My view of covers is essentially Manichaean. A unceasing tide of crappy covers is barely held in check by a few brave good covers. Stereogum helpfully illustrates the point. Read this post on a bunch of REM covers which includes an MP3 of Burning Hell by a member of the excellent Drive By Truckers. The same post links to this blog, which has its goal to discuss every REM song. It has some interesting info on my current REM fave, Maps and Legends.
With the good must come the bad, and Stereogum delivers in spades. This band serves up a truly awful cover of Good Vibrataions. It was merely crap until the sotto voce "she's so sexy" destroyed any chance of enjoying the evening. I think Stereogum is overly generous by calling this the worst Beach Boys Cover of All Time. This is surely in the top five worst covers ever.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Marian, I think I'm drowning, this song is killing me
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
99 Red Balloons by 7 Seconds?
How do you feel about covers, where the cover eclipses the original version. Think "Hard to Handle," "Smooth Criminal," "Take Me To The River." Good thing?
As I note here
http://booksaremyonlyfriends.blogspot.com/2007/04/cover-me-come-on-and-cover-me.html
I very much like covers which equal or eclipse the original and the ones you mention are good EXCEPT Smooth Criminal, both versions of which drive me crazy.
Boyz n the Hood by Dynamite Hack is HIGH-larious. Folk-hop at its best.
Tori Amos provides some delicious and interesting covers, e.g., Eminem's "'97 Bonnie & Clyde," Slayer's "Reigning Blood," and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The list goes on and on..."Purple Rain," "I'm On Fire," "Like A Prayer..." worth checking out.
Interesting Tuk, particularly the Reigning Blood. Sounds like a bizarre match-up.
Post a Comment