Thursday, February 23, 2006
My eyes are so cloudy I can't see you.
I only know I never want to let you go.
I bought Apocalypso's CD primarily for this track. I initially couldn't believe that TMBG wrote something so dancefloor ready, but it grew on me and I now love it. Then when I heard that a steel-drum calypso band had covered it, of course I had to make it mine. Pass the pina colada, please.
You know those earwormy songs that you were never really into but that get stuck in your head on a regular basis? Well, the Traveling Wilburys' "Handle with Care" is one of mine. (Along with Celine Dion's "That's the Way it Is" and the Perfect Strangers theme song, among many others.) Perhaps now I'll think of this version instead.
I'm not naming any names, but a reader once sent this in as a "Belinda Carlisle cover." Um. Uh. No. Belinda did her own version of this, but I don't think that's to whom my beloved Foos were paying homage.
In case you're interested, ma non e giusto actually translates to "but it's not fair." Also if you're interested, I'm a big fan of foreign garage/psych covers. Therefore, I endorse this as "awesome."
Whoa. There's a reason many one-hit wonders are one-hit wonders, n'est-ce pas? Don't get me wrong, I definitely think there's a place for talked-not-sung middle-of-the-road '80s covers. I just don't know where that is. I never thought I'd say that Samantha Fox's version, despite being one of my high-school-era guilty pleasures, was 100 times better than anything. I was wrong.
It may seem hypocritical to enjoy this track but not the previous one, but I have to back up my wacky new-wave Yugoslavian sista. I might not find half of her work listenable, but I respect it. And the screechy harmonies grow on you. Really.
Someone e-mailed once that they were collecting a slew of "Minnie the Moocher" covers. I can't find evidence of that comment or e-mail, but here's one of the many versions I have—aka one that isn't absolutely horrific. (If that was you making the request, e-mail me again with your info and I'll send along a few others.)
Friday, February 17, 2006
Strawberry ice cream! Raspberry ice cream!
Sorry, no cover in this post. I just wanted to talk for a very short moment about how awesome Paste magazine is. If you are really interested in music or filmmaking as a craft or an art, I highly recommend it. And their online radio is pretty much my new favorite thing ever, even though I can't use Firefox to use it.
While I'm rambling about things not particularly related to covers, I guess I'll finally fulfill my good friend Matt's request to post a non-cover, which I've never purposely done before. But he seems to think my readership would be amused by it, and I can't say he's likely wrong about that. From an e-mail he sent:
Holy Mother of Causality - I just bought a bunch of test pressings at the Salvation Army in Evanston. I'll usually buy test pressings of stuff, but they had a ton of early 80's Alligator Records (reggae label) so I figured someone who worked at Alligator just dumped off their junk, ergo, more reggae albums. I do not currently have any reggae, bonus for me.
On the 2nd blank test pressing, I got a song about junk food. And Ice Cream. And how this guy fucking hates it.
Matt D.
We have know idea who the artist is, but yeah, he really hates junk food:
Unknown Artist "Unknown Title [The Ice Cream/Junk Food Song]" (not a cover, but perhaps one day...)
I love when my friends and I stumble on bizarre outsider stuff. Recently, I went with Matt and his wife Sarah, also my good friend, to Milwaukee (see pictures here), and at least 100 times during the weekend, if not more, one of us would yell out "Strawberry ice cream! Raspberry ice cream!" in homage to this gem. And to think it never saw the light of day ... until now. Or maybe it did and we're just ignorant about anti-junk-food reggae singers. If you have any idea who this is, PLEASE let us know!
While I'm rambling about things not particularly related to covers, I guess I'll finally fulfill my good friend Matt's request to post a non-cover, which I've never purposely done before. But he seems to think my readership would be amused by it, and I can't say he's likely wrong about that. From an e-mail he sent:
Holy Mother of Causality - I just bought a bunch of test pressings at the Salvation Army in Evanston. I'll usually buy test pressings of stuff, but they had a ton of early 80's Alligator Records (reggae label) so I figured someone who worked at Alligator just dumped off their junk, ergo, more reggae albums. I do not currently have any reggae, bonus for me.
On the 2nd blank test pressing, I got a song about junk food. And Ice Cream. And how this guy fucking hates it.
Matt D.
We have know idea who the artist is, but yeah, he really hates junk food:
I love when my friends and I stumble on bizarre outsider stuff. Recently, I went with Matt and his wife Sarah, also my good friend, to Milwaukee (see pictures here), and at least 100 times during the weekend, if not more, one of us would yell out "Strawberry ice cream! Raspberry ice cream!" in homage to this gem. And to think it never saw the light of day ... until now. Or maybe it did and we're just ignorant about anti-junk-food reggae singers. If you have any idea who this is, PLEASE let us know!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Well, I talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it.
Q: What does a busy gal who can't find the time to post from home do when she realizes she HAS to post something soon?
A: She raids her Yahoo inbox for tracks of varying quality/merit that were sent in by readers and quickly posts them before getting back to work. Thanks, readers!
Note: Some of these files are large, as the computer I'm using currently has no music converter.
Dandiwind "Safety Dance" (Men Without Hats cover)
J Viewz "Smooth Criminal" (Michael Jackson cover)
The Millions "Beautiful" (Christina Aguilera cover)
Zen for Primates "Funky Town" (Lipps, Inc. cover)
The Black Eg "I Will Survive" (French Gloria Gaynor cover)
A quick heads-up/disclaimer/pointers: Unfortunately, as someone who can barely find the time some weeks to post at all, I simply cannot oblige all of you who comment or e-mail asking me to repost tracks I've posted in the past. If I did this, I'd spend what little blogging time I have reposting things I've already posted and never get a chance to post anything new. If there is a track or two that you feel you simply have to have and you have exhausted your options elsewhere (you know you're supposed to be spending your $$ on some of these artists, yes?), feel free to e-mail your request to me at bigfatprettyface AT yahoo DOT com and I will do my best to get it to you. Please keep in mind that I have to weed through about 500 e-mails a week or more, so there might be a delayed response. But I will do my best.
If you're curious to know whether I've posted a specific song or artist before but can't wait until I respond to your comment or e-mail to find out, the best way to check is to Google "copy right" [two words, not one, in quotations] along with whatever artist/song title you're checking on. The first results that pop up are usually my site. In theory you should be able to use Blogger's search function at the top of my page, but quite frankly, it just isn't accurate at all.
So, yeah, that's my long-winded request for now. I do appreciate all of my readers, but I'm only one person, you know? Hmmm. Maybe I'll write a post soon on some of my cover-hunting tricks and favorite sites to help those of you who just aren't getting the results you want. I'll make a mental note of that.
Aaaaaaaaaanyhow, I appreciate the attention and I'm glad you're reading. Love, Liza.
A: She raids her Yahoo inbox for tracks of varying quality/merit that were sent in by readers and quickly posts them before getting back to work. Thanks, readers!
Note: Some of these files are large, as the computer I'm using currently has no music converter.
A quick heads-up/disclaimer/pointers: Unfortunately, as someone who can barely find the time some weeks to post at all, I simply cannot oblige all of you who comment or e-mail asking me to repost tracks I've posted in the past. If I did this, I'd spend what little blogging time I have reposting things I've already posted and never get a chance to post anything new. If there is a track or two that you feel you simply have to have and you have exhausted your options elsewhere (you know you're supposed to be spending your $$ on some of these artists, yes?), feel free to e-mail your request to me at bigfatprettyface AT yahoo DOT com and I will do my best to get it to you. Please keep in mind that I have to weed through about 500 e-mails a week or more, so there might be a delayed response. But I will do my best.
If you're curious to know whether I've posted a specific song or artist before but can't wait until I respond to your comment or e-mail to find out, the best way to check is to Google "copy right" [two words, not one, in quotations] along with whatever artist/song title you're checking on. The first results that pop up are usually my site. In theory you should be able to use Blogger's search function at the top of my page, but quite frankly, it just isn't accurate at all.
So, yeah, that's my long-winded request for now. I do appreciate all of my readers, but I'm only one person, you know? Hmmm. Maybe I'll write a post soon on some of my cover-hunting tricks and favorite sites to help those of you who just aren't getting the results you want. I'll make a mental note of that.
Aaaaaaaaaanyhow, I appreciate the attention and I'm glad you're reading. Love, Liza.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Other places.
I wish I had the time to more frequently point you all in the direction of other blogs featuring covers, but I don't. However, I will tell you that Mocking Music does have an all-cover post up today. Check it out!
You're everything that I've imagined.
There's a new tribute album out there to high school movies of the 1980s called High School Reunion, and I really wanted to like it. It's chock-full of people I like, such as Kristen Hersh, Matthew Sweet, the Dresden Dolls and John P. Strohm. And yet it's quite possibly one of the most boring albums I've ever subjected myself to. The tracks aren't different enough to excite me and I'd much rather listen to the originals. Plus, the whole "let's do songs from '80s movies" schtick has been done and done and done and done. And all of those are better and far more interesting.
[While I'm linking to CD Baby—see last "done" link above—I should probably mention that you die-hard covers fans are missing out if you're not shopping there pretty regularly. Just type the word "tribute" or "cover" into their search engine, and let the good times roll. They're having a sale on a handful of items right now and you can preview tracks before buying and it's a just plain awesome covers resource.]
Aaanyhoooo, the pointlessness of High School Reunion got me thinking about one of my favorite '80s tribute albums, Tannis Root Presents: Freedom of Choice. This was a Planned Parenthood benefit album that came out during my sophomore year of college that I wore the hell out of. I was not a big fan of the grunge movement, per se, but I appreciated the fact that most of the bands were able to take songs with which I was very familiar and make them their own without mauling them completely.
I've posted a track or two from Freedom of Choice in the past, but I couldn't narrow down which to include here. Therefore I'm doing two things I've never done: reposting tracks I'd previously posted AND posting an entire album at once. I doubt it will be here very long, so get it while you can. And, really, it wouldn't kill you to buy it somewhere either new or used. It's a great addition to any tribute collection and is also a great "blare while you're cleaning your apartment" CD.
01 Sonic Youth "Ca Plane Pour Moi" (Plastic Bertrand cover)
02 The Muffs "Rock and Roll Girl" ([Paul Collins'] Beat cover)
03 Erectus Monotone "Destination Unknown" (Missing Persons cover)
04 Redd Kross "How Much More" (Go-Go's cover)
05 Tiny Lights "5'1"" (Iggy Pop cover)
06 Mudhoney "Pump it Up" (Elvis Costello cover)
07 Das Damen "The Wait" (Pretenders cover)
08 Finger "Tainted Love" (Soft Cell cover)
09 It's OK "Wishing" (Flock of Seagulls cover)
10 Yo La Tengo "Dreaming" (Blondie cover)
11 White Flag "Wuthering Heights" (Kate Bush cover)
12 The Connells "I Got You" (Split Enz cover)
13 Big Dipper "Homosapien" (Pete Shelley cover)
14 Polvo "Mexican Radio" (Wall of Voodoo cover)
15 Hypnolovewheel "Antmusic" (Adam and the Ants cover)
16 Chia Pet "Don't You Want Me Baby" (Human League cover)
17 Permanent Green Light "Hero Worship" (B-52's cover)
18 Superchunk "Girl U Want" (Devo cover)
[While I'm linking to CD Baby—see last "done" link above—I should probably mention that you die-hard covers fans are missing out if you're not shopping there pretty regularly. Just type the word "tribute" or "cover" into their search engine, and let the good times roll. They're having a sale on a handful of items right now and you can preview tracks before buying and it's a just plain awesome covers resource.]
Aaanyhoooo, the pointlessness of High School Reunion got me thinking about one of my favorite '80s tribute albums, Tannis Root Presents: Freedom of Choice. This was a Planned Parenthood benefit album that came out during my sophomore year of college that I wore the hell out of. I was not a big fan of the grunge movement, per se, but I appreciated the fact that most of the bands were able to take songs with which I was very familiar and make them their own without mauling them completely.
I've posted a track or two from Freedom of Choice in the past, but I couldn't narrow down which to include here. Therefore I'm doing two things I've never done: reposting tracks I'd previously posted AND posting an entire album at once. I doubt it will be here very long, so get it while you can. And, really, it wouldn't kill you to buy it somewhere either new or used. It's a great addition to any tribute collection and is also a great "blare while you're cleaning your apartment" CD.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
I never thought I'd be the one breaking down.
I was in a really bad mood last night when I got home from work, but when I got to my computer the clouds lifted. For there's no reason to be down when you have Kidz Bop 8 on your side!!! I'm a dork.
Kidz Bop Kids "Take Me Out" (Franz Ferdinand cover)
Kidz Bop Kids "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (Green Day cover)
Kidz Bop Kids "Caught Up" (Usher cover)
And, as promised, a few more French covers from good Copy, Right? friend Emojk:
Dionysos "I Did Acid With Caroline" (Daniel Johnston cover, in French accent)
I would say that the original of this is my third favorite song with the word acid in the title. First is "The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane" by Jeffrey Lewis (who's playing at The Glass House Gallery in Brooklyn on Sunday night, if any New Yorkers are interested). (I also enjoy the follow-up "No LSD Tonight.") The second is "I Sit on Acid" by the Lords of Acid. And then this, despite its repetitive drone. Daniel was wacky, but we loved him for it. Right?
Feist "L'Amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours" (Francoise Hardy cover)
I know I'm supposed to be creaming my jeans over Feist, but I just can't. I mean, her songs are pretty and all, but I don't get the extent of the hype. I like this though. And I LOVE Francoise Hardy.
Les Georges Leningrad "Comment Te Dire Adieu" (comp. Serge Gainsbourg/Arnold Goland/Jack Gold)
Where has this band been? Not something I'd listen to every day, but if Animal Collective can be all the rage with the indie hipsters (am I one of those?), I don't see why these cats (or chats) couldn't be as well.
And, as promised, a few more French covers from good Copy, Right? friend Emojk:
I would say that the original of this is my third favorite song with the word acid in the title. First is "The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane" by Jeffrey Lewis (who's playing at The Glass House Gallery in Brooklyn on Sunday night, if any New Yorkers are interested). (I also enjoy the follow-up "No LSD Tonight.") The second is "I Sit on Acid" by the Lords of Acid. And then this, despite its repetitive drone. Daniel was wacky, but we loved him for it. Right?
I know I'm supposed to be creaming my jeans over Feist, but I just can't. I mean, her songs are pretty and all, but I don't get the extent of the hype. I like this though. And I LOVE Francoise Hardy.
Where has this band been? Not something I'd listen to every day, but if Animal Collective can be all the rage with the indie hipsters (am I one of those?), I don't see why these cats (or chats) couldn't be as well.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
This is for my people. My ecstasy people.
The first three French tracks here were sent my way by reader Emojk. I've been in a foreign cover mood. Pardon the lack of proper French accent marks in the following. I'm lazy. I may post a few more from the Frenchies later this week.
Etienne de Crecy "Sexy Boy" (Air cover, which doesn't really have enough lyrics to bother translating into French)
Edit: Just learned this is a remix, not a cover. I guess I'll keep it up for a bit in case anyone's interested.
-M- "Close to Me" (Cure cover, in French)
Not to be confused with the M that gave us "Pop Muzik" nor with the slew of other artists who appear to use M as a name, the -M- here is Mathieu Chedid, son of singer-songwriter Louis Chedid. This starts off sounding a bit more like George Michael's "Faith," but we know which came first.
Quincannon "Send Me the Pillow that You Dream On" (Hank Locklin cover, with thick French accent)
I've heard lots of country greats cover this: The Louvin Brothers, Loretta, Dolly, etc. This is not like any of them, but I kinda love it.
Dear Popchor Berlin: I am in love with you. If I ever become a filmmaker, my soundtracks will be rife with your dreary, eerie brilliance. Highly recommended to those who enjoyed TV on the Radio's cover of the Pixies' "Mr. Grieves."
Popchor Berlin "4 My People" (Missy Elliott cover)
Popchor Berlin "How Soon is Now" (Smiths cover)
Popchor Berlin "Grinding Halt" (Cure cover)
Edit: Just learned this is a remix, not a cover. I guess I'll keep it up for a bit in case anyone's interested.
Not to be confused with the M that gave us "Pop Muzik" nor with the slew of other artists who appear to use M as a name, the -M- here is Mathieu Chedid, son of singer-songwriter Louis Chedid. This starts off sounding a bit more like George Michael's "Faith," but we know which came first.
I've heard lots of country greats cover this: The Louvin Brothers, Loretta, Dolly, etc. This is not like any of them, but I kinda love it.
Dear Popchor Berlin: I am in love with you. If I ever become a filmmaker, my soundtracks will be rife with your dreary, eerie brilliance. Highly recommended to those who enjoyed TV on the Radio's cover of the Pixies' "Mr. Grieves."
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