I play solo acoustic covers and I play songs like those you mentioned, but that's because that's the sort of stuff peopple who aren't really into music like to dance to - stuff they have heard thousands of times before. In the same way, if you played Kelly clarkson or whatever, people would be into it, because it's familiar.

I love hearing bands do covers, but only when they put their sound on it - it's cool to hear them take the song, play it their way, with their sound imprinted on it, and create something that is both old and familiar, and new and exciting. I'd love to do a cover of "Victoria" as a really dark, electro Ladytron style song - spoken vocal, big full on chorus, different chords but the same sort of structure. Primal Scream did a pretty cool cover of "Some Velvet Morning" by Nancy sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, doing exactly this.

Also, I think doing a cover is a massively underutilised way of generating interest in your band - a cover can launch your whole career. This has been true of Marilyn Manson (Sweet dreams) and Alien Ant Farm (Smooth Criminal). I can't think of any others but I bet there's heaps.

Very true - AAF are a good example of this. Still, if they had only released their own stuff, they wouldn't have ever been famous in the first place, so they're still better off for having launched themselves off a cover - at least they got a taste of rock star life for a year or two (or three). And probably made a shitload of cash in the meantime.

I'd say it's 100% to do with delivery. I don't think there's any song annoying enough to put off a crowd if the band's really captured the audience, and no song is admirably quirky enough to dig a sinking act out of a hole. I think probably the only rule of thumb would be just not to throw in a cover that some other current band's known for doing.

oooo, that reminds me...Best Cover Ever (at least within Heatherland boundaries) was Eels doing "get your freak on" at Reading festival. Glee!

there are cover songs and then there are cover songs...it amazes me how the youth of today are caught up in boring well trodden crap like sweet home alabama, april sun in cuba, build me up buttercup etc etc etc....maybe its a state of reliving their childhood (yawn) and bands keep playing this rubbish because its safe and their egos wont get damaged by the rejection of trying somthing new and risky. Then theres the issue of actually being able to play a song competantly which is where all this old crap reappears again..it's
easy to play..The most common comment my band gets is.. "its so refreshing to hear new material"...out with the old and in with the new I say...my suggestion to you Musicdreams is to to be fresh and assertive with your choice of songs....good luck

I knew I'd get pulled up on that one......the thing is, of course that's true for YOU, as you're an NZMer....but I'm talking Mr ande Mrs Average NZ, who listen to ZM and think J.Lo's music is quite cool cos it's a good beat....and I'm talking about covers gigs too, totally different kettle of fish. We tried playing Seven Nation Army at a wedding in Wanaka.....instantly emptied the dance floor.

If we're talking about gigs where you play 90% or more your own stuff, by all means play a cover of whatever the fuck you want - the audience at such a gig, no matter how old, will be into it, and if they don't know it, they'll think it's one of your own, so you can't lose.

I'm not sure of the oldie/youngie dichotomy you draw, Portia. You must have walked past the Cook in your time in Dunedin - every time I do, I'm surprised at how old school the music is that they play, and the audience is basically freshers. People who are really into music, sure, are going to want new stuff - and that probably goes for oldies such as myself, but I don't think you'd ever go wrong in over-estimating the conservative tastes of the young non-music loving audience just out for a good time: they want the tried and true.

I wonder about the roles of movies in shaping the new "old" music tastes of youth. Many of the old songs that the young kids love have been used in soundtracks of various milestone movies. Thinking particularly of movies like Forrest Gump and Tarantino's output have really refreshed the taste for some of that music in kids.

As an aside. I think the staff at the Cook have got wise. They have a new fangled jukebox which isn't album-based. This makes me bitter. One of the few good things about the cook (other than being able to buy jugs of cider and monteith; and watching cricket there over summer while the kids are away), was the ability to override 'yoof' music preference. For as little as $2 (=8 songs), you could buy out an hour by sticking with a few old time gems. It's real funny watching kids get more confused and frustrated waiting for their songs to come on. I tried $4 a couple of times, and by that point they were usually complaining to management. heh.

Sorry, I was feeling a bit low when I wrote this- I'm normally way more positive, honest!