Playing songs you heartily dislike.

[Jackroadkill]

Hi all, I'm after a bit of advice.  I play in a covers band and have done for about 12 months now.  Song choices are always by consent, with the understanding that there will be some that an individual loves to play, some that they're happy to play and some that they may not like as much as the others.  I've been lucky so far in that most of them so far I really enjoy playing and the few that I haven't initially been keen on have grown on me after a while for the most part.

 

However, I've just hit the immoveable object of a song I just can't like.  I've tried my best and I find it a very boring (heaven knows what an audience would think of it) and needlessly fiddly dirge, bereft of hooks, groove or anything I find attractive.  I'm aware that some of the other guys in the band absolutely love it and it would be a personal high point in the set for them, and also that they've played songs that have held the same joy for me even though they don't particularly like them.  I've no problem with the abstract that sometimes I might have to play a song I'm not keen on (this is a covers band after all), but the reality seems to be different.  It would be better perhaps if I thought it would go down well with an audience - this happened with PUSA's "Peaches", which I think is rubbish but I can see why the audience might like it, and when we've played it live the reaction has been very positive.

 

The problem I have is that I dislike the song we're supposed to be learning for practise on Sunday so much that when I sit down to learn it, it turns me off so much that I just can't focus on it or even stomach hearing it played enough to follow the tabs.

 

"Don't play it, then"-type answers aside, how do you old sweats deal with this?

 

Thanks very much,

 

JRK

[Lozz196]

I think the best thing to do is to show the rest of the band your second last paragraph, then take it from there. Is it a song where one of them can drop their own instrument and play bass for example, whilst you go to the bar and get the drinks in, make it part of an act where the band keep the song but you take no part.

[MrDaveTheBass]

In my covers band we operate a veto system for choosing songs. If any one of us really hates a particular song, we don't play it. This means that over the years several of my suggestions have been voted down, but I don't mind because at least I know that I'll always like (or not mind) everything that we play.

 

Now tell us what the song is and we'll tell you if it contravenes the Geneva Convention or not! 😉

[lemmywinks]

I've played plenty of songs I actively hate playing as that's just an unavoidable part of being in a covers band, as long as they audience are having a good time then I'm not bothered really as that's the most important thing and it's only a few minutes of my time. Tbh I'd rather play songs I dislike and have gig photos with full dancefloors than the other way around.

 

The only time I get really annoyed is when band members pick self indulgent songs and insist on keeping them in the set even when they empty a dancefloor every gig, especially if it's at the expense of songs which get people up and dancing. I've had to argue to keep Dancing Queen and Young Hearts Run Free in the set when the guitarist wants to play some crusty old dad rock in place of it. If someone tries to make me play Pat Benetar again I'll probably just set fire to them.

[Boodang]

I'm in a covers band with which I play drums and there are a couple of songs I absolutely detest but the audience love. To get through them, and the same strategy would apply if I were playing bass, I screw with the structure of my playing to the point where the bass player gives me a knowing look but the audience are less aware. And there's the fun, how much can you screw with the song without ruining it. 

So, for the microwave oven song i start out straight but by the end it's full on funk. It's been an interesting journey to see how much i can push it without losing the audience or for that matter the sympathy of my bandmates. I've made it perfectly clear to the rest of the band that I'm a consummate professional and will serve the song at all costs... with a few exceptions, which I don't tell them about and just have fun with. 

PS I HATE the microwave oven song!!!

[chris_b]

Does the audience like what you are playing? In a cover band that is the only objective. There aren't many songs I dislike or wouldn't play, but I've refused to play songs that other members  of the band couldn't play properly.

 

IMO if you only dislike one song you're doing well.

 

In our Top 40 covers band any song would be dumped, no matter how much we liked it, if it didn't get an enthusiastic response from the audience. If the audience liked it then my opinion didn't matter. I focussed on the mechanics of the song, playing it to the best of my ability and making it work. Hearing an audience shouting and clapping at the end of a song I didn't like made everything better again.

[Dlew919]

Cover bands play to the audience. So do original bands, but covers are more obviously audience focussed. If the audience like it, focus on the good vibes. If they don’t, dump it. 

[Doctor J]

Are you getting paid? If so, consider that playing the song is a much better way to get money than digging coal out of a mine or working in a call centre, no?

 

Take the money, do your easy work and, next time you play the song, think how great it is to get money for playing music.

[TimR]

You have to find something interesting in it. Look at the technical aspects of the bass line. Note placement. Are they ahead of the beat, slightly behind? What about internal dynamics, which notes are louder, which notes are accented, legato, stoccatto?

 

Is there anything you can add to the bassline, leave out, or subtly change to give the song some interest or a lift.

[No lust in Jazz]

I know that my musical tastes are no 'kitemark of quality' so I don't worry whether I like a song or not, its a band and compromises are made

 

If I really don't like a song, I take the view that I'm being asked to play it for an audience. I will then attempt to play it as well as I can, even seeking out live versions and other covers of the song to really 'get under the bonnet of it'. When we play it at a gig I give it my all, if the audience like it, I grit my teeth and metaphorically lie back and think of the band I should be in.

 

If the audience don't react to it, I point this out to the band member(s) who promoted it. I keep pointing this out until my whinging is too tedious for them to keep it in the set.

[fretmeister]

If there is no veto arrangement with the band and you are getting paid then do what any other pro should - suck it up and play it.

Just think of all the guys earning in wedding bands - repertoire of 200+ songs to adapt on the night depending on what the crowd react to best. Every band member will hate at least 25% of the songs in that list - but the punters want them.

 

It's not just a covers band thing either -  originals bands have this with tunes that were hits but now they are sick of playing. Even Metallica do a short medley of the stuff they know the punters want to hear but they don't want to play anymore!

[Jackroadkill]

9 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

I think the best thing to do is to show the rest of the band your second last paragraph

 

I may well have to do that, if my facial expression doesn't do it for me!

 

9 hours ago, MrDaveTheBass said:

Now tell us what the song is

 

 

8 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

and insist on keeping them in the set even when they empty a dancefloor every gig

 

7 hours ago, chris_b said:

Does the audience like what you are playing?

 

We've not played it live yet, but it's not what I'd call a foot-tapper, a headbanger or a get-up-and-run-arounder, so unless somebody in the audience is an AIC nerd I can't see it doing much for anyone except a couple of the band members.

 

44 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

Are you getting paid?

 

The band is just getting to that point.  Out of the five gigs we've done, the last two have been paid.  We're definitely not a standards act, so no Sweet Caroline, Summer of '69 or Mustang Sally, so the promoters know what they're getting.  However, if I were a promoter I'd still want a dynamic and exciting set (which I believe we do).  Putting RWID in there would seem to be a mood-killer, at least to me, and if I were a promoter I wouldn't feel chuffed about forking out for that.

 

25 minutes ago, TimR said:

You have to find something interesting in it

 

Does the outro count?!

 

17 minutes ago, No lust in Jazz said:

I keep pointing this out until my whinging is too tedious for them to keep it in the set

 

This could be my only option....

 

4 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Just think of all the guys earning in wedding bands

 

That's the very antithesis of what we are.  We're in this primarily for fun rather than as a job.

 

Thanks for all the comments, everyone.  It's good to see the differing opinions and to hear varying takes on the subject.

 

Much appreciated,

 

JRK

[fretmeister]

I quite like that song, but I've never played it.

 

What's the rest of the set? Does it suit the rest of the material?

[Jackroadkill]

Just now, fretmeister said:

I quite like that song, but I've never played it.

 

What's the rest of the set? Does it suit the rest of the material?

 

It's reasonably varied, and includes songs like Pet Semetary, the fast version of We Will Rock You, Fortunate Son, Everything About You, No Class, Breaking The Law etc.  The only other similar song we do is If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next, and that's done as a subtle protest about the war in Ukraine.

[Woodinblack]

I don't mind that song but we all have those songs.. there are a couple of blues songs that the guitarist keeps trying to bring in which are.. well, blues songs so very dull to play. The worst for me was chumbawumba, tubthumping. Its a tricky one as I don't even know if I am playing it right as I can't listen to the whole song so I am just guessing, but noone really cares. I hate the song, the guitarist hate the song, but the audience love it so it gets trotted out.

Some other things though you can have fun with, i mean, mustang sally has so many trills, fills and walking sections in it now that the original didn't have I really enjoy it!

[fretmeister]

Only 1 option then.

 

Slap solo!

[MichaelDean]

I've just listened to the song for the first time. If I was watching your band, this song would be the time to go to the bar/toilet. I get why the guitarists like it. Lots of Floyd Rose nonsense and riding the wah the whole song. Takes 1:30 to get to any lyrics... Not exactly a banger to my mind! I've just checked Wikipedia, and it wasn't a single from the album either, so the band never thought it was the most popular song. At least If You Tolerate This was also a UK no.1, so lots of people know it.

 

Just be frank with them. If you dislike it to the point of not being able to focus at learning it, that should earn it a veto.

[cetera]

Could be worse. You could have to play Sex On Fire & Mr Brightside....

[fretmeister]

Just now, cetera said:

Could be worse. You could have to play Sex On Fire & Mr Brightside....

 

The punters love those. And Mustang Sally. 

Do you want to get booked again or not?

 

Mind you - it's that time of year again so I've got a shitload of Mariah Carey and Mickey Bubbles tunes to learn...  

 

[ahpook]

Here's my angle - hope it's useful...You're in a band, playing the instrument you love. You've had a great time, by the sound of it, over the last year playing you music you largely enjoy.

 

Savour it and try not to let the imperfections sour the scene.

 

 

Right, I'm off to sit on a a lotus leaf for a bit

 

 

 

[fretmeister]

As much as I moan about Xmas specific set lists Mickey Bubbles tunes have some excellent bass parts.

 

Loads of walking lines, weaving in and out of the other low instruments. It's a bit of a battle to get the mix right for the bass to be heard properly among the trombones and bari saxes, but I've been doing it for a lot of years so I'm pretty happy about it. A big old boost at about 500hz sounds horrible alone but works well with that wall of noise. Tiny bit of drive to increase harmonic content too.

[Doctor J]

Dirt is one of my favourite albums of all time. Love that song, too. It's all groove, but in 6, and the impact is brought about by varying the intensity of different sections instead of a collection of riffs. The power of that song is all in how it's played. Chic operate in the same way for much of their stuff, same riff for 10 minutes but you bring it up, you bring it down and that's how it effects people. Amazing how differently we hear things.

Edited November 17, 2023 by Doctor J

[Leonard Smalls]

I get round playing covers I don't like by being in an originals band...

That way we get to play songs wot we wrote ourselves and like a lot, but nobody else likes 'em.

Luckily, we don't like crowded places.

[chris_b]

Alice In Chains. . . . that wasn't what I was expecting!!

 

That'll be a room clearer on any gig I've done in the last 30 years. Good luck.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Love Alice in chains . Fwiw, as another poster pointed out, it could well be one of those songs which draws a few of the crowd to the toilet or getting another round in . Mainly imho because of the long guitar noise/ buildup.

 

I found over time that in cover bands I've been in , I / we tolerated certain songs we had issues with and in our polite discussions various songs would be removed and replaced as things progressed . 

 

As a possible solution in the meantime , is it possible to make a compromise by putting a different slant to it ? Something possibly to discuss with the band . 

wonder what the rest of the set list is like ( in a good way ) 🤔