Some guys and I are looking for a good song to play at our school’s talent show. We’re thinking some kind of classic rock from the 60’s or 70’s; but we’re pretty flexible. We need something with a fairly challenging vocals part. I am doing vocals and I normally sing bass, but I get get into the semi-upper ranges fairly well. Our drummer is pretty good, so we’re also looking something with a fairly challenging drum beat. Our bassist and guitarist are alright, so nothing incredibly difficult there. I am learning how to play the basics of the harmonica and a friend may pitch in his skills with a synthesizer if needed, but beyond that we have no auxillary instruments. None of us know piano.
There is a lot of variety in the time period you are talking about. The first two things that came to mind were Jimi Hendrix or C.C.R. The Hendrix vocals would proabably suit you, but do you think your guitar player could pull of the licks? C.C.R. is very straight forward, but might not be as rockin’ as you would want to get the crowd into it.
If all else fails, play something from the Ramones.
If you want to explore newer music, Crash Test Dummies may have a song or two to attempt. Brad Roberts (CTD’s lead) is one of the more notable basses of late.
Not knowing piano will keep you away from Superman’s Song or Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, but Afternoons and Coffeespoons is certainly possible, and includes a couple spots to bring out your harp.
What about the Sex Pistols? “God Save the Queen” or “Anarchy in the UK” are songs for any occasion! And they’re a liiittle more challenging than the Ramones, let’s face it. Or there’s always the Clash. “Brand New Cadillac,” “London Calling,” “I Fought the Law,” etc.
Or to be a little more rock and less punk, you could go with AC\DC or something. “Back in Black”?
Does anyone know any good sites to get tabs and beats for popular songs? I’ve got a lyrics site (http://www.letssingit.com) that I use pretty often.
I was really hoping to get to use my own lyrics in the talent show, but to make songs up from scratch would require dedication that some of those guys don’t have (indeed dedicated musicians with the same goal as me have always been a little hard to find).
How about “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” (the Righteous Brothers song)
The lead vocal starts in the low Baritone and goes up almost two octaves. You’ll need some dedication to make the harmonies sound good. The song shifts gears a couple of times, so the drummer can do something creative. It’s basically a ballad that gets intense, so the guitars don’t have to blister. A synth would be good filling in the sound.
Please, please do Uriah Heep’s Easy Livin’ and please, please do it well. It’s pretty easy to sing and the guitar and bass is easy as pie. As you probably know OLGA is the definite article regarding guitar and basss tabs if you can’t “pick the song up”.