How to approach BeatlesFest 2?

[Hook]

So my approach to covers is usually to make it my own or reinvent the tune if you will. Recreating a tune or attempting a truly accurate cover impresses me greatly, but attempting it doesn't interest me at all. Mostly due to my lack of ability and my aversion to rehearsing. I can however learn and play tunes rather quickly and have decided my entries (I love the Fests!), most likely, will be live performances, solo acoustic.
My question is this, we all have those musicians we place on a pedestal, The Beatles are obviously one of those groups for many of us. Is it okay to re-Imagine (if you will) these tunes that have influenced us so greatly, Beatles or other, who, in all honesty, probably got it right. I have no problem changing the Stones (no offense Stones fans) but Elton John shouldn't have done "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". or, I ask you, should he have?

I should add that I have listened to many of the Beatles covers here and love them but I can't play like Geir or nail harmonies like Hooper. I'm not judging, I would end up being Elton John, I am interested in everyone's opinions though?
Rock On!

[Oldrottenhead]

haha go  here https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?action=festival;sa=GeirSingsTheBeatles

i cant play any instrument very well. so i reinvent or destroy completely anything i cover. link below is not for the faint of heart.

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=2012.0

[Hilary]

So my approach to covers is usually to make it my own or reinvent the tune if you will. Recreating a tune or attempting a truly accurate cover impresses me greatly, but attempting it doesn't interest me at all. Mostly due to my lack of ability and my aversion to rehearsing. I can however learn and play tunes rather quickly and have decided my entries (I love the Fests!), most likely, will be live performances, solo acoustic.

I hear you bro - apart from the bit about picking up tunes quickly, I'm with you all the way. I think, do what you want and what you feel is right - if they don't like it, they don't have to listen  

I've got a few Beatles reworks up my sleeve  

[AndyR]

Yeah, do it how you hear it

They're only songs, written by some pretty cool songwriters, who happened to record their own interpretations of them... (which also happened to be pretty cool).

Recordings/performances are only interpretations of songs. We might all think about what  the "definitive" version of a song is - usually it just means it's the version we like best.

I think you're taking the right approach, though. Strip it back and see what's there. If you think it needs more after that, stick it on.

And don't put any of these people up on a pedestal you can't reach - that's not where they are in reality. They were just musicians trying to get a reaction, just like the rest of us. If you feel too much reverence coming on for someone, just think of them sat on the loo... you'll be fine

[Hilary]

I had a funny thought whilst going round Tescos (as you do) - we should form our own alternative Beatles tribute band (I bagsy Ringo - I've got a tamborine somewhere) - wouldn't it be hilarious if we were booked for a gig and we turned up and played our own versions - we could finish on Jim's A Day in the Life. In an alternative universe that would be pretty cool (and probably quite a short gig). We should call ourselves The Fab Four and turn up just the 3 of us!

If I ever get to write my musical sitcom - I might revisit this one  

[cuthbert]

Personally, I've never performed a straight-up, note-and-beat-accurate cover of any song as I'm no great musician, and in a way, doing so would feel like transcription and even work to me. It's nice to learn the stuff that you don't know, but I also like to have fun when recording.

Usually, my approach is to focus on the spirit of the song (not necessarily just the bones), and then try to amplify that. There's always a large part or smaller piece in a favorite song that makes me like it, which may be a riff, a rhythm, or a vocal turn - or whatever. So when I do a cover, I try to emphasize what I like, and then add my own bits to it to make it stand.

I love the Beatles (and am looking forward to BeatlesFest II), and I also agree with the advice of not putting them (or anyone else) on a pedestal. But with that said, when I do a cover, it has to at least have the spirit (however one defines it) of the song within it.

[64Guitars]

I agree that it's perfectly okay to record your own interpretation of a song and I understand people's reasons for wanting to do that. For one thing, it's a lot of work to do an exact cover. But it's also a great learning opportunity as well as excellent ear-training practice. And who better to learn from than The Beatles? If you've never tried learning a song note-for-note by ear, I highly recommend giving it a try. It can give you a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. And with the internet as a resource, it's not as difficult as you might think. For example, there are lots of tablature sites. Most of the tabs are inaccuarate but they give you a good starting point so that you only have to work out the details. Better still, you can find multitrack recordings of most of The Beatles songs. These let you listen to just the bass, for example, to figure out how to play it without the distraction of the rest of the instruments and vocals. Do a search for "Beatles mogg" or "Beatles multitrack". "Mogg" is a file format supported by Audacity which combines several separate tracks into a single file. Just load the mogg file into Audacity and mix or solo the individual tracks however you want so that you can learn the individual parts easily. You'll probably have better luck finding mogg/multitrack files on the bit torrents than on the web. There's also some stuff on YouTube. Search for Beatles Isolated, Beatles mogg, or Beatles deconstructing. Of course, if you add the song title to any of these searches you can find just what's available for a particular song. That's often best because there may be separate videos for each part (bass, drums, piano, guitar, vocals, etc.)

So, by all means, feel free to interpret your Beatles song any way you like. But consider trying a straight cover of at least one song too. I think you'll find the experience very rewarding and educational. I know I do.

[Rata-tat-tat]

Hook... Im with you 100%...However there is a gray area where too much of putting your own spin on something may be considered as disrespectful to original artist or get you that famous line shouted from the back of a sleezy smoke filled bar... "YOU SUCK"... In most of the cover bands I've played in, we tried to be as accurate as possible but liked to change parts of songs to play to our own musical strengths. In some circumstances there is no room for deviation... A good example would be the guitar intro for GNR's "Sweet Child of Mine".... You have to get it right... If you dont.. youre liable to get a beer bottle smashed over your head by a drunken bar patron (Not that we have any of those around here).  I think Burtog's approach is the one that works best for me... If you focus on the spirit of the song you will most likely pick up on all of the key points that make the song listenable.

[kenny mac]

I think its more creative to do your own slant,to be honest If I want to listen to a carbon copy Id rather shove on the origional record.
Theres something exciting about clicking on a track and waiting to see what someone has come up with on this site.
As an example I was on my bike about midnight coming home from work and was approaching this large hill.
I had my mp3 on and was listening to a selection of songcrafter songs rather than known artists and on came old rottenhead  i.e jims version of satisfaction,,,,,,,,,Belter of a song and old rotten got me up that hill with a smile on my face.
Fly the flag of individuality and give us your best 

[Oldrottenhead]

john cale, nick cave, johnny cash among others are acts i like to see covering songs because the put their own spin on it and in johnny cash's case the song generally becomes his.

would you rather have

a cover like this


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Bn0Kq7rls
or one like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i6YkXRj4G0



oh and guns n roses knockin on heaven's door and paul young doing love will tear us apart