The New Kids
I’ve been made aware of two new cover blogs on the block. Same Old Tune posts cover videos on an almost daily basis. The Animals Run The Farm features mostly acoustic covers recorded in the author’s home studio. Check ’em out, there’s good stuff in both places.
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Tomorrow marks Labor Day, the official end of summer. Time to salute those among us that are still working. And so I present this tribute to work in all its forms and to the Labor Day holiday itself.
Rotary Connection “I Got My Mojo Working” (Muddy Waters)
All honest work is honorable. The best work is something you believe in that gives your life purpose and meaning. And I can’t think of anything more honorable or meaningful than working your mojo.
Stevie Wonder “We Can Work It Out” (The Beatles)
Every song Stevie Wonder sings sounds like a Stevie Wonder song regardless of who wrote it. Somebody needs to decode his secret formula so we can continue to have new Stevie Wonder songs after he passes on.
John Williamson “Why Don’t You Get A Job” (Offspring)
Jobs can be hard to find in the current economy but that’s no excuse for sloth.
Jeremy Kay “Overkill” (Men At Work)
A reggae song two weeks in a row. That’s gotta be a record for Cover Freak. I was looking around for a good Men At Work cover to celebrate the workingman’s holiday. I came across this one and I really liked it. I hope you do too.
Die Toten Hosen “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (comp. Rodgers and Hammerstein)
What Labor Day would be complete without Jerry Lewis, strung out on sleep deprivation and percodan, weeping as he sings this song? I don’t know what it’s like for kids today with their digital cable and their xboxes, but when I was growing up the Jerry Lewis telethon was a great excuse to stay up late. Of course you had to sit through lots of heavy guilt trips to get to the cool wacky unscripted stuff, but it was worth it.
But seriously folks, whatever you may think of Jerry Lewis (and I know that many people think that his telethon demeans the disabled), please consider contributing to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. It’s a very worthwhile cause.
I love the cover of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” so much I’d want to marry it . . . if I didn’t already have an awesome husband who might introduce me to another song I love even more.
For the record, Monday is NOT the official end of summer, that comes Sept 21/22. Labor Day is the emotional end of summer, but here in Michigan we tend to get STUNNING weather for September and much of Oct.
Wow. Is Jerry Lewis really still doing his telethons? I haven’t seen it in years. I remember watching it non-stop also, although I never remember any particularly good reason why.
Amen on the Men at Work cover. Outstanding.
A reggae cover of a heavily reggae-influenced group, isn’t it slightly cheating? ;)
Anyway, the covers by Williamson and the Toten Hosen are really nice.
Back to the Men at Work subject, if you haven’t already, you should listen to Colin Hay’s “Man @ Work” album, it includes some nice acoustic covers of his previous work with the band.
I’ve never thought of Men At Work as being especially reggae-influenced, although I’m not real familiar with their music beyond their radio/video hits. They’ve always seemed more like a pop band to me.
I’ve heard the version of “Overkill” from the Man @ Work album and I like it. I’ll have to track down the rest of the album. The album does raise an existential question for the proprietor of a cover blog. If Colin Hay wrote the songs and recorded them with his band, can you really consider the new recordings covers? Discuss.
Glad you liked it Jeff.
Well I’m not good enough in music dissection to tell where the reggae part resides, but I always find it quite striking when I listen to their albums.
Maybe it’s in the rhythms or in Hay’s phrasing, I really can’t tell.
On the “true covers” subject, I guess it doesn’t really matter if the song is good :)
I love Mrs C. Freak’s comment this week about marrying a song.
I want to marry songs too! I would marry one every week and have lots of little bridesmaid songs too!