I was cleaning out some old files from my hard drive, and I noticed one folder in the "Music" section of my documents, that had all the different set lists from old cover bands. Now, I haven't been playing in cover bands as long as someone like JimK, so I'm not going to have Ohio Players B-sides on this, but when I looked at all the different cover bands I've done, and all the different tunes from each cover band, I noticed that you could create THE ULTIMATE COVER SONG list. So, here ya go. Keep in mind that this list would be for party type bands. So, hard rock and metal aren't going to work. We're talking dance clubs and bars. Feel free to add, because I know there are tons of songs that aren't here. I would assume that the TRUE ultimate cover song list would probably be in the neighborhood of a good 500 or so songs. I also noticed there aren't a lot of songs on this list from within the last 3-4 years. Barry White Never, Never Gonna Give You Up Blues Brothers Soul Man Eagles Hotel California Hootie and the Blowfish Let Her Cry James Brown Its a Mans World Doobie Brothers Long Train Running Brothers Johnson Strawberry Letter 23 Bill Withers Use Me Bill Withers Give Me the Beat Boys Santana Put Your Lights On Lenny Kravitz Always on the Run Marvin Gaye Mercy Mercy Me Ben Harper Burn to Shine Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through the Grapevine Ben Harper Stealing Kisses BB King The Thrill is Gone James Brown Sex Machine CCR Proud Mary Johnnie Taylor Whos Making Love Wilson Pickett Funky Broadway Lenny Kravitz American Woman Billy Idol Dancing With Myself Billy Idol White Wedding Black Crowes Hard to Handle Brian Adams Summer of 69 Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock Gary Numan Cars Genesis In the Air Tonight George Michael Faith Joan Jett I Love Rock N Roll John Cougar Mellencamp Hurts So Good Kinks You Really Got Me Now Modern English I Melt With You Rick Springfield Jessies Girl Rod Stewart Hot Legs Rod Stewart If You Think Im Sexy Stray Cats Rock This Town Stray Cats Stray Cat Strut Sublime Santeria The Knack Sharona UB40 Red Red Wine Violent Femmes Blister in the Sun Counting Crows Mr. Jones Fastball The Way Matchbox 20 Push Sublime What I Got Aretha Franklin Baby I Love You Aretha Franklin Respect Bobbi Gentry Ode to Billie Joe Etta James Sweet Little Angel Santana Europa Santana Oye Como Va Santana Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen Santana Evil Ways Junior Wells Messin w/ the Kid Lou Ann Barton You Can Have My Husband Parliaments I Wanna Testify Otis Redding Thats How Strong My Love Is Archie Bell & the Drells Tighten It Up Rick James Superfreak Funkadelic Maggot Brain Lee Dorsey Everything I Do Gohn be Fonky Quincy Jones Midnight Soul Patrol Ike and Tina Turner Sexy Ida Pee Wee Ellis/Jaco Pastorious The Chicken Michael Jackson Billie King Flake Jack Johnson Joe Zawinul Mercy Mercy Mercy Dinah Washington Bad Case of the Blues Four Tops Bernadette JR Walker & the All-Stars Shotgun Marvin Gaye Whats Going On? Isley Brothers Its Your Thing Temptations Aint Too Proud To Beg Stevie Wonder I Wish Stevie Wonder Superstition Stevie Wonder I Believe When I Fall In Love Stevie Wonder I Was Made To Love Her Stevie Wonder Sir Duke Stevie Wonder Higher Ground Soggy Bottom Boys Man of Constant Sorrow Charlie Daniels Band Devil Went Down to Georgia Some guy Johnnie B. Goode Mammas and the Papas California Dreamin Van Morrison Brown Eyed Squirrel Norman Greenbaum Spirit in the Sky Ritchie Valens La Bamba Wilson Pickett Mustang Salley The Cure Love Song The Cure Close to Me Tori Amos Cornflake Girl Miles Davis All Blues Miles Davis So What TV Theme The Jeffersons TV Theme Barney Miller TV Theme Dukes of Hazzard TV Theme Welcome Back Kotter Weather Report Birdland Tom Petty Mary Janes Last Dance Billy Joel You May Be Right Bonnie Raitt Something to Talk About Jimi Hendrix All Along the Watchtower Jimi Hendrix Red House Jimi Hendrix Pride & Joy CCR Fortunate Son Beatles One After 909 Beatles Come Together Eric Clapton Wonderful Tonight John Cougar Mellencamp Authority Song Georgia Satellites Keep Your Hands to Yourself Romantics What I Like About You The Klash Should I Stay or Should I Go The Cars Just What I Needed Cheap Trick I Want You To Want Me Tommi Tutone Jenni/867-5309 KC & the Sunshine Band Shake Your Booty The Trammps Disco Inferno Bee Gees Staying Alive Rod Stewart Stay with Me Black Crowes Hard to Handle Another One Bites the Dust Queen U2 With or Without You Bizarre Love Triangle New Order Billy Joel Still Rock and Roll to Me The Police Dont Stand So Close to Me The Police Every Breath You Take Dead or Alive - You Spin Me (Round) Genesis I Cant Dance The Pretenders Back on the Chain Gang Love in an Elevator Aerosmith Maneater Hall n Oates Guns N Roses Sweet Child of Mine ? Sweet Home Chicago John Lee Hooker - One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer George Thorogood Bad to the Bone Johnny Rivers Secret Agent Man Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville Wilson Pickett Land of a Thousand Dances Bob Marley No Woman No Cry Lynard Skynard Sweet Home Alabama Ohio Players Love Rollercoaster The Gap Band Burn Rubber Commodores Brickhouse Village People Macho Man KC & the Sunshine Band Get Down Tonight KC & the Sunshine Band Thats the Way I Like It Sly Stone Thank U Kool & the Gang Get Down on It Kool & the Gang Jungle Boogie Peaches & Herb Shake Your Groove Thang Dee-Light Groove is in the Heart Lipps, Inc. Funkytown Rolls Royce Car Wash Gloria Gaynor I Will Survive EWF September EWF Shining Star War Low Rider Kool & the Gang Ladies Night Beastie Boys Fight For Your Right Beastie Boys No Sleep Til Brooklyn Soft Cell Tainted Love Devo Whip It Adam Ant Goodie Two Shoes Dexys Midnight Runner Come On Eileen Young MC Principals Office Down 311 Longview Green Day Smooth Santana Tracy Chapman Give Me One Reason The Meters Cissy Strut Average White Band Pick Up The Pieces Bill Withers Aint No Sunshine John Cougar Mellencamp Wild Nights
Dude, where's "I Love That Old Time Rock & Roll" (may not be the title, but that's the main chorus line if it isn't) EDIT: Omg, and "Footloose"
'Bo- ...you sure you're not confusing me with Brad or Rick? True, I've done my time in cover bands; I would guess most of those bands still attempted originals. If I ever have the means to transfer tape to disc, I'll share some lo-lights... Anyway- That would be a pretty impressive list for any cover band. I would still love to be able to play a tune like "Shining Star" in a band...since that's impossible(around here), I will drop in snippets here & there. Fact, I do that all the time; I'll quote some figure from my past(even in my current band, the New Country parody group) & "stick it in"! (I love it when she sez that!) Another "trick" of my writing style(?)...if there's a certain rhythmic figure I like(maybe "Ball Of Confusion"), I use that rhythm & add my own notes. BAM! Instant groove. I specifically recall writing a tune based on Duck Dunn's bass rhythm to Johnny Taylor's "Who's Makin' Love"(& I see that one made your list!). What's funny, too, is I can remember more of the tune-age from the good ol' daze vs. the cover tunes I played 7-8 years ago. EDIT- One more thing; used to be if you 'marketed' yourself as a Top-40 band...you had better stay CURRENT or even somewhat ahead of the game(like picking the soon-to-be-hits off the album before radio even began playing them). I guess it's different nowadaze, though(?).
Speaking of "Ode to Billy Joe," I heard a version of that song on the local jazz station that was a lady accompanied by just an upright bass and it sounded very cool. The bass player was using a lot of cool slides... anyone ever hear that version?? BTW, cool list. I had some suggestions but then I would find each one as a scanned down the list.
