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'70s tunes


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Posted

My band (The Flash) has an upcoming job themed "Back to the '70s" and we are looking for some cool, EASY tunes to throw together. All the guys seem to come up with is variations of the "BTO, Steve Miller, Eagles" type guitar rock (which we could pull off with minimal effort) but that's not what people are gonna want IMHO.

Any suggestions? I'm looking for more of a disco/funk vibe for some of it, but it's gotta be pretty simple- 4 guys only, but we all sing.

Posted

Right on- both of those are already on the list :P

I've also got-

One Way or Another- Blondie

YMCA

Kung Fu Fighting

Posted

Yeah, what's the audience like? Do they want high school dance type stuff or cool rock songs. Of course, if I were in the audience, I'd want all the cool rock songs I used to see cover bands of that era play:

Saturday Night's All Right For Fightin'

Where Did Our Love Go - j. geils version, of course

Ridin the Storm Out

Gimme Shelter

Black Dog, Rock and Roll or any number of zep tunes

Same Old Song and Dance or Train Kept a Rollin'

Get It On (Bang a Gong)

Suffragette City

Any early Ramones

Smoke on the Water :P

etc...

Posted

REAL easy ones that go over well...

Saturday Night - BCRollers

Car Wash - Rose Royce

Others that can be more or less complex but go over REALLY well are Good Girls Don't and My Sharona by the Knack. Rock and Roll All Nite is cake too.

Posted

I think we can cover the RnR stuff pretty well- I envision some requests like....

KC and the Sunshine Band

Bee Gee's

Earth, Wind and Fire

....and we'll be screwed :P

Posted
Right on- both of those are already on the list :P

I've also got-

One Way or Another- Blondie

YMCA

Kung Fu Fighting

You need to be careful to avoid songs that rely on a horn section. Notice I say 'rely.' Some use horns as support, some as the main driver for the song. For instance, how are you going to do a Chicago song without a horn section, other than maybe '25 or 6 to 4?"

Funk/disco is hard to do without horns, but there are a few. Try 'Tear the Roof Off the Sucker' or 'Stomp' from P-Funk. 'Fight the Power' from the Isley Bros. "Rapture" from Blondie is a great dance track. And then, one of my personal favorites: "Bertha Butt Boogie" from Jimmy Castor.

Posted
I think we can cover the RnR stuff pretty well- I envision some requests like....

KC and the Sunshine Band

Bee Gee's

Earth, Wind and Fire

....and we'll be screwed :P

That's where you say: "We need horns to do that stuff!!"

Posted

We could cover EASY horn parts with the synth, but you're right-

" I forgot my trombone" or "Do I look like Diana Ross? I sound even less like her than I look!!" will probably come out of my mic at some point.

Posted

Will you also have music playing between your sets? If so, make a couple CDs of that 70s Horn Funk Disco stuff, and crank it up- they'll dance..

Posted

"Rapture" is an '80s tune. Very cool to play though, if a bit monotonous at times-it's got a fun groove.

Posted

Just grab a copy of the "Dazed & Confused" soundtrack and learn it. Classic stuff...

HOLD IT! (here's the edit) I missed the disco/funk part. Instead, get the "That 70s Show Funky Version" CD. That's more like it.

Guest cruster
Posted

Shake by the Gap Band (that has to be mid 70s, right?) :P

Posted

More easy ones, but they don't really scream "70's" to the average bargoer who associates "70's" with disco and cheesy pop fluff:

-Ophelia

-I Want You to Want Me/Surrender

-Little Willy

-The Banana Splits Theme (One Banana...)

Others that are good...

-Whippin' Post (good lord, I can't believe how badly that was butchered on AI last nite!)

-One Way Out

Posted

Sweet Jane, Rock & Roll - Lou Reed

Come Dancing - the Kinks

Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Women - the Stones

Guest Buck Dharma
Posted

How about Thin Lizzy The Emerald. Thats my kinda seventies music.

Posted

Isley Brothers Climbing up the ladder

My Sharona

Junior's Farm

Takin it to the Streets are all bouncy

Posted
Love Rollercoaster- play it more like The Chili Peppers cover, and you won't miss the horns.

Good call. Other than that one, Ohio Players feature lots of horns. My personal favorite is 'Fop' which you could do without horns as well.

War is a good source but Latin-percussion heavy. Try doing 'Low Rider' convincingly without timbales.

Thin Lizzy didn't do TOO many funk-disco classics. "The Boys Are Back In Town" has a nice swing to it and a walking bass line, though.

J. Geils Band had some great party stuff. Harmonicas, anyone? You have to have a B-3 to pull off 'Give It Up.'

Posted

We cover "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?" By Chicago. No horns, and it freakin' rawks.

Elspecialo Elduave arrangement on that one.

Posted
No horns, and it freakin' rawks.

Nah, I'll bet it's laaaaaaaame.

I'll bet someone makes toot toot toot sounds in the mic...

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