It’s My Party: Two weeks from now I’ll be celebrating the second anniversary of Cover Freak. I’ll be marking the occasion with another best-of post. So feel free to browse the archives and let me know if there are any songs from the last twelve months that you’d like reposted.

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I’ve been really stressed out lately. I got a massage on Thursday and my longtime massage therapist told me that she’d never seen me that tense. So I need to listen to some smooth calming music to help take the edge off.

Eldissa “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (Frankie Valli)
Empty out a pineapple, fill it with rum, and dig that bossa nova beat.

The Johnny Mann Singers “Heart Full Of Soul” (The Yardbirds)
Something about the whole sound of this song makes me think of the Dick Van Dyke Show. It’s what I think Rob and Laura would be listening to on their hi-fi while sipping highballs after Richie went to bed.

Karen Souza “Creep” (Radiohead)
A couple of weeks ago I posted a ska version of this tune. The fact that it works just as well as a cool jazz number is a testament to what an incredibly well-written song it is. My wife recently informed me that it’s one of her favorites. Given the lyrics I wonder if I need to be concerned.

Prozac For Lovers “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (Joy Division)
This is one of those covers that’s so perfect that you can’t imagine the song being done any other way. It’s always been a loungy bossa nova song. The guys in Joy Division just plain got the song wrong.

Don Costa “Nice Work If You Can Get It” (Fred Astaire)
Don Costa is best known as Frank Sinatra’s arranger and conductor during the late 60s and early 70s. He was apparently the person who convinced Sinatra to record “Bad Bad Leroy Brown.” I picked up the LP Echoing Voices And Trombones at the late great Record Roundup. I got it for my brother-in-law who plays the trombone. He said he liked it but I think he was just being polite.