I received two mixes from Neil: Compare and Contrast. Contrast, the "official" mix, consists of 18 cover tunes. Compare, which I was asked to listen to first, contains the original versions. Coincidentally, I sent a "covers" compilation to my mixee this round, so I was in a perfect frame of mind to appreciate these. The second CD was really a brilliant idea. It's impossible to truly "get" a cover unless you've heard the original version... it was handy to have them all readily accessible.
The Contrast track listing:
1. Origin of Species by Genomic Dub Collective - Nerdy and weird, in a cool way.
2. Money by Easy Star All Stars - I love Pink Floyd! Dub Side of The Moon is in high rotation at our home.
3. Comfortably Numb by Scissor Sisters - Floyd again! I have to wonder what Roger Waters thinks of this very Studio 54-esque interpretation. I dig it... I'll search out more from this band.
4. Goodbye Blue Sky by Luther Wright and the Wrongs - Even more Floyd! I tend to shy away from bluegrass, but this one is really catchy and well done.
5. The Mercy Seat by Johnny Cash - I am emphatically not a Nick Cave fan... but Johnny Cash makes me want to like this song. The lyrics are quite good and Cash sings them the way they should be sung, minus the goth drama.
6. Way Down In The Hole by The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - You either love Tom Waits or you don't. I'm a lover. My baby daughter starts bopping her head everytime this one comes on. Excellent cover of an excellent song.
7. Straight Outta Compton by Nina Gordon - I just can't get down with this one. It's all wrong. I feel the same way about Ben Folds' version of "Bitches Ain't Shit." These lyrics are not meant to be sung by white people.
8. St. Swithin's Day by Dubstar - I like Billy Bragg's version a lot, it brings me back to my high school days. But the Dubstar version doesn't do much for me.
9. Beautiful Pea Green Boat by Laurie Anderson - Laurie Anderson has always intrigued me. I can't pretend to understand where she's coming from, but I have always liked everything I've heard of hers and this is no exception. Although I must say that I liked Neil's "original" reading of The Owl & The Pussycat better. ;-)
10. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Ed Allyne Johnson - This is an excellent cover.... one of my favorites on the collection. I'd never heard of this guy before. Did a bit of research and am quite intrigued. Would like to hear more of his stuff.
11. Hounds of Love by The Futureheads - An ambitious undertaking, covering Kate Bush... but I think the Futureheads do a good job, especially with the yelping "hound" bit.
12. Teenage Kicks by Nouvelle Vague - Love it!!!
13. Love Will Tear Us Apart by The King - Joy Division by an Elvis impersonator... what a strange, strange concept. I didn't want to like it, but it has grown on me.
14. How Soon Is Now? by T.a.T.u. - The guitar distortion appeals to me, but the singer's voice makes me cringe.
15. Doctor Who Theme by Orbital - Both versions of this song leave me a bit cold, but somehow I feel obligated to appreciate at least one of them. Why is that?
16. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by The Sugababes - The Sugababes version doesn't do much for me.... I suspect it must be a hit over there in the UK since it was included on my Round One compilation as well. The Arctic Monkeys version is quite the head-bopper, however...
17. Cheryl's Going Home by John Otway - I prefer the mellow and folky vibe of the "Elusive Butterfly's" version...
18. Cockney Medley by Bill Bailey - The Brit version of Weird Al's "Polka Party" schtick. This type of thing never gets old. A perfect ending to an excellent mix.
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2 comments:
Love the Compare/Contrast idea! Wish I'd thought of that - or anything - I've had trouble coming up with a theme!
1. Origin of Species by Genomic Dub Collective - Nerdy and weird, in a cool way.
You can download the whole album from here if you are interested
2. Money by Easy Star All Stars - I love Pink Floyd! Dub Side of The Moon is in high rotation at our home.
It's interesting how well the Pink Floyd tracks adapt to different genres, as the next two tracks show.
3. Comfortably Numb by Scissor Sisters - Floyd again! I have to wonder what Roger Waters thinks of this very Studio 54-esque interpretation. I dig it... I'll search out more from this band.
I know at least one Pink Floyd fan who really hated this track, simply for the idea of a gay disco version of a Floyd track. The Scissor Sisters first cd is excellent - some great songs and funky dance tunes.
4. Goodbye Blue Sky by Luther Wright and the Wrongs - Even more Floyd! I tend to shy away from bluegrass, but this one is really catchy and well done.
They covered the whole album of The Wall in this style. The maudlin nature of Roger Waters lyrics actually fit rather well in the C&W style.
5. The Mercy Seat by Johnny Cash - I am emphatically not a Nick Cave fan... but Johnny Cash makes me want to like this song. The lyrics are quite good and Cash sings them the way they should be sung, minus the goth drama.
Yes, this is definitely a song where the cover improves on the original.
6. Way Down In The Hole by The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - You either love Tom Waits or you don't. I'm a lover. My baby daughter starts bopping her head everytime this one comes on. Excellent cover of an excellent song.
I first heard this as the theme music to the TV series The Wire, before I tracked down the Tom Waits original.
7. Straight Outta Compton by Nina Gordon - I just can't get down with this one. It's all wrong. I feel the same way about Ben Folds' version of "Bitches Ain't Shit." These lyrics are not meant to be sung by white people.
I've never been a huge fan of Gangsta rap, but after hearing this I went back to the original version with a new appreciation for what he was actually singing about underneath all of the rapper bragadoccio.
8. St. Swithin's Day by Dubstar - I like Billy Bragg's version a lot, it brings me back to my high school days. But the Dubstar version doesn't do much for me.
I first heard this when I was sat on my own in a restaurant in Edinburgh, and it drove me mad trying to work out exactly what the original song was, until they sung the final line.
9. Beautiful Pea Green Boat by Laurie Anderson - Laurie Anderson has always intrigued me. I can't pretend to understand where she's coming from, but I have always liked everything I've heard of hers and this is no exception. Although I must say that I liked Neil's "original" reading of The Owl & The Pussycat better. ;-)
Thank you ... :-) I like the mix of bizarre poetry and soundscapes that Laurie Anderson brings together.
10. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Ed Allyne Johnson - This is an excellent cover.... one of my favorites on the collection. I'd never heard of this guy before. Did a bit of research and am quite intrigued. Would like to hear more of his stuff.
The Echoes double CD is a good place to start. This is just one guy with a home made electric violin, some effects pedals and a digital delay machine, and the whole thing was recorded live in one take. Absolutely amazing stuff.
11. Hounds of Love by The Futureheads - An ambitious undertaking, covering Kate Bush... but I think the Futureheads do a good job, especially with the yelping "hound" bit.
Well, Kate Bush is 'barking' to start with ... :-)
12. Teenage Kicks by Nouvelle Vague - Love it!!!
Again, there's a whole cd in this vein. I think that the late John Peel (a fan of the original track) would have appreciated this.
13. Love Will Tear Us Apart by The King - Joy Division by an Elvis impersonator... what a strange, strange concept. I didn't want to like it, but it has grown on me.
I think that this is perhaps what Elvis would have been doing if he were still alive.
14. How Soon Is Now? by T.a.T.u. - The guitar distortion appeals to me, but the singer's voice makes me cringe.
This is probably the track where I am most precious about the original - one of my all time favourites - but I really do like this version of it.
15. Doctor Who Theme by Orbital - Both versions of this song leave me a bit cold, but somehow I feel obligated to appreciate at least one of them. Why is that?
The Orbital version was a staple of their live sets and guaranteed to get all of the Doctor Who fan boys in the audience jumping up and down. The original was a remarkable bit of sound engineering by Delia Derbyshire and it was decades ahead of its time. All of the effects were created with things like tape loops, primitive synthesisers and bits of piano wire and tin pan lids.
16. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by The Sugababes - The Sugababes version doesn't do much for me.... I suspect it must be a hit over there in the UK since it was included on my Round One compilation as well. The Arctic Monkeys version is quite the head-bopper, however...
I first heard this on the radio and was convinced that the record was playing at the wrong speed ... :-)
17. Cheryl's Going Home by John Otway - I prefer the mellow and folky vibe of the "Elusive Butterfly's" version...
I like the way that Otway took an obscure 60s B side and turned it into a staple of his live act, and indeed a full rock opera version in collaboration with the poet Atilla the Stockbroker.
18. Cockney Medley by Bill Bailey - The Brit version of Weird Al's "Polka Party" schtick. This type of thing never gets old. A perfect ending to an excellent mix.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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