Ok, so here’s the deal. The female lead singer in my new band wants to learn “Whiter Shade of Pale.” My initial reaction was, “Excellent!” as I used to play this song in my other band several years ago, and I was excited about revisiting the organ parts and trying to capture some of the more subtle nuances this time around (e.g., runs, slurs, Leslie control, etc.). But then she advised that she wants to learn the version by Annie Lennox, where the organ is replaced with this toy piano/harpsichord thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByXvPU-tfJA

My initial reaction to learning this version was, “No and hell no!” I mean, we all know the original version is probably in the Top 10 (or maybe even Top 5?) of those that could be considered “classic” organ songs. I’m fearful of spontaneously vomiting if I have to play that toy piano/harpsichord sounding thing. So I’m thinking of proposing that we either (1.) learn the original version, or (2.) at least replace the toy piano/harpsichord with organ. What would you do?

I'd say "ok", and just play it with organ. The original is such a classic, everyone's heard it - if you do the Annie Lennox version, you run the risk of playing to audiences who haven't heard that version and think less of you as a result. After 17 years playing pubs, clubs and bars, a few things that In my experience often apply are;

- Don't mess with the classics
- Don't play stuff you hate just because the audience may want it
- NEVER EVER EVER play the Celine Dion version of any song, least of all "River Deep Mountain High".

- Don't pay attention to what the singers want to do unless they play an instrument too. Vocalists have a different outlook on the world, and it's often far from the truth.

Is the band true cover band? If it is, stick with the original. If you guys are looking to do interesting arrangements of covers, maybe you could compromise and play it on piano.

Is this worth an argument? Pick your battles and all that.

Yikes! Having carefully read your post and listened to the YouTube clip - there's a couple bits of additional information needed in order to venture an honest opinion.

1. Is your vocalist smokin' hott?
2. Is there a remote chance that anybody from the forum might hear you playing it?
3. Are there large sums of money in it for you if you play it that way?
4. Is your vocalist smokin' hott?

Nice horse in the video, though I'm not sold on the velour sleeping bag she is wearing for a dress.

My advice. . .Take the singer aside and tell her "You're a better singer than Annie Lennox, let's customize this arrangement for YOUR voice." And then stick to the original organ part.

Biggest challenge on this tune is to keep the rhythm section and guitarist from nodding out while they are playing it.

Doing this version of Whiter shade is analogous to doing the Madonna version of Don McLean's American Pie.

Sometimes you have to stand on principle. Sometimes you just gotta say no.

It's a snuggie, the upscale model.

Yuck.

Doing covers of covers is just a really bad idea. It's dorky, clumsy, and generally ill-advised. (Unless the "cover" you are covering was more successful than the original, like Black Magic Woman or Oye Como Va, or Green Manilishi, but generally that's the exception, not the rule.) And covers that don't do anything different arrangement-wise certainly do not warrant covering.

Do what singers do: come in and just do what you want.

Or tell the singer you'll do that version of WSOP if she does this version of Barracuda. http://tinyurl.com/ybdetjd

She can do her Annie Lennox over your Matthew Fischer without losing anything, and you'll both be happy.

Stroke that ego, baby!

The drums in the intro of Annie Lennox's version gave me a way better idea.

Play it like Ultravox's "Vienna". Including the dramatic piano playing and the mournful Moog solo. The audience will never know what hit 'm.

Hey Tony - it turns out your friend Doro has her own cover of "Whiter Shade of Pale" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tetsaXnPAs0&feature=fvw

Moonglow - be glad this isn't the version your singer requested.

All - Listen at your own risk.

I really don't like the usage of the harpsichord sound in the Annie Lennox's version. I would ditch the harpsichord patch, if you decide to try to emulate the Lennox version. You could point out that a french horn sound played by a synth might not work very well.

It's a slow song to be performing in a covers band gig, no matter which version you cover. And I don't consider it a good slow dance song, so if someone suggested playing either version in our covers band, my vote would be to not play this song at all (not play either version). I'll confess that I'm not a big fan of the original song - it's just never did much for me.

This is not my area, but it seems that female vocal with organ is a compromise. Explain to her that this song is a classic, and more of your audience will be more familiar with the original, so the organ is the appropriate choice for the part. Meet her in the middle on the arrangement and don't make a big deal of it, 'cause it's not.

I'd suggest letting her call it whatever version she likes, and just go ahead and play the organ parts as original. BTW, what key does she want to sing it in? I've played it in C since my early teens and I'm not sure I *could* transpose it without brain damage.

+1

Never F**k with the classics!

Not a fan of Doro....I YouTubed "Barracuda cover" and got that atrocity! I could be wrong, but is Doro the daughter of Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden, or is some other metal chick?

So here's my story on this tune: A while back, my band of 30+ years booked a gig I was unable to do because of family obligations. Having amassed quite a lengthy book over the years, they were able to dig up enough tunes to do the gig as a trio: guitar, bass & drums. Much to my surprise, Whiter Shade was one of them! Our sound guy said it was "OK" -there was guitar in the place of the organ leads. Now that's blasphemy!!

'cos I've got toooo much time on my hands at the mo (off work - ill) I got curious at this & looked it up.

Bruce was born in England in 1958.
Doro was born in Germany in 1964.

If he IS her father I applaud that man ! ! ! ! !



PS: on the W.S.O.P. thing - although I love Annie Lennox & everything she does, your singer/band would have to be

damn good to carry that off. I'm with the guys who say to keep the organ part as the organ part.

If the audience are scratching their collective heads wondering what the song is, at least the organ 'hook' will

give them a reference-point.
.



.

I was thinking the same thing, although I never checked her birthdate, I just figured, considering Doro released her first record with Warlock in 1984, and Bruce Dickinson's early career started at age 18 in 1977 (an obscure band called Speed), that would have been an impressive feat on his part indeed!

I can tell you that when I heard of the guitar version of Whiter Shade of Pale I thought... no way. But I saw it live (and I forget the 'supergroup' that played it) and it was fantastic.

Here's the thing: love the song, but it is a dirge. I would be unlikely to ever want to play it live because it is not an 'audience' song it is a song that a band plays for themselves. Like "Wild Horses" by the Stones.... nobody cares but the band playing it.

So HOWEVER she wants to play it that is unlike the original, that would be okay by me because it would preserve the original in my mind as still being a really great song, while satisfying her urge to destroy what I consider to be a classic, in a way that I just don't care about. It would not be like playing that song that I love.

I also feel that, after seeing the audience reaction to the song, after a few weeks you'll drop it.

In my experience, when the singer asks to perform a certain version of the tune, all they mean is the version of the vocals. Put another way, your singer wants to do Annie's version because of the way it is sung, not because it has a harpischord part or whatever. Many singers that I know, don't give a rat's heiny of what everyone else is playing, just what they get to sing...

Let her sing it like Annie, and play your organ parts man.


P.S - I have never heard that Harpsichord part before... Hideous...

+1

If you do this song....keep it short, very short...its a boring song!

Have done this in jazz trio of vibes, doublebass, and drums w/bass playing the first organ line and vibes doing the "voice." Worked well, audience enjoyed it, chords are wonderful to construct solo lines over. Why try to make it sound like the original unless your goal is to just imitate what others have done? Why tie your hands by thinking of this as "blasphemy?" Yes, the original was wonderful, but that was then and this is now. You are never going to be like the orginals, and the originals don't even sound like themselves any more. It's a different world now, so make the tune your own--Actually, you have no choice. When you play it, it's yours for good, bad, or mediocre.

I suggest you do a punk rock version and have it clock in at 1:33

I never thought about it before but you're right, it is a dirge. I disagree about people wanting to hear it live though. I just finished a 4 year stint with a '60s band and we played WSOP every night to a packed dance floor. Ditto "When a Man Loves A Woman." Middle aged belt buckle polishing music if nothing else.

I used to do a punk version. Full organ intro though. Then a ONE TWO THREE FOUR! Punk. It went over very well for a college band. It was about 2:26.

It could be worse:
Much worse

We always pack the dancefloor when we play that song. Surefire. Our singer sings the hell out of it too...

Great point! What the singer means is that they think they can sing along with this version. Perhaps it's in a key that suits them, or the arrangement of the vocals works for them, or maybe they don't even know the original.

So whatever you do will be fine as long as it works with them singing it that way. She may even go, "wow, that keyboard part is great" when you play the organ part, and think that you came up with it. If that happens, shut up and smile, and let her think you are this crazy great keyboard player.

Ouch! When I start making a list of all the bad covers I've seen/heard on YouTube, it will take a very, very long time before my list gets to either Annie Lennox or Sam Tsui.

Larry.

Exactly.

Agreed. Both are great. I was just imagining Moonglow being asked to pull out his "Vocal Planet" sample set to play the "Dah/Doh" part. Actually, I'd pay 3 bucks to see that.

Dammit!!! I'm sending you the bill for cleaning the soda off my computer keyboard!!. LOL

Bill,,

That group was simply named HSAS, for Sammy Haggar, Neal Schon, Kenny Aaronson, and Michael Shrieve.

I saw them do this song live too in San Francisco and I thought it rocked.
While I love the original, love playing it, and it is classic, I thought Neal and Sammy did a great job on it.

Neal really pays homage to the signature organ hooks and parts.

Here's a vid of it:

HSAS: WSOP

"HSAS, for Sammy Haggar, Neal Schon, Kenny Aaronson, and Michael Shrieve."

Thanks for that. I'm usually not a fan of 'swinging dick' events, but that was a great show.

You know, I actually sorted of liked that version until about 1:30. Then, all of a sudden, I just f'ing hated it. Don't know if it got better, I decided not to waste the remaining 3 min...

--Dave

1. "Don't mess with the classics".
I totally agree. Do the original organ parts. I think the statement about the singer just wants to sing the song as she heard it on that version is a great point. Just remind her that "singers sing and musicians play".

2. "Don't play stuff you hate just because the audience may want it". A great rule of thumb, but over the years I've had to bend this rule. I keep a barf bag close at hand just in case.

3. "NEVER EVER EVER play the Celine Dion version of any song, least of all "River Deep Mountain High".


Mike T.

if the singer wants to do whiter shade of pale...make sure the singer is the keyboard player and they'll never stuff with it'


I know as I just added it to the new band I'm in ...I sing it in the band, I play it and they certainly are not going to stuff with it.

its sung in my "singing" key and played in my "playing" key which I thankfully can say is C

so all is good.....

...I'm not a stranger to bending this rule either... But I try to avoid songs that make me nauseus. Sometimes I'm wrong, though - we recently rehearsed UB40's "Red Red Wine", and it made me absolutely sick to my stomach, but at the gig I kind of started liking it since it really worked with the audience. Now, I almost look forward to it.

We recently ran into this sort of tramping on sacred ground with the Zombies' "Time of the Season."
Singer wanted to sub the second organ solo for a guitar solo. I said no. Very simple. Some things aren't negotiable.

I think that we as musicians honor these performances more than the typical audience member, because these parts meant something to us when we were growing up and learning our instruments. The audience is very accepting, for the most part, unless it looks as thought you CAN'T play it 'right'. I play an acoustic guitar version of Little Wing, Axis:Bold as Love, Strawberry Fields, and Tomorrow Never knows. Tomorrow Never Knows is really out there, as I base it on a riff from Zepelins Misty Mountain Hop. People love it. The Hendrix stuff... drop in a couple of Hendrix signature riffs and chord forms and again, people love it. I don't and don't claim to play them note for note, but people like what I do and I often get credit for being better than I am, just because I don't do exactly what they expect.

And in terms of playing songs that you hate, again the audience is very forgiving and I've found that people will approach you, impressed with the depth of your knowledge of a band, if you play what was a earlier hit, or maybe their second-best known hit. In many cases, the audience is as tired of the SOS as you are.