Old Mans Rant - original bands doing cover versions

SexyGreyFox

SexyGreyFox

SexyGreyFox

Man of Honour
Joined
29 Mar 2003
Posts
57,151
Location
Stoke on Trent
Over the last 4 weeks I've been to see 4 'original' young bands and to be honest I'm horrified.

1st band -
Looked good, kicked in with one of their own songs and sounded like classic 70's rock. Excellent musicianship couldn't fault them. 2nd song their own but then decided to do Touch Too Much by ACDC and it was awful. It was as though they hadn't listened to the basics of the song and just did their own thing. 4th and 5th were their own and then came Sweet Child Of Mine which again was awful.
Understand that I'm not being picky because I normally watch cover bands but these lads hadn't bothered to listen to the record. This went on all night - own songs excellent, covers awful.

2nd band -
Death/thrash metal. First 3 songs were excellent and the musicianship was very high. 4th song was Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy which was awful. It wasn't as though they'd decided to do a Slayer version of it, it was just awful. 5th and 6th songs were their own and excellent. 7th was Sin City by ACDC and once again they hadn't listened to the original. The problem with this band was that Death/thrash metal followed by 70's rock didn't exactly work.

3rd band -
I can't even explain how excellent this band was. I can't even genre them because they were so different. Dream theater meets It Bites meets The Doors meets XTC meets Tom Waits etc etc. Their own songs were so off the wall they were brilliant but again they did about 6 covers that weren't too good or just didn't fit in with their style. They completed the ultimate sin when they played Johnny B Goode as an encore and about 10 of us just looked at each other in amazement. This was like Dream Theater deciding to do a normal version of Agadoo as an encore. One bloke in the pub actually told them off but being young they hadn't realised their error.

4th band -
Awful. Their own songs were played awful but their covers were even worse. For about the 10th time in over 30 years of watching bands I had to walk out after about 6 songs. Imagine my surprise when somebody bought me a cd in the week and it was them. I put it on and it was amazing. Really well recorded and they sounded like the LA's and Cast with really catchy songs. Live they were a piece of poo. Hopefully I'm giving this band a second chance this weekend.

So my advice to young bands who do their own music with the odd cover song -
Please Please Please listen to the song you are covering. Listen to the stops and starts and all those things that make the original so popular.
Pick a cover that slips in with the rest of your material and isn't poles apart.
If you're doing original material then try and play no covers at all if you can get away with it.
 
Nitefly said:
Fair enough rant, but surly cover rants have to be different enough in order to be decent cover songs anyway?
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I've got absolutely loads of cover albums dedicated to Zeppelin, Sabbath, Metallica and so on done by bands of all categories and in completely different styles but all share the same goal - they listened to the original version.
Above are bands that haven't listened.
I too was very guilty of this when I was younger.
Around 77 I was asked which version of Three Times A Lady by The Commodores I was doing and it was only after listening to the original that I realised I had sung it all the way through with a different melody.
I then got all our set on vinyl and was gobsmacked at how much had been changed.
For instance, Long Train Running had the whole of the quiet bit missing because we couldn't be bothered doing it. Other middle 8's of other songs were missing because they were complicated.
I learnt then that it was really important to at least listen to the original and get somewhere close.
Check out Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. Every song they do is a cover done in a completely different style but still contains the essence of the original.
 
Sweetloaf said:
I would also point out that Dmpoole has played several cover versions, what if someone decided that they weren't as good as the original and in fact didn't like them, would you take notice and stop playing them live or tell the heathen where he could stick his comment? ;)
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Several - I play 1000's.

We are regarded as one of the best cover bands in the Potteries and have a following and gig list to prove it.
HOWEVER, I also realise that at least 60% of our audience are tone deaf and wouldn't know if we played wrong chords all night and I hit wrong vocal notes - they like what they hear.
I will always listen to constructive criticism and I won't let anything past the practise room unless I know we can play it in front of our rival cover bands and they'll be impressed.
Many cover songs have come and gone because we weren't quite doing them justice.

And theres the argument - doing the song justice.
Here in this forum we have a link to an Alanis Morisette cover of a Black Eyed Peas song, totally different but she's listened to the original, put her own style on it and done it justice.
Last night I went to see a covers band consisting of 4 x 50 year olds and they were excellent. They'd listened to the original songs, put their own twists on them, slightly altered here and there and done every song justice.
I don't even need to mention Hayseed Dixie who take every song and alter it to a bluegrass style but every song is still recogniseable to the original.
The bands in the OP haven't even listened to the original songs and are basically doing them to be on the same circuit that I'm on. The circuit I'm on doesn't really allow bands to play all their own material because they will empty a pub in seconds (audiences are fickle and need to hear what they know).
The bands above have decided to play several cover versions to keep the audience on their side while playing their own stuff however it backfires because the covers are so awful and all 4 bands emptied the pubs.
Theres absolutely nothing wrong with a band paying homage to their heroes but try and at least listen to the original. Its quite entertaining when one of these bands start a cover and all the audience is looking at each other wondering what it is.
 
Sweetloaf said:
Most people don't know the likes of Buddy Guy but I'm betting that if he strolled into a pub and plugged himself in, people would stick around :cool:
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Hmm, not strictly true.
Last saturday I went to watch my mates band called Testify and they are a superb Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band.
Within 30 mins the audience was getting smaller and after 90 mins it was virtually empty. if SRV himself had walked in and played it wouldn't have made any difference.
For the last song the band invited me up and we did Black Night by Deep Purple and all of a sudden the remaining audience woke up. This resulted in an encore of Smoke On The Water and I could see the upset in my mates face that he'd played his heart out for 90 mins but when he played crap the audience responded.
It was nothing to do with me either, it was the new song choice.
My wife of 26 years should know better but even she will turn round and say "I don't know what they're playing".
Thats the idea you bloody fool.

Halfway through the last night some people came in who had been to watch another mates band. I know for a fact that their setlist is an awesome nod to 80's hair rock classics such as Cinderella, early Bon Jovi, smattering of Judas Priest, Blizzard Of Oz, Stryper etc. These punters told me they had been to see my mates band but they hadn't got a clue what they were playing so they left :(

I'm the exact opposite, I love to go and watch a band and they do something different to everybody else. There are only so many times you can listen to Alright Now and Whole Lotta Rosie.
 
Chrisp7 said:
The Beatles started by doing covers;)
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My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean comes to mind.
Yes The Beatles did covers but they did a good job of them - thats not the debate.
Even My Bonnie was a good version.
the debate is about bands that haven't even bothered to listen to the original and just do their own thing thinking they're somewhere near.
If I can be bothered I will give an example of how I've heard famous riffs played over the last few weeks.

Sweetloaf said:
ya see, if I covered that song I'd change it to "Just like witches in sunglasses" thus improving the original.
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I'm so going to sing that from now on.

For decades I sang the words "Ain't no thin and stoney" in Whole Lotta Rosie until last month when the bassist said it was "Ain't no fairy story" :D
 
Neon said:
we do a load of police songs, making a medly. also some songs called "Midnight Hour" "Paint it black" etc, i have never listened to the drum beat i just play what i think would sound right and it goes down a treat! ;)
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Stewart Copeland is one of the greatest drummers who ever walked this planet and if you just play along to Police songs it wouldn't work in my opinion. There are so many drumming intricacies scattered through their songs that copying Police is a hard job and thats why you don't see many Police tribute bands.
However, you're right, your audience wouldn't have a clue and would just take the song for what it is.
Paint It Black is famous for its red indian drum beat and then it goes into quarters on the chorus. If you don't do that then you're committing a sin but who cares?

Sweetloaf said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjeMDvCdrtc
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That ones older than the internet but at least they have made an attempt to listen to the original and try and copy it but its only their inexperience that lets them down. The bands in my OP are great musicians but never bothered to listen getting riffs complete wrong, taking bits out, adding bits that shouldn't be there etc.

I haven't heard the Floyd one before but don't forget the classic Smells Like Teen Spirit that gets shown a lot on here.


starscream said:
We tried "Fallen in Love" by the Buzzcocks the other week.
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Just for you and everybodys criticism, my version of Ever Fallen In Love
 
Neon said:
you think that when covering a song it has to be exactly spot on, im afraid dmpoole if you start doing covers exactly the same without a different twist on it, all you ever will be is a cover band.
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Once again Neon you haven't read a single word I've said.
I'll let you read the thread again and you can come back and apologise.
 
I reckon Poison will do a good job of them - its a bit hard to do a decent version of Little Willy though.
Its amazing how many bands over the last few years have done cover albums including the likes of Styx, Rush, Jeff Healey, Metallica etc. Its as though everybody is following a trend.
The first covers album I can remember was Pinups by David Bowie.
 
elroberto said:
Oh don't start with Metallica! My lead guitarist and I both fancy doing Whiskey in the Jar and the fool insists that Metallica's version is better than Thin Lizzy's. It's a sacriledge I tell you. Especially since all they did was transpose they're instruments down one stop and play most of it practically the same. Still, he's only 17 and will learn...to do as he's told!
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Just for you my version of Whisky In The Jar recorded live somewhere - Whisky In The Jar
Theres a few mistakes but hey, I'm human.

However, I used to do the Metallica version with the band I'm with now and I loved it but all the other local bands did it so I dropped it.
 
SidewinderINC said:
that was really good, suitably impressed :p

we're they live drums or sequenced?
if sequenced (which they sound) what do you use to do it? i need a good/easy program to do it as we dont have a drumkit around here but i want to do some recording.
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They were done around 1995 using Cakewalk v3 and an AWE32 soundcard with the rock drum sound built into the AWE32.


ElvisFan said:
That first "Rock and Roll" was way off. I'm no musician but I've have a photographic memory for riffs.
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You're wrong - the first Rock N Roll riff (3rd riff in) is spot on.
This is me letting Jimmy play the first riff and then I add to it - Rock And Roll
 
ElvisFan said:
I stand by my original criticism, but now I know the reason: You're playing fewer notes than the original riff.
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I think you're on about the overdub at the end of each riff which Page tries to play live sometimes but loses the riff.

|------------------------|--------------------------|
|------------------------|--------------------------|
|------------------------|--------------------------|
|-2--2-----2--5^2--4----|-----2--4--2--2--2--4--2--|
|-0--0--4--0--0----0--3'-|-(3)-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|
|-------------------------|--------------------------|

Right at the end of the number 3 there is an overdub that isn't easy for one guitarist to play and keep the riff going.
So yes there are more notes but done by two guitars.
 
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