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Tunes

100 best covers: #39 Great Big Sea “Run runaway”

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Great Big Sea has long since been a household name here in Canada and is relatively well-known elsewhere as well, counting amongst their fans actor Russell Crowe. They are likely the most famous band to come out of Newfoundland and for a while during the late 90s and into the 2000s, were one of the best-selling groups here, their high-energy folk and updated interpretations of traditional sea shanties obviously finding a home in the hearts of good Canadian youth.

It certainly found me on first listen with this very cover of Slade’s* “Run runaway”. I remember catching the video at some point in the summer of 1995 or 1996 on MuchMusic, right around the time their video for “Mari Mac” also caught my attention. It wasn’t long at all before these two songs could be heard from open residence room doors and through the open windows of student apartments all around Toronto. Both are excellent tunes but it was this re-interpretation that first sold me.

Slade’s original came out around the time that I was just finding my own feet with music, branching out from my parents’ oldies radio listening in the car and regularly watching the chumFM top 30 countdown on CityTV. I didn’t, of course, know this at the time, but this was Slade’s second go round and comeback venture, their biggest inroads into the North American market. They had been flirting with glam rock throughout the 70s and were quite popular at home in England. It took a cover by metal band Quiet Riot of their 70s hit “Cum on feel the noize” to finally drum up interest in the US, leading to a signing with a US label, and the first single released was, of course, “Run runaway”.

Recorded for their 11th studio album, “The amazing kamikaze syndrome”, “Run runaway” was very much of its time. It has soaring guitars that put together a stadium-ready hook and there’s those shout-along vocals that had me along for the ride, even though I didn’t understand them. But it was far from a sellout. Slade didn’t stray far from their roots, employing electric violin and adapting traditional Scottish jig elements for a hard rock world.

Then, more than a decade later, Great Big Sea, removed the rock and upped the traditional. Their cover has flutes, accordions and fiddles and is sung like a shanty. They even made it more upbeat, which I wouldn’t have thought possible as a pre-teen.

And though the original has the nostalgia factor going for it, I gotta give the edge to the cover here.

Cover:

Original:

*This is, I believe, the second cover of a Slade tune to find its way on to this list.

For the rest of the 100 best covers list, click here.

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Live music galleries

Live music galleries: Corb Lund [2024]

(I got the idea for this series while sifting through the ‘piles’ of digital photos on my laptop. It occurred to me to share some of these great pics from some of my favourite concert sets from time to time. Until I get around to the next one, I invite you to peruse my ever-growing list of concerts page.)

Corb Lund performing at Ottawa Bluesfest 2024

Artist: Corb Lund
When: July 11th, 2024
Where: SiriusXM stage, Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats Park, Ottawa
Context: So this year’s edition of Ottawa Bluesfest wrapped up five days ago and as is usual when I purchase a full festival pass, it’s taken me a few days to recover from the grind. Indeed, I always find myself glad it’s over but at the same time, sad and missing having live music to see every night. All told, I went to seven of the ten nights of the festival and saw more than twenty excellent sets. Hands down, my favourite of the bunch was Corb Lund’s 8pm set on the SiriusXM stage on the second Thursday night. I’d heard of the Canadian country singer-songwriter before, of course*, but had never really given his music a chance**. I had done a small sampling in the week before seeing him so was somewhat familiar with some of the tunes. Lund and his band powered through a set that played on the rockabilly, blues, and rock country side of the genre. With lyrical themes of trucking, farming, and drinking, he had the crowd jumping like maniacs and knocking back cans of Canadian like it was water. Corb and his cowboy hat never took himself too seriously but his talent on the guitar was palpable and his voice hit all the right notes, even when he yodelled. His backing band kicked ass, as well, with Grant Siemens setting the tone on the lap steel and Sean Burns knocking us all out with his upright bass chops. It was such an eye-opening performance, that I’ve resolved myself to make up for all the lost time without his music in my life and would definitely jump at the chance to see him and his group perform again.
Point of reference song: “Redneck rehab”

Lyle Molzan on the drums
Sean Burns on the upright bass and mouth organ
Corb Lund
Grant Siemens and the lap steel
Sean Burns and Lyle Molten
Corb and Sean Burns sharing the mike
Grant Siemens
Corb Lund taking it away

*In fact, my friend Tim left Mark and me to catch a bit of his set at Osheaga back in 2013.

**Not because I was prejudiced in any way against listening to him but as usual, a case of so much music, so little time.

Categories
Tunes

Best tunes of 1993: #2 Adorable “Homeboy”

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So just two songs ago on this list, I posted about how I always connected the song in question, The Boo Radleys’ “Lazarus”, with drunkenly dancing at Toronto’s The Dance Cave back in the 90s and here’s another one I remember dancing to a heck of a lot back in the day. And though I definitely remember it from The Dance Cave as well, it is one of York University’s campus pubs that sticks with me when it comes to “Homeboy” by Adorable… and it’s mostly the fault of a young lady.

The pub in question was Jac’s in the basement of Norman Bethune College*, which I discovered early into my third year of “higher education” had alternative music and dancing on Friday nights, and the young lady was one of many who had caught my attention, but whom I later learned was very much interested in me. She requested the DJ play “Homeboy” and when he did, I recognized** the tune from the radio and joined her on the dance floor. I asked after the artist and it was only then that I connected the song with the group that also performed “Sunshine smile” and she added that it was her older brother that introduced her to the song. And just before I lost myself in the song, she laughingly whispered the word ‘Rage’ in my ear: an ongoing joke between the two of us about whether a song needed to be angry to be worth listening to.

Not long after that, I was out at my favourite music store at the time, Penguin Music, and found a copy of Adorable’s debut album, “Against perfection” on the used CD racks and snatched it up. It became one of my favourite new finds, spending a lot of time in my player. It would be years before I ever heard any of the group’s other work and this, thanks to the magic of the internet. Their largely forgotten sophomore (and only other released) long player was also quite good but fell victim to a music press that was keen to move on from the baggy and shoegaze scenes to which Adorable was attributed and embrace the budding brit pop wave.

“I’m tripping into the back of my mind
And your words like angels crash inside
And a word and a movement and a touch
And a word and a movement and it’s all too much”

“Homeboy” is exactly the type of song that I would’ve loved to dance to in the early to mid 90s. A rumbling bass line and peppy drumming underpins the entire track but really comes into focus during the verses as it acts as the counterpoint to Pete Fijalkowski’s wistful vocals. Then, at the chorus, the guitars crash in, finally making good on the chiming threats to take over, and our protagonist becomes more passionate in his delivery. Hence, the ‘rage’ the ‘young lady’ referred to. But the rage is not necessarily directed at anyone or any external thing – it’s an internalized shot as he bemoans, “You’re so beautiful”, over and over, at the one that got away.

This is a crazy good track and it makes me smile at all the memories, every damn time.

*Back in those days, all of the campus college had their own pubs, but from what I understand, all but the main campus pub have long-since closed.

**As did a bunch of my friends.

For the rest of the Best tunes of 1993 list, click here.