Music to My Ears: What are the Best Songs to Play Pool to?

Mikey Town

Mikey Town

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi all,

I was thinking about making this a poll, but there are so many choices it would be impossible.

What is/are your favorite song(s) to play pool to? Whether you listen through your headphones and MP3 player, Computer hooked up to speakers at home, CD player, satellite radio, jukebox, or it just plain comes on the radio... please list some of your all time favorite pool playing tunes.

Personally, I like "The Payback" by James Brown. Yeah... I know... took it straight out of Pool Hall Junkies. You guys can discuss that movie in other threads, but they did do a pretty darn good job on the music selection. Aside from that, anything by any of The Rat Pack does me well... anytime... but especially while playing pool.

I'm looking forward to seeing your responses.


Mike
 
This is an interesting topic for me. I grew up playing music, in the school music programs (concert/jazz/choral) as well as in my own garage band playing rock and roll. I also spent most of my waking time listening to music, and reading up on the history of various rock bands. I then went into the radio business as a dj, back when the dj's used to actually talk on the radio. Ended up programming the music for the station, as well. So I've been immersed in music most all of my life.

I used to have pretty strong opinions about what I liked, and especially about what I didn't like. I joked about having a nightmare where I woke up middle-aged playing in a country band in a bottle-club out in the woods somewhere. Then I actually became middle-aged, and resumed playing occasional fill-in gigs for a local band.... (mostly 60's/70's garage band standards). Funny how life works. :p

All this to say that when I'm playing pool in a bar or club lately, I don't really care what's on the box. Fortunately they don't play a heck of a lot of the hard-core rap/hip-hop stuff in the places that I play. But they play a bunch of different things: rock (both old and new) country, pop, a little rap/hip-hop that's radio ready, some popular dance music... None of it phases me any more. Even the country music, which I used to abhor.

I just like hearing something. When it's too quiet my rabbit ears work too well, and I get distracted too easily.
 
well, i may be a little different than most, but at the start of a match i like metallica-for whom the bell tolls, followed by anything country. i like to listen to country music, as it relaxes me. the metallica pumps me up and the country slows me down.
 
You can hear music when you play pool ?

When I'm playing good I can't hear anything. When I'm struggling, I can hear my opponent trying to shark me with his breathing.
 
PocketPoint said:
That might work. Because if I heard nothing but country I would forfeit my match against you and leave the building.
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The bar I play at keeps it down, you can sit talk, and play pool without wearing ear plugs. But hey I'll take a forfit.:wink::)
 
Music

I like the songs from the movies:

Werewolves of london
Payback
Redneck Jiggalo
Superstar

But depending on my mood and how I'm playing I listen to all sorts:
metal + rock = if I'm tired and not too into playing
classical or oldies to calm down
and if I'm shooting good and everything is going right I tend to listen to Techno/Trance or hip/hop/rap. Nothing too upbeat or slow, but something with a good rhythm
 
damned insolent noise

just the sound of balls hitting eachother and cracking into the back of a pocket is music enough for me...........:thumbup:

you can leave the other stuff out:p
 
BLange said:
The bar I play at keeps it down, you can sit talk, and play pool without wearing ear plugs. But hey I'll take a forfit.:wink::)
Click to expand...

If a bar here did that, I'd become a customer. No real "favorite song", but I like the volume low...with no heavy metal or rap, thank you...
 
I'd like to loop the last 4 Tool albums and just play em over and over. I can really focus when I'm listening to Tool.
 
It's tough to listen to music while playing pool when you're also a musician, because your focus is now torn -- between playing pool itself, and "what the musicians playing the song are doing to make the song sound the way it does?" As a six-string electric bassist ("contra bass"), I find myself ZEROING in on the bass line to songs, no matter where I am or what I'm doing. I'll even subconsciously hold the cue across my body where my bass would go, just shy of actually playing "air bass."

Some people put music on to have "white noise"; I can't. It can be a huge distraction for me, especially with songs that have great musicianship in them, because the musician in me will queue-in on the pieces/parts of the song and how they're being achieved.

That said, I find the following works for me:

1. Something with a hard edge to it, with a strong emotional content that pulls and diverts me away from the actual musicianship, really gets my blood going. The bands Tool and Dream Theater do this for me. Also, certain progressive jazz greats like Jean-Luc Ponty (especially his older stuff like the Cosmic Messenger album/CD) really put me in the zone.

2. Simple blues. As long as the musicianship isn't too too high to perk my ears and pique the musician in me, blues put me in a nice focused mood. Stevie Ray Vaughn unfortunately will distract me, because the musicianship is high, and in my mind, I find myself "watching him play." George Thorogood is a better example. And, one of the pool halls near me has a great selection of old delta blues, and it's great to hear some of the old masters belt it out, vocally (which doesn't distract me as superb play on an instrument).

3. Classic rock. Again, simple themes with a great "feel." Pink Floyd is a good example that will put me in a shooting mood -- especially anything from their Animals album.

-Sean
 
sfleinen said:
It's tough to listen to music while playing pool when you're also a musician, because your focus is now torn -- between playing pool itself, and "what the musicians playing the song are doing to make the song sound the way it does?" As a six-string electric bassist ("contra bass"), I find myself ZEROING in on the bass line to songs, no matter where I am or what I'm doing. I'll even subconsciously hold the cue across my body where my bass would go, just shy of actually playing "air bass."

Some people put music on to have "white noise"; I can't. It can be a huge distraction for me, especially with songs that have great musicianship in them, because the musician in me will queue-in on the pieces/parts of the song and how they're being achieved.

That said, I find the following works for me:

1. Something with a hard edge to it, with a strong emotional content that pulls and diverts me away from the actual musicianship, really gets my blood going. The bands Tool and Dream Theater do this for me. Also, certain progressive jazz greats like Jean-Luc Ponty (especially his older stuff like the Cosmic Messenger album/CD) really put me in the zone.

2. Simple blues. As long as the musicianship isn't too too high to perk my ears and pique the musician in me, blues put me in a nice focused mood. Stevie Ray Vaughn unfortunately will distract me, because the musicianship is high, and in my mind, I find myself "watching him play." George Thorogood is a better example. And, one of the pool halls near me has a great selection of old delta blues, and it's great to hear some of the old masters belt it out, vocally (which doesn't distract me as superb play on an instrument).

3. Classic rock. Again, simple themes with a great "feel." Pink Floyd is a good example that will put me in a shooting mood -- especially anything from their Animals album.

-Sean
Click to expand...

In all my years of heavy metal madness I've never seen anyone play a 6 string bass!
 
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