Members tucktronix Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I've played this tune a gazillion times with different bands, but never get tired of playing it. Every band has their own spin on it. 'Mustang Sally' sounds the best when it is played at a slow to moderate, funky tempo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I've played this tune a gazillion times with different bands, but never get tired of playing it. Every band has their own spin on it. 'Mustang Sally' sounds the best when it is played at a slow to moderate, funky tempo. the drummer makes or breaks the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwire Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 Mack rice wrote it and recorded it first ,in 65, then wilson picket covered it soon after and made it a big hit in I think 66. I dont think the shondells did it ,that i can remember,, tommy james was from niles michigan. I used to live there. But that said mustang sally has been covered by a ton of artist. Coyote was talking about 'Mony Mony', not 'Mustang Sally', rhat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 Coyote was talking about 'Mony Mony', not 'Mustang Sally', rhat... K I hate mony mony ,,, the only tommy james song i like is I think we're alone now. I mean i am not wild about it ,, but we did it because it was a hit and it had good harmony. We generally did anything that fit our style that was a hit . Vocals and horns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gilgators Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I will not play it in a barI will not play it in the carI do not like that silly rhymeI do not like it all the timeI will not play it for a crowdI will not play it quiet or loudI do not like this song you seeI do not like Mustang Sally Would you? Could you? In a bar?Would you? Could you? In your car? You may like it! You will see!Mustang Sally - it's easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wades_keys Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 Would you? Could you? In a bar? Would you? Could you? In your car? You may like it! You will see! Mustang Sally - it's easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gilgators Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 (sorry - couldn't resist!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stagebandit Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I agree that Mustang Sally is best when played with a moderate groove, but most Motown and R&B artists played faster tempos than the album cut when performing live. Listen to Aretha Franklin Live at Fillmore West, Marvin Gaye in Tokyo '79, or any James Brown concert and you'll think the band must have been on some serious speed. Probably were. That's not to say that I particularly enjoy the faster version more, but it seemed to be a trend among Soul/R&B artists, at least the ones from the Old School. Even the slow songs are played at break-neck speed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members callous Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 What drives me bonkers is that folks dig the Billy Idol version which IMO sucks next to the drive of the original Shondells version! I swear I was in a pizza palour years ago when Tommy James and The Shondells came on the jukebox. Some pre-pubescent punkoid shouts out, "He's doing a Billy Idol song!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members coyote-1 Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 There's a reason guitarists play those horn bits: They are important, more important than the guitar line at that moment. Most bar bands cannot afford a horn section, so the guitarist covers. Unless they have a keyboardist, in which case he/she does it. If my current band does it, I'll be doing the horns on keys. It's a great song if you play it right, which most everybody who professes to hate it doesn't do. I'm amazed that anyone requests the song considering how routinely it gets butchered by guitar players who just can't resist playing the horn changes. Get some horns and play it right or apologize to the crowd and tell them you can't play it because the horn section is in drug rehab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wades_keys Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I agree that Mustang Sally is best when played with a moderate groove, but most Motown and R&B artists played faster tempos than the album cut when performing live. Listen to Aretha Franklin Live at Fillmore West, Marvin Gaye in Tokyo '79, or any James Brown concert and you'll think the band must have been on some serious speed. Probably were. The Godfather had a fondness for PCP; that'll lead to some breakneck tempos I've also seen some live James Brown footage where they were haulin serious ass... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les_Izzmor Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 When I first started playing bass a friend of mine, who was in a working band, said this to me, "Almost any song with a 12 bar blues pattern will get people up and dancing". Mustang Sally fits the bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted February 15, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 15, 2008 I don't think I've ever heard the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wades_keys Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I don't think I've ever heard the song. You've never heard "Ride, Sally ride" and the accompanying drunken sing-along? I'd guess it's a regional thing, or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cooterbrown Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I'm just glad the requests for 'Mony Mony' have died down. Now THAT song I could live happily never doing again... What...you mean you miss those chants of HEY!!! GET LAID, GET {censored}ED!" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members way2fat Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 There's a reason guitarists play those horn bits: They are important, more important than the guitar line at that moment. Most bar bands cannot afford a horn section, so the guitarist covers. Unless they have a keyboardist, in which case he/she does it. If my current band does it, I'll be doing the horns on keys. I understand that the horn bits are important. It's just that they sound like stir-fried dog{censored} when played on guitar and only slightly less revolting on keys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members New Trail Posted February 15, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 You've never heard "Ride, Sally ride" and the accompanying drunken sing-along? I'd guess it's a regional thing, or something. He keeds, he keeds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceNorman Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 What...you mean you miss those chants of HEY!!! GET LAID, GET {censored}ED!" ? Cooter.... I've still got bite marks on my ankle from a Wicked Wanda...the owner of little dive we used to play regularly...because of that damn Mony Mony chant. At the time we were getting a half dozen requests for it every night....with the no-collar crowd getting downright hostile if we didn't play it. So...we'd play it and the inevitable chant would start ... at which point the always mildly inebriated Wanda would leap from her barstool perch and charge the side of the stage and start chewing on my ankle bitching that her customers were swearing...and that we needed to stop playing that "f*cking song". After a couple of these episodes, we simply refused to play it....at which point the crowd would start getting snotty with us. Wanda would send in the "OK....give 'em what they want and play it" wave from her throne....only to charge the stage again when her customers started chanting. Like I said...I've still got gnaw-marks because of that damn tune. Damn Tommy James AND Bill Idol !!!!! The SpaceNorman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted February 15, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 15, 2008 You've never heard "Ride, Sally ride" and the accompanying drunken sing-along? I'd guess it's a regional thing, or something. I don't know... maybe if I heard it I would recognize it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I don't know... maybe if I heard it I would recognize it. Lets put it this way ,,,, its a song made famous by wilson picket. Its been a cover band standard for hmm what 42 years. If you missed mustang sally ,, you need to go you tube a bunch of soul music. Wilson picket, 4 tops, temptations, sam and dave, and a whole host of other groups ,, that fall under the motown soul music genre. Its some of the best dance music ever written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 12Pack Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I've never once had to play it out. But it also seems to be at every wedding....along with "Old Time Rock and Roll" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I've never once had to play it out.But it also seems to be at every wedding....along with "Old Time Rock and Roll" Its the sweet home alabama of soul music. In the midnight hour is another one. they are both soul songs that non soul/motown type bands tend to do. I saw your list on your page ,,, You guys got a good list, but you dont do any soul. Thats cool. As has been said ,, you really do that stuff right ,, you need horns. Its more of a 60s thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted February 15, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 15, 2008 Lets put it this way ,,,, its a song made famous by wilson picket. Its been a cover band standard for hmm what 42 years. If you missed mustang sally ,, you need to go you tube a bunch of soul music. Wilson picket, 4 tops, temptations, sam and dave, and a whole host of other groups ,, that fall under the motown soul music genre. Its some of the best dance music ever written. I listen to a fair bit of soul but it's mostly stuff from the late 50's/early 60's, like Sam Cooke, or else girl-group msic like the Ronettes . Maybe that's how I missed it. I never listened to much Pickett; I suppose I should check him out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 I listen to a fair bit of soul but it's mostly stuff from the late 50's/early 60's, like Sam Cooke, or else girl-group msic like the Ronettes . Maybe that's how I missed it. I never listened to much Pickett; I suppose I should check him out. Yea.. you should check it out a little further. sam and dave ,, temptations, 4 tops , martha reeves , aretha franklin, surpremes. That stuff was totally on fire ,,, in a late 60s band set. Only a hand full of bands covered it and they all made good money ,,, they still do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cephus Posted February 15, 2008 Members Share Posted February 15, 2008 In my experience, white trash ladies think it's a funky song they can stripper dance to. So, it's got something for everybody. I sat in with a band once that played it in some weird key like F or Ab. It was like a completely different song. I think the key of C must ruin it. I played it in several bands and that one was the only one that didn't do it in C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.