![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-qeAS8tVT5DbEZJGs7Omukq8Xtah0fPvvUPOvAQ0CxTG38SKcbISsUPY_dNnDg-OSTKSHJZK8ZyniYzAjYwhrCdDyB3s11Ix2Ni_e-dIg1O2ElRslLsDZdJFVQj7XcMM4s3IX0NSQdad/s200/amii.jpg)
But certainly the sales rep's reaction is common when one knows an original, especially a beloved one, then hears a cover. I'm not sure what makes a successful cover version in my eyes. I want it to be different enough from the original so that there's a reason for recording it, but not too far off so I can still get a taste of the pleasure of the original. Perhaps the best covers are done in a completely different genre from the original; in addition to the discofied "Knock On Wood," I'm thinking of the R&B versions of "Sugar Sugar" (Wilson Pickett) and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Aretha Franklin), and more recently the gently country-twanged take on Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town" by Sugarland. My favorite Beatles covers are Candyflip's lightly hip-hop "Strawberry Fields Forever" and Oingo Boingo's rockin' "I Am the Walrus," a song one would not automatically assume would make a good cover. Then there are the covers that are basically cunning stunts (Pet Shop Boys with their medley of "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Can't Take Eyes Off of You"), and those that feel like stunts but work remarkably well on their own (Tori Amos' "Smells Like Teen Spirit").
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBWTG3o5Y7G5xwXwktTHtFtqZsGknxhOgIYh4343ZrIeuDoYxqjRzXP6dgnnhY5xGPgw3SqE9wX68zwTColUnOE1PVQbKhJy5KoRKqItsL7CTldBwIpEsJCbcz95INfGTwP9mN8zXXwoh/s320/under-the-covers-vol-1.jpg)
All this thinking comes about because of my recent purchase of two albums of covers, Under the Covers, Vols. 1 & 2, performed by Matthew Sweet (successful indie rocker from the early 90's) and Susanna Hoffs (formerly of the Bangles)--I bought them as entire albums from iTunes, but since I don't have any physical artifact, I have a hard time thinking I actually own the albums, but that's old man fodder for another blog post. The covers are largely quite faithful to the originals, but the duo manage to bring their own jangle-pop stamp to many of the songs. Half the fun here is the interesting selection of tunes; "Monday, Monday," "Warmth of the Sun," "Go All the Way," and "Hello It's Me" were all big mainstream hits and are actually, to my ears, some of the weakest songs here because Sweet and Hoffs seem to just be paying tribute to them and not adding much, though the performances are all more than respectable.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXW2oz5BpFoEXdOqK3dHGoJB7hatk77B3V3czuD4z0fLxoJGVtfDc0R8Bbmskk7UYOC5-6zFofrukk-iMZs_3UKxe2nTcU15mnrjSK4xzxLp-1u1xkm90ts8xdzS8PL9JmTMkQLmB2VoUv/s200/sweet-and-hoffs.jpg)
Some of the above tunes are bonus tracks available only through iTunes. I'm linking to two videos, one a performance of "Cinnamon Girl," and below, a live acoustic take of "Rain" not on either album. If you're familiar with Matthew Sweet, you'll be shocked to see that he seems to have turned into Charlie Daniels. Two thumbs up for both albums (the first volume, of 60's songs, has the edge for me).
3 comments:
"I bought them as entire albums from iTunes, but since I don't have any physical artifact, I have a hard time thinking I actually own the albums."
Yes! Yes! You've put your finger on exactly my "problem" with iTunes albums. Ridiculous, but that's exactly how I feel, too. So, old-lady fodder for another blog, as well.
Haven't heard the Sugarland "Life in a Northern Town," but am intrigued--that song seems so *English*, I can't see how it would translate to American country. Now I have to go download it.
Yes, Michael, I fear you are right that Yes songs can sometimes be pompous, but I've been listening to a Yes "best of" CD pretty regularly for the last few months, and I still really like them.
But now that you mention the cover of "I've Seen All Good People" (which I'd like to hear), I don't think I can think of another cover of a song by Yes--am I missing any?
To me, the Yes sound is so much a part of those songs, that I can hardly even imagine a cover of most of them, because what would be the point?
I've been perplexed recently about my conviction that some groups just have a sound that's uniquely their own, and I can't decide if they had hits because of their unique sound or despite it. Yes, of course. Steely Dan comes to mind; CCR is another.
Tom: I like Yes, too, and I can like the side-long pieces of Tales of Topographic Oceans while still realizing the whole thing is insufferable.
I like your idea about bands having such a unique sound that their songs don't lend themselves to being covered, but Don thinks it has more to do with the relative strength of the songwriting.
Though CCR does have a singular sound, there are CCR covers out there (have you forgotten Tina Turner's career-making cover of "Proud Mary"?). Fogarty's songs are solid and lend themselves to performance by others.
With Yes, it may not be so much the sound as the songs--odd harmonics, fantasy-land lyrics, and such. I'm gonna think about this some more and maybe expand on this in a future post. Thanks!
Post a Comment