Tune du Jour: “Dancing Queen” – ABBA
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Milo Binder vs. Redd Kross vs. Robbie Fulks
VOTE, COMMENT, then TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE
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The Original
ABBA:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Not a song that I generally like, but damn it there are some additional great and interesting covers out there. We will definitely revisit this song.
Milo Binder vs. Redd Kross vs. Robbie Fulks
Yes, you’ll notice this video is from an outdated post. I was just too lazy to update it.
Milo Binder:
Redd Kross:
Robbie Fulks:
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 
There are some songs that are so good that most cover versions sound decent simply because the song itself is so darn great. Dancing Queen is not one of those songs.
I confess: ABBA is a guilty pleasure. But Milo Bender’s version is awful, and I didn’t like Robbie Fulks’s version either. Slowing it down, playing it earnestly, and trying to have us appreciate the merits of the song’s lyrics won’t work here. It’s just not that worthy.
I gave it to Redd Kross. They do a pretty decent rockin’ version. And speaking of covers… their version of Citadel by the Rolling Stones is pretty darn great. I heard it on a compilation album over 30 years ago and it stayed in my head.
Redd Kross knocks out a fine rock version of this song. Bet it would be great fun to see them do it live.
Robbie knocks out an earnest effort. Wish the audience didn’t laugh so much. It really distracted from the effort. His guitar work at the end almost earned my vote.
Milo Binder’s version is one of my favorite covers of all time. He takes a song that I hated through the years and somehow turns it into something that sounds meaningful. He gets my vote.
Hard to beat Milo Bender’s cover which I have known forever. One of the original flip the ding covers. Take pop cheese and sell it as singer/songwriter. Brilliant! Red Kross were soo good on this too. Surprising as I rarely like them as much as I’m supposed to. Robbie Fulks is so good that his fine rendition does not show how varied and impressive he is. Got 6 of his recordings and seen him live 4 times. Band, solo, smart, funny, sincere, songs as deep and nuanced as John Prine. In a better world he would be well known.
I’ve got some nice mp3s of Robbie with Kelly Hogan. They make for a great duet.
I like the Milo Binder version in that he’s obviously doing it tongue-in-cheek, but it’s in a restrained way, and he’s not layin’ it on too thick. He probably deserved my vote, and I see he won the voting by a large margin.
I don’t know who Redd Kross is. They offered a sped up version with electric guitar and drums, but I wasn’t tempted to vote for ’em.
Robbie Fulks is one of my favorite artists, especially among those who are still alive and touring. This is him casually goofin’ off and not his finest, but I had to vote for him.
All 3 covers are better than the original. I went with Redd Cross because their version exceeded expectations the most.