• 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.

Songs I do not want to play

#41
Agree, There are very few songs or artist I won't cover but I gotta draw the line somewhere....

Guns and Roses, I think the only reason many bands play their songs is because anybody, even a drunk stumblebum, sounds better that Axl.

Joan Jett, have lots of respect for the girl but her songs are so juvenile and inane.

Mustang Sally...Oh, wait a minute, we do play this song and without fail, beautiful women flock to the dance floor. You gotta do whatcha ya gotta do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: murphy
#44
two fingers said:
Play That Funky Music is ten times easier to dance to than Get On Up by James Brown. Most James Brown songs made for great entertaining shows but are too fast or too slow to dance to....regardless of how "funky" they are.

The problem with most funk songs is that we white guys always play them way too fast. :D Speed sucks the funk right out of a funky dance song.

If the hang is good, the players are good, the money is good, and the gig isn't too much travel I will play whatever.
Click to expand...

JB himself played them at varying tempos. My son got a live album of his and the tempos were WAY faster than the studio recordings I had been listening to - frenetic, you could say. But I have to assume that energy in the room was such that the crowd was into hearing them that fast. So, knowing that, I would say a band should feel free to play them at whatever tempo is going to kick the crowd's butts into gear. There's no one "correct" tempo.

InhumanResource said:
No song is below me. My only input when picking songs is if people know it, if they'll dance to it, and if we can pull it off well enough to make a good performance. I don't care about anything else, we have a job to do.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. For me, the breakthrough was my "Summer of 69" moment. I always HATED that song, since long before I started playing music. It just always annoyed me. Then, we were playing this summer backyard party in a classic rock trio, and from time to time the group would pull that one out if we had a dancing crowd and it seemed right - so we did. The guitarist begins that opening riff, "I got my first real six-string..." and there's all kinds of people up and dancing and singing along, I'm pumping eighth-note roots and singing harmonies.... and all of a sudden I realized to my utter shock and surprise... I was ENJOYING myself. How did THAT happen?

That's when I realized that, basically, I like entertaining people. It's not a matter of "selling out," selling out is when you violate your principles to make some money. But I realized that my principle is that I like to connect with a crowd, I like to entertain, I like giving people a little joy. It doesn't matter if the song of the moment is one I personally love or hate. I still don't put Summer of 69 on a CD and listen to it in the car by myself. But if it's bringing people some joy, absolutely, I'll play it - I'll LOVE to play it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: +6dB Dan, pcake, The Deep End and 8 others
#45
I am a whore. There, I said it. As did a few people before me. In so many word, I guess. If I'm getting paid, I'll play what I'm asked.

What irritates the hell out of me is that in my main band, it has been a decade or better since I've felt challenged by the material. The last several years, I've been resistant to bring in songs that have been done to death. The other guys willingly refer to it as "low hanging fruit". It's easy to learn, people like it and very little effort is needed on their part to learn it. I want to be challenged. I want to have to put in some time to learn a song. To need to practice it on my own. To get that sense of accomplishment in figuring out and being able to play something that I could not previously play. Apparently the others have no such desire. We, as a band, are slipping into the "good enough" mentality. They started refering to it as the "Trevcda Test" when picking songs. I told them there was no longer any such thing as the Trevcda Test, and that I really no longer wanted to be involved in the song selection process and would just learn any song they saw fit. Not out of spite, but because I was clogging up the works.

To challenge myself, I've taken to learning whatever I feel is a challenge and have an interest in. It's a lot more fun to do it as group and play it front of an audience, but it will have to do for now, until I find a group of like minded individuals.
 
#47
oldrocker said:
If I'm already in the band I never refuse to play any song the group wants to play. I'm OK with Mustang Sally, Sweet Home and even Brown Eyed Girl but as I get older and crankier when considering a new band and checking out their songlist there are a few that will cause me to automatically pass:

- No Matter What - Badfinger. Why do so many classic rock bands play this song. Who do they think wants to hear this thing. It may be easy to play but so boring to play and to listen to.

- Play That Funky Music. What's the deal with this song. If they want something funky or that people can dance to why not some James Brown, Temptations of even some Blues Brothers.

There are more that I can't remember right now. What's on you non-starter list.

As a disclaimer I have to say that I'm a non pro and play for fun so I can be selective as I don't count on music to pay the mortgage.
Click to expand...
What's wrong with "Play that funky music"? It has a really cool bass groove. I love the groove! I am all about the groove!
 
  • Like
Reactions: obimark
#48
Bass'd on a true story said:
I despise everything about Adele's music.
Click to expand...
@Basstards
Not sure if you guys read my post with an Adele story. Well to make a long story shorter, I went to Sam Ash to buy my fiance a keyboard as present. I prefer my sales guy Jim which is this VERY tall dude heavy set, tattoos, basically looks like a cross between a heandbanger and motorcycle gang member: nicest guy you ever met though!

So the metal head takes me to the keyboards and shows me the one he owns and favors and starts playing this song which sounds very familiar. About 10-plus seconds into the song he turns his head as he is playing and looks right at me and says "Yes, I am playing Adele"!
 
  • Like
Reactions: pcake and audreycashin
#50
i live near the finger lakes which is home to some of the members of the old crow medicine show. in 2001 or 02 the old crow version came out - people in my area went nuts! i played wagon wheel every show for 3 years from 2003-2006. i said i'd never play that song again....in 2006....

then came 2013....

for the record, i have played it a few times at weddings by request because it's what the job requires....and i did it with a smile :)
 
#51
Stormy Monday for me. Both of my last 2 blues bands hosted blues jam nights (probably 6 years all totaled), and almost every week someone wanted to play it, usually with a few of us playing the rhythm section. To my best recollection I've never seen anyone dance to it, and I have come to hate it. Last time I had to play it, I took a vow to never play it again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Remyd and Les Ismoor
#52
it was funny when i said , on stage and before the set started , if you try to play that ' electric boogie ' crap thing/ line dancing/ wedding DJ POS , ... that i would be done ... ' i'd quit ' ...

it got played ... i started packing my gear ( bass / keys / half PA ) ... and took/stole the lead singer/BL 's lovely girlfriend with me !
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lowendtech and Joedog
#53
The only song I can honestly say I'd refuse to play is George Harrison's Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)

Because that is the one song in the world just can't seem to play. :banghead:

Got nothing against Mssr. Harrison - or the song itself - as far as songs go. But I have never once been able to play (or heard anybody else play) a bassline that really works well with it. I mean, you could lay down a track for it. They have. But it just never seems to sound that great. Even Voorman (who's been with the Beatles and Harrison for ages) seems to be playing what little there is that can be played for it. Around the 2:12 mark he gets a little drive and groove going for a few measures. But the song just seems to torpedo it a few bars later.

Drives me nuts. There's just something about that song that doesn't work for me.
 
#54
I've posted this before, but will repeat - most of the time, the problem is not the song, it's sloppy musicians who are too lazy to spend a little effort to make a song sound decent and instead half-ass their way through a classic based on the alcohol/drug influenced memory of how it is supposed to go. I will make an exception for Wagon Wheel, there is no way to make that dog hunt.

Songs I refuse to play - none.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pcake, EdO. and trevcda
#56
oldrocker said:
Sweet Caroline is another - OMG what a horrible song, the singer sounds like he won't make it to the end of the song. Reminds me how bad it must be to live in Boston.
Click to expand...
First heard that song when I saw a drunk take his turn at the karaoke mic. Not a good song, not a good memory.

Give Me One Reason to Stay Here is on my list. It's just another blues tune in a format I've heard a million times. The lyrics, nothing special. Pass!

Mustang Sally. Only took once to realize we weren't a good fit.

Wagon Wheel... Where is my noose?
 
  • Like
Reactions: murphy
#58
oldrocker said:
No Matter What - Badfinger. Why do so many classic rock bands play this song. Who do they think wants to hear this thing.
Click to expand...

That's my favorite Badfinger song. So I guess I'd like to hear it :roflmao:

No matter what songs you hate to play somebody out there (and maybe in this forum) loves it. I know why so many players are tired of Mustang Sally but I like the song and love to play it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jerry

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back