Common Classic Rock Shuffles

DrumEatDrum

DrumEatDrum

Platinum Member
When I was younger, I played a lot of shuffles in school, and when free lancing in the bar scene. But then I moved to LA, joined a series of original bands, and none of these bands every wrote any shuffle tunes.

So for the sake of keeping up my shuffle skills, I like to have a work out "tape" of common shuffle songs. But my list needs expanding!

I'm just talking common 8th note shuffles, not more 16th note (I already have Rosanna & Fool in the Rain) or exotic (Space Boogie), or double bass (Hot for Teacher). Just common every day on classic rock radio and typical bar band material.

So far:
Hold the Line - Toto
La Grange - ZZ Top
Tush - ZZ Top
Cold Shot - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood
I Drink Alone - George Thorogood
Moving on Over - George Thorogood
Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' - Journey
Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs

Obviously I can continue to dig through the Stevie Ray Vaughn catalog, but I want to mix it up more. And sure, there are a million blues artists, but not all of them get much radio play these days.

I should add:
Boy Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy
Smokin' in the Boys Room - Motely Crue/Brownsville Station

There must be 100's of songs that are right in front of me that I am missing, but it's always what is right in front of you that you can't see.

What would you add to the list?
 
bermuda

bermuda

Drummerworld Pro Drummer - Administrator
Staff member
Revolution, Old Brown Shoe (and many more) - Beatles
Your Mama Don't Dance - Poison (or Loggins & Messina)
Higher Ground - Chili Peppers (or Stevie Wonder)
I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick (listen carefully, it's a shuffle)
Ball & Chain - Social Distortion
Easy Livin' - Uriah Heep
Turn To Stone - ELO

BTW, Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' is technically 12/8, more blues than a shuffle but still a fun song and keeps a sufficiently swingy feel.

Bermuda
 
DrumEatDrum

DrumEatDrum

Platinum Member
bermuda said:
Revolution,
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I had that one my on my original list, I'm not sure why it fell off the list.

I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick (listen carefully, it's a shuffle)
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Which reminds me, Breakdown by Tom Petty is another not-so-obvious shuffle. :)

Thanks Bermuda!

Also occurred to me:
Harden My Heart by Quarterflash (well, ok, it was sort of a hit)
and
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears
 
bermuda

bermuda

Drummerworld Pro Drummer - Administrator
Staff member
DrumEatDrum said:
Which reminds me, Breakdown by Tom Petty is another not-so-obvious shuffle. :)
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Slow shuffles are the hardest, that's always a tough song for me!

Add to the list:

Don't Stop - Fleetwood Mac (how did we forget this one??!!)
Through Being Cool - DEVO (not Classic Rock, but fun anyway.)
Happy Together - Turtles
Moondance - Van Morrison (swing, but close enough)
Time Is On My Side - Stones (6/8, not really a shuffle, but fun to play. Don't let the tambourine throw you off!)
Killer Queen - Queen
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond (be sure to wear your Hal Blaine hat for this one!)

Speaking of Hal, don't overlook the Beach Boys songbook of shuffles: Help Me Rhonda, Little Deuce Coupe, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Little Saint Nick, I guess God Only Knows and California Girls kinda qualify... Hal had such a perfect feel on shuffles, they're a little laid back but with a perfect lope.

Bermuda
 
LinearDrummer

LinearDrummer

Silver Member
DrumEatDrum said:
When I was younger, I played a lot of shuffles in school,

Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs
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This was my first assignment in shuffle 101 @ music conservatory back in tha day.

Hung out with these metal cats back then and they turned me onto Flirtin with Disaster ...been one of my favorites ever since!
 
Aeolian

Aeolian

Platinum Member
Rosanna?
What about Walk Like An Egyptian?

Not classic rock but Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You used to throw me as it was neither a blues shuffle or a rock shuffle, but something in-between. It needs to swing, but not like a conventiinal swing.
 
Pollyanna

Pollyanna

Platinum Member
You and Bemuda have mentioned most of the first ones I thought of. Here's some more:

Jethro Tull - Nothing Is Easy
Alice Cooper - School's Out
Underworld - Underneath the Radar
Golden Earring - Radar Love (what is it with radars and shuffles?)
Black Sabbath - Evil Woman

... and less rocky:

Kate Bush - Babooshka
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
Jeff Beck - Freeway Jam
 
brady

brady

Platinum Member
A little late to the party.... Most of the ones I can think of are already mentioned.

A few more...

Can't Get Enough - Bad Co.
Heartache Tonight - The Eagles
Can't Stop This Thing We Started - Bryan Adams
Walk Believer Walk - The Black Crowes
 
Late Bloomer

Late Bloomer

Senior Member
The new blues band that I play in does heaps of shuffles. Kansas City, Tired of Talking, The Cannonball Shuffle, Rock Me Babe, My Babys a superstar, just to name a few. I have been working really hard getting the texas shuffle groove cooking. You can't beat a good texas shuffle.
 
jeffwj

jeffwj

Platinum Member
"I've Seen All Good People" by Yes - second half of the song.

"Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan

Jeff
 
M

MM:40

Junior Member
Deep Purple - Strange Kind of Woman, Black Night
Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Grateful Dead - I Need a Miracle
Thin Lizzy - Don't Believe a Word, Baby Drives Me Crazy
The Clash - Jimmy Jazz
 
Pollyanna

Pollyanna

Platinum Member
Black Night - of course!

Oh yeah, Led Zep's How Many More Times.

INXS's Johnathon's Aeroplane

Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain Way
 
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