Tune du Jour: “Burned” – Buffalo Springfield
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Teenage Fanclub vs. Wilco vs. Walter Clevenger and The Dairy Queens vs. Veruca Salt
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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It angers me to no end when someone has the gall to suggest that Neil was not the definitive creative genius behind Buffalo Springfield. The rest of the band could sing and play but simply did not have the creative chops to write the kind of lyrics and deliver those lyrics in such a unique way as Neil, which is what made this band a powerhouse. Evidence? “Broken Arrow”, “Burned”, Do I Have To Come Right Out And Say It?”, “Down to the Wire”, “Expecting to Fly”, “Flying on the Ground is Wrong”, “I Am a Child”, “Mr. Soul”, “On the Way Home” … Enough said! This band would simply not have been considered great, let alone wildly influential, without Neil’s brilliance and creativity!!!
The Original
Buffalo Springfield:
Interesting Acoustic Take
Neil Young:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Teenage Fanclub vs. Wilco vs. Walter Clevenger and The Dairy Queens vs. Veruca Salt
Teenage Fanclub:
Wilco:
Walter Clevenger and The Dairy Queen:
Little known excellent cover! Sort of an exclusive on Cover Me Impressed …
Veruca Salt:
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 
I hadn’t heard this song in ages, so it was a real treat this morning. I’m a Teenage Fanclub fan, and I liked their version. Pretty solid. Walter Clevenger and the Dairy Queen were new to me, but I liked their take too; it has that same crunchy, jangly vibe as the Fanclub version.
Veruca Salt I usually enjoy, but their version didn’t land for me. Didn’t really like the vocals. All three of those covers leaned hard into the crunchy guitars, which I normally love, but in this case I felt Wilco’s streamy, twangy treatment captured the spirit of the song better. They ended up getting my vote.
Teenage Fanclub was solid.
I found Wilco’s version to be bland and disappointing.
Walter Clevenger is solid but forgettable.
I liked what Veruca Salt did with the song the best. Made it her own while displaying reverence to the original.
It’s complicated. This is a song of disillusionment. Nice kid from Canada moves to LA, enters the music business and meets sharks, liars and thieves. So why do some of the renditions sound like this is a song of exuberance? And then- I voted for one of them. Scottish power poppers Teenage Fanclub sweetened it up too much for me. Wilco slowed it down a bit, nice pedal steel, very reverent but somehow lacking something. Veruca Salt ratcheted up the uneasiness with some dissonance then piercing it with prickly guitar stabs. First time through I was about to vote for them but upon a second listen to Walter Clevenger & DQ I fell in love with that sound. Byrds/Rain Parade/3 O’Clock/. Too bright in the room for early REM but they were outside in the shade of alley smoking cigarettes and listening.
Good version by Teenage Fanclub, but too similar to the original.
Big fan of all things Tweedy, and expected to vote for him.
Never heard of Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings, but the jingle-jangle of the electric 12-string was shiny and sparkly and impossible to resist. Pulled the upset over Wilco.
Veruca Salt not bad, but fourth place today.