Yes, you're older now and you're a clever swine

[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 Ukranians covering The Queen Is Dead, originally by The Smiths.

A few weeks ago I ruled out a cover because I felt the lyrics had been changed too much. In all honesty, I have no idea about the lyrics here. I believe that they've only been translated, but my Ukrainian isn't very good so it's hard to be sure.

Istoriya is Ukranians best-of which provides a good introduction to them. There's a few covers there to catch on to, and a few songs about which I have no idea but they sound like a slightly politer Gogol Bordello. With lots of twiddly string bits. And some nice a capella harmony bits. And the album tracklisting is lettered in cyrillic, which makes me happy.

I think it's best to take the Michael Flanders approach: I've no idea what it's about, I just look on it as a jolly pleasing noise.

Comments

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Lovely. Unfortunately it then sent me to Amazon where I discovered the price of this album. I own that, somewhere, and their first album. And the original tape of the Ukrainski Vistupi V Johna Peela.

I must get my record collection valued properly at some point...

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Also, the Amazon page title for that is Ukrainian-John-Sessions..., which makes me laugh.

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

I have Spivaye Solovey, their version of What difference does it make, somewhere on one of Cooking Vinyl's lovely samplers. Quality stuff!

[zotz]

Hadn't heard that one. Must get more Ukrainians.

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I have a few tracks by them.

BTW - For Dirty and Gothic, but oh so not - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWdvXBa_o5s

[venta.livejournal.com]

Oh, now that's a good cover :)

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

Yeah....I heard it last night at a friends and thought you may like it....Almost completely different to the origional...I guess they've kept words and melody, but lost a lot of the guitar music and changed the style completely.