What songs are you learning?

RocknRollDave · April 2023

There are a few fretboarders in covers bands, so, what are you currently learning?

I get a lot of requests (wedding band), plus I play in a couple of line-ups, and so usually have at least one ‘new’ song to learn - or one or two “played it once, five years ago” songs to re-learn.

This week:

New =
Riverboat Song - OCS
One Call Away - Charlie Puth

Revision =

Hooked On a Feeling - Blue Swede
Treasure - Bruno Mars
Freedom - Wham!
Gay Bar - ElectrIc Six

ESBlonde · April 2023

See my thread below about Bandokie, today among others I’ve been tackling:-
thinking out loud - Sheeran
Delila - Tom Jones
Dont throw your love away - Searchers
Dont go breaking my heart - Elton/ Kiki Dee
Waterloo - Abba
Material girl - Madge
Mamma Mia - Abba
Hallelujah - Cohen/Burke
Dancing Queen -Abba
Dont Stop Believing- Journey
Sweet dreams are made of this - Eurythmics
and a few easy peasy things I can recall from my past.
All these are with guitar being the only melodic instrument, so fills lead and such are having to be covered.
Tomorrow I will tackle:-
Purple rain
i wanna dance with somebody
Love Shack
I want it that way
Crazy
As it was
Dont you want me baby
Girls just wanna have fun
plus lots more.
My bass player gets about 4 hours in and his head shuts down, I don’t blame him for going home but this time next week we need a big set available to host singers live! We have another band session all day Monday.

Rowby1 · April 2023

One band working on Ballroom Blitz - Sweet, another on Hourglass - Squeeze.

Two very different songs but both great in their own way!

Roland · April 2023

Easy Lover - Phil Collins. I need to work out a second half to the solo which sounds interesting, rather than a pastiche of the record.

Kebabkid · April 2023

Mainly, perfecting Steely Dan's 'Peg', especially the solo and 'Carry On Wayward Son' but I've also a bunch of classic rock stuff but most are revisits.

fastonebaz · April 2023

Next up will most likely be

Enter Sandman - Metallica
Monkey Business - Skid Row
So What - Pink

maltingsaudio · April 2023

As it happens Neville the Happy Goth for a mates wedding ( same wedding I’ve learnt Hazy Shade of Winter for see https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/242480/note-for-note-or-not/p1 )

Keefy · April 2023

A 2-hour set for a tribute band I’m depping with, on both guitar and bass!

RocknRollDave · April 2023

Keefy said:

A 2-hour set for a tribute band I’m depping with, on both guitar and bass!

Tribute to who?

Keefy · April 2023

RocknRollDave said:

Keefy said:

A 2-hour set for a tribute band I’m depping with, on both guitar and bass!

Tribute to who?

No, not the Who, Dire Straits.

Danny1969 · April 2023

Got a new eighties project on the go now so learning a lot of songs for that. We are doing songs from Talk Talk, Japan, Furniture, XTC, The associates and that kinda stuff rather than the more mainstream eighties hits.

I've also taken over guitar in a popular Portsmouth party band so learning their back catalog as well as new stuff from bands like Black Keys, Artic Monkeys, Blur

Also got sucked in to a Britpop tribute band so just learned a lot of songs from Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, Stereophonics, Shed 7, Bluetones etc

robinbowes · April 2023

Danny1969 said:

Got a new eighties project on the go now so learning a lot of songs for that. We are doing songs from Talk Talk, Japan, Furniture, XTC, The associates and that kinda stuff rather than the more mainstream eighties hits.

I've also taken over guitar in a popular Portsmouth party band so learning their back catalog as well as new stuff from bands like Black Keys, Artic Monkeys, Blur

Also got sucked in to a Britpop tribute band so just learned a lot of songs from Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, Stereophonics, Shed 7, Bluetones etc

That 80s project sounds interesting.

I'm between bands so not playing much. I'm trying to make myself learn a few acoustic covers so I can lead a singalong on a weekend away in September, but nothing much is happening at the moment.

Might try this next:

RocknRollDave · April 2023

Danny1969 said:

Got a new eighties project on the go now so learning a lot of songs for that. We are doing songs from Talk Talk, Japan, Furniture, XTC, The associates and that kinda stuff rather than the more mainstream eighties hits.

I've also taken over guitar in a popular Portsmouth party band so learning their back catalog as well as new stuff from bands like Black Keys, Artic Monkeys, Blur

Also got sucked in to a Britpop tribute band so just learned a lot of songs from Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, Stereophonics, Shed 7, Bluetones etc

Played a birthday party earlier this year where the client had asked for Britpop stuff. Good fun to play and sing - mostly quite straightforward chords and big choruses, so fun to sing and no stress to play.

midiman1962 · April 2023

Mansun - wide open space ( I play 1 little known song per gig) then blue Monday which is more complicated than it looks trying to sing a couple of verses then rip i5 up on the micro korg xl

bobeffect · April 2023

midiman1962 said:

Mansun - wide open space ( I play 1 little known song per gig) then blue Monday which is more complicated than it looks trying to sing a couple of verses then rip i5 up on the micro korg xl

Mansun~ Wide Open Space - What a great song - I miss doing this.

Neilybob · April 2023

Current set list -
Jumpin Jack Flash
Born to be Wild
All Right Now
Valerie
Hard to Handle
Heroes
Bohemian Like You
American idiot
Holiday

Learning -
Bad Moon Rising
Open Your Eyes

EricTheWeary · April 2023

Neilybob said:

Current set list -
Jumpin Jack Flash
Born to be Wild
All Right Now
Valerie
Hard to Handle
Heroes
Bohemian Like You
American idiot
Holiday

Learning -
Bad Moon Rising
Open Your Eyes

Out of curiosity @Neilybob which Holiday? I’m presuming Green Day but there are quite a lot of songs called Holiday!

Garold86 · April 2023

On the learning stack, ready for first run out tomorrow at rehearsal:

Babies - Pulp

Golden Retriever - Super Furry Animals

Will We Talk - Sam Fender

Helicopter - Bloc Party

Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys

Mountains - Biffy Clyro

Lights Out - Royal Blood
Not Nineteen Forever - Courteeners

All These Things I've Done - Killers

Ever Fallen In Love - Buzzcocks

KDS · April 2023

Danny1969 said:

Got a new eighties project on the go now so learning a lot of songs for that. We are doing songs from Talk Talk, Japan, Furniture, XTC, The associates and that kinda stuff rather than the more mainstream eighties hits.

I've also taken over guitar in a popular Portsmouth party band so learning their back catalog as well as new stuff from bands like Black Keys, Artic Monkeys, Blur

Also got sucked in to a Britpop tribute band so just learned a lot of songs from Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, Stereophonics, Shed 7, Bluetones etc

Daughter recently played guitar and sang I Ran, Flock of Seagulls for her music GCSE performance. Her choice, helped learn it beforehand. Great 80s track that people know but don't commonly hear. Might be worth thinking about trying it out and adding it to the set.

chrisj1602 · April 2023

Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears.

EricTheWeary · April 2023

KDS said:

Danny1969 said:

Got a new eighties project on the go now so learning a lot of songs for that. We are doing songs from Talk Talk, Japan, Furniture, XTC, The associates and that kinda stuff rather than the more mainstream eighties hits.

I've also taken over guitar in a popular Portsmouth party band so learning their back catalog as well as new stuff from bands like Black Keys, Artic Monkeys, Blur

Also got sucked in to a Britpop tribute band so just learned a lot of songs from Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, Stereophonics, Shed 7, Bluetones etc

Daughter recently played guitar and sang I Ran, Flock of Seagulls for her music GCSE performance. Her choice, helped learn it beforehand. Great 80s track that people know but don't commonly hear. Might be worth thinking about trying it out and adding it to the set.

I still rank Furniture as probably the worst live band I ever saw.

For the sake of playing something when I get five minutes I’ve been learning Happy Birthday by Altered Images which has a humongous two chords but is a joyous bit of eighties jangle. Must be a bugger to sing though.

flying_pie · April 2023

Currently cramming Real Wild Child, Hammer To Fall and Rock'n'Roll - songs we all pretty much know but in my case need to be gig worthy as our (female) guest vocalist can't make our first gig in three years which takes place next weekend. We need a few more last minute to fill in the gap. The only only challenge with Iggy Pop is making sure I've got the lyrics in my muscle memory as myself as it's dead easy to bash out 12 bar blues to a bunch of drunk punters with not much rehearsal.

Also revising Stand by R.E.M which is so much fun to play and sing at the same time in a perverse way. I only learned recently that I play a much more complicated part in the two key changes than Peter Buck actually played.

We've decided to tweak Electric Dreams to be much more rocked up so I need to find something appropriate that's easy to sing over, as well as brush up the solo seeing as our drummer normally has at speed metal tempo by the time it comes along! And talking of fast tempos I also need to work out some escape licks for the solo of Fool For Your Lovin' when it inevitably goes the same way.

nero1701 · April 2023

Sledgehammer, Power of love and Wicked game

Fez · April 2023

For the band:
Try - Pink
Dakota - Stereophonics
I had too much to dream last night - The Electric prunes

For me: The Polaroid - Rikky Nadir

maltingsaudio · April 2023

Another whizzbang from this bloody wedding, now wants Sweetchild of Mine at the service on an acoustic. To add to the problem Mrs M not comfortable singing in the original key wants it in C, After quite a bit of time worked out the riff based on open c position which I’m quite proud of and has passed scrutiny.

RocknRollDave · April 2023

Even Flow by Pearl Jam

Nice riff, open D tuning - which is new to me (except possibly from fumbling around the Love Spreads riff back in the day.

stickyfiddle · April 2023

Current band lists. Mostly pop & soul. We'll add some more rock stuff once half of these are ready

Main Focus

- Beggin

- September

- Respect

- Rescue Me

- Flowers

- Watermelon Sugar

- Gimme Gimme Gimme

- Dancing in the Moonlight

- Can’t Stop The Feeling

Experimental / Working

- I’m Coming Out

- Wings

- How Will I Know (pending Mike working out an arrangement…)

- Superstition

- There’s Nothing Holding Me Back

roundthebend · April 2023

bobeffect said:

midiman1962 said:

Mansun - wide open space ( I play 1 little known song per gig) then blue Monday which is more complicated than it looks trying to sing a couple of verses then rip i5 up on the micro korg xl

Mansun~ Wide Open Space - What a great song - I miss doing this.

My band mates have shot that tune down as "too depressing".
We're trying to do 90s indie and alt rock covers that aren't often played by pub bands - Bluetones, Shed 7, Blur, REM etc.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob · April 2023

For the band:

Barefoot Baby - Janis Martin
Leave My Kitten Alone - Little Willie John
Bossman - Ruby Ann
Walking Blues - Fluffy Hunter
Break-a-way - The Detroit Cobras

For me:

Going Down To Big Mary's - The Paladins
Fat Mama's Daughter - Cherry Casino and the Gamblers

RocknRollDave · April 2023

stickyfiddle said:

Current band lists. Mostly pop & soul. We'll add some more rock stuff once half of these are ready

Main Focus
- Beggin
- September
- Respect
- Rescue Me
- Flowers
- Watermelon Sugar
- Gimme Gimme Gimme
- Dancing in the Moonlight
- Can’t Stop The Feeling

Experimental / Working
- I’m Coming Out
- Wings
- How Will I Know (pending Mike working out an arrangement…)
- Superstition
- There’s Nothing Holding Me Back

Some really nice choices in there. A couple I’d really like to do, but have side-stepped because I don’t reckon I’d pull them off vocally.

stufisher · April 2023

Tracks that I play/practice:

Emerald - Thin Lizzy
Black Rose - Thin Lizzy
Time - Pink Floyd
Always with me always with you - Joe Satriani
The Vigil - Blue Oyster Cult
Astronomy - Blue Oyster Cult
Then came the last days of May - Blue Oyster Cult
Comfortably numb - Pink Floyd
Another brick in the wall - Pink Floyd
Cocaine blues - Dave van Tonk version
Last of the Mohicans theme - Trevor Jones version
Wanted dead or alive - Bon Jovi
Lagrima - Francisco Tarrega
Is there anybody out there - Pink Floyd
April come she will - Simon & Garfunkel
Sound of silence - Simon & Garfunkel
Children - Robert Miles
One - Johnny Cash version
Seagull - Bad Company
Bad penny - Rory Gallagher
Simple man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Road to Hell pt 2 - Chris Rea
Ohio - Neil Young
Needle and the damage done - Neil Young
Various jam tracks

Tracks I'm currently learning:
Sweet child o mine - Guns'n Roses
Beat it - Michael Jackson
Still got the blues - Gary Moore

Tracks I plan to learn:

Summer song - Joe Satriani
Out on the Western plain - Rory Gallagher
Old friends - Simon & Garfunkel

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What songs are you learning?

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