Tune du Jour: “Whole Wide World” – Wreckless Eric
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: The Monkees vs. The Proclaimers vs. The Wedding Present vs. Cage the Elephant
VOTE, COMMENT, then PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK
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The Original
Criminally underappreciated song by a criminally underappreciated artist. Love Wreckless Eric. Unfathomable why he didn’t become another of a long line of Stiff Records’ stars.
Eric actually did have a string of hit singles and lucrative record sales in Europe for a spell. Unfortunately, his sleezy manager stole all of the profits. Left Eric penniless. At one point he had to pawn his guitar for food money! Gradually he got back on his feet. I had a chance to chat with Eric years back. Really nice guy! I mentioned his manager and how awful it was that he stole all of the money. Eric had this to say on the subject (I’m paraphrasing): ‘You know, my good friend Ian Dury made a lot of money and he spent it all on drugs, which finally killed him. If I had gotten my money I probably would have done the same and thus, would also be dead by now. So, all in all, I’m good with how it worked out.’ Interesting take. Hopefully he’s still content and doing well.
And I truly hope he still has this sportin’ insect jacket!
Wreckless Eric:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
I know. I know. I am breaking protocol. But unprecedented action seemed required. I narrowed my research down to four interesting covers and I just could not seem to cut one of them. They all seemed to deserve consideration. It was further necessary in that there were not enough other quality covers to do an additional post of the song down the line. And so it goes …
The Monkees vs. The Proclaimers vs. The Wedding Present vs. Cage the Elephant
The Monkees:
The Proclaimers:
The Wedding Present:
Cage the Elephant:
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 
Ridiculously difficult decision. Liked The Wedding Present’s take the least. Sped it up too much. It came down to The Proclaimers and Cage the Elephant. Love the way the singer of Cage the Elephant rocks out and love the violin section. But in the end I had to go with my old favorites, The Proclaimers. Can’t get enough of those Scottish accents!
Liked the Caged Elephant version. But preferred the song faster. The Wedding Present it is.
I thought the Torkless Monkees were lame. All studio finery and no character. I thought I would likely vote Proclaimers after their fine rendition featuring those great Scottish accents. Been watching this great TV production Dept Q from Scotland so a bonus point for them. I like The Wedding Present and their effort I enjoyed but speeding it up takes away from the dynamic so important to the original. I voted Cage The Elephant. They nailed it! My favorite ever performance was from the film Stranger Than Fiction when Maggie Gyllenhaal finds Will Ferrell with a/her guitar and asks if he can play it. He says I can play one song then plays Whole Wide World tenderly to her astonishment. That’s how I recall it anyway.
I remember that movie. I was shocked when Will Ferrell started playing Whole Wide World.
I’m an unabashed fan of The Monkees, and figured I’d likely vote for them. Not bad, but not enough for the win.
The Wedding Present sped it up, but it didn’t improve it any.
I voted Cage The Elephant, although I don’t know who they are. They were helped along by the video.
I listened to the Monkees version first, and I liked it a lot. I’m a Monkees fan and I figured this will be the winner. Then I listened to The Proclaimers and man, it was close. But still the Monkees. Then came The Wedding Present. Too fast, mediocre vocals. Well, I ended up going with Cage The Elephant. No idea who they are, but I think they do a great version here.