3 piece song recommendations

bobblehat · March 2014

No not songs about sofas !

Looking for some suggestions to revitalise our set list.

We are just bass , drums and guitar.

Please don't suggest "punked up versions" of anything. There is IMHO nothing more tedious other than maybe a middle age blues band in your local boozer playing what appears to be the same song all night.You know the sort leather waist coated recovering alcoholic who thinks every song sounds better with a harmonica! Usually accompanied by a dentist with a Strat or PRS.

Current set list includes; the stones,pixies,the cult,stone roses,CCR,TheBlack Keys,The Who and everything in between so we will have ago at most things.

Kerpunk · March 2014

The Jam? Say something like Going Underground or Eton Rifles.

Lixarto · March 2014

Also, anything by any four piece band where the other chap was frontman.

RedRabbit · March 2014

We worked as a 3 piece for a little while. To be honest we found that there was much from our normal set that we couldn't do a reasonable job of with just the one guitar. Set list from our last gig as a 3 piece

Summer of 69
Sharp Dressed Man
Eton Rifles
Sunshine of your Love
Dancing in the dark
Black Magic Woman
Pump it up
Ever Fallen in Love
I'm a Hog For You baby
All Day and All of The Night
Taxman
Johnny B Goode

There are also a couple we do now where the other guitarist only adds minimal rhythm support while focusing on backing vocals. If two of you sing it opens things up a bit more.

bobblehat · March 2014

Thanks Guys,

Bass players a great singer so that gives us more options.

Really don't' get the Jam,never have .Appreciate the talent but just can't listen to them.

ESBlonde · March 2014

Some Tom Petty stuff works, Elvis Costello too.
Free and Bad Co were essentially 3 Piece bands with occasional piano, avoid alright now!
A couple of the Del Amitri songs kick along nicely as do some of Aztec Cameras songs.
Deacn Blue - Fergus sings the blues, wages day.
I always thought The king is half undressed by Jellyfish would work in that scenario and be quite different as high energy but not punk. The faces/small faces stuff can work if you have the voice(s).
Anything you fancy by the Police or cream who are the classic 3 piece outfits.

Kebabkid · March 2014

The Police or Cream?

bobblehat · March 2014

ESBlonde;183228" said:
Some Tom Petty stuff works, Elvis Costello too.

Free and Bad Co were essentially 3 Piece bands with occasional piano, avoid alright now!

A couple of the Del Amitri songs kick along nicely as do some of Aztec Cameras songs.

Deacn Blue - Fergus sings the blues, wages day.

I always thought The king is half undressed by Jellyfish would work in that scenario and be quite different as high energy but not punk. The faces/small faces stuff can work if you have the voice(s).

Anything you fancy by the Police or cream who are the classic 3 piece outfits.

I've got the 12" of king is half undressed! Will dig it out later.Great song.

RocknRollDave · March 2014

I played as part of a three piece on Friday, whereas my normal band is a four piece whose singer also plays guitar.

I missed the second guitar a little, but I am sure the audience didn't.

In my opinion, what makes the biggest difference in filling out the sound isn't the guitars but it's making sure to fill out the backing vocals as much as possible.

As others have said, the sky's the limit really.

RocknRollDave · March 2014

Don't forget bands like Queen and U2 who only have one guitarist (most of the time, anyway - Bono and Freddie have both been known to twang some rhythm guitar).

EricTheWeary · March 2014

RocknRollDave said:

Don't forget bands like Queen and U2 who only have one guitarist (most of the time, anyway - Bono and Freddie have both been known to twang some rhythm guitar).

although Queen had second guitar/ keys almost all the time in the later years on stage.

:-B

Can't understand why no one has yet mentioned the most classic of 3 piece bands with a singing bass player as yet:

Budgie
\m/

EricTheWeary · March 2014

Oh, and FFS what is the book where they say something like 'she was so posh she had never seen a three piece suite' as that's totally bugging me now.
:x

The film had Judie Dench as a lesbian schoolteacher.

not_the_dj · March 2014

I'm the single guitarist in both covers bands I play in. We did have second guitarists in the past, but through various reasons not any more....and we only dropped a tiny amount of songs when that happened.

In the old set there was an awful lot where both guitars were pretty much doing the same thing, apart from solos. All that happens now is the bass player gets a bit busier in those parts.

We did think about adding back in a second guitar, but more room on stage, more money each, and it's been quicker to get new stuff in the set, so all good!

mike_l · March 2014

EricTheWeary said:

The film had Judie Dench as a lesbian schoolteacher.

Remember the important bits......

EricTheWeary · March 2014

mike_l said:

EricTheWeary said:

The film had Judie Dench as a lesbian schoolteacher.
Remember the important bits......

that and the bit about three piece suites. My memory is so bloody random.

Err, songs - IIRC the second song in on Gary Moore's One Night in Dublin dvd is Jailbreak done as a 3 piece, a song you might think needs a second guitar but is truly fine in that version. Despite my random memory I kept that idea locked away somewhere as a good idea.

Oh, Blue Collar Jane by The Strypes.Great fun to be had with your trousers on there.Definitely needs a second vocal line though.

bobblehat · March 2014

not_the_dj said:

We did think about adding back in a second guitar, but more room on stage, more money each, and it's been quicker to get new stuff in the set, so all good!

We've been a four piece in the past and as you said the only time it limits the song choice has been when it comes to solos.Some solos just need that extra guitar underneath to hold it together.

I much prefer playing as a 3 piece though.We are a lot tighter and we get a lot more done. I also like it for purely selfish reasons as I am the singer and guitarist. The downside is I have to put the most work in and usually end up picking most of the songs Not that I want to as its a right ball ache (hence the post).but for practical reasons its easier as I know what my singing and playing limitations are.

Phil_aka_Pip · March 2014

Nobody has mentioned ZZ Top yet.

I knew a chap who ran a 3-piece who wasn't averse to doing all kinds of stuff (even Focus instrumentals) - his bass player worked very hard and between them they covered all the harmonies that were in the original record so you didn't miss the organ or the 2nd guitar. IIRC he did Vas Dis once, you'd have thought that 2 guitars was mandatory for that, but not in his band!

RocknRollDave · March 2014

Problem with ZZ Top is that a lot of it ISN'T "three piece", once you factor the backing tracks of sequencers etc into it.

That's not to say they can't be done, but in my experience quite a few of the more well-known ZZ Top numbers actually sound a bit lacking when played by a strict three piece.

not_the_dj · March 2014

I've been listening to a lot of ZZ Top this last week (got the albums box set) and there's a hell of a lot of other stuff going on, even on the earlier ones. Very few three pieces actually record as a strict 3 piece.

RocknRollDave · March 2014

I'd love to have a crack at Heard It On The X...that's one of my favourite ZZ Top tunes.

Sorry, thread derail.

@not_the_dj is right. For example Gimme All Your Lovin' - on the intro alone you have a lead part and a rhythm guitar knocking out the chords.

EricTheWeary · March 2014

RocknRollDave said:

Problem with ZZ Top is that a lot of it ISN'T "three piece", once you factor the backing tracks of sequencers etc into it.

That's not to say they can't be done, but in my experience quite a few of the more well-known ZZ Top numbers actually sound a bit lacking when played by a strict three piece.

I saw a very good ZZ tribute and they had a second guitar. However, ZZ Top themselves do manage on stage as a 3 piece so always worth checking out the live versions.

The Double Down dvd has a set from 1980 which is the basic 3 piece approach, although pre the big hits. Includes Heard it on the X. Although, I seem to remember having a go at it once and deciding my fingers were 2 inches too short.

RocknRollDave · March 2014

I have the Double Down DVD, and it's great, agreed..

I also have the much more recent DVD...and there's definitely use of backing tracks on that one.

not_the_dj · March 2014

EricTheWeary said:

The Double Down dvd has a set from 1980 which is the basic 3 piece approach, although pre the big hits. Includes Heard it on the X. Although, I seem to remember having a go at it once and deciding my fingers were 2 inches too short.

I really need to get that DVD (if it's the one I've been watching clips from on youtube, it's the Rockplast isn't it)

Love the "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers" performance from that.

EricTheWeary · March 2014

RocknRollDave said:

I have the Double Down DVD, and it's great, agreed..

I also have the much more recent DVD...and there's definitely use of backing tracks on that one.

I think I watched the more recent performance (2008) once when I got the dvd, the 1980 stuff is the good stuff, if maybe a little hard going as a whole thing. I have seen Live in Texas which is pretty recent, from what I can recall they pretty much avoided anything that needed more instrumentation, much more pub rock blues band and less quirky stuff.

Pretty sure @not_the_dj it is Rockpalast.

To make this back on topic - yes, some of the ZZ Top tunes are not only for leather waistcoated ex alcoholics, some of them are but choose wisely young padawan and you could have a useful addition(s) to your set.
>-)

Oh, I actually picked up the guitar the other day and had a strum through Tattooed Lady by Rory Gallagher, that is just such an awesome song and fine for a 3 piece (apologies that I'm still in a time warp here), complete bastard to get the words right though.

RocknRollDave · March 2014

not_the_dj said:

EricTheWeary said:

The Double Down dvd has a set from 1980 which is the basic 3 piece approach, although pre the big hits. Includes Heard it on the X. Although, I seem to remember having a go at it once and deciding my fingers were 2 inches too short.

I really need to get that DVD (if it's the one I've been watching clips from on youtube, it's the Rockplast isn't it)

Love the "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers" performance from that.

It's the same one as the clip you posted on Facebook, IIRC. Pretty good, a little rough and ready but fun. Seem to recall there are a few songs where the bass cuts out and Dusty is left high and drive whilst they sort it.

bobblehat · March 2014

will have a look at at few zz top tunes.Will have to nail that tone though or it could be terrible.

I thought the Texas performance was a bit sterile.Looked pretty slick 2 or 3 songs was more than enough.

TTony · March 2014

RocknRollDave said:

Problem with ZZ Top is that a lot of it ISN'T "three piece", once you factor the backing tracks of sequencers etc into it.

True - but the (3-piece) Hamsters did some cracking ZZ covers in their live set, so it can be done.

Also - Dr Feelgood and similar, early Quo stuff, Dave Edmunds and even Nirvana all feature in our (3-piece) set list. The DaveE stuff is a bit weak though!

bigjon · March 2014

The Jimi Hendrix Experience used to take the pop hits of the day and radically re-work them as a 3-piece - Sgt Pepper, Wild Thing etc. That's the approach I take with my 3-piece: Roar by Katy Perry went down well, and I am going to trial Happy by Pharrell Williams at the jam night tonight. My perennial favourite with audiences is Baker Street, closely followed by Another Brick in the Wall and Purple Rain.

ThePrettyDamned · March 2014

Muse maybe?

bobblehat · March 2014

ThePrettyDamned said:

Muse maybe?

Have tried Muse in the past but cant seem to nail the vocals.Musically their songs are fairly easy to play but his vocals are a bitch to get right.

JMP220478 · March 2014

Played Saturday as sole guitarist in 3 + 1 vox covers band - these tunes to add to your potentials list -

Hard to handle
Seven nation army
Take Me Out

Les Paul and Marshellesque tones fill the sound out a bit - drummer n I fudge through some backing vocals ( when we remember ) :-)

Also I recently ( Xmas ) had the pleasure of the rockaoke band manchester - who as a 3 piece + vocals - have a set list of 500 + tunes ( they are excellent musicians and entertainers ! ) grab their set list from their website ?

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