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The most overplayed cover tune EVER.

#221
electracoyote said:
I'd have to be very careful which venue or event I try this at, but I might give it a try when the timing is right.
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Caution is wise. I have a bad habit of throwing it to the wind. I worked in a Nevada casino band that could get away with blue humor. I used to sing Steven Bishop's song On And On and I would change the lyrics to amuse myself. One time I was playing a nice supper club and I defaulted into my alternate verse without thinking. The actual verse is:

I've got the sun on my shoulders and my toes in the sand
My woman left me for another man

I sang:

I've got my toes on my shoulders and my head in the sand
My woman caught me with another man

Oops! This was not the casino band. I got some bewildered looks from the other members.
 
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#223
Hahaha said:
Songs like Mustang Sally, Brown Eyed Girl and such are the "burger and fries" of our business. It's what many people expect to hear when they go dancing. Just imagine what the reaction would be if people went to McDonalds and saw that their favorite item had been replaced with French onion soup and artichokes. "The cook is sick of frying burgers and much prefers making these new items." It wouldn't go over too well. Unfortunately for musicians, the general public has a similar mentality when it comes to the songs they like, so, we're back there flippin' tunes to their liking. Good musicians can take a tired old song and keep it fresh and interesting.
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Yet bands have to P2P.

No matter how they stick to their guns.
 
#226
Hahaha said:
Pay to Play? I've never done that. If I had to pay to play cover tunes I wouldn't do it.
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No, but I've read that it is - if not common - possbile and freqent occurence in certain parts of the states. Were the market is saturated and overcrowded with bands that want to make it. To me it's like paying for work.

It's totally unheard of in all of Scandinavia. It's not even in imagination of any club owner.
 
#227
Honch said:
No, but I've read that it is - if not common - possbile and freqent occurence in certain parts of the states. Were the market is saturated and overcrowded with bands that want to make it. To me it's like paying for work.

It's totally unheard of in all of Scandinavia. It's not even in imagination of any club owner.
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Out here they call it "exposure". So many club and restaurant owners are so cheap.
 
#228
roccobass said:
Out here they call it "exposure". So many club and restaurant owners are so cheap.
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Indeed, a cultural decline by all means. Here, the most cheap a club owner can do is to allow for evenings of open blues jams. Anyone comes and plays and does it. "live" music, and the club owner can't pay much than free food and a couple of beers. To those sitting in just once it's free can of coca cola (not coke, mind you...) ;) BUT! Even that is rare. They more often than not let the band play for "what's off the door" so to speak. Now derailing thread....back to the script...
 
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#230
FWIW, if you think in Sweden they all play ABBA covers they're not. Way too hard to pull off. You must have these wall of sound hitting you in the face, with harmony singing.

You may think I am full of it, but believe it or not, one instrumental song that people requests, and are on the verge of becoming "no more please" among musicians are ABB's (skip the last A, you'll know who I mean) "Jessica" ... yes, "Jessica". Let me see if you can take a guess why! We play it, I've played ever since...

... quizz...
 
#233
roccobass said:
Hey guys, here's a new twist. How many times did you guys change the lyrics just to see if anyone was paying attention? And on what songs? I wish I had YouTube some of our versions.
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We used to sing "Black Magic Marker (instead of Woman)" and "You've Got To Change Your Underwear (Evil Ways) both by Santana, "Rotten Crotch Tennessee" (Rocky Top) at weddings and no one ever noticed. Ever. They just danced the whole time. We be fallin' OUT laughin'.
 
#238
In Scandinavia, especially Sweden, here's two another ones, that you've probably forgotten that you've played, or hated to play, but it's dime a dozen requests with all cover bands here, and we're all fed up by them by now:

1. Davey's On The Road Again - Manfred Manns Earth Band :bored: version...
2. Centerfold - J Geils Band :vomit:

Bet that Centerfold was one of those annoying hits that you forgot that you remembered, or vice versa... and wished to stay that way.;) Both wears on me, but whenever and if "Daveys..." is on call, I urge everyone to play the extended version with the synth solo section and the whacky break, that comes out of nowhere... so it at least gets a little "proggy" and you can stretch out just a liiiiitle bit...and not make it tedious.
 
#240
Blueinred said:
We used to sing "Black Magic Marker (instead of Woman)" and "You've Got To Change Your Underwear (Evil Ways) both by Santana, "Rotten Crotch Tennessee" (Rocky Top) at weddings and no one ever noticed. Ever. They just danced the whole time. We be fallin' OUT laughin'.
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A close friend, now deceased, Joe Lala played percussion and sang backup with Stephen Stills when he had the band Manassas. I rode to a concert with them when we happen to cross paths in Nashville (circa 1975). On the way, Joe bet Stephen $100 he would sing Love the One You're With as "If you can't beat up the one you love, then punch the one you're with." Joe won the bet. I don't think anyone in the audience noticed. I love doing this sort of thing. I wrote alternative lyrics to Cocaine as Rogaine and our singer did it once.
 

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