Which songs do you detest the most..

Archie Nicol · Post by **Archie Nicol** » 29 May 2005 2:49 pm

Jim. `Steel Guitar Rag`;
How does that go again?

Cheers, Arch.

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 29 May 2005 3:23 pm

I have to agree with ajm about Proud Mary. CCR is/was basic, simple country-rock, just a few chords and a nice groove... kinda like the "traditional country music" all you diehard traditionalists are always talking about...

Besides, I can't believe some people are still whining about Proud Mary. That was the song all musicians bi***ed about in the late '70's- early '80's.... I thought that was out of style by now.

I also have heard very few bands that can manage to get the nice simple flowing groove that CCR had. If they were capable of it, no doubt they'd enjoy the song more. It's not a bad song when done right by a rhythm section that knows how to lay a groove.

Some songs, on the other hand, just plain stink no matter what.

Some of my own personal least-favorites which I feel have absolutely no value whatsoever are:

"Don't mess with my Toot-toot"

"Let's get drunk and screw"

"Cheeseburger in paradise"

and all the other similar worthless, stupid songs with no meaning.

Seems like everyone's "playing it safe", not naming anything by anyone really big. Well, except for Garth, it's "in" to bash him.

Everyone really likes everything all the other big names ever recorded? Not me.

I know I'm going to ruffle some feathers, (gasp!) but there are a couple songs even by some country legends that have always driven me crazy. As much as I love the singers and songwriters of these songs, now and then they had one that I couldn't stand. Call that heresy if you like.

My own idea is that a person doesn't have to like everything a particular artist does, but call me crazy.

A couple of songs by "big ones" I can't stand are:

"Amanda" and "Misery and Gin".

Every band I've ever had the displeasure to play these songs with has done them so slowly and boring it was all I could do to stay awake, and Misery and Gin is such a downer (especially at slow, slow speed) that I want to take a sharp stick and gouge out my eyeballs and beg for mercy before the thing's halfway over.

"You don't have to call me darlin, darlin'", or "You never even call me by my name" or whatever the #$%@ is the name of it, is another one I'd be happy to never hear or play again.

Those who love those songs, fine with me. Maybe the bands I played them with just weren't good enough to do them so I'd like them. Could be. Nah, don't think so.

[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 29 May 2005 at 08:32 PM.]

Harold Dye · Post by **Harold Dye** » 29 May 2005 3:56 pm

Jim, I know what you mean about songs by some of the biggies. My Zum told me if I did one more ride on Last Date, it was out of here. (The Sho-Bud don't seem to mind). I think the straw that broke the camels back was doing the verse instead of the chorus. I know Mr Huey did a fantastic job on the song, but I ain't Mr. Huey.

Harold Dye · Post by **Harold Dye** » 29 May 2005 5:43 pm

My sincere apologizes to Mr Hughey for mispelling his name. I guess that's what happens when one attends government schools.

db · Post by db » 29 May 2005 6:42 pm

Free Bird.
The response, if requested, was to flip the "Bird-Sign"!
Here is your "Free-Bird"!
------------------
Dan Balde
U-12/8&5, S-7/D 3&1, S-6/E,A & G3[This message was edited by db on 29 May 2005 at 07:44 PM.]

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 29 May 2005 7:51 pm

I have NEVER played with a band or even heard one that did Proud Mary even remotely close to the record.

Not surprising. I think the last time Fogerty did it like his '69 hit record was about 1974!

Michael Haselman · Post by **Michael Haselman** » 29 May 2005 9:08 pm

"Sweet Home Alabama" Been playing it since 1976, and I wish people would get tired of it but they don't. The thing is, it's a great song, but Alabama is not my sweet home. I just drove through it once. Then there's "Three Steps," "Mr. Breeze,"...get the picture?

------------------
Marrs D-10, Webb 6-14E

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 30 May 2005 1:52 am

Feelings...
Alone Again Naturally,
Ackey Breakey Heart... a no brainer there

Just about ANYTHING Ray Price di in the 60's and 70's... ( I LIKE the 50's and Time)

Elvira....
Ingrid Bergman...
Others will no doubt come to mind later...

Bob Smith · Post by **Bob Smith** » 30 May 2005 2:45 am

Elevator music!

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 30 May 2005 5:30 am

"I'm / too sexy for my ..." whatever.

Winston Street · Post by **Winston Street** » 30 May 2005 6:29 am

Everytime a girl singer approaches the bandstand just go ahead and kick off "Crazy". How can one song get murdered so many times and still survive to be the great song that it is??????

Cocaine.
I'll Be There Before the Next Teardrop Falls.... Anything by Freddy Fender.

Amanda, You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me LooseWheel!!!!!!

Jim Hinton · Post by **Jim Hinton** » 30 May 2005 7:10 am

I worked in a saloon in Phoenix in the 80's six nights a week, and I had to play the Rodeo Song about a billion times.

How can people want to hear that crap so much?

Achy Breaky Heart is an absolute testimony to how poor some people's taste in music can be. I do have to admit it's very humorous and entertaining to watch the girls line dance to it though. I need another shot of tequila after seeing that!

ajm · Post by **ajm** » 30 May 2005 10:55 am

FWIW, I like Achy Breaky Heart. I would have no problems playing it every night. Just my tastes, I guess.

It is IMHO a good S-O-N-G.
Sure it only has two chords, but what does that have to do with anything? Forget about all of the extraneous stuff that went along with the song, and it comes down to the song and only the song.

Remembering back to the early 90's, it was that song and the rise of Garth that put country on the map and got everything started. It gave country music its moment in the spotlight, and it gets slammed for it. Of course, perhaps the most publicly "visible" steel song of all time (Teach Your Children) gets Jerry Garcia crucified all of the time too, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

By the way, I guess TYC hasn't been mentioned here yet.

------------------
Artie McEwan

JW Day · Post by **JW Day** » 30 May 2005 12:27 pm

one of the most boring I've ever had to set and listen to has to be amanda or rose colored glasses. not even good dance tunes

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 30 May 2005 3:12 pm

Sweet Home Alabama. Every band I've played in did it too #$@&%*! fast! If I happen to be performing I can come up with a good excuse not to play it. "We can't play Sweet Home Alabama. I didn't bring my Strat!"

Dale Bessant · Post by **Dale Bessant** » 30 May 2005 3:16 pm

"OLD TIME ROCK & ROLL" If I hear it one more time it could be the end........

J Hill · Post by **J Hill** » 30 May 2005 4:13 pm

It looks like some others don't see much in Garth either. There doesn't seem to be anything unique about his voice. Did the same guy promote him that maybe promoted Elvis Presley?

[This message was edited by Leila Tuttle on 30 May 2005 at 05:13 PM.]

Charles Dempsey · Post by **Charles Dempsey** » 30 May 2005 4:30 pm

ajm, Jim. I'm not commenting on the songwriting or style of Proud Mary. The song is good in the only way good can be accurately measured: dollars and cents.

I am, er........., was a CCR fan. Let me pull out my vinyl of Bayou Country that I bought in 1969 and wave it at you. There's nothing wrong with Proud Mary that my having played it 1.0X10E-06 times less wouldn't cure. It was the third cover we learned, right after Light My Fire and Knock On Wood. By the time we were wowing 'em at Teen Town and The Enlisted Men's Club we had 10 CCR covers in our hat, including the 20 minute version of Grapevine. I got paid pretty good to stand there and play "duh-duh-duh", but that song might be requested 5 or more times a night. The Air Force guys were big into CCR too.

Charlie[This message was edited by Charles Dempsey on 30 May 2005 at 06:57 PM.]

Per Berner · Post by **Per Berner** » 31 May 2005 6:18 am

"Wichita Lineman" – Yecccch! And anything by Martina McBride after her first album.

This topic reminds me of a cartoon in the National Lampoon twentysome years ago: A bar pianist has a sign beside him, saying....

"Requests $5. Feelings $500"

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 31 May 2005 7:00 am

CCR was, for me, one of those bands like so many alternative bands were for my sons in the '90s, a good source of decent tunes that were easy to learn so we could get out there and start playing. Proud Mary, when it came out was actually somewhat creative melodically as it was a departure from the 1,4,5 norm. It's just that, like so many good tunes before and after it, repetition caused it to lose its luster.

A band I used to play with did ELP's Tarkus, which was the whole side of an LP, in its entirety, and I was the keyboard player, yet after doing it for a year, it got quite old. Today, I love listening to it again, playing it in my head and reminiscing about those days.

But, I still can't stand Proud Mary. In fact, I have been CCR'd to death. Nothing against those guys, but they wore their records out on us.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 31 May 2005 8:38 am

Songs I detest?

At weddings: it's "Celebration" by Kool & The Gang

Oldies Radio Stations: it's "Precious & Few" and "Brandy". Grrrrrr.

Sporting events: The Star Spangled Banner when it becomes the "Oft Mangled Banner". So many professional singers blow this song that I cringe every time they get close to: "and the rockets red glare ...". And lastly, when they add many, many extra syllables. African-American melismatic singing can be a beautiful style but NOT on THIS song.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 31 May 2005 9:25 am

I was really bummed out with "Last Date" (instrumental) for quite a while in the mid to late 80's.
When that band came to it's last 2 week gig I counted down the nights that the band leader called that song (every night), and celebrated (never having to play it again) at the end of the last night.

Vern Wall · Post by **Vern Wall** » 31 May 2005 2:24 pm

What Donny said, the wierd chords. The story goes that back in the forties, the leader of an influential band ordered his steel man to play ONLY chords. We still have a lot of people who think that's all a steel guitar is supposed to do.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 31 May 2005 8:51 pm

'Brown Eyed Girl' - and anything by Toby Keith! Some of his songs are not too bad ('The List' or '...Talk About Me') but they still remind me of how much I dislike him....

I suppose opinions may differ, but I find it very curious that someone could name a song as well-crafted as 'Wichita Lineman' as their least-favourite! Maybe they didn't get the chords right yet....

Per Berner · Post by **Per Berner** » 31 May 2005 9:09 pm

...or "their" taste is just different from yours!

best regards, Someone