Sound Opinions, being the scholarly work it is, has provided footnotes to help you navigate through the show's vast maze of musical knowledge.
Because, let's face it—sometimes even we have no idea what the heck Jim and Greg are talking about.
|
|
|
| Songs featured in this episode |
|
|
Join the Mailing List
|
|
|
| Contact Us |
|
|
|
|
|
|
06-01-07 Footnotes
Listen to the MP3 Stream: (link)
Download the Podcast: (Download the MP3)
1 In the age of karaoke and “American Idol,” it’s easy to forget how great a cover song can be. But, as Jim and Greg discuss, an artist’s interpretation of someone else’s song can often be better than the original. In those cases, the performer brings passion and a new spin to a song. During the course of the show, Jim and Greg run down their picks for best cover songs:
Greg
Isaac Hayes’ cover of “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” by Jimmy Webb
Richard Thompson’s cover of “Oops…I Did It Again,” by Britney Spears
The Clash’s cover of “Police On My Back,” by The Equals
Tricky’s cover of “Black Steel” (“Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”) by Public Enemy
Jim
The Byrds’ cover of “Mr. Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan
John Cale’s cover of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen
Husker Du’s cover of “Eight Miles High,” by The Byrds
The Kingsmen’s cover of “Louie, Louie” by Richard Berry
2 On Sound Opinions everyone is a critic, so our hosts have invited listeners to share their favorite cover songs:
Ian: Bauhaus’ cover of “Ziggy Stardust” by David Bowie
Scott: Johnny Cash’s cover of “Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode
Jim: Slayer’s cover of “In A Gadda Da Vida” by Iron Butterfly
Christine: The Sundays’ cover of “Wild Horses,” by the Rolling Stones
For an even longer list of noteworthy cover songs, go to the thread on the Sound Opinions Message Board.
3 The inspiration for this show’s theme came from the recent release of three new albums that all celebrate the art of the cover song. Jim and Greg take on all three to see how they fare on the Buy It, Burn It, Trash It rating system.
3a First up is Bryan Ferry’s new collection of Bob Dylan covers. Ferry is one of rock’s quintessential cover artists, having brought his own spin to songs like “Jealous Guy” and “Like a Hurricane.” In fact, Dylanesque is the former Roxy Music front man’s fifth covers album. But, this time around, Jim and Greg don’t think that Ferry fares as well. Greg explains that he isn’t really taking the songs anywhere new, though he appreciates how Ferry has keyed into the strengths of Dylan’s melodies. He gives it a Burn It. Jim was also disappointed in Dylanesque, but thinks that fans of Ferry should definitely Burn It.
3b Patti Smith is another artist who is known for her ability to do a great cover song. Early on in her career she did successful rendition of songs like Van Morrison’s “Gloria” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Because the Night.” Now she has a collection of cover songs called Twelve. Jim thinks there are many “interesting” covers on this album, but interesting doesn’t necessarily mean good. Patti Smith is still a vital artist though, so Jim recommends listeners sample her versions of famous songs. Greg is also a big Patti Smith fan, so it pains him to say that most of the songs on Twelve are poor and predictable. He shocks Jim and Sound Opinions H.Q. with a Trash It rating.
3c The last album up for review is A Tribute to Joni Mitchell. On this album, tracks penned by the famous songwriter are performed by Prince, Sufjan Stevens, James Taylor and Elvis Costello among others. Greg explains that Mitchell is a difficult artist to cover, and with the exception of singers like Caetano Veloso, many of the artists on this tribute just simply aren’t good enough to tackle her work. Jim agrees, noting that all of the artists on the album are on the Nonesuch roster. He predicts that the record would have been stronger if more obscure performers were chosen. Therefore A Tribute to Joni Mitchell gets two Burn Its.
Songs Featured in Show #79
Bryan Ferry, “Simple Twist of Fate,” Dylanesque, 2007
Patti Smith, “The Boy in the Bubble,” Twelve, 2007
Caetano Veloso, “Dreamland,” A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, 2007
Glen Campbell, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” By the Time I Get to Phoenix, 1968
Isaac Hayes, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” Hot Buttered Soul, 1969
Bob Dylan, “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Bringing It Back Home, 1965
The Byrds, “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Mr. Tambourine Man, 1965
Bauhaus, “Ziggy Stardust,” 1979-1983, 1985
Johnny Cash, “Personal Jesus,” American IV: The Man Comes Around, 2003
John Cale, “Hallelujah,” Fragments of a Rainy Season, 1992
Richard Thompson, “Oops! I Did It Again,” 1000 Years of Popular Music, 2003
The Equals, “Police on My Back,” First Among Equals: The Greatest Hits, 1995
The Clash, “Police on My Back,” Sandanista!, 1980
The Byrds, “Eight Miles High,” Fifth Dimension, 1966
Husker Du, “Eight Miles High,” 7 Inch Wonders of the World, 1985
Slayer, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” Less Than Zero, 1987
The Sundays, “Wild Horses,” Blind, 1992
Public Enemy, “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos,” It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, 1988
Tricky, “Black Steel,” Maxinquaye, 1995
Richard Berry, “Louie, Louie,” The Best of Louie Louie, 1983
The Kingsmen, “Louie, Louie,” Kingsmen in Person, 1963
Devo, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, 1978
Roxy Music, “Like a Hurricane,” High Road, 1983
Bryan Ferry, “Baby Let Me Follow You Down,” Dylanesque, 2007
Patti Smith, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Twelve, 2007
Prince, “A Case of You,” A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, 2007
Rhianna, “Umbrella,” 2007
Rush, “Far Cry” Snakes & Arrows, 2007
Pantera, “Cowboys From Hell,” Cowboys From Hell, 1990
R. Kelly, “The Zoo,” Double Up, 2007
|
|
