how many bands play Honky Tonk Women and the bass players play through the verse! there is NO BASS in the verse, it only comes in on the chorus!!! that's one of the things that makes it cool folks!
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The most overplayed cover tune EVER.
- Thread starter Fingerpickingood
- Start date
the original recording does have the bass player playing straight quarter notes. I played with Chuck in the early 80's as part of a pickup band in NYC, I think at Danceiteria, and he had me play almost a 2 beat feel. with the drummer playing double time and Chuck chunking on the guitar it felt quite good. I've played it that way ever since.
Yah, I've had bandmembers looking at me wondering why I'm not playing the first time we've played it together LOL.
It's been a regional thing in my expeirence. Here in this part of the South, it's a tossup between Give Me Three Steps and Sweet Home Alabama. Back up where I used to play around Ann Arbor/Detroit, it was hands-down Old Time Rock and Roll. Seger - Michigan, Skynyrd - South...makes objective sense, I guess. Any of those three songs still make me want to put my own eyes out with a rusty screwdriver.
Familiarity breeds contempt? Agree!
Familiarity breeds contempt? Agree!
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I agree that a lot of the issue is that so many of the "standards" are given hack jobs on a regular basis. We've talked about Sweet Home Alabama a lot in that regard. A few have also mentioned Pride and Joy. That's another one. So many bands play the most vanilla, on-the-beat, shuffle arrangement with noodling penatonics possible. How about actually playing SRV's parts correctly and grooving like Double Trouble made it groove? Roadhouse Blues suffers the same. It's a great song (and one of the precious few Doors numbers you can play without an organ and get away with it), but it is supposed to have a lot of swagger to it. Man In The Box is a classic, but man oh man, Layne is rollin' in his grave from the absurd amount of just bad covers of it that get played in the club scene every night. Why does playing the pre-chorus correctly in that song seem like rocket science to so many people?
But while yes, a lot of these tunes get beat to death over and over again due to crowd popularity, a lot of it is, I believe, musician laziness. Jive has talked about this before, and I agree: It's possible to pick accessible cover music without resorting to the same mind-numbing catalog.
-Instead of Sweet Home Alabama, how 'bout Saturday Night Special?
-Instead of Talk Dirty To Me, how 'bout Ride The Wind?
-Instead of Hard To Handle (a cover of a cover, I know), how 'bout Jealous Again?
-Instead of Proud Mary, how 'bout Hey Tonight?
-Instead of Country Girl (Shake It For Me), how 'bout Rain is a Good Thing?
-Instead of Taking Care of Business, how 'bout Ain't Seen Nothing Yet?
-Instead of Living On A Prayer, how 'bout Lay Your Hands on Me?
-Instead of Old Time Rock 'n Roll, how 'bout Hollywood Nights?
-Instead of One Way Out, how 'bout Blue Skies?
-Instead of My Own Worst Enemy, how 'bout Zip-Lock Bag?
-Instead of Paranoid, how 'bout Sabbra Cadabra?
-Instead of Smells Like Teen Spirit, how 'bout In Bloom?
-Instead of Johnny B. Goode, how 'bout Madeline?
-Instead of What I Got, how 'bout Badfish?
-Instead of Honky Tonk Woman, how 'bout Start Me Up?
You get my point. The alternatives should all be recognizable to even a casual crowd, but so many players just keep playing the beat to death songs. You don't have to play the same old, same old to get work.
But while yes, a lot of these tunes get beat to death over and over again due to crowd popularity, a lot of it is, I believe, musician laziness. Jive has talked about this before, and I agree: It's possible to pick accessible cover music without resorting to the same mind-numbing catalog.
-Instead of Sweet Home Alabama, how 'bout Saturday Night Special?
-Instead of Talk Dirty To Me, how 'bout Ride The Wind?
-Instead of Hard To Handle (a cover of a cover, I know), how 'bout Jealous Again?
-Instead of Proud Mary, how 'bout Hey Tonight?
-Instead of Country Girl (Shake It For Me), how 'bout Rain is a Good Thing?
-Instead of Taking Care of Business, how 'bout Ain't Seen Nothing Yet?
-Instead of Living On A Prayer, how 'bout Lay Your Hands on Me?
-Instead of Old Time Rock 'n Roll, how 'bout Hollywood Nights?
-Instead of One Way Out, how 'bout Blue Skies?
-Instead of My Own Worst Enemy, how 'bout Zip-Lock Bag?
-Instead of Paranoid, how 'bout Sabbra Cadabra?
-Instead of Smells Like Teen Spirit, how 'bout In Bloom?
-Instead of Johnny B. Goode, how 'bout Madeline?
-Instead of What I Got, how 'bout Badfish?
-Instead of Honky Tonk Woman, how 'bout Start Me Up?
You get my point. The alternatives should all be recognizable to even a casual crowd, but so many players just keep playing the beat to death songs. You don't have to play the same old, same old to get work.
Good God, you're both right. I've always played straight through because it sounded empty when I didn't (a while ago). I'll have to try the chorus-only method if we gig it again.
I generally like the Stones, but not this one. The guitarist's cowbell pedal has a lot to do with that..just goes right through my head.
Love that tune. We make it a 3-part medley with Cinnamon Girl, OHIO and Rockin' in the Free World.
At this point, those tunes are old enough that no one around here plays them except us.
Yeah. Clapton's ode to his own senility is definitely up there, along with his equally godawful No Tears in Heaven.
On the chick singer side of things: Bobby McGee, that 4 non blondes song, and Black Velvet.
A lot of blondes floating around the Cover band set lists
"What's going on" 4 Non Blondes
"Joey" Concrete Blond
The only thing these 2 bands have in common is they are both fronted by female alto vocalists. Ones a guitarist the other a bassist.
Both band have much more interesting songs in their catalogs to choose from than these two overplayed tunes.
I guess you could say that about every band that has an overplayed cover in their catalog except maybe a one hit wonders.
A lot of blondes floating around the Cover band set lists
"What's going on" 4 Non Blondes
"Joey" Concrete Blond
The only thing these 2 bands have in common is they are both fronted by female alto vocalists. Ones a guitarist the other a bassist.
Both band have much more interesting songs in their catalogs to choose from than these two overplayed tunes.
I guess you could say that about every band that has an overplayed cover in their catalog except maybe a one hit wonders.
Is it bad that I didn't know what Mustand Sally was before I joined TalkBass...
No, although Wilson Pickett's version & Buddy Guy's version are both excellent.
I know, right? I was asked by the vocalist to play during the verse because he said without the bass the verse sounds empty. Jeez!
I absolutely LOVE that bass part. It never gets old for me.
