Tune du Jour: “New York, New York” – Liza Minnelli
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Skanatra vs. Reel Big Fish vs. The Fuzztones
VOTE, COMMENT, then TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE
CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog
The Original
Liza Minnelli:
Definitive Cover
Frank Sinatra:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Skanatra vs. Reel Big Fish vs. The Fuzztones
Skanatra:
Reel Big Fish:
The Fuzztones:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On!??!
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
This song… It serves its purpose, but it’s not something you ever deliberately cue up to listen to. And Sinatra has made this song his own, so much so, that it’s pointless for anyone else to even try to cover it.
Skanatra’s version was tedious. Their ska beat is so generic, as was the Jamaican patois. It felt like, if you asked Chat GPT or AI to “create a ska version of New York, New York”, this is what would come out.
Reel Big Fish had nice harmonies, but I dunno… doing this song seemed so pointless. As I get older, my tolerance for this kinda bland mediocre stuff wears thin.
The Fuzztones version, when it began, immediately reminded me of Rock the Casbah. I liked this version best, but still… I’d never listen to it again.
With most of my family originating from NY, this song has been played at every family wedding and major event for decades. Thus it holds a special place in my heart.
Ironically I am currently on a flight to NYC as I type this.
The Fuzztones had the most interesting take on the song and thus got my vote. When I first vetted the song I had Fuzzbox in mind so I was puzzled by the male vocals. Never heard of The Fuzztones before. Pretty good sound.
Don’t care for the Reel Big Fish version.
The Fuzztones changed the lyrics so much, it no longer counts as a cover.
Didn’t find much to get excited about today. Never been a Sinatra fan.
Skanatra wins by default, even though they slipped a little something into the lyrics. I had to back it up to make sure I heard it right.
Initially I was impressed by the a cappella rendering by Reel Big Fish. Maybe if it ended around the two minute mark but it became tedious after a while then I couldn’t wait for it to end. First time through I was set to pick The Fuzztones for their very different take but after hearing all versions again I chose Skanatra. I was surprised to learn that Sinatra did his version in 1979. It seems to have always been around. I assumed it was much older.
I really don’t like this song. Just don’t think it’s very good. Fuzztones version gets props for sounding least like the original. But it’s dlep pretty good on its own merit.