Turn and face the strain

[venta]

It's Friday, it's about 3 o'clock. It's time to go underneath the covers (with the lights out).

I always recommend listening to a cover version without knowing what or who it is, so click on the link before reading ahead...

Today's cover version [link to mp3 expired]

That was Neil Hannon & Yann Tiersen covering Life on Mars, originally by David Bowie.

Yes, you can have the point if you thought it was The Divine Comedy.

This is an artist I think is fabulous covering a song I really love. What's not to like?

I also think it's an interesting example that a cover doesn't have to be completely genre-busting to be interesting. Both of these are (broadly-speaking) a bloke singing over an acoustic, string-based backing. In many ways there's not a huge difference (apart from the singers' voices).

Yet I do think they're very different. I expect a song which has been Neil Hannon'd to be beset with epic, sweeping string quartets - and instead he's cut it right down. He's taken out the vocal harmony, and the song seems almost bare.

This recording is from a Q cover disk (called Ultimate Songwriters) which is all cover versions. It's surprising how few tracks on it I'd consider... Martha & the Vandellas doing Nowhere to Run - I don't know the original. Ditto Björk's Ruby Baby. The Damned doing Help! - the less said the better (sadly). Nick Cave doing All Tomorrow's Parties - actually very good, but we've had one Nick Cave cover already. Joe Strummer's Redemption Song - I barely know anyone else's. The Bangles doing Manic Monday - oh, come off it. And so on. I realise my cover requirements may be too stringent :)

Obviously, if you don't know Life on Mars then get out and buy a copy of Hunky Dory. Right now.

Comments

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

I quite like the Damneds cover of Help....Although thier Eloise and Dulce Decorum are also both covers !!!

Got the track from a couple of opening bits, didn't know the artist and i'm not a big Divine Comedy fan.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy with The Damned's cover of Help! at a live show - like their version of Break on Through (To The Other Side) - it just doesn't seem interesting enough to bother recording.

I didn't know Eloise was a cover. I'm afraid I think it comes under the Tainted Love banner of "doesn't count because no one knows the original" :)

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

Its a 60s track by what i recall, ocasionaly you hear it wandering arround WH Smiths. I actualy found out about it the *only* time i ever did Karoke. I was not impressed. They do tend to keep it as a live track, even the green vinyl one i have is live i think !

[lnr]

I *thought* a) sounds like chap from Divine Comedy and b) does not sound like Divine Comedy. And obviously I know the original :O) I think I'll let myself have about 3/4 of a point.

I'm not sure I *like* it per se. The percussion is really quite weird. And you're right that although in some ways it's very different in others it's not different enough.

Definitely an interesting one!

Excuse me while I go put it on again :)

[lnr]

God it makes me wish I could sing!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Heh, I have this, but tbh I don't much like it. I like his normal singing voice, but his falsetto -- especially on the high note of "Mars" with all that vibrato -- really grates on me. Still, it's a bold and interesting attempt I guess.

You should check out the original Redemption Song, it's on that Bob Marley greatest hits album that everyone seems to have a copy of tucked away somewhere. Good stuff. (Heavens, it's been covered by absolutely stacks of people.)

The original version of Tainted Love was a music question in the pub quiz we were at last night. I think we were the only table to get it, and that was by deduction rather than familiarity... I think your cover requirements are entirely reasonable :)

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

The original isn't acoustic, is it? It's totally Ronno.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I had to look up what you meant by Ronno :)

I take your point. The opening is quite acoustic-y sounding, though, which is what I was thinking of.

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

Indeed, listening to it now the electric guitar isn't really noticeable except for the solo bits. Trick of memory, I think! Anyway, I quite like the cover. And it scores points for not having someone else try to do the solo.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I don't own any Bob Marley greatest hitses. Not even on tape. Will nose through the racks tonight to see if ChrisC does :)

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I rather like that.

[augeas.livejournal.com]

Damned? The Vandellas? Croydon's yer place. www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/croydon/2010/

[augeas.livejournal.com]

Thee Headcoats covered Help, with Bruce Brand singing in the style of Bluebottle.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Barry Ryan. And my mum owns the original so I have always known it (and I own the Damned one on 7" vinyl, with ridiculous cover art).

I also know the original of Tainted Love too, but mostly because I am a huge Marc Bolan/T.Rex fan and sought it out c.1986 when I knew who it was by.

[lnr]

Just put it on again at home, on speakers rather than headphones. Now they're only computer speakers, but with a separate woofer, but wow, it sounds surprisingly different to what I remember from this afternoon. Perhaps it was just louder, but somehow richer too. I think it might still be a bit overpowering for me.