Time To Vote: No, not in the general election, but for your favorite Cover Freak songs from the last year. In two weeks I’ll be celebrating another Cover Freak birthday with the annual Best Of post. Leave a comment or use the contact form to let me know what songs you’ve liked the best on Cover Freak between October 2011 and September 2012. I’ve never gotten ten submissions and I’ve always needed to fill in with my faves. I’d really like to dedicate this year’s post entirely to audience selections. Thanks in advance for your participation.

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Last week I went into my doctor’s office for a minor procedure that required me to be sedated. Although I’ve sedated myself plenty over the years with various substances, being sedated with medical-grade drugs was a new experience for me. And pretty much any new experience finds its way onto Cover Freak one way or another.

Full Blown Cherry “I Wanna Be Sedated” (The Ramones)
I really did want to be sedated. There was no way I wanted to be awake and alert given what was being done to me. It was a minor procedure but it would have been pretty unpleasant if I had been with it.

Ramones songs are so caveman simple that you can do pretty much anything with them. The rockabilly arrangement seems so natural.

The Zoot “I’m Only Sleeping” (The Beatles)
I wasn’t asleep, I had “conscious sedation” which left me able to respond to requests from my doctors. The idea creeps me out, I still wonder if they used the stuff like truth serum to get me to tell them my internet banking password.

This is a very tight arrangement that still manages to sound like a bunch of friends sitting around having fun. Which is not easy to do.

Richard Cheese “Relax” (Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
The point of the sedation was not to knock me out but to make me very relaxed. And it did a very good job of it.

Scissor Sisters “Comfortably Numb” (Pink Floyd)
I was quite comfortably numb. So comfortable in fact that I don’t remember anything that went on. I remember getting a pleasant rush as they administered the sedation and the next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery.

I just love the Bee Gees disco treatment on this one.

Spiers & Boden “Innocent When You Dream” (Tom Waits)
I don’t think I dreamed since I was awake. I think. Which is a pity since I try to take advantage of every opportunity I have to be innocent.

Tom Waits is truly one of our greatest living songwriters. This song is just beautiful, especially played on accordion and fiddle.