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Cover Songs: Are you never very impressed?


MyNameIsRyan

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I suppose it is a matter of taste to a degree.  But, I think that objectively speaking, it is more difficult to do some covers.

I am thinking in terms of the fab faux or cheap trick doing those spot on covers of beatles tunes.  that is way harder than most bands' original songs, right? 

I am an old school guy who admires the mastery of an instrument.  I do idolize virtuosity.  If you are a great player, to me that means you can be inventive, but you can also play other people's stuff as well as they can.

A friend of mine had a band years ago and I saw them do "I am the walrus" in a bar and I was blown away.  they also did "pick up the pieces" pretty much rote and it was killer.  There have been few original bands that I have seen play in bars that blew me away like that.

I guess in terms of taste, I don't really think that much of most local original bands.  And that is despite the fact that I play originals and have gotten good response from people.  But, i know that if I were watching me, I'd think my originals were lame. 

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MyNameIsRyan wrote:

When a band covers a song, especially when they make no changes to it... no matter how amazing their cover version is, are you ever really that impressed by it?

 

i'll take jimi's watchtower over the original.

i also really like the chili peppers' cover of the Ramones here:

 

and i truly prefer the Canadian Chatstars' cover of the Ruin's top hit here too:

 

Portugal the man did a great cover of All the Young Dudes too at their live show, loved every second of it :D

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I guess I'm a little like thewthrman on it.

 

I can totally respect the technical proficieny of playing a cover dead-on straight.  It's craftsmanship and I think it has its uses and value.

If someone needs something to be played this or that way, then it's really cool to be able to do that so the overall vision can be realized. 

 

In certain context, like a wedding, the bride may really really want it just like that and I'm cool with helping her have her day.

 

Sometimes it's about being a utility man, and I'm cool with that.

 

That being said, as just a shortcut to avoid thoughtful interpretation -- I'm not in love with that.

 

So I think it's just a matter of being mindful and dealing with the situation with care

 

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nope. even with those youtube vids of kids playing "xxxx" song note for note...i realise that it takes time,skill and effort to really copy and learn the nuances...but they prob still aint got the skills to write/compose something like that...

 i guess the same thing could apply to pedal "kloners"

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Most of the cover bands around here are decent. I just get sick of Journey all the time. Several of them do their own orig music but after hearing decent covers their music just doesn't work. Otoh, I saw a band do covers that were not as good but killed it with orig music. I think more bands get booked as covers and toss in originals if the bar lets them. Most of the venues around here dont support original artists.

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Normally I'm not impressed by cover bands. Bands that try to do exact covers give off a certain live karaoke or live jukebox vibe to me, and I'd rather just hear the jukebox or some drunken karaoke at that point. I have friends that make a living playing covers, who don't just play it like the record, and I'll go catch them every chance I can because they're great musicians with great taste.

There was a hip-hop group I saw once that did original stuff mixed with classic covers. Seeing and hear musicians recreate sample-based music live sort of blew my mind.

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I think there's a fair degree of mechanics to this. Most of the stuff covered is mass distribution stuff. Conceived, writ, played, and recorded to fit your average head by professionals who do nothing besides the hit mill. This I believe is somewhat of a science. Besides Joe Talent Consortium with their three, four hrs a week free time prolly doesn't get the material and will never do it justice, the window for the original hit is no more. If you start including "lesser" material, then you got second hand "lesser" material. So, yes. Most bands don't cut it in that regard.

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impressive? debatable.

at the risk of sounding like a bitter old man... overpriviledged kids seem to have it easy these days dont they :)

props to the teacher (Phil...is this any relation to you?) for introducing these kids to good music and kudos to the kids for having the ability,time/motivation to pull this off...but id be more impressed if they could write/compose something equally as awesome...only time will tell if they stick with it.

 

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there are covers that I think are actually better than the originals (failure - enjoy the silence (depeche mode), xiu xiu - ceremony (joy division)), even if I really like the original artist, and there are bands that can do just the right song at just the right moment and really pulls it off (a local band closed a pretty energetic show with a perfect cover of Maxine Nightingale's get right back where we started from and it was the perfect song for that time and place, blew me away).

 

however, the majority of the time, covers are bad, especially if it's a small local band using it to fill their set or just play something that someone may know. its either a dead on reproduction of the obvious, most well known single of the original band, just not nearly as good, or some bull{censored} attempt to be ironic, covering britney spears as nu metal or something. honestly covers just be left to tribute albums and long established bands wanting to throw something different and unexpected into their set or b-sides, if they can pull it off (NOT linkin park doing refused's new noise).

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