Each week I'm posting a random or not-so-random cover song. Only the current week's track will be available but if you see a past one you'd like, contact me and we'll make arrangements.
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Sunday, January 22nd, 2012
The Hold Steady covers Bruce Springsteen
War ChildWhen The Hold Steady get likened to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, it’s usually in reference to the big, raucous, arena-sized bar-rock that the latter invented and the former aspire to. So it kind of made sense that the two would be paired up for the 2009 War Child: Heroes benefit compilation wherein artists covered their inspirations, but the song selection was a bit curious. “Atlantic City” comes from Springsteen’s 1982 record Nebraska and being a solo-billed album with a stark, acoustic presentation it doesn’t feature Springsteen’s usual backing band doing what they do. Not that that stopped The Hold Steady from pretending they were on their redo, doing it up big with piano and sax and all those E Street accoutrements.
Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn’s solo debut Clear Heart Full Eyes comes out this week and it doesn’t go quite as far as Springsteen did with Nebraska in switching things up from the expected, it’s a leaner, darker work as well. And just this week, Springsteen announced the March 6 release of his new record Wrecking Ball; Rolling Stone has details on that while DIY and The New York Times have feature pieces on Craig Finn. And oh, a new Hold Steady record is also in the works.
MP3: The Hold Steady – “Atlantic City”
Video: Bruce Springsteen – “Atlantic City”
Sunday, January 15th, 2012
Letters To Cleo cover Nick Lowe
WikipediaFolks of a certain age got an unexpected thrill this past Thursday night when on Parks & Recreation – assuming they were home watching television (or torrenting it for later) – Adam Scott showed up on their screens wearing a Letters To Cleo t-shirt. LTC were never amongst the A-list of the ’90s college rock scene, or even the ’90s Boston college rock scene, but they held a special place in the hearts of fans of scrappy power pop and to see them getting name-checked out of the blue over a decade after packing it in brought on some warm waves of nostalgia.
A wave which has carried me through their back catalog this weekend – 1997’s Go! remains a personal favourite – and to this week’s selection, which may have represented the band’s commercial peak as it appeared on the soundtrack of the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, which retold The Taming Of The Shrew in modern terms while introducing North America to the charisma of Heath Ledger, the world to the curious woodenness of Julia Stiles, and somehow spawning a television adaptation almost a decade later (which failed badly). Their reading of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me” was probably the best known of their four contributions to the soundtrack but I always liked their take on Nick Lowe’s classic single better; it originally appeared on his 1979 album Labour Of Lust, which was rereleased in shiny remastered form last Spring.
Co.Create has a piece on how the Parks & Rec placement came about; you can buy the Adam Scott-endorsed t-shirt over here.
MP3: Letters To Cleo – “Cruel To Be Kind”
Video: Nick Lowe – “Cruel To Be Kind”
Sunday, January 8th, 2012
The Cure covers David Bowie
Ten Man RecordsToday is David Bowie’s 65th birthday; traditionally, this would be the age where he could officially retire from the workaday world and spend his golden years tending to his garden and doing the daily crossword. Of course, one of the perks of being rock music’s most influential artists is that you can take early retirement and that’s what Mr. Jones has done since approximately 2005, making only sporadic guest appearances on others’ records and certainly not doing anything of his own – his final release of new material is almost a decade old, 2003’s Heathen Reality. And if this does turn out to be all he plans to do for the rest of his career, well he’s earned it.
Robert Smith has threatened to retire The Cure several times in the past, but no one really believes him anymore. But still, they’re now over three years removed from their last release of new material – 2008’s 4:13 Dream – and have of late been concentrating on revisiting their sizeable legacy, performing their first few albums live in their entirety and reuniting with former members Roger O’Donnell and Laurence Tolhurst. A month ago they released the live double-disc set Bestival Live 2011, which captured their headlining performance of the English festival last Summer and later this year, they will be inducted into last year they were nominated for entry into the Rock’N’Roll Hall Of Fame.
This studio cover by The Cure of David Bowie’s “Young Americans” is no spring chicken itself and a touch ironic considering that neither coverer or coveree is either young or America; it dates back to a 1995 compilation for London radio station XFM.
MP3: The Cure – “Young Americans”
Video: David Bowie – “Young Americans” (live on The Dick Cavett Show 1974)
Sunday, January 1st, 2012
Guided By Voices cover The Rolling Stones
Frank YangWhen Guided By Voices hung it up with a final show in Chicago on New Year’s Eve, 2004, I rang in 2005 with a farewell post. Well not a post, reading back over it, but a (salty) salute. This followed a covers post from the Summer of 2004 when they announced they were calling it a day, and then another in October 2010 when they were gearing up for their reunion show at Matador 21 (the MP3s for the second one are still up).
All of which is to say that it felt right to welcome 2012 with another GBV cover post on the occasion of the release of their comeback LP Let’s Go Eat The Factory, which was formally released today to die-hards who’d pre-ordered it (though it either arrived on Friday or will arrive on Tuesday since there’s no mail delivery today or tomorrow, but I digress). But rather than post other bands covering Bob Pollard and company – I’m kind of running out of those – I’ve got one of them covering a band that’s hoary in comparison with GBV – and most active bands, really – The Rolling Stones. I’m not sure exactly when and where it comes from, but the GBVDB points out it’s probably circa 2000, so not the “classic” lineup that’s back together today, but that’s still Bob up front, forgetting the lyrics and not giving a damn.
2012 is also an important year for The Rolling Stones as it’s their 50th anniversary. Congratulations! Please don’t tour.
MP3: Guided By Voices – “Sympathy For The Devil”
Video: The Rolling Stones – “Sympathy For The Devil” (live at Hyde Park, 1969)
Video: The Rolling Stones – “Sympathy For The Devil” (live at Altamont, 1969)
Sunday, December 25th, 2011
Slow Club, Death Cab For Cutie, The Raveonettes, and Arab Strap cover Darlene Love
WikipediaGood: the holiday season is just lousy with cover versions. Bad: they’ve all been posted by every blog under the mistletoe ad nauseum. So while in past years I’ve done mini-omnibus holiday mixes – 2010 and 2008 are still up – this year I’ll just focus on one song, Darlene Love’s most famous contribution to the classic Phil Spector-assembled A Christmas Gift To You, and four diverse covers of it.
Slow Club do the most faithful version of it, thanks to Rebecca Taylor’s soulful vocals and the Spector-ish production. It’s taken from last year’s Christmas, Thanks For Nothing EP and also last year’s Christmas covers post, but is topical because the band released their second album Paradise this year and will be bringing it on tour through North America this Winter; they’re at The Rivoli on February 19.
Death Cab For Cutie took a swing at the tune for the 2004 Maybe This Christmas Tree compilation and, basically, it sounds like Death Cab – for good or for bad. They also released a new record this year in Codes & Keys.
The Raveonettes turn their synths up to 10 in reinterpreting the song as the leadoff track of their 2008 Wishing You A Rave Christmas seasonal EP. They put out their fifth studio album in Raven In The Grave back in the Spring and their Rarities/B-Sides compilation just a couple of weeks ago.
Arab Strap split up back in 2006, so this version recorded for BBC Radio 1’s Evening Session – featuring Lauren Laverne of Kenickie on vocals – must date from before then, but I don’t know exactly when, sorry. In any case, Maclolm Middleton and Aidan Moffatt unexpectedly got back together this year, though not under the Arab Strap name, to record a Slow Club cover of all things. Then they got back together under the Arab Strap name for a one-off show in November. Could more be coming? Why not?
Darlene Love also had an eventful 2011, what with being inducted into the Rock’N’Roll Hall Of Fame this Spring. Phil Spector’s appeal to overturn his murder conviction was denied this Summer and he remains in prison for murder. His year has been less good than the others in this post.
MP3: Slow Club – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
MP3: Death Cab For Cutie – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
MP3: The Raveonettes – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
MP3: Arab Strap – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
Stream: Darlene Love – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
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