thepurpleblob Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Picking songs for a covers band seems to be a fine line between dreadful, cheesy stuff and the classic rock song. I'd be interested in opinions. I'll count how many times Mustang Sally gets mentioned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudewheresmybass Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 (edited) It's a very fine line to walk. I've lost count of the the songs I've heard ( and played!) All right now Can't get enough Rock and roll (zep) Smile on the water Paranoid Mustang sally Long train running Play that funky music Etc.... In pubs and clubs. It might be cheesy to a musician, but to a punter it seems that are pure gold (sometimes- when played well) At the end of the day it is the punter that puts the money in the till of the venue, paying your fee, and most of the time it has nothing to do with artistic integrity an expression. My main band tends to take a sideways look at these things and we look for the next biggest song for a band eg zep- immigrant song or heartbreaker instead of rock and roll or sabbath- war pigs or nib or a forgotten classic like dirty women ( everyone likes dirty women ) instead of Polaroid. The best comment we have ever heard in a venue was that we have the balls to play the songs that others don't / can't. I was very chuffed with myself that night Edited December 10, 2013 by dudewheresmybass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 There is no difference... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 This is it - spend weeks getting some cool song spot on and....... sea of blank looks!! Oh well, All Right Now..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Smile on the water? Polaroid? I dont think I know those two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barneyg42 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Mustang Sally on Saturday night= full dance floor, cheesy as hell along with Allnight Row, Can't Get Enough and Brown Sugar!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1386673905' post='2302828'] Smile on the water? Polaroid? I dont think I know those two! [/quote] They'd go well in a set that also features Rush's The Camera Eye and Def Leppard's Photograph.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I think the word "cheesey" refers to the musicians' interpretation of what the audience would call "classic". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1386674343' post='2302836'] I think the word "cheesey" refers to the musicians' interpretation of what the audience would call "classic". [/quote] +1, esp in the case of Mustang Sally and Alright Now - I'd love to hear some genuine criticisms of these that aren't born out of overexposure. For real cheese - Hi Ho Silver Lining anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Picking the [i]right[/i] covers [i]is[/i] a fine line and it's got nothing to do with taste, integrity or musicality. But on any level, a full dance floor is a success and you should bottle whatever it is you've done to get em up. There are a lot of musicians with too much "integrity" out there in need of a crate or two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 (edited) it don't get cheesier than Nellie the Elephant, always our final song, but yeah there's a lot of snobbery going off when bands say 'we're not doing this or that because its too cheesy, a pissed up crowd on a Saturday night love to singalong to a cheesy/classic song (delete as applicable), and we are entertainers aren't we? Edited December 10, 2013 by PaulWarning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Funny, now wondering if the track I'm listening to right now - Dexy's "Geno" is classic or cheese - if it was "Come On Eileen" I'd have no doubt!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 [quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1386675116' post='2302851'] +1, esp in the case of Mustang Sally and Alright Now - I'd love to hear some genuine criticisms of these that aren't born out of overexposure. For real cheese - Hi Ho Silver Lining anyone? [/quote] Alright Now is one of those songs that lots of bands play and almost none of them do it properly (and by "properly" I dont necessarily mean a carbon copy but with the right chords and the right feel and dynamics). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1386677147' post='2302897'] Alright Now is one of those songs that lots of bands play and almost none of them do it properly (and by "properly" I dont necessarily mean a carbon copy but with the right chords and the right feel and dynamics). [/quote] Too true - I did it with a band and the guitarist stopped and asked why I wasn't playing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Red House = blue cheese Sunshine of your love = cream cheese Rolling Stones = extra mature cheese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dropzone Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 For me Cheesey is when you do a predicatable song, and do a sloppy version the same as the band who played there last week just because you know the crowd will like it. If you do a great version then it loses the cheese factor. There are a lot of sloppy bands out there. I have played in some of them ;-) Cheese isn't necessarily bad but it is cheese ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seashell Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 An old song is cheesy if you don't like it and classic if you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 My band is called The Cheeze, and we play classic rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 [quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1386677973' post='2302907'] Red House = blue cheese Sunshine of your love = cream cheese Rolling Stones = extra mature cheese [/quote] [quote name='seashell' timestamp='1386678837' post='2302929'] An old song is cheesy if you don't like it and classic if you do. [/quote] Where's that "like" button gone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurbs Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Everything I do I do it for you is the definition of cheese. Everything else is debateable. I tend to find most cover memebers tend to be very snobish regarding songs. The band I am in now, they all refuse to play Mustang & Sweet Home + the drummer wont play Sex on Fire or Mr Brightside. Personally, i'll play anything, I do it for the audiance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 The O'Jays... philadelphia cheese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigyin Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 We tried something different to the 'run of mill covers'.......eg.......Got to give it up, Hollywood, Johnny....by Thin Lizzy...........mother mary, shoot,shoot, natural thing.....U.F.O.......I got the fire...Montrose......Runnin' Free....Iron Maiden.....something a bit different.......Guess what.....Died on our Arse. So now we've had to throw In black night, paranoid, jumpin jack flash, tie your mother down, jailbreak, don't believe a word and others....lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1386682504' post='2303011'] The O'Jays... philadelphia cheese [/quote] :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1386677147' post='2302897'] Alright Now is one of those songs that lots of bands play and almost none of them do it properly (and by "properly" I dont necessarily mean a carbon copy but with the right chords and the right feel and dynamics). [/quote] And none of them know that it's actually All Right Now. Guitarist in one of my bands refused to do anything like Rio or Take on me, as he said he'd heard enough cheesy 80s bands when he was at university. But he wants them up and dancing, and there's a better chance of that with that sort of material than with "Basket Case", "Underdog", or "Last Nite" (all songs we do because he wants to). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_the_bass Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 [quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1386683647' post='2303031'] And none of them know that it's actually All Right Now. Guitarist in one of my bands refused to do anything like Rio or Take on me, as he said he'd heard enough cheesy 80s bands when he was at university. But he wants them up and dancing, and there's a better chance of that with that sort of material than with "Basket Case", "Underdog", or "Last Nite" (all songs we do because he wants to). [/quote] It might be my age sspeaking, but: Owing to the pantomime show that Green Day have become I would say (IMO) that basket case is the very definition of CHEEEEEEEEEEEESE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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