Instrumentals

[Chicken Monkey]

How does Green Onions go over? People seem to know that tune, so I'm thinking it might go alright. I'd love to do either GO or Hip Hug Her, but I think the latter would flop in market, as few people know it.

 

 

The only times I've seen it performed, the guitarist absolutely lacked any level of restraint, and completely missed the point of the Cropper thing.

 

I used to play in a bluegrass band, where we'd do a half-dozen or so fiddle tunes throughout the night, and they either died with a thud or the dance floor filled up with drunk faux square dancing. I'm not sure which is worse.

[Piano Whore]

 

How does Green Onions go over? People seem to know that tune, so I'm thinking it might go alright. I'd love to do either GO or Hip Hug Her, but I think the latter would flop in market, as few people know it.

 

 

When I used to play it on a regular basis, it was pretty much filler material. Although it helps if the drummer realizes that GO has alot of drive and propulsion- NOT a slow song. My drummer, who probably never listened to the MG's, used to drag it and think he was grooving, at least before I set him straight.

 

As for Hip Hugger, I would think that it would get at least SOME recognition. It was on the soundtrack of "Barfly", Dammit! But for more recognition, work up the Streetbeater (Sanford and Son theme). Shane Theriot has an awesome guitar-based version of it, on his "Grease Factor" record. Johnny Neel on B3. Funky {censored}.

 

Also, my old blues band used to do an arrangement of the theme from "Shaft". The Memphis-born drummer, Charlie Jenkins, was one of the percussionists on the original recording. He also played on a Bobby Rush record a few years ago.

[3shiftgtr]

*Golf clap*

Well played, good sir.

[SeniorBlues]

I wonder how a band would do if they used this list as their primary source for material.

 

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_rockinst.html

 

Souljazz used to be a genre you could gig with, and more than a few guys recorded a lot of albums. Circa 1970, we used to play a couple instrumentals each set. It was an era where you could play an instrumental version of a current hit.

 

What happened?

[SpaceNorman]

We have a handful of instrumentals on our playlist ... they don't get played every night ... but do get pulled out every now and then. Instrumentals on our "dance" list include:

 

Pick Up the Pieces - Average White Band

Europa - Santana

Time is Tight - Booker T & The MGs

The Munsters Theme - ??? (gets dusted off and played around Halloween every year)

Tequila - The Champs

 

If we're doing a "cocktail hour / dinner set" - there's a bunch more that make the list.

[wesg]

This is a good thread! I'm going to try and get my band to buy into doing "Green Onions"... right after I learn the rest of it.. An instrumental opening/sound-check tune would be good for us, because the singer and I split duties running the board (and he actually knows what he's doing).

 

What happened?

[Yer Blues]

The problem with "Green Onions" might be guitar players more familiar with the Roy Buchanan version.

[GuitarPlayerFL]

I just joined what is currently a three piece (bass, drums, guitar) fusion band about a month ago. So far we have... Stratus - Billy Cobham School Days, the Dancer - Stanley Clarke Cause We Ended as Lovers, Led Boots - Jeff Beck Rampage - Marcus Miller 3 of bandleader's originals

 

 

 

Awesome. This is the only type of local band I would leave the house to see for my own pleasure. (Unless a friend has a cover band I feel obligated to hear.)