# why cover bands play mustang sally



## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

Why Cover Bands Play Mustang Sally - YouTube


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

Wow! I feel like I've been there a few times!


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

That pretty much covers everything. I laughed.

Peace, Mooh.


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## ElectricMojo (May 19, 2011)

Good stuff.


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## fredyfreeloader (Dec 11, 2010)

Funny, very funny, kind of brings back memories from sooooo many years ago.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

kqoct


david henman said:


> Why Cover Bands Play Mustang Sally - YouTube


déjà vu !kqocthwopv


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## peter benn (Mar 29, 2007)

The funny thing about "Mustang Sally" is that nobody in Toronto actually plays it correctly. Despite being a cliche, the subtleties of the arrangement are junked by people in a hurry.

There is a baritone guitar part on the bottom four strings, C with a G bass, at the third fret. On beat.

There is a tenor guitar part that's in Chuck Berry territory, but is backbeat. Tenth fret.

The bass part goes C/Gflat/G/Bflat/C. Oddly enough.

Treat it as a cliche and it will be boring.

The other thing about "Mustang Sally" is it started a genre, the career of Don Bryant ("Doing the Mustang" Hi) and indirectly the career of Ann Peebles (Hi) IMO.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

peter benn said:


> The funny thing about "Mustang Sally" is that nobody in Toronto actually plays it correctly. Despite being a cliche, the subtleties of the arrangement are junked by people in a hurry.
> 
> There is a baritone guitar part on the bottom four strings, C with a G bass, at the third fret. On beat.
> 
> ...


Correctly? So, folks shouldn't interpret the song, play it their way? One of the chief reasons I like to see acts is to hear something fresh, even on familiar chestnuts like Mustang Sally.

Peace, Mooh.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Mooh said:


> Correctly? So, folks shouldn't interpret the song, play it their way? One of the chief reasons I like to see acts is to hear something fresh, even on familiar chestnuts like Mustang Sally.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


LOL There is "Shakespeare" as it was written by that other guy, and then there is what people call it these days when they dress up like Romans and Star Trek characters  and perform it.

So both views are good I think hahaha 

SO I HAD TO DO IT YOU KNOW ... youtube .... mustang sally ... ON UKE!

[video=youtube;DEgixfMQUt0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEgixfMQUt0[/video]


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## fudb (Dec 8, 2010)

Mooh said:


> Correctly? So, folks shouldn't interpret the song, play it their way? One of the chief reasons I like to see acts is to hear something fresh, even on familiar chestnuts like Mustang Sally.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


In my experience, a band either plays a song differently from the original because they CAN play it correctly but have decided to take a different approach, or because they CAN'T play it correctly and tell themselves that the original is "boring anyway".

Mustang Sally is about as tired an old war horse as there is in covers. I've mixed tons of live bands, and have almost never heard the groove done correctly.. let alone the arrangement. It is one of the greatest single hits of all time for several good reasons, and musicians would do well to learn those reasons.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

fudb said:


> In my experience, a band either plays a song differently from the original because they CAN play it correctly but have decided to take a different approach, or because they CAN'T play it correctly and tell themselves that the original is "boring anyway".
> 
> Mustang Sally is about as tired an old war horse as there is in covers. I've mixed tons of live bands, and have almost never heard the groove done correctly.. let alone the arrangement. It is one of the greatest single hits of all time for several good reasons, and musicians would do well to learn those reasons.


I won't disagree with that, it's the "correct" assertion that irks. Here and elsewhere there is frequent discussion about covers, whether whatever cover is better or worse than the original, etc. Well crap, if every band had to perform the cover correctly, there goes the cover market. Experimenting with a new groove sometimes brings an equally good groove. Sure, lots of bands maybe don't have the ability to replicate the "correct" groove, and maybe they don't care, and maybe the majority of the audience doesn't care either, but they have every right to play it their way, banal or not.

Fwiw, if every rhythm section could nail that groove perfectly, it would speak to a higher order of music education, formal, private, self, and ensemble practice, than has been my experience. Cover bands do what they do with what they've got. At least they're playing music in the face of a declining market.

Mustang Sally may be cliche, but it got that way because it was, or still is, good.

Peace, Mooh.


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## fudb (Dec 8, 2010)

Mooh said:


> I won't disagree with that, it's the "correct" assertion that irks. Here and elsewhere there is frequent discussion about covers, whether whatever cover is better or worse than the original, etc. Well crap, if every band had to perform the cover correctly, there goes the cover market. Experimenting with a new groove sometimes brings an equally good groove. Sure, lots of bands maybe don't have the ability to replicate the "correct" groove, and maybe they don't care, and maybe the majority of the audience doesn't care either, but they have every right to play it their way, banal or not.
> 
> Fwiw, if every rhythm section could nail that groove perfectly, it would speak to a higher order of music education, formal, private, self, and ensemble practice, than has been my experience. Cover bands do what they do with what they've got. At least they're playing music in the face of a declining market.
> 
> ...


I understand and agree with most of your points... I use the word "correct" in terms of being able to capture the groove and feel of the original, not that anyone has to play it note for note (perfectly). I realize many bands are doing what they can with what they've got... I also hear a lot of musicians complaining about songs they don't want to play, when in fact they haven't ever tried to really learn the song and if they had, they might find it a lot more interesting than they think... 

Cheers


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## doriangrey (Mar 29, 2011)

OMG that was funny ;oD too good...I have conversations like that every week at back practice...lol...I'm sending that to the boys in the band...too funny....thanks for posting!


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## robare99 (Jan 9, 2012)

If we are playing Mustang Sally, it's because we are in a cover band. I rarely listen to ANY of the music we play, except when learning it. As a cover band we are there to entertain the audience. They love coming up to sing the backups with us on stage, people dance and generally have a good time to the song. 


It's not a personal favorite of mine, but I enjoy playing it as much as I enjoy playing any of the other songs we do. 



Playing Mustang Sally isn't a crime.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Mooh said:


> Correctly? So, folks shouldn't interpret the song, play it their way? One of the chief reasons I like to see acts is to hear something fresh, even on familiar chestnuts like Mustang Sally.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


I agree.. to a point. Songs like Mustang Sally are usually played by bands because its very easy to jam. So most bands that play it, play it because their too lazy to learn asong properly. Right along with Old time rock and roll, New Orleans is sinking, etc.
I have no problem with playing these songs but maybe bands should put the time in and learn them properly, then if they have a spin on it that makes it their own go for it. All I see when I hear a band butchering a song like Mustand Sally is "This band didn't care enough to put the time in to play something half decent". And I say this as a member of a band that sometimes does this.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Mustang Sally, Brown-eyed Girl, Sweet Home Alabama, Keep Your Hands To Yourself, What I Like About You, etc.

It doesn't matter if I'm playing with my cover band or my acoustic duo............ people ask for, and respond to these songs. My job is to entertain and that's what I do. Music that is obscure but challenging and rewarding to play I keep for the audience that cares ......... me.

You think Van Morrison isn't a little tired of doing Brown-eyed Girl?


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

To me, one of the best versions of Mustang Sally is Buddy Guy's with Jeff Beck on board...gets me every time. I couldn't get my band to play that song if I paid them to, though...
-Mikey


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## keefsdad (Feb 7, 2006)

Yeah, I try to do pretty much the Buddy Guy version when I do it, love the groove.


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