It's been quite a while since the previous Covers mix, over a year in fact. I was wondering about doing another one when I stumbled onto the above photo of Brenda Spencer whilst Tori Amos' version of I Don't Like Mondays was playing and took it as a sign that the time was right. It turns out that might not actually be the case!
Brenda Spencer was the 16 year old girl who went on a shooting spree at a school in 1979 the inspiration for The Boomtown Rats' most famous song. After being asked why she shot those people she simply replied: "I don't like Mondays".
I did wonder about postponing this blog for a week or two following the shooting in Las Vegas this week as it might seem to be in poor taste. I decided against it in the end as it's just a little unfortunate in its timing and only has a passing connection to that awful incident anyway. No offense is at all intended and my apologies if you take it that way.
Cheers
Luke
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Tracklisting
Tori Amos - I Don't Like Mondays
The Bastard Suns - Walk Of Life
The Wildhearts - The World Comes Tumbln'
Rollins Band - Four Sticks
The Birthday Massacre - From Out Of Nowhere
Frenzal Rhomb - Home And Away
The Wannadies - Lee Remick
Stiff Little Fingers - The Message
Periphery - One
Strung Out - Bark At The Moon
Neko Case - Misfire
Toehider - Theme From M.A.S.K.
Leo Moracchioli - No Limit
Jeff Buckley - Drown In My Own Tears (Live)
Katatonia - Nightmares By The Sea
Nitocris - I Love Rock And Roll
W.A.S.P. - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
Slayer - Born To Be Wild
Streetlight Manifesto - Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
Muncie Girls - The Wicker Man
Left Side Brain - Severed
Frank Turner - My Poor Friend Me
Tricky - Pop Muzik
Muse - Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
You can download the mix HERE if you like. read my collection of blurbings below if you want to know who originally performed the songs and that.
If you're interested, here are the previous two Cover Mix Blogs:
Covers Vol. 1 - Such Great Heights
Covers Vol. 2- Come Out And Play
Tori Amos - I Don't Like Mondays
Originally by The Boomtown Rats
The Bastard Suns - Walk Of Life
Originally by Dire Straits
Brothers In Arms was the first album I ever owned and Walk Of Life was one of my favourite songs on it. Partly because it was a great song but also because, teehee, people fell over a lot in the video. This Is a really good version of it, This eclectic Ska-Punk band definitely put their own spin on it but it remains close enough to the original as to be just as singalong. Dooodoo, Diddloodidoo dooodoo. Woohoo!
The Wildhearts - The World Comes Tumblin'Originally by The Distillers
To be honest there's not a whole lot of difference between this cover and the original, besides the obvious male/female vocals, but this vitriolic slice of angry Punk with its catchy chorus fits right into The Wildhearts' repertoire that it may as well be one of their own.
Rollins Band - Four SticksOriginally by Led Zeppelin
Originally by Faith No More
Originally by Karen Boddington & Mark Williams
For years I've maintained that this horrendously catchy theme tune warranted an upgrade and a chance as a proper song., I just wasn't expecting it to be by these obnoxious Aussie Punks. They do a fine job though. All together now "Closer each daaay, bum bum, Home and Awaaay".
The Wannadies - Lee RemickOriginally by The Go-Betweens
The Wannadies were a great band with a slew of quality albums and singles, all of which get overlooked because of You And Me Song, their big single in the mid 90's which is a shame. This song was originally a B-side on Might Be Stars and for ages, I didn't realise it was a cover as this sprightly love song dedicated to the classic actress fits perfectly with their cheery, whimsical Indie Rock.
Stiff Little Fingers - The MessageOriginally by Grandmaster Flash
I love a ridiculously unlikely cover and they don't come much more unlikely than these Irish Punk legends tackling this classic by the king of Proto-Hip Hop. I wasn't expecting this song to be this song the first time I heard as I didn't know that was its title. Once I realised it made me laugh (out loud) It's a really great version and works so well. It's one of my all-time favourite covers now
Periphery - OneOriginally by Metallica
One of the leading names in modern Djent bash out an adequate cover of the Thrash Metal classic. Their version sticks to the original blueprint but the riffs are more djugga djugga than chugga chugga and, thankfully, Spencer Sotelo sings it in his own style rather than trying to ape James Hetfield so it works alright. Darkness! Imprisoning me!
Strung Out - Bark At The MoonOriginally by Ozzy Osbourne
This Ozzy classic has been a live staple of this technical Punk band's live set for a long time now, I saw them in about 2003 or so and I'm pretty sure they played it then too. The original is a classic and they handle it admirably. It's obviously faster and a bit heavier, I especially like the galloping guitar riff that underlays the solo
Neko Case - MisfireOriginally by Queen
Probably not the most well-known of Queen songs (it's buried in the second half of their third album, Sheer Heart Attack) but it's one I've always been fond of and Neko puts a fun, jangly Country spin on it. On the face of it's a simple song about hoping love goes right but with all the talk of love guns and misfiring I can't help but wonder if it's about impotence?
Toehider - Theme From M.A.S.K.Originally by Nick Carr
80's cartoons had all the best theme tunes: Transformers, Thundercats, Inspector Gadget, Trap Door, Masters Of The Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are all iconic classics. A jewel among jewels though is the amazing theme of M.A.S.K. Catchy, anthemic and full of nonsensical lyrics. This Australian Progressive Metal band beef it up considerably and it's glorious.
Leo Moracchioli - No LimitOriginally by 2 Unlimited
This Norwegian chap has made a considerable name for himself on Youtube by reimagining Pop classics as Metal anthems and he's good at his job. I'd narrowed down what song to include to about half a dozen but, in the end, I opted for No Limit as it's the most joyously ridiculous.
Jeff Buckley - Drown In My Own Tears (Live)Originally by Ray Charles
This bluesy lament was from the excellent live double album Live At Sin-é that not only showcased what a talent Jeff was but also his mischievous, charming personality too. I've also included the little monologue about finding somewhere to sit at intimate little gigs like this one. I'd have loved to see what he'd have become had his life not been cut so short.
One of the first blogs I ever did was a Best Of Jeff Buckley. You can find it HERE
Katatonia - Nightmares By The SeaOne of the first blogs I ever did was a Best Of Jeff Buckley. You can find it HERE
Originally by Jeff Buckley
It's only fitting that I follow Jeff Buckley covering someone's song with someone covering Jeff Buckley's song, in this case, it being Swedish Doom Metallers, Katatonia. Jeff and Jonas are among my favourite vocalists, both have very different styles but also masters at conveying sorrow and misery. I've always loved the Lovecraftian feel to this song and I think this version has a slightly increased sense of creepiness to it.
Nitocris - I Love Rock And RollOriginally by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
I only included one of Nitocris' original songs a couple of blogs ago but I also wanted to use this cover by the Aussie Punk/Grunge band so you get two in quickish succession. Never mind. It's not too different to the original, a bit faster and has a bit more bite to it. I was among the very many who thought she saw him stood by the wrecking machine too
W.A.S.P. - Saturday Night's Alright For FightingOriginally by Elton John
I don't imagine Elton John, even in his youth, got into that many bar fights though it's something I would love to see. W.A.S.P. at least had a slightly dangerous edge to them to make it a bit more believable. Despite looking equally as ridiculous as Elton.
Slayer - Born To Be WildOriginally by Steppenwolf
This seems like another bizarrely unlikely pairing but, unlike Stiff Little Fingers, I don't think this one works particularly well. Tom Araya's vocals aren't really designed for melody and he sounds a bit monotonous on this song Still, it's interesting and I include it more as a peculiarity as much as anything else.
Streetlight Manifesto - Me And Julio Down By The SchoolyardOriginally by Paul Simon
This thoughtful, articulate Ska-Punk band released an album of covers in 2010 and this Paul Simon track was one of the highlights. It's a fun and lively singalong that's a vague tale of two boys doing something, possibly drugs or even, gasp, same-sex relations and one of their mothers reporting them to the police. I assume that's who Mama Pyjama and the Queen of Korona are. I'm not 100% Paul wasn't off his face when he wrote it either.
Muncie Girls - The Wicker ManOriginally by Iron Maiden
The Wicker Man is a latter-day Iron Maiden song that sounds like it's an old classic and here it gets an interesting Indie Rock makeover by this trio from Exeter. It's quite obviously different from the original and, while it's still too Iron Maideny a song to ever be truly made their own by anyone, Muncie Girls have a decent bash at it.
Left Side Brain - SeveredOriginally by Kerbdog
I've broken my golden rule of cover versions here by including one that's almost identical to the original. Given that Kerbdog are a huge influence on this Bristolian band anyway it's to be expected but, apart from a slight vocal change and a bit more punch to the guitars, it's just the same. Still, I've included it for 3 reasons: 1) I like Left Side Brain a lot 2) it's a great song and 3) It's nice to see a band like Kerbdog appreciated every now and then. That said, this was taken from an entire tribute album dedicated to them, a tribute album that also featured....
Frank Turner - My Poor Friend MeOriginally by Bad Religion
I guess it would have been appropriate to follow Left Side Brain with Frank's version of Kerbdog's Sally but, to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of his version so I didn't want to. So there. My Poor Friend Me however, I AM a fan of. It's one of my favourite Bad Religion songs and Frank's version is dramatically different but really, really good. He swaps out the Melodic Punk for a poignant, old school Folk approach and it works fantastically well. I think the fact that it's a "By, my life is shit" type song helps too.
Tricky - Pop MuzikOriginally by M
I'm sure you'll know M's original of this from 1979 but Tricky turns that cheesy 70's synth anthem into a sneering, malevolent and atmospheric piece of Trip Hop. DJ Muggs (off of Cypress Hill) provides some effective looped beats for good measure. It's almost 20 years old now but still sounds amazing.
Muse - Please Please Please Let Me Get What I WantOriginally by The Smiths
It seems odd to be including a Muse song that's less than 2 minutes long but that's what we've got with this cover of one of The Smith's many classics. I would imagine that Morrisey isn't much of a fan of Muse, they seem the sort of band that would offend him in some capacity. He gets offended a lot. I'm almost certain that I'd offend him.
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