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, November 28th, 2010
The White Stripes cover David Bowie
Patrick PantanoThe White Stripes’ affection for all things old – from toy cameras to Tesla coils – is well-documented, and that affection obviously extends to their own music. Their first three records The White Stripes, De Stijl and White Blood Cells have been out of print on vinyl in North America since 2005, and for an avowed analogphile as Jack White, that simply cannot stand. So as of this Tuesday, they’re going to be reissued on his own Third Man Records label with all the care and attention that you’d expect.
This live recording predates even their 1999 debut, coming from a 1997 gig at the now-defunct Gold Dollar in their native Detroit. It’s interesting to hear them turn their lean aesthetic to one of David Bowie’s glam-rock anthems, not to mention hearing Jack White perpetuating the falsehood that Meg White was his little sister. But my favourite part of the recording comes before the song even starts, when a woman in the audience comments that White, “sounds like a weirdo”. Lady, you have no idea. Nor do you know how much bragging you’ll be doing that you were at this show, where they were clearly completely unknown, in a decade’s time.
Inactive since 2007, Jack White has recently hinted that he and Meg might get back together to make a new White Stripes record in 2011. As established a couple weeks ago, David Bowie continues to be busy being David Bowie and not making music.
MP3: The White Stripes – “Moonage Daydream”
Video: David Bowie – “Moonage Daydream”
Sunday, November 21st, 2010
Wilco and Fleet Foxes cover Bob Dylan and/or The Band
YouTubeLast week saw the release of a rather specific kind of tribute album – one devoted to The Band, which in and of itself isn’t that remarkable since their place in music history has been cemented for decades. But what made Garth Hudson Presents A Canadian Celebration Of The Band was, as the title clearly states, the fact that it was curated by and features guest spots from The Band’s keyboardist Garth Hudson and all participants were passport-carrying Canucks.
So even if they’d offered, Wilco and Fleet Foxes would have been politely told “no” by virtue of their collective American-ness. And it was their American-ness that prompted them to, in the Fall of 2008, to country-rock the vote by offering an MP3 of them performing “I Shall Be Released” in Bend, Oregon earlier that Summer in exchange for a pledge to vote in that year’s Presidential election (and if you weren’t American, it was implied that you were promising to vote in whichever democratic exercise was coming up in your own neighbourhood next). Interestingly, none of the participants in the new tribute record chose to cover “I Shall Be Released” – perhaps the stickiness of it having a sole Bob Dylan writers credit rather than a Band co-write, despite being performed by them and appearing on the seminal Music From Big Pink scared folks off?
In other Yankee Band-related news, A Canadian Celebration Of The Band gets a release south of the border as an import this week, though the price discrepancy and parity of currency probably makes it cheaper to order it from Canada anyways, and Band drummer Levon Helm will be bringing his famous Midnight Ramble shows to Toronto next year on March 4 and 5 at Massey Hall where he’ll be joined by Lucinda Williams.
Garth Hudson talks to The Toronto Sun, The Toronto Star and Spinner about the tribute project and tells aux.tv how Neko Case’s honourary Canadian-ness wasn’t enough to keep her contribution on the record.
MP3: Wilco with Fleet Foxes – “I Shall Be Released”
Video: Wilco with Fleet Foxes – “I Shall Be Released” (live)
Video: The Band – “I Shall Be Released” (live)
Sunday, November 14th, 2010
Paul Westerberg covers David Bowie
paulwesterberg.comIf Twitter is to be believed – and when has it ever been wrong about anything? – then yesterday was International Bowie Day, a day to pay tribute to all things thin white and duke-like. Which makes this the day after International Bowie Day. But every day is a good day for Bowie so I’ll not worry too much about being a day late, I prefer to think of it as being 364 days early for next year’s edition.
Point being, this week’s selection pays homage to not one but two of today’s great musical recluses. David Bowie, of course, hasn’t released a record of new music since 2003, toured since 2004 and sung live since 2006. And this trending downwards of activity hasn’t been accompanied by any formal statement of retirement or anything, thus keeping a flicker of hope in his legions of fans’ hearts that he might return to active duty soon, even though there’s no signs of that happening.
Paul Westerberg hasn’t quite pulled the same disappearing act, but his last widely available release was the soundtrack to the animated feature Open Season – not quite what one might expect from the man who fronted one of America’s greatest and most self-destructive rock bands in The Replacements. Since then he’s kept a pretty low profile when not tending to the Mats’ legacy via a steady stream of reissues, but occasionally pops up with digitally self-released homebrew albums or in the case of a couple weeks ago, a new 7″ under the guise of “Mr. F”. If nothing else, Westerberg is clearly keeping himself amused and his fans on their toes. Which is really how it should be.
And what Bowie and Westerberg have in common is this – a cover of the former’s “John, I’m Only Dancing” done by the latter way back in 1996, when Bowie was turning out a record every other year (Outside came in ’95, Earthling in 97) and Westerberg was working his second solo record Eventually. It was recorded for a radio session at San Francisco’s KFOG, the whole of which you can grab over at Captain’s Dead.
MP3: Paul Westerberg – “John, I’m Only Dancing”
Video: David Bowie – “John, I’m Only Dancing”
Sunday, November 7th, 2010
Laura Marling covers Johnny Flynn
Frank YangI’ve not milked many show reviews more than I have the Johnny Flynn/Laura Marling/Mumford & Sons one at The Rivoli circa October 2008 – as recently as yesterday – and here I go again. But only for a photo and context.
When artists are on the road together and guesting in each others sets, it’s only natural that you’d know each others’ songs almost as well as you know your own, so for Laura Marling to be able to knock off one of Johnny Flynn’s songs like it was her own should surprise no one. I’m not certain when this recording dates from, but I suspect it’s around the same time as this one wherein she did one of Mumford & Sons’ tunes for NPR.
Marling continues her cover-friendly ways this week with the release of a limited-edition 7″ for Jack White’s Third Man Records featuring redos of tunes by Jackson C Frank and Neil Young. She recently announced she wouldn’t be releasing a follow-up to I Speak Because I Can in 2010 after all, instead shelving said record in favour of a new one that would be out next year. Johnny Flynn’s second album Been Listening came out in North America last month and he’s conducting a North American tour to promote – look for him next Sunday at Lee’s Palace in Toronto.
Laura Marling’s year is summed up in the just-released video, Laura Marling: A Short Film.
MP3: Laura Marling – “The Wrote & The Writ”
Video: Laura Marling – “The Wrote & The Writ”
Video: Johnny Flynn – “The Wrote & The Writ” (live on Le Blogotheque)
Sunday, October 31st, 2010
The Shins cover The Magnetic Fields
Frank YangTo all outward appearances, Stephin Merritt is a prickly (to put it mildly) curmudgeon whilst James Mercer is unassuming, shy and friendly. And yet while Merritt has somehow managed to maintain the same circle of Magnetic Fields bandmates and collaborators for the better part of two decades and ten albums (plus countless side projects), Mercer’s Shins have had not small amount of musician turnover over just three albums in nine years. Album number four, which should see the light of day in 2011, will retain only bassist Dave Hernandez from past lineups – or so Hernandez hopes.
But managerial styles aside, both Merritt and Mercer have a gift for pop music and a fixture on The Shins’ 2007 tour set list was early Magnetic Fields single “Strange Powers”, which dated back to 1994’s Holiday. Its synthetic nature translates nicely to the traditional guitar-bass-drums format and though Mercer’s voice lives several octaves away from Merritt’s, it doesn’t really sound a lot different from the original. I’m sure more than a few performances were captured on tape/HD, but the two I’ve got are an acoustic studio performance and a live show recording. The former sounds better, the latter has drums.
The Magnetic Fields released Realism earlier this year and Strange Powers, the documentary film on Merritt and his works, makes its Canadian premiere opens a run at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto this Thursday. James Mercer’s 2010 was devoted to Broken Bells, his project with Danger Mouse.
MP3: The Shins – “Strange Powers”
MP3: The Shins – “Strange Powers” (live)
Video: The Magnetic Fields – “Strange Powers”
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