Off Topic Song Ideas please

[tkarter]

Here is a set list of one of the first bar gigs I ever done. Wasn't a female vocalist though.

You MAY BE RIGHT
JET AIRLINER
JENNY JENNY
xJealous again
HOW'S IT GONNA BE
GIMME ALL YOUR LOVING
KRYPTONITE
RED WHITE AND BLUE
BOOT SCOOTIN BOOGIE
THE BREEZE
TURN THE PAGE
WHISKEY ROCK A ROLLER
xHard to handle
ONLY GOD KNOWS WHY
GUITARS AND CADILLACS
8-SECOND RIDE
MakingMEMORIES
DOWN SOUTH JUKIN
YOU DON'T KNOW HOW IT FEELS
WHEN SEPT. ENDS
GIMME BACK MY BULLETS
WHISKEY FOR MY MEN
xPoision Whiskey
BROWN EYED GIRL
ANYTHING BUT MINE
FEEL LIKE MAKING LOVE
CURTIS LOWE
LAST DANCE WITH MARY JANE
LITTLE SISTER
TUESDAY'S GONE
SHE HATES ME
JACK AND DIANE
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN
FIGURED YOU OUT
SIMPLE MAN
WHAT'S YOUR NAME
SWEET CHILD
MARGURATIAVILLE
FORTUNATE SON
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY
MUSTANG SALLY
YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME
FOLSUM PRISON
JOHNNY B GOODE
BACK IN THE USA
TRAVELIN BAND
LABAMBA/TWIST AND SHOUT
WONDERFUL TONIGHT

tk

 

[Powman]

I hope I don't offend anyone by my question, but to me it is a measure of success. And that is, what songs get the cougars on the dance floor?

 

[tkarter]

Go get the gigs with the songs that work in you local.

tk

 

[Grand Wazoo]

Ok here is my advice: a good inspiration for a cover band material is the movie "The Commitments" I don't know if you guys have seen it, but the tunes they really work as crowd pleasing music in any small to medium gigs:

1. Mustang Sally
2. Take Me to the River
3. Chain of Fools
4. Dark End of the Street, The
5. Destination: Anywhere
6. I Can't Stand the Rain
7. Try a Little Tenderness
8. Treat Her Right
9. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
10. Mr. Pitiful
11. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)
12. In the Midnight Hour
13. Bye Bye Baby
14. Slip Away

 

[adouglas]

Ok here is my advice: a good inspiration for a cover band material is the movie "The Commitments" I don't know if you guys have seen it, but the tunes they really work as crowd pleasing music in any small to medium gigs:

1. Mustang Sally
2. Take Me to the River
3. Chain of Fools
4. Dark End of the Street, The
5. Destination: Anywhere
6. I Can't Stand the Rain
7. Try a Little Tenderness
8. Treat Her Right
9. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
10. Mr. Pitiful
11. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)
12. In the Midnight Hour
13. Bye Bye Baby
14. Slip Away

+1 (of course, since that's the same direction my band goes in), but.....

It's important to note that all those songs are in the R&B/Soul/Motown spirit.

You couldn't put "American Woman" or "Highway to Hell" or other such rock standards in the Commitments set list and have it work. Going there would destroy the whole vibe. The band would still sound good, but it wouldn't be The Commitments any more.

This is what I was talking about earlier in the thread.

The old, oh-so-tired cover band formula is to choose songs based on a) what happens to be popular and b) what the band members think they do well.

The result is a flood of lookalike, soundalike bar bands. Little if any thought is given to how the songs actually work together.

I admire The Commitments because the band was built around a specific idea, not a random collection of hit songs.

 

[cellkirk74]

Thats good advice!
It is beter for the audience if the band has a concept and does not sound like a jukebox on random play.

If you switch between genres and play a wide range of different pop-, rock- and maybe even soulsongs you better put them in different sets.

With one of my bands we do a project a little like Me First And The Gimmie Gimmes, covering al kind of songs and adapting them to a reduced rock / punkrock thing.

 

[adouglas]

With one of my bands we do a project a little like Me First And The Gimmie Gimmes, covering al kind of songs and adapting them to a reduced rock / punkrock thing.

There ya go. I like that.

I've been trying to convince my band that it's also about the vibe, and not just the specific song you play. I think we could do a good job of "us-ifying" a bunch of songs and make them work.

The counter-argument is that people want to hear familiar stuff. And to be sure, when we pull out a relatively unknown song, the dance floor tends to empty.

 

[cellkirk74]

There ya go. I like that.

I've been trying to convince my band that it's also about the vibe, and not just the specific song you play. I think we could do a good job of "us-ifying" a bunch of songs and make them work.

The counter-argument is that people want to hear familiar stuff. And to be sure, when we pull out a relatively unknown song, the dance floor tends to empty.

Yeah I know. In my other band we only do our own songs and it is hard to get a good crowd together and keep them in front of the stage with songs they probably never heard before.

With this band we are going to do something really oldschool and release a 7'-single at the end of the month. We are lucky to know some of the old cats of the genre so we can sneak in as support for better shows from time to time.

With the cover band people go wild even when we play terrible, but it is the overall package that fits.

 

[Powman]

I hear what you guys are saying. You don't want to be all over the place. Generally we stick to songs that "rock". Ie Pop-rock is what you could call our band.

I love Motown and R&B stuff, but it would be too much of a depature from our "vibe".

 

[ZiggyDude]

Is this a mixed decade thing or are you going for a certain feel (New Wave, Classic Rock)?

Looking back to my days in the 80s with Chick singers
- Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves)
- What are Words For (Missing Persons)
- Goodbye to You (Patti Smith)
- Lots Pretenders (Don't forget Mysery Achievement, super duper bass line, You Tube it to hear it!!!!!!)
- Destination Unknown (Missing Persons)
- Only the Lonely (Motels)
- Metro (Berlin)
- Take My Breath Away (Berlin - this was the TopGun song)

I got more if you want them.

 

[GHWelles]

Take this song: 2. I Hate Myself for Lovin You (Joan Jett)

And change it to the "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night" version for Sunday Nght Football

Put on football helmets and a banner for the team of whatever city you play.
"AL and John will make you crank up the sound."

This one: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egBDz8uISlE"]YouTube- P!nk - Waiting All Day For Sunday Night[/ame]

 

[paranoid70]

PS: From a pay/effort standpoint the most lucrative gigs are weddings (another reason to think about all-ages-friendly music). Next are private gigs... parties. Bar gigs are at the bottom: not only are they ridiculously hard to get these days, but they pay poorly and you have to stay up really late.

Seriously. We are playing a bar gig this weekend.... FOR BEER! Oh well, we are in it for fun.

 

[MrMusashi]

hehe.. beer and playing never mixes well for me, so i couldnt do gigs for beer

MrM

 

[adouglas]

I don't like to eat much on gig night and I don't drink anymore, so club owners like me.

Look, all I want is roadies and groupies in that order. Is that so much to ask?

 

[Powman]

Hmm. So the gig I did a month ago in a bar where I got all the beer and wings I wanted was technically a paid gig? I guess I am no longer an unpaid music virgin.

 

[Basspro]

We have a female lead vocalist and play alot already mentioned.
Alot of mowtown
Some old school R&B
Pat Bennatar
Cheryl Crow
Melissa Ethridge
Janis Joplin
Pretenders
Bonnie Raitt
Blondie
Fleetwood Mac
And their is always all the 80'-90's funk stuff. Great dance music.
And alot of other stuff covered by us.You or the guitarist should cover a few,
it make the band so much more veristal.

 

[cellkirk74]

Hmm. So the gig I did a month ago in a bar where I got all the beer and wings I wanted was technically a paid gig? I guess I am no longer an unpaid music virgin.

Being paid in beer isn't that unusual. We never got wings though...

 

[adouglas]

And their is always all the 80'-90's funk stuff. Great dance music.
.

What "80s-90s" funk do you do?

Most familiar funk songs are much older.

 

[ZiggyDude]

I was at the used CD store last night. Two more Girl bands came to mind. "Garbage" (Only Happy When it Rains), "No Doubt", and just now remembered Roxette. If you are not familiar with the bands - make sure you research what songs got the airplay.