Friday, August 24, 2007

Dear boy, I'm gonna make you a man.

In celebration of the fact that the storm-related blockwide (or more) brownout affecting my neighborhood for the past 24 hours hasn't affected my Internet access, here is a post! I figure posting for the first time in weeks is a good way to pass the time while I wait for everything in my refrigerator to melt and spoil.

  • The Raincoats "Lola" (Kinks cover)
    For a while there, everyone seemed to want to know my opinion of the NY Post's "Best 100 Cover Songs of All Time" thing. Um, yeah. Let's just say that I scan all "Best Cover" lists for the Raincoats' version of "Lola." If I'm unable to locate it, I don't really pay much attention to the rest of what's there. I mean, Orgy's version of "Blue Monday" made the list? Are you kidding me?

  • Shampoo "House of Love" (East 17 cover)
    Hell, even this is better than most of the covers on that list!

  • The Belles "Melvin (Gloria)" (Them cover)

  • Nico "The End" (Doors cover)

  • Luminous Orange "Sunday Morning" (Velvet Undeground cover)

  • Rachel Z "Tonight, Tonight" (Smashing Pumpkins cover)

  • Jason Falkner "This Will Be Our Year" (Zombies cover)

  • Angels Of Epistemology "Fiction Romance" (Buzzcocks cover)

  • Silent League "Can't Get It Out OF My Head" (ELO cover)

  • Sarah Blasko "Don't Dream It's Over" (Crowded House cover)

  • The Walls "Ain't Nobody" (Chaka Khan cover)

  • Alice Wonders "Here Comes Your Man" (Pixies cover)
     
  • 13 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    yup. nice. thanks.

    Anonymous said...

    my fave 25 (combination of 'of the moment' and 'of all time':

    Bridges And Balloons (J Newsom) Decemberists
    Hey Ya (Outkast) My Summer As A Salvation Soldier
    The Orchids (Pyschic TV) Califone
    Kangaroo (Alex Chilton) This Mortal Coil
    No Cars Go (Arcade Fire) TAM
    I'm Waking Up to Us (Belle and Sebastian) Bob Corn
    Sisters Of Mercy (Leonard Cohen) Beth Orton
    Break My Body (Pixies) Hanne Hukkelberg
    Strange Powers (Magnetic Fields Cover) The Shins
    Tiny Cities (Modest Mouse) Mark Kozelek
    Lola (Kinks) The Raincoats
    Fast Car (Tracey Chapman) Xiu Xiu
    Whole Heap Of Little Horses Kristin Hersh
    Why Can't This Be Love (Van Halen) Arab Strap
    Happiness Is A Warm Gun (the beatles) The Breeders
    (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction Cat Power
    About A Girl Cibo Matto
    Thirteen Wilco
    4 my people [Missy Elliott] (Playback Novack) Popchor Berlin
    Round and round OP8
    Too Drunk To Fuck Nouvelle Vague
    Panic Pure (Vic Chesnutt) Kristin Hersh
    Heartbeats (The Knife) José González
    I See A Darkness Johnny Cash
    Song To The Siren This Mortal Coil

    Mr. Beer N. Hockey said...

    Nico's Doors' cover got me to thinking someone should do a blog dedicated to singers who sing the songs of people they blew who died before they did. Fabuloso.

    Anonymous said...

    So true--that Raincoats song (along with the Slits' cover of "Grapevine") just about exemplifies the GREAT GREAT COVER VERSION.

    -nancykayshapiro.com

    Anonymous said...

    I don't get it... that Raincoats song is really average! I thought the NY post list was a bit odd, but Dolly Parton's Stairway to Heaven was a pretty good choice for no1...

    J. Neas said...

    "The Orchids" is a Psychic TV cover? That'll teach me to read the liner notes.

    J. Neas said...

    And while I'm busy posting before I really have all my comments together..

    Did the NY Post just assume because they are a hip-hop group that Public Enemy would spell "Bring the Noise" as "Bring tha Noize?" Do your research, guy.

    Jeff Buckley's "Halleluja," way too low on that list.

    Jim White's version of "King of the Road" is wayyyyy better than REM's.

    I'm done.

    Anonymous said...

    hey j.neas. yup, the original appeared on PTV's Dreams Less Sweet. i can email it to you if you like.

    the buckley cover is great (and reached way more listeners than the badly produced cohen original) but buckley borrows much from john cale's cover from i'm your fan. they both omit the same verse, for example. i forgot to include the cale version on my list above. it's excellent.

    Matthew said...

    Alex Chilton's version of "Oogum Boogum". Masterful.

    Greg said...

    L-O-L-A? G-R-E-A-T!!! Thanks. Love the Raincoats.

    J. Neas said...

    Anonymous -

    I'd love that. Hit me at: qfsmayhem@hotmail.com

    Cup said...

    Excellent covers.

    beketaten said...

    I've actually always loved Orgy's version just that much more than New Order's. There, I said it now!!