Old Mans Rant - original bands doing cover versions

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
 
dmpoole said:
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?
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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.
 
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 just dont like cover band thats my deal.

the only two cover bands ive seen who make me think wow, are Bravado a tribute to rush. and Acoustic angels. both great bands.
 
Don't forget Snappa. :cool:

They are a solely covers band but the songs are so original it's unbelivable. But they're also so good that it's unbelivable. I think that you can make a cover original, but you have be good musicians to be able to do so. And also you have to do it in the right way.. Not really sure of the specifics, but the way Snappa do it works. :D
 
Well my band started as a covers band, it's only recently we've moved onto our own stuff but we're not going to drop the covers. We'll just keep the ones we like. We're not always bang on the money but we keep the major elements of the originals and certainly the spirit of them. And we've got one of the most pedantic drummers about. He learns the originals perfectly and thank god. He's the only thing keeping the rest of us in time.

I love doing the covers, there's nothing more fun than following Sunshine of Your Love with Hotel Yorba!
 
here ya go dave, what do you reckon these'll sound like done by poison..


1. Little Willie (originally performed by Sweet)
2. Suffragette City (originally performed by David Bowie)
3. I Never Cry (originally performed by Alice Cooper)
4. I Need to Know (originally performed by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
5. Can’t You See (originally performed by The Marshall Tucker Band)
6. What I Like About You (originally performed by The Romantics)
7. Dead Flowers (originally performed by The Rolling Stones)
8. Just What I Needed (originally performed by The Cars)
9. Rock and Roll All Nite (originally performed by Kiss)
10.Squeeze Box (originally performed by The Who)
11.Your Mama Don't Dance (originally performed by Loggins & Messina)
12.You Don't Mess Around With Jim (originally performed by Jim Croce)
13.We're An American Band (originally performed by Grand Funk Railroad)

9,11 and 13 have already been recorded by them and sound pretty good :D
 
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.
 
dmpoole said:
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.
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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!
 
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.
 
dmpoole said:
Recent Cover Song Music Errors

Link above is of three major music errors I've recently heard.
They are Whole Lotta Rosie (ACDC), Rock N Roll (Led Zeppelin) and Blitzgrieg Bop (The Ramones).
The first riff is the proper one and the 2nd is the one played by a band.
This is besides the other omissions while during the song.
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That first "Rock and Roll" was way off. I'm no musician but I've have a photographic memory for riffs.
 
dmpoole said:
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.
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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.
 
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
 
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