how Come and Get Your Love goes over with an audience? I am curious...
In my view, we're the wrong people to ask. You should be asking non musicians this type of question.
Well, I’m not a member of any non music forums. Gotta work with what I got I guess lol.
I was more thinking you might ask your friends and have your band mates do the same.
My point was that (in your area) there may be a song or two that MUSICIANS think are worn out, but AUDIENCES still want to hear.
Another factor is geography. For instance, people in Boston would never grow tired of hearing Sweet Caroline. You could play it four times a night and they would love it every time. Why? They play it at Febway Park during every Red Sox home game.
So, a bass player here in Idaho might answer Swwet Caroline as an overplayed, worn out, cover song. But that wouldn't apply to Boston.
Then there are regional favorites. My first wife was from Lancaster PA. They LOVE singer songwriter stuff up there. Cat Steven's, James Taylor, etc. But that kind of stuff was NEVER big here in Eastern NC. Southern Rock and country were huge during that same period.
Sorry I didn't expound earlier. But my points are that....
1) Musicians don't get to decide what's worn out and what isn't. Your audiences do.
2) What's cool (or not cool) in my area won't be the same as what is or isn't in your area. So answers from us might be a bit useless anyway.
Last edited:
We’ve already learned hold on loosely, but otherwise nothing on that list is on our list of songs to learn. That’s comforting a little bit.
although I have to say, you don't hear too many bands try Knights in White Satin. I know of one that does it, including the interlude, and that to me is an example of doing a cover that's not expected. It sounds very cool
Brown Eyed Girl or Every Rose Has Its Thorn. I’d play them if I was getting paid to, but still..... yuck.
Of course there's the standard "all of them" responses on this thread.
As a cover band member Brown Eyed Girl and Mustang Sally are indeed tired and old to those of us who have played them for years. Can honestly say we've avoided them with this group for years now. The only song we play in a 4 hour set that was mentioned here was Come and Get Your Love. Our guitarist fought against it saying a different band he was in had no luck with it. Got him to agree to it once and now it's usually on our list somewhere, always goes well.
As a cover band member Brown Eyed Girl and Mustang Sally are indeed tired and old to those of us who have played them for years. Can honestly say we've avoided them with this group for years now. The only song we play in a 4 hour set that was mentioned here was Come and Get Your Love. Our guitarist fought against it saying a different band he was in had no luck with it. Got him to agree to it once and now it's usually on our list somewhere, always goes well.
Last edited:
Why automatically reject out of hand proven crowd pleasers?
