Unexpected Positive Song Reaction...

[EdO.]

How about "I Touch Myself" by the Divinyls? Absolutely kills.

This year it has been the Yacht Rock chestnut, " I'd really like to see you Tonight." A cheesy dirge from 1976...
But my goodness - It's musical catnip & the reception is incredible for it!

Another unexpected 70's hit is "Thunder Island." always a lot of positive feedback from that number though for me it was never my favorite song..

es, Dancing in The Moonlite. Never was anything I would have been interested in when it was released in 1970 but it's fun to play and always nice to hear the positive reactions.

These are all regulars on our 70's - 80's band songlist. Always well received.

 

[Rib 13]

"Couldn't Get It Right" by Climax Blues Band.........its a mystery but people of all ages really like it

 

[mikewalker]

Several mentions of "Brandy".... this reminds me of the time (circa 1980) when our 'country rock trio' (mostly Beatles with a sprinkling of current country hits) was playing in a small bar in Kamloops... at the end of the night we were accosted by a guy who offered to be our 'manager' and he said his claim to fame was that he was the writer of the song "Brandy". (Have played it in the distant past but it was not on the setlist then!) I can't remember exactly what he said his name was but it was something ukrainian - like 'Francis Tarkington'. There was considerable booze and pot (and probably some cocaine) involved in the discussion but I don't think we ever heard from him again...

 

[Joebone]

Tarkington likely ain't Ukranian...consider Booth Tarkington...

Booth Tarkington - Wikipedia

Taras Bulba? Different story!

 

[HolmeBass]

The biggest money maker we ever played...without a doubt.
Was a song we haaaaated.
"Achy Breaky Heart " was huuuuge at the same moment that the line dancing craze kinda exploded.
" Boot scoot boogie " was a close second.
When they offered us a 20 ...We'd say " Sorry, we don't know it".
When a Fiddy showed up, I'd turn around and say ...
" Achy Breaky Heart in A " !!!

I don’t know… Achy Breaky feels more like a Benjamin to me. Just like Wagon Wheel.

 

[smurfco]

"WAP" did not go over well at the Rotary Club, I can tell you that much

 

[Real Soon]

I get really confused when I see post-collegiate types starting to backflip when my main band kicks up Stop Draggin' My Heart Around. Like how do y'all have any clue what that song is?? Or Rich Girl, or, crazy enough, Barracuda. Like apparently my (yes younger lol) bandmate friends know about a seriously dialed-in crowd. Can't say I don't enjoy it!

 

[retslock]

How about "I Touch Myself" by the Divinyls? Absolutely kills.
Always well received.

When it came out in Australia the teenage girls were into it. I remember seeing a bunch of school girls walking through a shopping mall singing it together loud. Hoping to shock the oldies no doubt.

 

[fhm555]

I play in a classic country / outlaw country band. We end the night with a punky version of The Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer. The room always goes nuts.

We used to do a very punked up medley of Johnny Cash songs we called Johnny Cash meets The Clash. The crowd always got into it big time.

 

[Hawk256]

A little different but same vein. When I played in a orginals band, the songs that I though we be bangers rarely were to a crowd but the simple, silly ones were a hit. I guess there is something in 4/4 3 chord rock that speaks to people. For example most of our music was in a Queensryche vein but the Poison style songs really got the crowd going.

 

[Rib 13]

A little different but same vein. When I played in a orginals band, the songs that I though we be bangers rarely were to a crowd but the simple, silly ones were a hit. I guess there is something in 4/4 3 chord rock that speaks to people. For example most of our music was in a Queensryche vein but the Poison style songs really got the crowd going.

The difference between rock bands and jazz bands:

A rock band plays songs with three chords to thousands of people

A Jazz band plays songs with thousands of chords to three people

 

[KenSmithFan]

My trio plays all tunes that were huge hits, regardless of genre. Everything from Hey Good Lookin’ to Low Rider. I can’t think of anything that doesn’t go over well. They were huge hits because people like them.

 

[Geogio]

I was in a variety band in the 90s, we had two guitarists and they were very able, along with solid keyboardist. We worked up an Alien Ant Farm kind of a rendition of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" as kind of a joke but... everybody loved that song, yeah we reworked it and it was a very surprising crowd pleaser.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Unexpected crowd pleasers? Lately, we’ve opened with “Can’t Find My Way Home” as a sort of warmup. People don’t dance to it, but it gets big applause every time. You can’t never tell, you know?

 

[Marc A Valero]

Another unexpected 70's hit is "Thunder Island." always a lot of positive
feedback from that number though for me it was never my favorite song..

I started listening to that song again recently. Sounds like it would be fun to perform.

Another unexpected 70's hit is "Thunder Island." always a lot of positive feedback from that number though for me it was never my favorite song..

 

[Marc A Valero]

My old band did a pop punk cover of Katy Perry's Hot n Cold which just made so much sense once you heard it.

I sang a punk version of it too.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

It's better than this contemporary of GAH.

Except for the stupid slapping sounds, I think its a good song. I think it was the #1 song of '82.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

I always thought, speaking of the three chord thing, that "Werewolves of London" would be great. The audience could howl along.
Classic rock bands I was in: "Honky Tonk Woman" worked well. In the classic metal band "Enter Sandman" was a crowd pleaser.

 

[fjbolebruch]

We also play a wide variety and the Yacht rock tunes get the crowd involved for us. Our two most popular are “Couldn’t get it right” Climax Blues Band and “So into you” Atlanta Rhythm Section.
Our drummer sings both those songs and always leads into them by saying “let’s sail this dinghy into mustache harbour”

 

[RCH]

We get requests for Mustang Sally and it's always popular. The one that surprises me is Wooly Bully. Yeah, Sam the Sham always fills the dance floor. Go figure.