I miss you, Kirsty!

I'm pretty addicted to YouTube for its virtual cornucopia of '80s music videos, among other things. I had Kirsty MacColl's "There's a Guy Works at the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" in my head all day so I thought I'd case out what videos I could find. Here are the covers in the collection:

Kirsty MacColl's version of Billy Bragg's "New England":


Tracey Ullman's version of Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know":

Consider this.

No time to chat. Enjoy the Swedes!!!

Junip "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (Bruce Springsteen cover)

Nina Persson [Cardigans] "Losing My Religion" (REM cover)

Souls "Take Me With U" (Prince cover)

Stina Nordenstam "Bird on a Wire" (Leonard Cohen cover)

Stina Nordenstam "People are Strange" (Doors cover)

Yeah, give it to me now.

If you missed it when I posted Travis Morrison's cover of Ludacris' "What's Your Fantasy," Ben has it up here.

Unrelated: I'm currently obsessed with Scandinavian artists. I'm ODing on Robyn, Jenny Wilson, The Knife, Christian Kjellvander, Komeda, etc. Whom else should I be checking out?

Tell me: We both matter, don't we?

I'm not sure if it's the fact that the piano-heavy music and experimental vocals of Jenny Wilson and Regina Spektor keep hitting my iPod's shuffle play lately, but last night I was consumed with the need to listen to some Claudia Brücken (formerly of '80s gothy new-wave bands Propaganda and Act). I know I once posted Propaganda's cover of "Femme Fatale," which I love, but Brücken has paid homage to many artists, especially most recently on her collaboration with minimalist composer Andrew Poppy on their 2005 album Another Language—which was one of my favorite nearly all-cover albums of last year. Fans of Siouxsie, Tori, Kate Bush, the Art of Noise and Yoko Ono (and the aforementioned Wilson and Spektor) and the like: Commence to downloading posthaste.

Propaganda "Sorry for Laughing" (Josef K cover)

Act "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (Smiths cover)
I wasn't aware of the existence of Act until a few years ago, but I stumbled on this cover and was duly impressed with its decidedly strange but intriguing arrangement.

Claudia Brücken and Andrew Poppy "Lipstick Vogue" (Elvis Costello cover)

Claudia Brücken and Andrew Poppy "Running Up that Hill" (Kate Bush cover)
Claudia already sounds so much like Kate that I wasn't sure what her point of covering this was... until I heard it. Poppy's arrangement completely shakes it up and I'm left a little awestruck by it.

I have my books and my poetry to protect me.

Magnet with Gemma Hayes "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan cover)

The Church "I am a Rock" (Simon and Garfunkel cover)

The Doleful Lions "There's no Other (Like my Baby)" (Crystals cover)

Equipe 84 "Bang Bang" (in Italian, comp. Sonny Bono)

Relax and float downstream.

My best pal Ryan told me about this last week or so, and listening to the new Musical Family Tree podcast just now, I was reminded of this downloadable tribute to the Beatles Revolver by Hideki. It's awesome.

Freeze frame, screen kiss, hot heads, lights and power.

Sometimes you just have to post when the mood strikes, even if that mood hits when you're nowhere near your vast catalog of covers. Luckily, I have a few work-accessible tracks sent in by readers that are just waiting for attention.

Rev. Tom Frost "You Belong to Me" (comp. Chilton Price)
Somebody over at Closed for Private Party Records [sorry, I deleted the e-mail and lost your name!] sent me a Zip file of the new Rev. Tom Frost album, which I truly love and which you can purchase here. Like a Frencher Tom Waits. Raunchy and bluesy and magnifique.

My Summer as a Salvation Soldier "Hey Ya" (Outkast cover)
Skotta sent along this track by a Reykjavikian singer-songwriter whose Americanized name would be something like Thorir Georg Jonsson and who recently played SXSW. Very nice. Hey ya, indeed, to our Icelandic brethren!

Spielerfrau "She's in Parties" (Bauhaus cover)
Again, I don't remember who sent this along, but here it is. Or maybe I got it from the band's web site, from whence it's a free web-only download. It's all a blur.

I cry, I pray, and I beg.

Attaque 77 "Un Poco de Respeto (A Little Respect)" (Erasure cover)
I'm all about the Argentines lately, huh? I was watching the GLAAD awards the other day on LOGO and remembering how awesome Erasure could be. While their bigger hits, such as this and "Chains of Love" are not quite my favorites, it's easier to find covers of them on a moment's notice. I only saw Erasure in concert once, opening for Duran Duran on their 1987 Strange Behaviour tour. It was the week after my 15th birthday at the long-gone Poplar Creek Music Theatre and I went with my pal Freya and her dad. I was only vaguely aware of Erasure at the time, having of course read about them via my subscription to Star Hits. Watching them flailing around in tutus in the Chicago suburbs was disconcerting... but completely awesome. I bought Wonderland on cassette shortly thereafter and have been a fan since, although I must admit I haven't kept up with their releases in the past decade or so. If anyone knows of any awesome covers of "Oh, L'Amour," do let me know. I have a few, but none really worth mentioning.

Les Muppets "C'est Bizarre (For What It's Worth)" (French Buffalo Springfield cover)
Oh, French Muppets singing about the Kent State murders! [Edit: Got my facts a bit wrong on this one, but it was a strangely prophetic about many things, no?] Bring it on! (To be fair, I haven't bothered to suss out this French translation enough to see if the message of the English version remains intact, but c'est bizarre either way, n'est-ce pas?

Michael Gum "Lovefool" (Cardigans cover)
Aw. Sweet, sweet, cover-lovin' Michael Gum. You should be checking his LJ regularly, because he does a good job. I worked music retail when this song was all the rage and grew to loathe it with red-hot intensity, but this version makes me smile. A great reminder why I do the whole blog thing, to be sure.

If life's for livin', what's livin' for?

I know a lot of you Yo La Tengo/WFMU fans probably already have bootlegs of the YLT/WFMU cover request sessions, but even so, to better your karma, you might want to buy the compilation they've recently put out: Yo La Tengo is Murdering the Classics.

Everybody's looking for a new sensation.

As I've stated before*, I believe there are approximately 17 million Depeche Mode tributes out there, and maybe two of them are worth purchasing. I recently got a hold of the Spanish tribute Devocion Por Las Masas and was mostly underwhelmed by the bulk of rote acoustic covers by male artists or bands with male lead singers. Yet a few of the female-sung tracks (the latter two surprisingly electronic) stood out as mildly intriguing. Here they are:

Viena #1 "Sometimes" (Depeche Mode cover)

Dirty Princess "Pleasure, Little Treasure" (Depeche Mode cover)

Luxury "Shake the Disease" (Depeche Mode cover)

*What's up with Haloscan not giving an accurate comment count on older entries, BTW?

Before you know it you'll be on your knees.

The Black Keys "She Said, She Said" (Beatles cover)
I was inexplicably late to hop on the Black Keys train, but now I'm chugging right along.

Giganti "Corri Uomo Corri (Space Oddity)" (Italian David Bowie cover)
Italian prog-garage from the '70s? Where do I sign up?

Bad Astronaut "Solar Sister" (Posies cover)
I'm in the mood for a Posies revival here in my apartment.

Guadalupe "Wonderwall" (Oasis cover)
I'm getting a bit obsessed with non-English speakers singing songs phonetically. Of course, I'm not 100% certain that that's what's happening here, but that first verse was a bit mangled, no? It makes me want to cover the German version of "99 Luftballons," to which I made up my own phonetic version when I was 12. Sigh. Why am I not in a band? Or know how to use any recording equipment?

Sun City Girls "Journey to the Center of the Mind" (Amboy Dukes cover)
How is it possible that I just learned that Ted Nugent was in the Amboy Dukes? Obviously, I'd have never expected him to be involved with such a drug-friendly song, but then again, anti-drug types are pretty clueless about a lot of drug references, I suppose.

The Virginia Hullabahoos "Easy Lover" (Phil Collins/Philip Bailey cover)
It's been a while since I posting anything by an acappella group, so I chose to share this with you. Because "Easy Lover" is the jam!

Liza Minnelli "Use Me" (Bill Withers cover)
The recent release of Liza with a Z on DVD and CD has revitalized my love for my namesake. Holy crap, could that gal entertain! That special was filmed a month before I was born and feels more modern and vital than any performance I've ever seen on TV. And she was only 26, and so damned secure in her sexuality and womanhood. I wish there were 26-year-old female performers nowadays who weren't so fucking stunted by our modern youth culture that they keep acting cutesy or faux-tormented. There is a dearth of female singers who get on stage and own every fucking thing they're doing.

Every day is like survival.

Pauline Easy "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson cover)
I wracked my brain for a clever pun using "uke" instead of "you" for this ukelele gem. I thought of a million puns but none of them were clever. I surrender.

Baxendale "Come Home with Me Baby" (Dead or Alive cover)
I may be the only person willing to admit this, but I have a thing for Dead or Alive. Not so much the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced stuff, but the album Nude. It's been nearly 20 years since it cam out, and I still pop it on whenever I need high-energy housecleaning music.

Ghost Mice "Sing Out" (Cat Stevens cover)
This was a serendipitous find. I stumbled on it on a general Cat Stevens cover hunt and thought it was really fun. Then I learned that the band is on Bloomington's (Indiana) Plan-It-X records and label head Chris Johnston is in it. I believe Chris was also in the long-defunct Ted Dancin' Machine with my pal Marty (aka my best friend Ryan's younger brother). Chris was also in Operation: Cliff Clavin, whose cover of Liz Phair's "Fuck and Run" I posted ages ago. I was never quite cool (read: young or vegan) enough to click with most of the Bloomington punk go-getters, but I respect the hell out of them.

Christian Kjellvander & Lise Westsynthius "Hand in Glove" (Smiths cover)
Christian Kjellvander has a track (not this one) on a various-artists compilation I recently downloaded entitled Cowboys in Scandinavia. (Who knew? How could I not be intrigued?) I love his voice. Reminds me of a countrier Mark Lanegan. And the 12 Monkeys-sounding accordion creeps me out in the best way.

Kevin Johansen "Karma Chameleon" (Culture Club cover)
My new cover-lovin' Argentine Internet pal LadyHype uploaded this to me and I approve! Johansen was born in Alaska and raised in Argentina, moved to New York for a while and headed back to Argentina. I respect that sort of globe-trotting. And his Jarvis Cockery voice.

Knarf Rellöm "I Wish I Was Him" (Noise Addict—FYI that's Ben Lee's old band—cover)
Ten bucks says that umlaut will only be an umlaut on a few people's browsers, but whatever. I know very little about Knarf Rellöm, except that they appear to be a wacky German band. I'd almost forgotten this song existed, and I thank them for the reminder. They also have a song about writing a letter to Mark E. Smith.

Crüxshadows "Here Comes the Rain Again" (Eurythmics cover)
I can't just post one band with an umlaut in their name, can I? I figured at least one should be metal or goth. This is the latter.

We hear the playback and it seems so long ago.

The latin CD Jazz and '80s might not be the easiest thing to get a hold of at your local record shop, but eBay seems to have quite a few. Check out these tracks to see if these smooth reworkings are up your alley:

Dinah Eastwood "Hungry Like the Wolf" (Duran Duran cover)

Jamie Lancaster "Boys Don't Cry" (Cure cover)

Sawa Kobayashi "Patience" (Guns N' Roses cover)


And while I'm on a hard-to-find foreign '80s comp kick, here are a few non-jazz tracks from the Japanese CD, Fine Time: A Tribute to New Wave, Vol. 1:

Convex Level "Video Killed the Radio Star" (Buggles cover)

Yasuyuki Okamura "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads cover)

Polysics "Memorabilia" (Soft Cell cover)

If I falter, let me know.

Flare "When It's Cold I'd Like to Die" (Moby cover)
I was once infatuated with Moby's Everything is Wrong. I listened to it nonstop for about six months back in the day. The other night, the original version of this track played as the credits rolled on The Sopranos, and it inspired me to hunt for a few Moby covers. The key seems a little off to me in this version, but I'm happy someone is covering it, so I don't really care. It's rare to find a non-techno/trance Moby cover to say the least.

Steve Velez and Da Capo Players "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters" (Moby cover)
Keeping in the non-techno/trance Everything is Wrong covers theme, here's one of millions of now-ubiquitous string quartet covers. It's pretty enough, although trying to out-pretty the original is futile at best.

Spit me out from your cosmos. Draft me into your troops.

It's been gorgeous and sunny the past few days here in Chicago, albeit a tad chilly here and there, but I've been inside for days thanks to [TMI alert!] debilitating cramps and the fact that the only painkillers I have contain opiates. The cramps are gone, but so is everything else. Are my fingers really attached to my hands? And my brain makes them type? Freaky!!!

First, reader Melanie pointed me to Tiffany's* recent cover of Poison's* "Talk Dirty to Me." Get it while the getting's good, I'm not sure how much longer it will be there.

(*I saw Poison at the Holiday Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana, for $5 in 1987 or 1988. It was a Toys for Tots benefit and it ruled. I was once also supposed to see Tiffany at the Star Plaza, along with Glass Tiger and The Outfield, I believe, but I dissed my friend who bought the tickets and went to a school dance instead. Do I regret my decision? Sometimes.)

Also, singer/songwriter Arif has some covers up by acts such as the Smiths, Tears for Fears and Bob Marley that you can download here.

Devin and the Straights "My All" (Mariah Carey cover)
This was sent to me via a reader named Landon, a friend of this local [Chicago, in case you didn't know] act. It really is the year of the gay cowboys, and I approve! I'm definitely going to try to check them out live, as their MySpace site proves they are not only talented but adorable!

Cadmium Orange "Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox" (live Guided by Voices cover)
Sadly, this Bloomington [Indiana, in case you didn't know] band's heyday began just after I departed for greener pastures. Or, more accurately, no pastures. I did have the good fortune of seeing them play once at a Who tribute set during a visit, and they were quite fun. Really, any band that covers my favorite GBV song is okay by me. If you like what you hear, they have a few other covers and a slew of originals over at Musical Family Tree, one of my favorite sites ever.

Fresh Cherries from Yakima "Communist Daughter" (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)
Here's another MySpace cutie who sent a track my way that I like.

Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends "With a Little Help from My Friends" (Beatles cover)
Sunshine pop on a sunshine day? Don't mind if I do.

Damien Rice "Talking About a Revolution" (Tracy Chapman cover)
I'm a big fan of this Irish singer's covers, and St. Patrick's Day is near, so I'm tacking this one on as well. That Tracy Chapman album was pretty damned good, come to think of it. I should pull that baby out soon.

She is gone, but the joke's the same.

Jose Gonzalez "Heartbeats" (The Knife cover)
A while ago, I heard this track in that Sony Bravia commercial (Google it, yo, I'm not linking to Sony) with all the superballs flying through San Francisco and was shocked that A) someone covered this song and B) that it was so damned good. I really like the original, but I really love this version. Sadcore at its finest. Or something.

The Portsmouth Sinfonia "Pinball Wizard" (Who cover)
Somewhat dissonant and very odd. Love it. Or something.

The Jazz Butcher "Everybody's Talking" (Fred Neil cover—performed most popularly by Harry Nilsson)
I want to take a time machine back to the early 1990s and make out with the bands on the Creation label. Or something.

The Guano Apes "Big in Japan" (Alphaville cover)
Germany rules for so many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it's not as uncommon there for women to front alt-rock bands as it is here. Or something.

The Free Design "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" (comp. Burt Bacharach/Hal David)
This song was my introduction to The Free Design, a late-'60s/early-'70s baroque pop act who are so awesome you just know that everyone at Elephant 6 and Minty Fresh and the like wish they were them. Or something.

The Dresden Dolls "Pretty in Pink" (Psychedelic Furs cover)
Song I Love + Band I Love = Meh. Or something.

Exit light. Enter night.

Here's another "I can't believe I waited a week for this" random smattering of songs that hit my shuffle play recently. Enjoy. Or whatever it is you do with the songs I post.

Anal Cunt "Three's Company Theme" (TV theme cover)
Don't worry. It's only 35 seconds long.

The Brakes "Jackson" (comp. Gaby Rodgers/Billy Edd Wheeler)
I know it's probably some sort of country blasphemy, but I've always preferred the Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood version to the Johnny Cash/June Carter version. I love Nancy and Lee.

Neuroticfish "There Is a Light" (Smiths cover)
I'm always for making Smiths songs gayer. Always.

Die Krupps "Enter Sandman" (Metallica cover)

Trespassers William "Left of Center" (Suzanne Vega cover, from Pretty in Pink soundtrack)
From Isn't She Still... The Pretty in Pink soundtrack Revisited, which is on sale right now over at CD Baby.

The following four are from a covers comp put outby Homesleep Records a while back:

Fuck "Oops... I Did it Again" (Britney Spears cover)

Lenola "Box of Rain" (Grateful Dead cover)

Mirabilia "Walking with Jesus" (Spacemen 3 cover)

Yuppie Flu "Plainsong" (Cure cover)

My eyes are so cloudy I can't see you.

Fastbacker had a recent post full of covers, about half I've posted before and half I haven't. Check it out.

Also check Music for Ants, which posts covers pretty frequently.

One more thing: Everyone can stop begging me to repost the Freedom of Choice album right about now. It was up more than a week and now it's down. I DO NOT REPOST SONGS. However, THE ALBUM IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. Buy it on eBay or Amazon, new or used. Or check a local store. Or something. Thanks.

I only know I never want to let you go.

Apocalypso "Man, It's So Loud in Here" (They Might Be Giants cover)
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.

Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins "Handle with Care" (Traveling Wilburys cover)
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.

Foo Fighters "I Feel Free" (Cream cover)
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.

Noes Descamps "Ma Non E Giusto (She's Not There)" (Zombies cover in Italian)
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."

The Flirts "I Only Want to Be with You" (Dusty Springfield cover)
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.

Lene Lovich "I Think We're Alone Now" (Tommy James & the Shondells cover)
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.

Glass Eye "Minnie the Moocher" (Cab Calloway cover)
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.)

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!

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.

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)

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.

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)

You can do what you want to; there's no one to stop you.

Richard Anthony "Toi L'Ami (All my Loving)" (French Beatles cover)
Monday is always a good day for Beatles chanson-style.

Warmen "Somebody's Watching Me" (Rockwell cover)
Some of the guys from Children of Bodom who sound like a heavy metal Weird Al.

The Thermals "Ballad of Big Nothing"(Elliott Smith cover)
Nearly anytime in the past few weeks I've listened to WOXY, they've played this. Granted, I like it and a few of the other tracks on the latest Smith tribute album (To Elliott from Portland) more than I usually like Smith covers*, but WOXY really needs to shake up its playlists.

*Because the majority are so much like the originals I'm not sure why they bother.

Kelley Deal "Fucking Hostile" (Pantera cover)
My favorite track on the Free the West Memphis 3 disc, which is chock-full of covers of metal classics.

Juliana Hatfield "Tomorrow Never Comes" (Dot Allison cover)
Pretty.

Second Run feat. Ramone "Seasons in the Sun" (Terry Jacks [comp. Jacques Brel] cover)
As a child, the original intrigued me because it was so poppy for a song about death. I wouldn't say I liked it though. Since the early 1990s, whenever I hear any version of it, it reminds me of an experimental film an acquaintance of mine named Dara made ages ago that starred my friend Bart, who aired it on his show, Rox. [See the episode here.] This version is insane and pointless, as most trance covers are.

Wolfcry "Enola Gay" (Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark [OMD] cover)
I'm always interested when heavy metal acts cover '80s synth classics I first heard in gay bars. For a minute or two anyhow.

Diamanda Galas "My World is Empty Without You" (Supremes cover)
Not for everyone's taste, but if you like, say, Antony and the Johnsons, you might want to check out someone who paved his way.

Turn our golden faces into the sun.

It looks as if 2006 may well be the year of the random, quick, no-time-for-banter, "look what hit my shuffle play" post. Every time I think I'm going to get on track and create a life schedule that includes a decent chunk of blog time a few times a week, work or TV or *gasp* social engagements keep me from it. But I'm going to try to try. It's the least I can do.

Axel Rudi Pell "Forever Young" (Alphaville cover)
German heavy metal guitar virtuoso attacks nostalgic ballad while apparently taking a painful dump. What is it with guitar virtuosos and their gravelly, constipated-sounding voices?

The White Stripes "Walking with a Ghost" (Tegan and Sara cover)
I saw Tegan and Sara open for Rufus Wainwright eons ago and I hated them. HATED. Of course, that was before they shed their tired lesbian folk schtick and turned into the spritely lesbian pop goddesses of So Jealous. Now I think they totally rule, as does this cover.

The Lucksmiths "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" (Smiths cover)
To quote Elle magazine's Nina Garcia on Project Runway: "Sometimes pretty can be boring."

Rockell and Collage "Can't We Try" (Dan Hill feat. Vonda Shepard cover)
I tell ya, if you're a freshman in high school in the process of breaking up with the first of many boyfriends who'll eventually come out of the closet, hearing the original on the radio really will tear you up inside. But if you're a 33-year-old fag hag spinster in the year 2006, this version will make you spit out your Diet A&W in laughter. And then you'll dance, dance, dance!

Hell is for Heroes "Boy's Don't Cry" (The Cure cover)
I'm always slightly annoyed by punk covers of anything, let alone my beloved Cure, but I must admit there are a few interesting choices in this.

The Bravery "It's All I Can Do" (The Cars cover)
I haven't embraced the Bravery as I have many of the other nu new-wave acts, but this is a serviceable cover, I suppose. If you can get over this guy's overly Morrisseyian whiny drawl.

I go through all this before you wake up.

Here's a very quick pre-lunchtime update. I've been on a live cover kick lately and these are all live covers that have intrigued (aka hit my shuffle play) me of late.

The Dresden Dolls "No One Knows" (Queens of the Stone Age cover)
A few sour notes here and there, but I love the Dolls so much it doesn't matter. Now they just need to come to Chicago on a night I don't already have plans. I swear, I have the worst timing when they come around.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Hyperballad" (Bjork cover)

The Jesus and Mary Chain "My Girl" (Temptations cover)

Also, as evidenced in my last post, interesting things can be found over at Google Video. Sure, searching the word "cover" brings up a lot of kids lip-synching to the Backstreet Boys and whatnot, but every so often you'll stumble on something interesting and/or worthwhile. Such as:

Final Fantasy covering Bloc Party's "This Modern Love"

VIDEO: Jenny Wilson and Robyn cover Saul Williams's "List of Demands [Reparations]"

Don't tell me what it's all about.

Sorry, kids, I've been busy and grumpy for the past few weeks. Really grumpy. So I did my best to steer clear of the Internets. But now I'm back and so is my shuffle play, so here's today's random smattering of covery goodness.

Anthrax "The Bends" (Radiohead cover)
Two great tastes that taste great together. Or something like that.

Belaire "Through the Wire" (Kanye West cover)
I say yes.

English Beat "Tears of a Clown" (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles cover)
I'm going a bit old school here, and I approve. I always loved this.

Sarah Brightman "Who Wants to Live Forever?" (Queen cover)
Though not particularly my cup of tea, this is pretty. I tell ya, if you ever want to make your parents freak out with excitement, give 'em tickets to see Sarah Brightman. I got a couple of free tickets once from a label rep and passed them along to my mom and for at least a week I was definitely the Best Daughter in the World TM.

Scooter "Eyes Without a Face" (Billy Idol cover)
I wish I were joking, but it was this song that made me want to learn French. Little did I know then that I'd study it for more than a decade and then do absolutely nothing with it.

Splitsville "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" (comp. Burt Bacharach and Hal David)
Down with love! Too many germs! I love this song and I like this version.

Xentrix "Ghostbusters" (Ray Parker Jr. cover)
I just saw the video for the original the other day and I'd forgotten that all the big stars of the day had cameos in it. Teri Garr, I miss you!

Xiu Xiu "Fast Car" (Tracy Chapman cover)
My longtime best friend Julie had a precocious little brother named Brad who once, during the heyday of "Fast Car," crafted his own version of this song with the following lyrics:

"We had a fast car /
But Liza drove it into a brick wall/
We had to make a decision /
Should we take her to the hospital?"

Awesome.

I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye.

O. M. G.

 

You people are total freaks! For every person that mocked the bulk of the "Last Christmas" covers I put up the other day, there were 10 others clamoring for more. I kept getting "do you have the such-and-such version???" e-mails. Well, here's another Whamful installment. Again, there are still more in my collection, but I really doubt I'll be hunting them out between now and the holiday, so get these while the getting's good. Let's all cross our fingers that my bandwidth holds up.

The Revolvers' track is my favorite here, despite the fact that I usually hate "punk" covers.

Wham's "Last Christmas" as covered by:

Airpanel feat. Karyn White Techno/Trance

Alexia "Oi Kambanes Htypoun (Greek)" Pop

Beatmas/Rubber Band Beatles

Busted Whiny Pop-Punk

Collage Freestyle

DJ Glowy and Snoopie Breakbeat

Fonda Indie Dream Pop

Julsanger Techno/Trance/Hi-NRG

KE4 "Last Christmas I Gave You Acid" Chilled-Out Electronic Mash-Up

Keisha Chante Urban R&B

Yuji Oda feat. Butch Walker J-Pop/Rock

Pas/Cal Indie Chamber Pop

Rap All-Stars Rap

Revolvers Powerpop-punk

Sarge Indie

Soulwax Alternative?

Yoko Watanabe J- Pop (from an opera singer, I believe)

Zecchino D'Oro "Questo Natale (Italian)" Kidz Bop d'Italia

But it's not like Christmas at all.

Aaahhhhh, freestyle*. How innocuous and fun you could be. Sometimes.

Brenda K Starr "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (Darlene Love/Phil Spector cover)

Sammy C "Little Drummer Boy" (comp. Katherine Davis/Henry Onorati/Harry Simeone)

Denine "Jingle Bell Rock" (comp. Joe Beal/Jim Boothe)

Miguel Reyes "Silent Night"

*NOT RAP!

Come and behold.

Halfby "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Tatsuki Hashimoto "Jingle Bells"

Toshi Akigoto "The Christmas Song"
These three tracks are from a 2003 Japanese bossanova album called Christmas Wonderland, which I surprisingly really like.

Hybrid Kids (Morgan Fisher) "O, Come All Ye Faithful"
I know I just posted a Hybrid Kids track a few entries back, but I find myself trapped like a deer in headlights when I hear Morgan Fisher's covers. This one sounds like the soundtrack to a nightmare in which I'm trapped in a mechanical Christmas funhouse running away from an army of demonic robotic elves. Demonic robotic elves singing about adoring the Christ child, that is, which is even more frightening.

The SmashUp "Coventry Carol"
This just plain cracks me up, and the sad thing is that I can't tell whether my joy is ironic or not.

"Dude, are you being sarcastic?"
"I don't even know anymore."

Banaroo "Bling Bling Here, Bling Bling There (Jingle Bells)"
Oh my. Um. Yeah. Let's make a New Year's Resolution today: No more Aquaesque/Vengaboysian German teen pop acts. "Bling bling in the air," indeed.

Careful what you wish for!

So, a few people have e-mailed or commented that they want Christmas covers. Admittedly, I was quite gung-ho about Christmas covers last December. This year, I just haven't been feeling the same holiday energy. (Seasonal Affective Disorder, anyone?) But far be it for me to deny the masses what they crave. Of course, asking me for ANY covers will run you the risk that I you will hate most of what I post, but you knew that already, I hope.



Wham's "Last Christmas" as covered by:

Asmodi Bizarr

Atomic Kitten

Crazy Frog
There are things even I can't believe have gained popularity anywhere ever, and Crazy Frog is certainly one of them.

Dexter Freebish

Erlend Oye
The best of the lot, by far.

Hawk Nelson

Hilary Duff

Human Nature

Jamelia

Noorkuu

Physical Motion

Raphael "La Ultima Navidad" (That means it's in Spanish!)

Rod Dodd and V/Vm

Roses are Red

Vasco and Millboy feat. Thomas B.

Note: This is representative of only about a quarter of the "Last Christmas" covers I have.

Secret, secret, I've got a secret.

Hey, kids. Just a heads-up that The Monolators have a cover of Eartha Kitt's "Cha Cha Heels" on their main page and a slew of other bizarre covers on their Audio page. Check it out, yo.

Unlike the others, I'll do anything. I'm not afraid. I have no shame.

Themes are cool and all, but I must admit today's selection brought to you by my shuffle play.

Wisecracker "When the Rain Begins to Fall" (Jermaine Jackson & Pia Zadora cover)
There are some covers that don't even have to come close to being good for me to love them. Usually these are covers of songs that are my longtime guiltiest pleasures and I get so excited that ANYONE has covered them that I blind myself into actually loving the cover versions. And, with that said, please allow me to introduce you to this completely awesome German ska cover of this, um, classic by a band who describes their sound as "Madness meets Iron Maiden." Uh, yeah.

The Meat Purveyors "The Madonna Trilogy (Like a Virgin/Lucky Star/Burning Up)" (Madonna covers)
Nothing wrong with a little toe-tapping alt.country Madge style, says I.

Halifax "Straight Up" (Paula Abdul cover)
There's no good defense for someone my age actually watching the horror that was The Real World: Austin, but I did. Ugh. Worst season ever. But it did warm my heart to see holier-than-thou Lacey badmouth Halifax only to wind up wearing a Halifax hoodie a few episodes later. Nothing quite like an indie elitist coming to terms with the fact that it's easier to accept emo punk than fight it. 'Cause nothing's sadder than wasting your time beleaguering the necessity for emo punk when you could be badmouthing your drunken whore roommates.

If you like this track, there's a surprisingly Hot Topic-esque shirt over at Threadless this week you should get to warn everyone how angry-yet-sensitive you are. Click pic below to check it out:



Blah, blah, blah, I think teenagers who think they're "punk" are lame. Blah, blah, blah, emo sucks. Blah, blah, blah, I'm going to go buy a Gang of Four record and prove how cool I am. Whatever. Boys wearing eyeliner are sexy and this song holds a special place in my heart because the first time I ever got totally plastered, this song was popular and my best friend Julie tried to make me sing it the entire ride home in the hopes that it would make me sober up. It was an admirable goal, really, but one that failed miserably.

Dick Rivers "Ces Mots Qu'On Oublie Un Jour (The Things We Said Today)" (Beatles cover in French)
Kind of sounds like a French Elvis album playing at the wrong speed. Also reminds me of Edwyn Collins "A Girl Like You," again at the wrong speed.

Grope "Army of Me" (Bjork cover)
something tells me that this is less a cover of Bjork and more a cover of Helmet covering Bjork, which is one of my least favorite types of covers ever.

Put him in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him.

I started commenting on these tracks last night and thought I might get a chance to finish today, but it's been so long since I posted that I thought I should just go ahead and leave some with paltry information and insights. Basically, these are a handful of experimental/electronic tracks—some more avant-garde than others, some simply electroclash, some just using one or two effects here and there. All potentially insane.

[The Threadless sale ends Thursday, just so you know. They just printed a few new shirts in addition to reprinting a few, one of which I'd peen pining for for ages! Yay!]

Fifty Foot Hose "God Bless the Child" (Billie Holiday cover)
This band from the psych era would actually pretty mainstream and jazz-folky if it weren't for the bizarre electronic noises they chose to throw in over the vocals. Ah, the experimentation of the '60s!

Claude Denjean & the Moog Synthesizer "Big Yellow Taxi" (Joni Mitchell cover)
Wow. It was definitely difficult to narrow it down to one track by this Moog pioneer, but this track definitely makes me the happiest. In fact, I played this for my friends Ray and Eric a week or so ago and we giggled throughout the whole thing. Reminds me of a Casio demo track. Or the soundtrack to my nightmares involving clowns. "Oooooh ... chop, chop, chop!"

Elektric Music "Baby Come Back" (The Equals cover)
Hmm. So this guy once played with Kraftwerk and Electronic, huh? I'd expect this to be far more palatable than it is. Still, it's nice to be reminded of pre-"Electric Avenue" Eddy Grant.

Cylob "Drunken Sailor" (Traditional)
Um. Okay.

Fragments "Nutbush City Limits" (Ike & Tina Turner cover)
I can't find out anything about Fragments except they had a few 7-inches in 1980. Anyone know anything else?

The Droyds "Take Me I'm Yours" (Squeeze cover)

The Droyds "Take Me I'm Yours (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)" (Squeeze cover)
I think I like the remix better, if for no other reason than the "I come across my camel" line makes me giggle.

Hybrid Kids (Morgan Fisher) "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" (Righteous Brothers cover)
If I saw this at an open-mic poetry night, I'd be intrigued. For a minute. Then annoyed. Not unlike Blixa Bargeld reading hardware catalogs.

Brad Walsh feat. Kathy C. "100 Percent Pure Love" (Crystal Waters cover)
I heart Brad Walsh. Visit his music page for some remixes as well as his cover of Stacey Q's "Two of Hearts," which I'm certain I posted or linked to a while back.

Ladytron "Oops, Oh My" (Tweet cover)
I love masturbation jams, so I'm all about this.

Attic Plant "Sexx Laws" (Beck cover)
Again, I don't know anything about Attic Plant, nor can I find any proof that they exist except for the fact that this track somehow wound up in my shuffle play.

Happy December.

I've been sick, hence the lack of posts. Perhaps I'll find the energy tonight.

Until then, David F has a handful of Seu Jorge Bowie covers up.

Can you tell I'm slightly addicted?

Threadless has reprinted/added a handful of shirts and the sale's still going on, so...

Thank you for the music.

I meant to post this entry on Thanksgiving, but I'm not surprised I'm two days behind. Simply put, much like Depeche Mode or Black Sabbath or David Bowie and the like, Abba simply has a million tribute albums dedicated to them and have influenced artists of nearly every genre. As I've stated before here and here, this could become an all-Abba cover blog and I could post multiple tracks a day for decades and still not repeat any tracks. Therefore, assembling the following list involved heading deep into my discs and giving up when I couldn't find what I wanted and trying to find them *cough* elsewhere. I've had Abba on the brain since catching their 30th anniversary documentary on Ovation the other day and realizing how fantastically talented they were, which, really, I knew long ago. And because I've been listing to Madonna's "Hung Up" on a loop for weeks, which I'm pretty sure now is more for the "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" sample than anything else.

Anyhow, I've finally managed to escape from days of foraging for Abba covers (falling into the A-Hole?) and I bring the following nuts and berries your way. Thanks to Abba for a cornucopia of hits and thanks to all of you for paying attention to my obsessions. I really appreciate the fact that I have an audience at all, let alone such a friendly, knowledgeable and supportive one. You guys rule.

Any Trouble "The Name of the Game" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Live old-school Elvis Costello

Five Iron Frenzy "Mamma Mia" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Reel Big Fish, Hot Topic, "Stacy's Mom"

The Nils Landgren Funk Unit "Voulez-Vous" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Rufus, Swedish trombonists (Landgren performed on many of Abba's originals, "Voulez-Vous" included.)

Arno "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Paolo Conte, Tom Waits

Steven Wilson "The Day Before You Came" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Porcupine Tree, Hermann Dune, the Travis version of "...Baby, One More Time"

Erasure "Take a Chance (On Me)" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Um, Erasure and really lame, out of place "reggae" bridges

Eldissa "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (Abba cover)
RIYL: the Eldissa track I posted in the last entry

Redd Kross "Dancing Queen" (Abba cover)
RIYL: The Runaways, '70s glam rock

Gabba "S.O.S." (Abba cover)
RIYL: Beatallica-style hybrids, Ramones, .5.6.7.8's

Bananarama "Waterloo" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Over-produced pap

Wing "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Miss Piggy, B.J. Snowden, seizures

Information Society "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Living in a Box, Sa-Fire

Queen of Japan "The Winner Takes it All" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Stereo Total, Ladytron

Gore Gore Gays "Tal y Como Es (Does Your Mother Know?)" (Spanish Abba cover)
RIYL: Billy Idol, Pansy Division, Doo-Wop (I'd be interested to find out from Spanish speakers if the Spanish lyrics even come close to the meaning of the original.)

Metalium "Thank you for the Music" (Abba cover)
RIYL: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stryper

This is what we'll do.

Eldissa "Go West" (Village People cover)
Um. I'm not big on lounge-y Caribbean-sounding bossa-nova, really, but I am in-fucking-love with Eldissa's What a Difference, which is billed as "classic music from the disco era reworked as bossa nova and acoustic lounge." This one is the most insanely delectable to me. I'll include another in the Thanksgiving post I'm working on for tomorrow.

Oh, no. Not me. I never lost control.

CJ Sleez "Cool Rider" (from Grease 2)
This is sort of how I always imagined this song should sound. I totally believe that Canadian hard-rocker CJ Sleez really wants a cool rider. Michelle Pfeiffer? Not so much.

Des de Moor and Russell Churney "The Man Who Sold the World" (David Bowie cover)
Thanks to one of my favorite SoulSeekers who recommended the Darkness and Disgrace album of Bowie covers to me. I'm a fan of acts that convincingly pull off cabaret covers without making them overwrought.

Suicide "96 Tears" (? and the Mysterians cover)
The most recent (here in the States anyhow) issue of Wire magazine features a cover story on covers focusing on those that were somehow made greater or changed significantly by those doing the covering. Frankly, a lot of stuff mentioned seemed to be esoteric for esotericism's sake, but what can you expect from UK music critics? They know a lot of stuff and why not prove it from time to time. Anyhow, reading the article did serve to remind me of a few things I've been meaning to post (such as this track) and introduced me to a few things I'd not heard previously, so check it out if you can.

Unrelated: The Threadless $10 Holiday Sale is still going on. They're out of a lot of shirts, but a few new shirts were printed this week.

If we could start anew, I wouldn't hesitate.

I've been really disappointed lately with many of the hyped tribute/cover albums geared specifically toward the indie crowd. The soundtrack to the video game Stubbs the Zombie is no exception. Death Cab For Cutie's "Earth Angel" is like nails on a chalkboard to me, although I don't particularly have anything against DCFC most days. Ben Kweller's cutesy "Lollipop" makes me want to punch him. I'm not sure why. And don't get me started on the Dandy Warhols' godawful "All I Have to Do is Dream." Owning lots of guitar pedals is not reason enough to use them. Die, all of you! Heh. These violent reactions may be a result of the requisite emo/indie backlash we all get once in a while, or it may be that the songs actually suck. It's so hard for me to tell in these heady days of irony. Anyhow, here are a few that don't necessarily make me want to shove pencils in my ears. I guess.

Rogue Wave "Everyday" (Buddy Holly cover)
Here's yet another song that uses the adjective everyday when it really needs to use adjective/noun combo every day. I know it's rock, people, but come on! The intro to this reminds me of "Welcome to the Cheap Seats" by the Wonderstuff. And Pat Spurgeon is a a great drummer (though I'm not sure this track is the best example of it since it's so subdued) and is a really nice guy. Here's a dark, blurry picture I took of him last weekend playing with Antenna:

Oranger "Mr. Sandman" (comp. Pat Ballard)
Though my predilection toward acts heavily influenced by the Beach Boys has dwindled since the mid-'90s, I do tend to enjoy it when an Oranger track hits my iPod's shuffle once in a while.

Clem Snide "Tears on my Pillow" (Little Anthony & the Imperials cover)
Hmm. Clem Snide has taken a step away from alt.country and immersed themselves in indie pop, eh? Good for them. I believe I once read a review in which the singer's voice was described as "Muppety." I like Muppets.

It's that time again.

Not music related except that all the cool kids at concerts wear 'em: The Threadless $10 Holiday Sale is upon us. I love dressing my friends in Threadless tees, so I just thought I'd mention it. I'll post actual songs later today.

I know what you think and what's in your mind.

I meant to post these before I left for the Musical Family Tree Fest last week—which was awesome and nostalgia-riffic, by the way—but I couldn't remember which server they were on and I had mistyped the track names and whatnot. Heh. I suck. Anyhow, the following tracks are actually submissions sent to me via readers of the site who have their own bands/projects. This happens quite frequently, but I'm usually quite afraid of the results. Not so in this case.

Luxxury "I Know There's Something Going On" (Frida cover)
This is my new favorite new-wavey cover, sent by Baron Von Luxxury. I sang this song at a karaoke bar a few months ago, and no one in the audience who wasn't part of my group seemed to have any idea what it was. But I'm a long-time Abba fan (Super Trouper was one of the first non-kiddie LPs I bought for myself as a child), and Frida rocks my world. And this version is the fucking jam. Seriously.

Mr. Hopkinson's Computer Sings "Where is My Mind" (Pixies cover)
Mr. Hopkinson, how I love you. You always comment and teach me about new things. And now that I know that in performances "you" are just a TV on a stick, I'm even more happy to have you around.

Listen, listen, she's calling to you...

I always thought the "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)" snowglobe scene of Mary Poppins seemed really dark and out of place in the film. I'm glad to hear that some people decide to cover it at all and, especially, that it retains both its whimsy and its creepiness when they do.

Tell me how long before the right one.

Too busy to comment, really, but I genuinely like both of these.

Saeta "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" (Smiths cover)

Popguns "Can't Ignore the Train" (10,000 Maniacs cover)

Nothing really matters, anyone can see.

Man, I've been wanting to post for the past few days and time just kept on slipping slipping slipping into the future. And then earlier today, Blogger was freaking out on me. Anyhoooo...

First, I wanted to say that I'm glad at least a few of you enjoyed the Rose Murphy tracks from the previous entry and I wanted to give you all a non-cover of hers to enjoy: "Busy Line". It's my favorite.

TRS-80 "Everyday is Halloween" (Ministry cover)
I meant to post this on Halloween, of course. My favorite Ministry story is from my senior year of high school. One day my mom came home from a trip to Southlake Mall and told me she had a surprise for me and handed me a TicketMaster envelope. Within were two tickets to the Ministry/KMFDM show that was to take place at the holiday Star Plaza—a venue that usually featured Englebert Humperdinck and Jeff Foxworthy, but that would from time to time have some more modern acts. But even those modern acts were slightly more mainstream. That this concert, replete with a cage built around the stage that people were climbing and stage diving from, despite threats not to do so, was at this venue was weird. Weirder still was the fact that my mother was aware of the names of any industrial/synth bands I liked, let alone that she would spontaneously buy tickets for me. I remember there were two little 10-year-old girls behind us who were so out of place and clamoring for this track, which they never played because they were too awesome to please the people who only knew that song. Don't get me wrong, I did relate to the song and dance to it at Jubilation, Off the Alley or Medusa's, but it annoyed me that it became so popular. It also annoyed me that "everyday" was one word instead of two, as it's not being used as an adjective, but I digress.

Hmm. Since I'm in a rambling mood and most people don't read what I write anyhow, I will now list all of the shows I remember seeing at the Holiday Star Plaza:

Beatlemania, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!, Merle Haggard (during the intermission of which an 8-year-old Liza got to see an old woman pass out and vomit all over herself), the Pointer Sisters (my mom won tickets or something and I fell asleep), New Edition (first concert I attended without a parent in the audience with me), Poison (after which my friends and I got threatened by stoners at Arby's), Duran Duran (the 1989 incarnation), Ministry/KMFDM. I think that's it.

Ebn Ozn "Rockin' Robin" (comp. Jimmy Thomas)
I remember kind of liking Ebn Ozn's one hit, "A E I O U and Sometimes Y" (and bought the LP it's on for 49 cents last week), but this is torture. The kind of torture that amuses me, of course.

Lush "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" (Middle of the Road cover)
While we're on the subject of iffy cover songs referencing birds, may I present this, um, gem. Seriously, I can't tell what I think of this song. I was completely unfamiliar with the original and the other subsequent covers of it, and I'm surprised at how ridiculous songs can be and yet still hit the charts. This track, as well as those directly below, come from the 1990 album Alvin Lives In Leeds: Anti Poll Tax Trax, and I have to say my opinion of all of them tends to sway depending on my varying levels of inebriation. But I guess that would be true of every track I post.

Cud "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen cover)
Hey, experts: This is kinda grebo, right? At first it annoyed me, but now it reminds me of Maxi Geil! & Playcolt and other arty bands, and that turns me on a little bit.

14 Iced Bears "Summer Nights" (From Grease)
Better than the version I posted the other day at least. If apathetic shoegazey psychedelic Britpop boys whining is your thing, anyhow.

Okay, I gotta go listen to the new K-Fed jam again. Now that's good music!!!

You took the part that once was my heart.

I meant to post these the other day in celebration of my best pal Ryan's birthday, since he's the one who hipped me to the jazz-vocal stylings of Rose Murphy. I'm not the biggest fan of jazz vocals, but hers are so quirky and cute and she makes strange noises and throws "chee chee" into everything and it makes me happy. Just like Ryan does.

Rose Murphy "Button Up Your Overcoat" (comp. Lew Brown/Buddy DeSylva/Ray Henderson)

Rose Murphy feat. Slam Stewart "All of Me" (comp. Gerald Marks/Seymour Simons)

People might say that I should strive for more, but I'm so happy I don't see the point.

T42 "Heartbreak Hotel" (Elvis Presley cover)
This is one of those rare tracks that I download, don't listen to right away and forget about completely. Then one day, it hits my shuffle play while I'm reading a magazine and I think, "What's this? Is it on that Anything Box album I downloaded a while back? It must be, because it doesn't sound like a cover." But no. Closer inspection (you can inspect things with your ears, right?) leads me to find it is in fact a cover. One that's so gloriously odd and amusing and dead-on in terms of achieving whatever it wants to achieve that I'm able to ignore any mediocrity within and revel in its mission. Especially when I learned that this dedicated synth duo was from Dallas, of all places. (And should not be confused with the Luxembourgian act of the same name. Hmm. Luxembourgian. Now there's a word I don't use very often.) I love that so many late-'80s synthpop acts I thought were European—e.g. Information Society, Anything Box, Cause & Effect, Book of Love [See Below]—weren't European in the least. What I also enjoy about this track is that it reminds me of a cover band named Situation Grey that was popular when I was in college. I hated Situation Grey with a passion, most likely, in retrospect, because I was in that requisite alt.grrrl anti-cover-band phase and jealous that they were so damned popular and were able to get good-paying gigs at frat parties and whatnot. Members of Situation Grey went onto to join/form bands I didn't hate, which also irked me. I'm over it now. Totally.

I Am the World Trade Center "Going Underground" (The Jam cover)
I had this whole spiel planned about how I think I missed my calling by not becoming an anorectic (I'd have to have a years-long bout of at least bulimia to get into cute little vintage dresses and the like) hipster who learned to play keyboards so I could monotonously, apathetically and somewhat off-key "sing" in an emo-synth band. Then I learned that the chick in this band is in remission from Hodgkin'’s Lymphoma and it didn't seem appropriate. Yeah.

Hi-Skool "Summer Nights" (from Grease)
For those who found Aqua's work to be a little too deep and melodic, have I got the track for you! This actually hit the charts a few years ago for a few weeks in Belgium, birthplace of the Smurfs. So no real surprises there.

Book of Love "Tubular Bells (Remix)" (Mike Oldfield cover, theme from The Exorcist)
Halloween's approaching and this was the only relevant track I could find on my hard drive in the three minutes I allotted myself toward the find-something-Halloweeny goal. I'm not used to this version that doesn't, unlike the track I wore out in high school that was on Sire's Just Say Yo compilation, mix right into BOL's "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls." But with the aid of vodka or whiskey, I'd certainly dance to it at a Halloween party.

All the world is a little town.

So, I finally grabbed that Q with the John Lennon cover (I chose Beatles-era John, although in retrospect I wish I'd have opted for older John) that mentions Copy, Right? and wouldn't you know that it came with one of Q's standard half-good/half-crap tribute CDs they like to add when some big anniversary comes up. Perfect.

Maximo Park "Isolation" (John Lennon cover)
Maximo Park (sorry for the umlaut deprivation) is one of my favorites of the whole new new-wave canon. This track is more a reimagination than a cover, in a way, and I like it because I like MP's little Wirey/Magaziney/Smithsy schtick. I could see a lot of people despising it, of course, but I'm just happy to see covers from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band rather than the same tired Beatles covers we always see. Or another godawful live version of "Imagine," which Madonna provides on the same CD—which you might have already suffered through if you, like me, subjected yourself to that Madonna documentary on MTV the other day.

Joseph Arthur "Look at Me" (John Lennon cover)
Another John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band track that I remember loving in high school. I've gone out of my way in the past to ignore Joseph Arthur, but I'm not certain why (okay, it might have had something to do with my aversion to Peter Gabriel) as I don't hate this track in the least.

He said, "Come on let's take a ride," and I said, "Okay!"

What can I say? I owe a big part of my music obsession to movies like Valley Girl and the new music I heard in the background of party scenes. My Flirts, Sparks and Felony LPs are a testament to that. And I'm still loving the copy of Josie Cotton's Convertible Music I bought for 49 cents a few weeks ago. Therefore, I dedicate today's tracks to the great racetrack-skirted Josie Cotton. (And her cover of "Tell Him" is still available in this post, but not for long!)

Josie Cotton "School is In" (Gary U.S. Bonds cover)
The school I went to never had bands play at dances like Josie did in the prom scene of Valley Girl, which is probably a good thing since the chances of getting someone as cool as Josie Cotton to play in Hammond, Indiana are slim to none.

Pansy Division "He Could Be the One" (Josie Cotton cover)
Oh, you had to know that Pansy Division loved them some Josie Cotton. I'm all for the creation of more all-gay punk acts. Seriously. And kudos to them for not going for "Johnny, Are You Queer?" That would've been too pat.

Screeching Weasel "Johnny, are You [Queer]?" (Josie Cotton cover)
I know the original is certainly not the most politically correct new wave song in the world [although most of the guys I liked in high school that pulled the same stuff on me most definitely eventually came out], but the title of this is listed as "Johnny, are You Weird?" on the SW album, and it confuses me as it surely sounds like they're saying "queer" in the actual track. What's up with that? I believe I once met one of the Weasels at SmartBar after a concert at the Metro and he was reading a book about Hegel and was very friendly to me. Boring story, I know.

Whenever I'm gone the strain is lighter.

The 27 Various "Whenever I'm Gone" (The Prisoners cover)
I am so in love with Rhino's new Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1995 box set. While it doesn't include many true covers, it's dedicated to acts covering the sound of the first psychedelic era (as featured on the Nuggets and Nuggets II box sets) and I love almost every track I've had the time to listen to thus far. The original version of this song is on the aforementioned Children of Nuggets box set; however, I must admit I like this cover better. Of course, I'm biased since I'm pretty much a fan of all things Ed Ackerson (The 27 Various, Antenna, Polara, etc.). And I'm not even from Minneapolis! The 27 Various were heavily influenced by the psychedelic era even when they began pushing toward a more shoegazey sound. And although long out of print, I still listen to their albums pretty frequently. [Insert another reference to the fact that I'm still freaking out about the Antenna reunion, among others, at the Musical Family Tree Fest here.] And I know it's a long shot, but no one out there would happen to have the first two 27 Various LPs Hi and Yes, Indeed, would they? Because I'd REALLY freak out if I could get a hold of those.

The 27 Various "Burned" (Buffalo Springfield cover/comp. Neil Young)
While I'm at it, why don't I include one more cover by the band I love that you probably couldn't care less about?

My middle name is not Jane.

Eenie Meenie Records has a new tribute album dedicated to the works of Bruce Haack and Esther Nelson and Dimension 5 Records called Dimension Mix, featuring a handful of your indie faves covering space-pop kids songs of which I was only very vaguely aware prior to this tribute. Go here to download Fantastic Plastic Machine's version of "I'm Bruce" and The Apples in Stereo's version of "Liza Jane." If you like what you hear, consider buying the album, as its proceeds go to Cure Autism Now. And you might as well check out the non-covers there as well. Might I recommend a little Space Needle? I was a fan back in the day.

Silly me, why haven't I found another?

I've seen links to this guy a few times over the past week, and my friend Mark just mentioned him as well, so I figure I should help to up his stats. This quirky Jonathan Coulton character is working on a cover album [or saying that he's working on a cover album whose working title mildy annoys me, but whatever], which will include covers of "Baby Got Back," which you can get here, and "Bills, Bills, Bills," which you can get in the intro currently on his main page. I prefer the latter, if for no other reason than I think there are already enough "Baby Got Back" covers in the world. Seriously. Well, that and I'm nostalgic for the days when Destiny's Child songs didn't paint them as submissive, gold-digging (okay, they gold-dig in "Bills," but at least they call the freeloaders out) idiots trying to convince us they'd ever date a gangster who wasn't already a multimillionaire rap star. [See "Soldier" and "Cater 2 U" for examples of DC songs I hate.]

Do you have another opinion?

Life Without Buildings "Pop Life" (Prince cover)
Uh. Um. Okay. I thought another Prince cover might be fun. I'm pretty sure I was wrong. Recommended to those who always found Bjork's voice a little too on-key, if said creatures exist. Other than that, it's not that bad. This came from a compilation from Homesleep Records, and this download page features a handful of the other covers, such as:

Midwest - "Pale Day" [originally performed by Motorpsycho]

Yuppie Flu -"Plainsong" [originally performed by Cure]

Giardini di Miro' feat. Julie's Haircut - "Floor Pile" [originally performed by Shannon Wright]

Mirabilia feat. Pete Bassman - "Walking With Jesus" [originally performed by Spacemen3]

The same page also offers a few tracks from Homesleep's Pavement tribute as well.

TV on the Radio "Mr. Grieves" (Pixies cover)
When it comes to tribute albums people tend to grab from me on my P2P of choice, those dedicated to the Pixies tend to be the most popular. This track that I like, of course, isn't on any of them, so too bad for them, eh?

Something Corporate "Just Like a Woman" (Bob Dylan cover)
Nobody feels any pain, huh? That's where you're wrong, Terrible Mainstream Post-Punk Band #967. That my ears somehow managed to refrain from bleeding while listening to this fucking shit is a miracle.

I just want your extra time and your ...

Age of Chance "Kiss" (Prince cover)
I got an e-mail from my pal Mikey yesterday asking me if I remembered a cover of "Kiss" from the '80s that wasn't by Art of Noise or Tom Jones but that he once had on 12-inch. Nothing besides the godawful Westlife version came to mind, but he rightfully shot that down. I made a mental note to look it up when I got home from work. But, hopefully, I won't have to now as I ransacked the 49-cent bin at the local used record shop tonight after work and serendipitously stumbled upon this gem:



Here's a choice quote, courtesy of the band's site: "“Prince'’s version is just the sound of cocktail glasses tinkling & wine bar small talk. We wanted to make a dance sound that represented iron foundries, civil unrest & motorway fatalities."” Heh. Awesome.

And, Mikey, if this indeed what you were requesting, you'll be pleased to know that I don't remember it. I think I was vaguely aware of their "Disco Inferno" cover, but not this one. (Speaking of, anyone who has an mp3 of that would please me muchly if he or she would send it my way.)

And I do like it. I've been revisiting Pop Will Eat Itself lately, and this track (and the cover art on their albums) definitely reminds me of PWEI (and maybe Big Audio Dynamite, Gang of Four and Human League as well). Yay for '80s covers that surprise me!

Fall is here, hear the yell.

I remember when "Fell in Love with a Girl" made it big on the radio and I kept thinking, "I can't believe music like this is on the radio." It just seemed odd to hear something so retro-yet-innovative right after the latest Nickelback hit. Similarly, when electroclash was enough of a presence to actually acquire the name "electroclash," I was shocked that so many people seemed into it. Not because it was all bad, mind you, but the opposite. Unfortunately, when two new things make it big, there are often big "you got your peanut butter in my chocolate/you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!" revelations made by second-rate producers that result in scary combinations like ElectroStripes: An Electro Tribute to the White Stripes. (And before anyone asks, yes, I'm also familiar with the Red Stripes' equally perplexing—but at the very least purposely tongue-in-cheek—efforts.) These types of mix-and-match tributes always reminds me of the early '90s when both flannel shirts and flouncy pirate shirts were in fashion and someone got the bright idea to make flannel flouncy pirate shirts. (Which I know because my mother bought me one thinking I'd like it. She didn't know any better.) But flannel just doesn't flounce, y'know? And a Chuck Taylor pump just doesn't have any practical use. And with that, here are today's tracks. At least they're short.

Satin and Circuits "Hotel Yorba" (White Stripes cover)

Sin-The-Tik feat. Commie 64 "We're going to Be Friends" (White Stripes cover)

Certainly not the average girl.

John Edwards "Tin Man" (America cover)
Much smoother than the original. I'd expect nothing less from an ex-Spinner.

Josie Cotton "Tell Him" (Exciters cover)
I found a copy of Josie Cotton's Convertible Music in the 49-Cent bin at my local used record shop. I was both excited (at the score) and disappointed (at the obvious lack of savvy of the pricers, as I'd have paid well more than that). Then again, I could see how I'd be the only person really interested in a run-of-the-mill new-wave pop act who made every song sound the same. But that racetrack mini-skirt she wore in Valley Girl was the most awesome thing I'd ever seen at the time.

Flaming Lips "Nobody Told Me" (John Lennon cover)
I always loved this song. Glad to see it being played live.

Of Montreal "She's My Best Friend" (Velvet Underground cover)
When your Apples in Stereo albums are too depressing, here comes Of Montreal to lighten your mood.

Dave "Gruber" Allen as Mr. Rosso "I'm Eighteen" (Alice Cooper cover)
Perhaps not as amusing to those who aren't hardcore Freaks and Geeks cult members such as myself, but this cheered me up today.

Sirenia "First We Take Manhattan" (Leonard Cohen cover)
Oh, goth metal! How you always forsake me.

Lena Zavaroni "Help Me Make it Through the Night" (comp. Kris Kristofferson)
Scottish Star-Search-caliber child superstar anorectic of the '70s and '80s. Um, yeah. There are many live snippets of songs like "She Works Hard for the Money" and "Desperado" to be found on this quite thorough fan site for those as sickly intrigued as I.

Jon Auer "Gold Star for Robot Boy" (Guided by Voices cover)
Hello, Posy, marry me.

Josh Rouse "It Don't Matter to Me" (Bread cover)
I was planning on posting something from the new Queen tribute album coming out in a few weeks (and I still may in the next day or two), but most are so godawful I'd rather post this sweet little track from one of my favorite sadly overlooked tribute albums of the year, Friends and Lovers: A Tribute to Bread. There are individual Posies on that one as well.

Who knows what tomorrow brings?

The Diskettes "How Bizarre" (OMC cover)
There are a slew of innocuous one-hit wonders that were big during my days as a music retail slut that I just can't hear without retching slightly at the thought of moron after moron clamoring for them. But there's something charming about this cute little Canadian doo-woppy indie band's version of this one that surprisingly doesn't make me want to shove pencils in my ears. Check out their site for many free downloads, including a cover of "Mr. Lee."

V/Vm "Up Where We Belong" (a remix that took so much, um, "work" that I'm calling it a cover)
While not technically a cover, as it's quite obviously just a mangled version of the original, I'm posting this for its intrigue factor. And when I say "intrigue," I mean it in the sense that we as human beings often tend to be curious about witnessing massacres, however bloody and horrific they might be.

A long way to go, a short time to get there.

Just a heads-up to all of the newer readers that it is never a prerequisite for me that the covers I post actually be good. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't. And it's all in the ear of the belistener, innit? So, without further ado...

Kiko & Deschezeaux "Rock Your Body" (Justin Timberlake cover)
Don't be so quick to walk away. No, scratch that: Run!!!

Supersuckers "Eastbound and Down" (Jerry Reed cover, although I don't think he was the first to record it)
As a kid, I must've seen Smokey and the Bandit about 100 times. Funny, all I really remember about it is this song. And that there was an elephant in the sequel.

Elmerhassel "Big Yellow Taxi" (Joni Mitchell cover)
Dear MOR postpunk kids: Not learning the lyrics (or purposely simplifying them for no good reason) of the hook of a song you're covering isn't cute. It's lazy.

They say in heaven love comes first.

Sheesh! I've been trying to log into Blogger for the past three hours to no avail. Therefore, I've no time for banter and have chosen to post the first three covers to hit my shuffle play:

Raz Ohara "Where is My Mind?" (Pixies cover)

Great White "Burning House of Love" (X cover)

Student Rick "Heaven is a Place on Earth" (Belinda Carlisle cover)

An afterlife for a silverfish.

The Last Town Chorus "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" (Culture Club cover)
God, this is pretty. I snagged this from their [her] site, where you can also find an equally wonderfully languid version of David Bowie's "Modern Love" along with a few originals. Say hello to your new favorite lap-steel dirges!

Antenna "Outdoor Miner" (Wire cover)
There was a time in my life (read: college) when many of the bands I was into—many of which were already defunct, even—had an Antenna connection: The Blake Babies, The 27 Various, Polara, The United States Three and so on. Even today bands like Rogue Wave are not even one degree of separation away. Even 90210's Brenda Walsh was with-it enough to have an Antenna flat on her dorm room wall in Minnesota. About now I'm freaking out with excitement because I get to relive my fervor for [at east partially] Indiana-based indie power pop at the Musical Family Tree Fest, which features an Antenna reunion! My best pal Ryan (who hooked me up with this B-Side, BTW) is driving up from Memphis, I'm driving down from Chicago and a weekend full of rocking and reminiscing shall ensue. Freaking. Out. And, I've said it before and I'll say it again, whether or not you spent any time in Indiana (or Minneapolis or Boston or wherever), if you're into obscure—and often excellent—free music, you'd be remiss not to take advantage of the immense catalog of offerings over at Musical Family Tree. And if you are in the area, there's no reason not to come out for some cheap and easy nostalgia.

Did I just sleep through my 15 minutes of fame?

So, which issue of Q mentions Copy, Right? I leafed through the issue with the Rolling Stones on the cover, but didn't see anything. If it is the Stones cover, what section is it in? Any info would be most appreciated because Q fucking rules!