Tune du Jour: “Happy Loving Couples” – Joe Jackson
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Guttermouth vs. Hartmut El Kurdi & The Twang vs. The German Art Students
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog
Ah, the perfect song for the lonely … thank you, Joe!
The Original
From one of the best debut albums, “Look Sharp!”, of its era …
Joe Jackson:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Guttermouth vs. Hartmut El Kurdi & The Twang vs. The German Art Students
Guttermouth:
This is from a very good tribute cd.
Hartmut El Kurdi & The Twang:
The German Art Students:
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 didn’t know the original. Never bought anything by Joe Jackson.
That version by Guttermouth sure was fast!
Second act earned some points for adding fiddle. Quirky and tounge-in-cheek.
But The German Art Students played it straight and did enough for the win.
Those first two Joe Jackson records were packed with catchy arrangements, ample chops, acerbic lyrics and good hoppin’ fun. The subsequent forays into ska and jump blues and swing were more than capably done also. Guttermouth were my least favorite but there were moments there. Hartmut El Kurdi (what a name) creatively reinvented the song and first time through I thought he had my vote. I looked him up to see that he has also covered Deep Purple, U2, Dylan, Beastie Boys and Adele. Once the novelty of the flip subsided I found that the German Art Students were more fun. Although after scanning the recording with my AQT meter I determined that their hand claps were only 15% ironic. Small deduction necessitated.
Guttermouth just didn’t feel right. Sped up version with nothing really to it.
Helmut and the gang is just plain bizarre. If only he had a television career, it would have been a great entry for Golden Throats.
The German Art Students by default.
I was an early adopter of Joe Jackson’s music, and those first two albums made a strong impression. His subsequent forays into non-rock and roll didn’t interest me all that much, until Night and Day came out, which I thought was brilliant. He’s great in concert, too. I’ve seen him twice.
Regarding the music, y’all have said pretty much what I’m thinking. Guttermouth’s amped-up version offers nothing other than speed. I’m not a fan of twangy stuff, so Harmut’s version was irritating. I didn’t like the German Art Students’ version all that much either, but I suppose it was the best of the bunch. It got my vote.