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Cover Me Impressed
With a focus on the 60's-90's music scene, CMI is a Paradiso for Lovers Cover Songs! Each post focuses on a particular song and provides its original and most popular recordings as well as covers versions. Patrons of CMI vote on the most deserving cover version, which will then live to compete again, battling other cover songs in a future post.
Bands, musicians, troubadours, and their ilk, submit your cover songs for future CMI competitions.
CMI welcomes the opportunity to introduce new artists.
Contact RDubbs at RDubbsTunage@gmail.com
Music Genres?
We've Got 'em Covered ...
Rock / Alt-Rock / Rock 'n Roll / Rockabilly / Indie Pop / New Wave / Old Wave / Surf / Reggae / Ska / Punk Rock / Psychobilly / Cowpunk / Alt-Country / Bluegrass / Folk / Croon-Tunes / A Cappella / Motown / Gospel / Blues / Rhythm & Blues / Jazz / Big Band / Lounge / Classical / Celtic / Bossa Nova / Worldbeat / Show Tunes / Cartoons / Bizarro / Musical Calamities
You used to be so amused, At Broccoli Man and the carrot for a guitar he used …
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Blowin’ in the Wind was written by Bob Dylan in 1962 and released on his album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in 1963. In 1994, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked #14 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. Enough said …
The Original
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Bob Dylan:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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The Abyssinians vs. Eddie Albert
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The Abyssinians:
Eddie Albert:
Yes that Eddie Albert (aka Oliver Wendell Douglas).
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
“Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs.” – Milton Friedbyrd
The Pogues’ Christmas masterpiece, Fairytale of New York, was released in 1987 on their album, If I Should Fall From Grace with God. The song, written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, features female vocal accompaniment by Kirsty MacColl and string arrangements by Fiachra Trench. It was originally planned as a duet by Shane MacGowan and Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan, but O’Riordan left the band in 1986 before the song was completed. At the time the Pogues were being produced by Kirsty MacColl’s husband, Steve Lillywhite. Lillywhite asked his wife to provide a guide vocal of the female part for a demo version of the song. However, the Pogues were so impressed with MacColl’s contribution that they asked her to sing the part on the actual recording. Fairytale of New York has correctly been cited as the best Christmas song of all time in various television, radio and magazine related polls in the UK and Ireland.
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The Original
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The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Billy Bragg with Florence + the Machine vs. Third Eye Blind
Billy Bragg with Florence + the Machine
Billy Bragg is a recipient of CMI’s universally coveted title of Uni Victor Melodious Maximus in Adversarial Replication. Among the title’s myriad of rewards and benefits, perhaps most desirous is that it bestows upon the recipient the eminently yearned for privilege of having one’s name appear in print media in bold yellow.
Billy Bragg’s triumphal performance in CMI’s THE CLASH of Cover Tunes competition is detailed below:
11/18/2013 – “Which Side Are You On?” (Almanac Singers) – Billy Bragg (57%) bests Dropkick Murphys (43%)
This is a live rendition of Fairytale of New York played on BBC Radio 1 on December 19, 2009. I read somewhere that Bragg and Florence got the idea to play Fairytale of New York about two hours before the Christmas special was to begin. Assuming that’s accurate then this is what they put together within a couple of hours. Brilliant!
Third Eye Blind:
I read somewhere that Third Eye Blind got the idea to cover Fairytale of New York precisely 12 seconds before the studio tapes began to roll. Not bad…
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
“Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs.” – Milton Friedbyrd
Moritat von Mackie Messer is a song written by Bertolt Brecht and composed by Kurt Weill for their play Die Dreigroschenoper. Die Dreigroschenoper premiered in Berlin in 1928. The opening song, Moritat von Mackie Messer, was originally sung by actor Kurt Gerron.
In 1954 Marc Blitzstein translated Die Dreigroschenoper into English (i.e. The Threepenny Opera) and the play enjoyed a six-year run Off-Broadway. It is Blitzstein’s translation that became the basis for the popularized American song, Mack the Knife.
In 1954, Louis Armstrong was the first musician to score a hit with Mack the Knife. Of course, Bobby Darrin’s Mack the Knife, recorded in 1959, set an unparalleled standard of excellence for the song. Another popular version of Mack the Knife is Ella Fitzgerald’s 1960 live version. After the first verse poor Ella forgot the rest of the song. Yet Ella’s amazing improvisation thereafter earned her a Grammy for the performance.
Die Dreigroschenoper: Moritat von Mackie Messer
Kurt Gerron (1928):
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Mack the Knife
Louis Armstrong (1954):
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Bobby Darrin (1959):
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Ella Fitzgerald (1960):
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THE CLASH of Cover Songs
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Nick Cave vs. Lyle Lovett
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Nick Cave (1995):
Nick Cave holds the distinction of being CMI’s Reigning Exultant Virtuosic Performer of “Mack the Knife“. Additionally, Nick Cave is a recipient of CMI’s universally coveted title of Bi-Victor Melodious Maximus in Adversarial Replication. Among the title’s myriad of rewards and benefits, perhaps most desirous is that it bestows upon the recipient the eminently yearned for privilege of having one’s name appear in print media in orange.
Nick Cave’s triumphal exploits in CMI’s THE CLASH of Cover Tunes competitions are detailed below:
11/9/2013 – “Moritat von Mackie Messer” (Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weil) – Nick Cave (86%)shellacks The Psychedelic Furs (14%)
10/6/2013 – “Suzanne” (Leonard Cohen) – Nick Cave with Perla Batella & Julie Christenson (83%) quash Geoffrey Oryema (17%)
This is shortened version of Nick Cave’s rendition that I included solely for the Caveman’s stellar choreography:
Lyle Lovett (1994):
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
I’ve been a Puppet, a Pauper, a Pirate, a Poet, a Broccoli Man …
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Arguably the greatest train song ever written and it was composed by a folk – not C&W – artist. Imagine that! Steve Goodman wrote City of New Orleans while traveling from Chicago to New Orleans on the Illinois Central Railroad’s City of New Orleans. Goodman recorded City of New Orleans in 1970 and released it the next year on his self-titled album. John Denver released a cover of City of New Orleans in 1971 but it was Arlo Guthrie’s version – released in 1972 on his album Hobo’s Lullaby – that made the song famous. Guthrie’s City of New Orleans peaked at 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts.
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The Original
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Steve Goodman:
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The Most Popular
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Arlo Guthrie:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Byron Lee & The Dragonaires vs. Vehoram Gaon
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Byron Lee & The Dragonaires:
Yehoram Gaon:
“ניו אורלינס” trans. “What do you think of that, Dougie?”
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
So Where Are the Strong, And Who Are the Trusted, And Where is the Broccoli, Sweet Broccoli!
Powderfinger is one of a number of extraordinary songs on Neil Young’s 1979 masterpiece, Rust Never Sleeps. The first side of the album is acoustic. Powderfinger kicks off the mega-electric second side. The lyrics of Powderfinger are narrated posthumously by a young man who observes a menacing gunboat approaching his island home. The elders of the household are not present or available, leaving the young man alone to deal with the threat. With his father’s rifle in hand he resolves to protect his family by force, ultimately losing his life in the process.
Following the acoustic side, Allmusic critic Jason Ankeny describes Powderfinger as “a sudden, almost blindsiding metamorphosis, which is entirely the point — it’s the shot you never saw coming.” Ankeny feels that the song’s first person narrative “evokes traditional folk storytelling” and yet the music is “incendiary rock & roll,” and praises the “mythical proportions” of Young’s guitar solos as the story approaches its “harrowing” conclusion. Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann described the song as “remarkable,” considering it the best of the great songs on Rust Never Sleeps. Author Johnny Rogan describes Powderfingeras one of “Young’s great narrative songs” and “almost cinematic in execution.” Rogan also praises Crazy Horse’s backing as “ideal” as it allows Young to “invest the song with epic significance.” Rolling Stone Magazine critic Paul Nelson compared the violence in the song to the helicopter scene with Robert Duvall in the movie Apocalypse Now in that it is “both appalling and appealing — to us and to its narrator — until it’s too late.” According to Nelson, the song generates “traumatizing” tension and “unbearable” empathy and fascination as Neil “tightens the screws on his youthful hero with some galvanizing guitar playing, while Crazy Horse cuts loose with everything they’ve got.” Nelson points out that the music incorporates “a string of ascending [guitar] notes cut off by a deadly descending chord,” what critic Greil Marcus described as “fatalism in a phrase.” Rolling Stone contributing editor Rob Sheffield calls Powderfinger “an exorcism of male violence with shotgun power chords rising to the challenge of punk rock.” Author Ken Bielen compares Powderfinger to film noir in that the narrator has died before the song begins; Bielen also notes that the song “has remained in high regard over the decades.” Bielen regards the theme as “the tragic and wasteful loss of youth to conflicts between countries and their leaders. Nelson suggests that although it opens the Crazy Horse electric side of Rust Never Sleeps, it is the album’s “purest folk narrative.” Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time describes Young’s guitar-work on Powderfinger as such, “Young’s guitar hits the sky like never before.” Critic Dave Marsh claimed that “Young wrote as brilliant a statement of American nihilism and despair as any rock writer has created.”
The Original
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Neil Young & Crazy Horse:
Shelter Me From the Powder and the Finger …
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Chris Burroughs vs. The Watson Twins
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Chris Burroughs:
The Watson Twins:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
RED MEANS RUN … NUMBERS ADD UP TO NOTHING!
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
You used to be so amused, At Broccoli Man and the carrot for a guitar he used …
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One More Cup of Coffee appears on Bob Dylan’s album Desire, which was released in 1976. Desire reached #1 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart for five weeks, becoming one of Dylan’s top-selling studio albums (currently certified double platinum), while reaching #3 in the UK. It claimed the number one slot on NME Album of the Year. Rolling Stone named Desire #174 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. One More Cup of Coffee is a duet between Dylan and Emmylou Harris pertaining to unrequited love and the passage away from an apparently ill-fated relationship.
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The Original
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Bob Dyan:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Big Fish Ensemble vs. Steve Earle and Lucia Micarelli
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Big Fish Ensemble:
One of Atlanta’s great bands of the 90’s:
Steve Earle and Lucia Micarelli:
Treme’s street corner violinist & diva, Lucia Micarelli, pairs nicely with the esteemed Steve Earle on this number.
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
“Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs.” – Milton Friedbyrd
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The demented splendor that is Tom Waits! Anywhere I Lay My Head is from Waits’ 1985 release Rain Dogs, the middle album of his brilliant trilogy (i.e. Swordfishtrombone, Rain Dogs, Frank’s Wild Years) sketching the lives of society’s misfits, outcasts, odd romantics and exceedingly eccentric characters.
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The Original
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Tom Waits:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Bomb the Music Industry vs. Anna Ternheim
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Bomb the Music Industry:
Anna Ternheim:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
Broccoli For Miles And Miles And Miles And Miles And Miles … Oh Yeah!
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The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) was written by Simon & Garfunkel and first appeared on their 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. The “59th Street Bridge” is a reference to the Queensboro Bridge in New York City. Interestingly, although it now seems like one of Simon & Garfunkel’s more popular songs, The 59th Street Bridge Song never charted. And with that I’ve pretty much exhausted everything I could say on the subject.
The Original
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Simon & Garfunkel:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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The Coolies vs. Ted Hawkins
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The Coolies:
Ted Hawkins:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
7-Day results of the competition between No Empathy and Yo La Tengo covering “The Night Chicago Died” by Paper Lace ended in a tie.
However, THERE ARE NO TIES ON COVER ME IMPRESSED!
Hence, a 3-Day runoff to settle the issue. If the runoff should also end in a tie then I’ll be forced to contract a maiming of all musicians concerned (i.e. Paper Lace, No Empathy and Yo La Tengo) and at least one individual totally unrelated to the proceedings (probably Billy Joel), which may seem a bit harsh and arbitrary but, hell, some things just have to be done …
The Original
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Many would argue that The Night Chicago Died is the worst song of all time. However, they’d be wrong. The song’s potential for infamy is limited to possibly being the second worst song of all time as Billy, Don’t Be A Hero currently and mostly likely always will hold the distinction of being the worst the music world has ever produced. Amazingly, both abominations were first recorded by the same band, the all-time abysmal “Paper Lace”.
The Night Chicago Died reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in 1974, reached number 3 in the UK charts, and number 2 in Canada. And why not? This assault on one’s sensibilities had everything you’d look for in a 1970’s hit: rudimentary, grade-school level verses, lyrics teeming with sappy emotion, a simple John Wayne good guys always win in the end patriotic mentality, a catchy chorus that stays with you like herpes and some electric guitar licks to enforce just how hip the song and, by extension, its listeners must truly be.
“Paper Lace” sent a copy of The Night Chicago Died to then Mayor Richard J. Daley who apparently hated it. So at least there is one minute reason to extend a very small modicom of respect to the man.
Paper Lace:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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No Empathy vs. Yo La Tengo
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No Empathy:
Yo La Tengo:
Beginning in 1996, Yo La Tengo supported the fundraising efforts of New York’s world-renowned independent radio outlet WFMU with annual studio visits. All listeners who pledged money during the band’s appearances were offered the chance to request a favorite song that Yo La Tengo would then attempt to perform; no rehearsals, no advance word of what the requests might be, just plug it in and kick it out. The spontaneous element is impressive and, at times, hysterical. It is from one of these sessions that Yo La Tengo’s version of The Night Chicago Died was produced.
Yo La Tengo is a recipient of CMI’s universally coveted title of Uni Victor Melodious Maximus in Adversarial Replication. Among the title’s myriad of rewards and benefits, perhaps most desirous is that it bestows upon the recipient the eminently yearned for privilege of having one’s name appear in print media in bold yellow.
Yo La Tengo’s triumphal performance in CMI’s THE CLASH of Cover Tunes competition is detailed below:
10/1/2013 – “Somebody’s Baby” (Jackson Browne) – Yo La Tengo (90%) annihilate The Gamits (10%)
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
Well All I Eat Is Broccoli … Rock, Rock, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School
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Rock ‘n’ Roll High School was recorded by The Ramones in 1979 for the soundtrack of their musical comedy movie of the same name. What more can I really say? Not exactly one of their better efforts but a fun song, nonetheless, that was somewhat of a staple for their live shows.
The Original
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The Ramones:
There are actually three versions of the song Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. The first, produced by Ed Stasium, was intended for the soundtrack of the movie. However, this version did not make it onto the soundtrack and was not released until 1988 on the compilation album Ramones Mania. The second version, produced by Phil Spector, is a remix of the Stasium version, implementing Spector’s famed “Wall of Sound” mixing technique. Spector’s “Wall of Sound” was created by a number of electric and acoustic guitarists performing the same parts in unison, then recording the sound using an echo chamber, which resulted in a dense, layered, reverberant sound that came across well on AM radio and jukeboxes popular to that era. This is the version that was used for the soundtrack of the movie. The third version, also produced by Phil Spector, is a complete re-recording of the song for The Ramones’ album End of the Century.
This is the second version:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Boris the Sprinkler vs. Nutley Brass Band
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Boris the Sprinkler:
In 1998 the band Boris The Sprinkler released their own version of End Of The Century, covering the fifth album by The Ramones in its entirety. According to the band: “It was recorded for under $500 in bassist Eric #2’s basement studio, a cost of less than one-half of one percent of the recording cost of the original album.”
Not at all bad for basement music!
Nutley Brass
Brass Band + The Ramones = EPIC FELICITY!
Veronica Kofman (co-auther with Dee Dee Ramone of Poison Heart: Surviving The Ramones) from the liner notes of Ramones Songbook as Played by the Nutley Brass (1988):
“I was introduced to the Nutley Brass a couple of years ago by Joey Ramone himself, who was mightily impressed by this unique combo. There have been many tributes to the Ramones over the years, but, for your listening (and dancing) pleasure, the Nutley Brass have delivered the most original homage. Joey Ramone knows a good thing when he hears it, and I didn’t need any persuading that in the Nutley Brass, he had discovered a hidden treasure. Unbelievers, who think punk bands were just a tuneless racket – eat your hats. Immediately.”
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 