Cover MegaMix for Samara (Part Two)

[thehefner]

Disc 2

1.) Toxic (Britney Spears), Local H
--The only thing more wonderfully wrong about how well this cover works is this video, which dubs the new version over the original actual Britney Spears video, and syncs up perfectly.

2.) Big Bang Baby (STP) Emm Gryner
--Another wonderful Emm Gryner reinterpretation. Although it's been remarked by one that she's singing really off-key here. I'm usually very sensitive to such things, but I never noticed it.

3.) Mercy Street (Peter Gabriel), Lionel Richie
--... okay, this could have just as easily have been replaced by a Johnny Cash song. It's a good cover, but not different at all from the original, and in a battle between the two, Peter Gabriel triumphs over Richie every time. By rolling him over with a tank. Of prog-rock awesomeness.

4.) Hey Jude (The Beatles), Mark Mothersbaugh
--The original was once described aptly by Guy Bender as "Three minutes of brillance, followed by three minutes of crap!" I love his Mothersbaugh's version was used to so perfectly set up the opening of THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, which is why it will forever have a place in my heart.

5.) Martha (Tom Waits), Meat Loaf
--Because I love Meat, even if it doesn't match up to the original's power (and really, "Hot Patootie (Bless My Soul)" aside, Meat Loaf simply cannot effectively sing a non-Jim-Steinman-penned song. They need each other!)

6.) Taxi (Harry Chapin) Mandy Patinkin
--Dear lord, but I need to listen to more Harry Chapin. Inigo Seurat performs this as only he can, and the result is something truly moving and tender.

7.) Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word (Elton John) Ray Charles and Elton John
--Your feels of Elton John aside, Ray frickin' owns this. (Even in the below video, which seems to be set to some random person's vacation movies, for no reason)

8.) I'm Sorry (John Denver), Red House Painters
--Credit The Onion's AV Club for pointing me to this. The Red House Painters took a soft, sentimental little John Denver ditty, and turned it into a true Sad Bastard classic.

9.) Sex Bomb (Whoops, NOT a cover after all!), Tom Jones
--What the FUCK was I thinking, putting this on here?!?!?! Wait, I know; a couple years ago, Guy Bender put it in my head that this was a cover of a Lords of Acid song. But as far as I can tell, this is a Tom Jones original. Shit, this DEFINITELY should have been a Johnny Cash instead. If only the Man in Black had lived a bit longer, I bet we could have heard the most kick-ass, harrowing, Old-Testament fire-and-brimstone version of "Sex Bomb" ever. Ah well, my mistake.

10.) Complicated (Avril Lavinge), Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie
--God bless fishymcb for discovering this. I have no love for Death Cab For Cutie, but at least I have great respect for Ben Gibbard as a result of this live cover.

11.) More Human than Human (White Zombie), Richard Cheese
--A little Richard Cheese goes a long way. The novelty wears thin very quickly, but this particular cover is still grand. Cheese also deserves credit for one of the few moments I actively liked from the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake.

12.) The Origin of Love (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Rufus Wainwright
--Just awesome. Behold another cheesy fan-made video for a great cover of a great song.

13.) Coming Back to You (Leonard Cohen), Martin Gore
--And thus begins my Leonard Cohen mini-extravaganza! Kicking it off is Martin Gore, the sad little puppy mastermind of Depeche Mode. Here's a live version of that song. Look at him! He's so shy! No, no, don't make any sudden movements, or you'll scare Martin Gore away! Aww, there he goes, leaving nothing but traces of eye glitter.

14.) I Can't Forget (Leonard Cohen), The Pixies
--Ah, the Pixies. Another band with such a rabid following of "this is the greatest band EVER" that I have failed to entirely appreciate. Oh, I like them okay, don't get me wrong. But really, it's just further proof that I'm not cut out to be a true music snob. Nevertheless, this is a great cover, and the video below is set to footage of some Anthony Stewart Head/Kim Cattral affair. Eh, just close your eyes and listen to Frank.

15.) Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen), Tori Amos
--Oh Tori, Tori, Tori. I'd likely enjoy your music far more if your fans didn't scare the living bejeezus outta me. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. I know a couple! One in particular is as close to being a stalker as one can get while still being liked by the stalkee! Regardless, what a lovely cover of one of my favorite Cohen songs.

16.) Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) Rufus Wainwright
--Actually, this is more a cover of John Cale's interpretation (which was more famously covered by Jeff Buckley, whose version is still the gold standard to many), which was in turn featured in the actual SHREK movie (where it was introduced to a whole new generation), while Rufus' version was on the soundtrack. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think Buckley is crazy overrated, and with Cale's version as a close second, I think Rufus' is my very favorite version of his song. His voice is just beautiful, in a narcoleptic/operatic/alcoholic sort of way. Cohen's version is different enough to stand on its own as almost an entirely different song, and really, Cohen just stands apart from them anyway. He's Leonard goddamn Cohen.

Oh heck, here's John Cale's while we're at it:

... You know what, fuck it, for the sake of fairness and objectivity, here's Buckley's too:

... Yeah, I admit it, I went ahead and chose the most hippie-tastic wanktacular video on YouTube. Would you have prefered another "Let's list off the lyrics while the song plays" fan video?

Okay, and finally, the last track on the m...

...

Aw, the hell with this. I need to cleanse my palate. Really, there's only one thing to do, isn't there?

Fuck yeah. Sometimes even on a covers mix, even when the covers are thoroughly different and awesome in their own right, there's no substitute for the original.

Okay. And FINALLY...

17.) Suzanne (Leonard Cohen), Peter Gabriel
--God damn, why doesn't Peter Gabriel get enough respect? Lovely, just a lovely version of a lovely song.

Next time, the third and final disc of covers. By which time, hopefully the package will have reached little_dinosaur. Y'know, assuming a moose doesn't eat it! Wakka wakka wakka!

Seriously, Sam, I hope I didn't wake up your household with my midnight birthday call. I thought you had a cell phone!

Comments

[scarydavedc.livejournal.com]

You missed Concrete Blonde's cover of "Everybody Know's"

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Ah! That I did!

Really, I could do a whole fourth disc, including those Cash covers, some Oingo Boingo covers, and Alanis Morissette doing "My Humps."

[little-dinosaur.livejournal.com]

No worries, because I got it this morning, right on time! We're intrigued and fascinated by this Old Bay stuff.
Wow, I don't know most of these. Meat Loaf does "Martha"? Bizarre and intriguing.
"Sex Bomb" is NEVER a mistake. "Sex Bomb" is amazing.
Mmm, Leonard Cohen mini-extravaganza. Shy Martin Gore is pretty lovable. And Rufus Wainwright is my homegirl. But Leonard Cohen is, as they say, my man. It is so weird to watch him sing like that. And he's so young! He looks like Joe Mantegna!
Moose? Not around here. We're more known for handbag-dogs and really fat raccoons. (Coincidence? I think not.)

Nope, no cell phone. But if they picked up, they were probably awake. Thanks for calling and for the awesome package!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I recently discovered that Old Bay (along with J.T. Pappy's Gator Sauce) goes frickin' great in making burgers. I'll have to ask my brother what veggie options there are for Old Bay as well, I'm sure he'll know.

Then consider "Sex Bomb" a happy random bonus! I know *I* do!

Seriously, having seen Depeche Mode in concert, it's so nutty how lively and energetic David Gahan still is, running up and down the stage, humping the mic, working the crowd... and then Martin Gore comes up to sing, and he just sorta stands off to the corner, trying to hide behind the microphone. And he's the actual creative brains behind the group! Awww!

Joe Mantegna! Between that and his performance as Dean Martin in the RAT PACK movie, I think his status has been bumped up a notch on the "mystical" scale.

Fat raccoons? But how do they fit through the entrance to your igloo?

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

The great thing about Leonard Cohen is that he wants other people to sing his songs.

Also, Jann Arden did a great cover of Cohen's "If It Be Your Will". According to her liner notes, when she was recording it in the studio, she looked up and, unexpectedly, Leonard Cohen was standing in the doorway. Crying. He was in town for his own reasons and had run into her producer, who invited him up to hear. He really really liked her version, and she was kinda stunned because Leonard Cohen.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

And his songs really lend themselves well to being covered. Damn, Johnny Cash never covered him, did he? Could you just imagine is version of "Hallelujah"?

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Not really. To tell you the truth, I haven't heard much Johnny Cash.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

!!!!!!!!!

Okay. Quick tutorial:





A famous ditty written by Shel Silverstein:



And of course, if you've never seen this, oh my god... Trent Reznor saw this video and wept, and to this day, says that this song is no longer his:

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Trent Reznor saw this video and wept, and to this day, says that this song is no longer his

I can see why. Jesus.

Thanks, Heffie.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yer quite welcome! Thanks for actually watching! Yay! :)

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Thanks for actually linking me some stuff! :D I'd heard "A Boy Named Sue" before, but not in the original version. Also, my father had tried to convince me it was Stompin' Tom Connors that sang it. Possibly he heard a cover. Then again, he's half-deaf -- maybe it just sounded that way to him...

P.S. These posts are great. :3

[jackolantern.livejournal.com]

I don't think that Jeff Buckley was overrated so much as he simply had the "brilliant first album" problem, and was struggling to live up to it up to the day that he died (and I think that that was one of the reasons why the rumor that his drowning in Memphis was really a suicide had such traction).

As far as Britney covers go, I'd like to nominate "Oops, I Did It Again" as performed by Richard Thompson.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Ha! I also have a Richard Thompson cover coming up, by Loudon Wainwright and John Hiatt.

[lairdofdarkness.livejournal.com]

Thats a brilliant cover of TOXIC, plus I get to see Brit in an stewardess uniform.
yes I am that sad!!
So pleased to hear your response to Shatners genius yesterday. I have bought a hat purely so I can take it off to you.
Totally love the Royal Tenenbaums and rewatching the opening just made me smile. I have always thought of it as a very funny film, I just cant properly explain why!! And you are totally right, that version of Hey Jude fits it perfectly.
And having listned and watched all the last four clips, I have to say Cohens is perfect. It would be difficult to do a bad version of the song though.
Looking forward to disc 3 sir

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Shatner is a brillaint beat poet, and I mean that absolutely seriously.

ROYAL TENENBAUMS is my favorite Wes Anderson/Owen Wilson film. Yes, I find it very funny too.

[fishymcb.livejournal.com]

Seriously, dude, the many forms of "Hallelujah" need a flow chart illustration.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Phase three is profit!

[frumple.livejournal.com]

Damn. Now I gotta track down these covers as well.

I used to have a cover of some Ska band doing the Inspector Gadget theme... it was quite fun.

I always thought it wouldbe fun to have someone to a Bing Crosby kind of cover to a sone like "I like Big Buts," or something like that.

Yeah I love covers as well.

[kmousie.livejournal.com]

That cover of Toxic is amazing. And you're right, the video's just awesome. And thanks for the Rufus goodness, as well as Cohen's original of Hallelujah. Sometimes there is truly no substitute. (And I second the remark on his resemblance to Joe Mantegna!)

(I'm using my Clive icon because I wanted to ask if you've read the article on him in the latest issue of Details. I think it's Details...anyway, I read it last night, and it's incredible. My love for him knows no bounds.)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I have not read the DETAILS article, although I very much look forward to SHOOT 'EM UP. Mayhaps I shall check it out, next time I'm at the 7-11 news stand!

[kmousie.livejournal.com]

You should! He talks about smoking, and how he smoked practically all his life (since he was 14, I think) but stopped when their first child was born. And how he smokes herbals on film but had to use tobacco cigarettes for the Closer stage production (because they don't smell the same, etc.). And the discussion of work ethic is fascinating. He's both a master of his craft and a down-to-earth, hard-working bloke who's just doing his job.