Shopping for kicks, got the weekend to get through

[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 the Elvis Costello covering What Do I Do Now, originally by Sleeper.

This is the first appearance of a guest cover: it's one suggested by phlebas, and comes from issue 17 of the now sadly defunct Volume magazine (an issue our household doesn't have on its shelves).

My ideas of Sleeper remain (sadly) coloured by the immense disappointment of seeing them live, but even allowing for that, I think this is a pretty bland song. Costello's cover of it somehow lends it a bit of gravitas and makes it sound rather less banal and more interesting.

Although, as my friend Jamie put it: "I find the thought of the man who referred to his contemporaneous lyricists as 'pygmies' doing a Sleeper cover quite amusing" :)

Comments

[mrlloyd.livejournal.com]

Yup. I reckon any song sounds about 30% more meaningful once in Mr Costello's tender hands.

Mind you, those backing vocals are awful.

Now, here's a covers based request. Anyone know of any covers of the Rolling Stone's 'Under my Thumb' sung by a woman?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I heard La Roux do Under My Thumb live at Glastonbury... I wonder if the internet can oblige?

Apparently it can (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNSSlkJaGm4).

Not necessarily sure I'd recommend it as such. It's certainly different, though :)

[mrlloyd.livejournal.com]

Ah excellent. I've just found Tina Turner doing this as well. It's amazingly 80's and not quite what I was after. La Roux sounds like it might be the thing.

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=z3WwJXbWBl8&feature=artist

[mrlloyd.livejournal.com]

I take it back. That la Roux thing, that's 80's...

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yes. It really, really, is.

Or, rather, it isn't because Ellie whatsherface is only about 11.

But still. I mean. It's like the 90s never happened.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Yes. It really, really, is.

Must surely be deliberate? I think it's that using-Hammond-organ-as-percussion thing that does it.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I think it's completely deliberate. Have you missed that we're having an 80s revival :)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I did miss it, since a fair bit of the 80s never came off my stereo in the first place...

Although if you guys are having a Kajagoogoo revival - which is what it sounds like - then I might leave you to it!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Mm, I think La Roux is the unacceptable face of the 80s revival, although they seems to be very popular for some reason.

(Also, surely it should be La Rousse. Or Le Roux. But not La Roux.)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Grammar wasn't very 80s.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean we personally :)

I heard La Roux doing an acoustic version of one of their own songs on last year's Glasto coverage and thought it was fantastic - sadly everything else of theirs appears to be a bit disappointing.