Cover Freak

I should probably have some grand overarching theme to end the year but I don’t. Life’s like that sometimes.

30 Seconds to Mars “Stronger” (Kanye West)
Being an old white guy, Kanye West is pretty much off my radar. I’ve heard of him and I know he’s from Chicago and that his mother was killed by an incompetent plastic surgeon.

I had never heard any of his music before I found this song, so I downloaded the original to find out if this cover was different enough to post. The cover is almost unrecognizable, which is good because I hated the original.

Tortoise and Bonnie “Prince” Billy “Thunder Road” (Bruce Springsteen)
Bruce Springsteen is another in a long line of popular artists whose appeal has completely eluded me. There are some covers of his songs that I enjoy, like this one. I’ve even considered doing a post of Springsteen covers but I just don’t like him enough.

This is a slow, almost meditative version that puts a lot of emphasis on the lyrics. That’s probably why I like it.

Tricky “Love Cats” (The Cure)
A very slinky, sexy take on a song I never thought I’d ever want to hear again.

Hanson “Never Been To Spain” (Three Dog Night)
I was shocked to hear how loose and funky Hanson could be. Yes, I just used “Hanson” and “funky” in the same sentence. I think that’s one of the signs of the Apocalypse.

The Puppini Sisters “Crazy In Love” (Beyonce Knowles)
Have you ever wondered what it would sound like if the Andrews Sisters worked with Beyonce’s songwriters? Well, now you know. There’s a nice violin solo in there too.

On Thursday I’ll be doing a guest post over at Covering The Mouse. Check it out!

I did a Christmas post last year and it was the least popular post I’ve ever done. I had pretty much decided that I have no feel for Christmas music and wasn’t going to do it this year. Then a song came my way that changed my mind.

Esquivel “White Christmas”
It’s the wacky sort of arrangement you’ve come to expect from my boy Esquivel. From the album Merry Xmas from the Swinging Bachelor Pad.

Hyperbubble “Away In A Manger”
A very funny electronic version of a song that I’ve always heard sung like a funeral dirge.

Rotary Connection “Silent Night Chant”
It’s not all that silent, what with the loud fuzzed-out guitar and the chanting. They sound like the house band on any 70s anti-drug film.

The Odds “We Three Kings”
This is a great modern rock song, regardless of the holiday theme. This is what every Christmas song should sound like.

Ozzy Osbourne and Jessica Simpson “Winter Wonderland”
This is so wrong on so many different levels that I just had to post it. Special thanks to Phoneman Darth for giving me the video that this song comes from. I shudder to think what the rest of this TV Christmas special must have been like.

The older I get, the more I like Prince. He really is a brilliant songwriter, regardless of how weird he may seem. And seriously, Prince is like the boy next door compared to a freakshow like Michael Jackson .

The Art of Noise feat. Tom Jones “Kiss”
You’ve probably heard this one already but it’s a fantastic song. It also introduced Tom Jones to a whole new generation of urban hipsters and started the second phase of his career.

Hindu Love Gods “Raspberry Beret”
The Hindu Love Gods were REM with Warren Zevon singing instead of Michael Stipe. They turn Prince’s little pop tune into a muscular rock song.

Mitch Ryder “When You Were Mine”
This is probably my favorite Prince song. I just love the line about how you didn’t have the decency to change the sheets. I posted the very excellent version of this song by Tegan and Sara back in April, so here’s Mitch Ryder giving it the Detroit rock treatment.

Damien Rice “When Doves Cry”
When you ponder the idea of a medley of “When Doves Cry” and Led Zeppelin’s “Baby I’m Gonna Leave You” it seems completely absurd. But when you hear it, it works perfectly.

Basix With Sopranos From Herning Boys Choir “Purple Rain”
There’s some incredibly pretty singing on this one.

I grew up on heavy metal. Now that I’m an old fart I still enjoy the songs, but with a slightly different style.

The Cardigans “Iron Man” (Black Sabbath)
A tremendously heavy song is turned into a pleasant piece of Scandanavian pop music.

Hellsongs “Breaking The Law” (Judas Priest)
The singer for Judas Priest very bravely faced career suicide by coming out of the closet. But was it really a surprise given his leatherman outfits?

This is from the brilliantly titled CD Hymns In The Key Of 666.

Pat Boone “Holy Diver” (Dio)
This song is so overblown and grandiose that it just begs for the big Vegas treatment. It also makes me think that someday we’ll see Ronnie James Dio doing two shows a night at the Sands.

Pastel Vespa “I Was Made For Loving You” (KISS)
Back in the day concerned parents said the KISS stood for Kids In Satan’s Service. Those were simpler, more innocent times. Now Gene Simmons has his own “reality” TV show to feed his fame-whore tendencies and doesn’t seem nearly so threatening.

I really like the mariachi horn section on this one.

Flat Pack “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (Guns N’ Roses)
This song’s a disco-tronic dance extravaganza that sounds amazingly similar to “Situation” by Yaz. Somebody should be suing somebody.

Have you ever found yourself in the mood for some sophisticated pop music? That’s my mood this week so that’s what I’m posting.

Dinah Washington “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby?” (Louis Jordan)
I don’t post a lot of remixes, but this song just slays me. This comes to us from the first Verve Remixed CD.

Bell “Moon River” (Audrey Hepburn)
I know nothing about Bell but I do like the breezy arrangement. I thought about posting Morrisey’s version but it’s nine minutes long, which is about six minutes longer than it really needs to be.

Terry Hill & Marijne “Dream A Little Dream” (Frankie Laine)
My wife used to sing this song to our daughter at bedtime. It was very sweet until our daughter started asking me to sing her songs at bedtime. There aren’t a whole lot of songs I know the words to that are appropriate for a two-year-old. I eventually ended up singing her “The Sad Milkman” by the Handsome Family and “Doctor Worm” by They Might Be Giants. So far she doesn’t seem any worse for the experience.

The Jody Grind “It Ain’t Necessarily So” (comp. George and Ira Gershwin)
This band features the vocals of Kelly Hogan, one of my favorite singers. She also tends bar at the Hideout, my favorite bar. If you ever get the chance, tip her generously.

Gary Schneider “Indian Love Call” (Nelson Eddy)
Early in Cover Freak’s history I posted Mr. Schneider’s version of “Green Tambourine.” He tracked me down (I never asked how, I just assumed that he googled himself) and we started corresponding. He wound up sending me a CD that he recorded in his living room, from which I chose this song to share. Mr. Schneider gives it a swinging lounge treatment on his organ.