Tag: Compilation

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100 best covers: #44 Blur “Maggie May”

<< #45    |    #43 >>

I’ve already written about the Help Warchild album on these pages* and tagged it as my favourite ever compilation. Another one that I really liked was Ruby Trax, a 3 CD set released by the NME in celebration of its fortieth anniversary. They collected together 40 covers of number one hit singles from over the years done by current artists of the day. I remember finding a used copy of it at the long defunct Penguin Music on McCaul street, four or five years after its release, and didn’t hesitate to open my wallet for it. I wasn’t looking for it because, lord knows, I never thought I would see it here in Canada, but I certainly recognized what I had in my hands immediately. A friend of mine** had put this cover of “Maggie May” by Blur on a mixed tape for me and being a pretty huge fan of said band, just had to know of its provenance.

“Maggie May” was originally recorded by Rod Stewart for his debut solo album. It was released as a b-side to what was supposed to be his first single, “Reason to believe”, a song I’m reasonably sure I’ve never heard. The b-side started get more play on the radio and has since become his best known song. The album version of this song about a young man’s affair with an older woman starts with this out-of-place acoustic guitar solo. But once it gets going and the hammond organ meshes with the 12-string guitar and the mandolin, it reminds you why it’s a classic, especially with Rod’s inimitable vocal chords providing the words.

Blur’s cover sounds like Blur right at the height of Britpop… because… of course, it was. Rowntree’s loose drumming, James’s bopping baseline, Coxon’s wailing and feedback-laden guitars, and Albarn’s freewheeling organs and cheeky vocal turn. It’s trimmer than the original and at four minutes, feels perfect.

Sure, theirs is not the original but they put their own stamp on it. And well, I love their stamp. Sorry Rod the Bod fans, I’m going with one of my favourite bands on this one.

Cover:

Original:

*In fact, a couple of its tracks have already graced this very list at #74 and #53 and we’re not near done yet.

**That same friend who had made a personal favourite mixed tape of retro 80s tunes.

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

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100 best covers: #46 R.E.M. “First we take Manhattan”

<< #47    |    #45 >>

I wrote about the very excellent Leonard Cohen tribute album, “I’m your fan”, back in 2020* when I was posting about Pixies’ cover of “I can’t forget”, which appeared at #71 on this list and was on the very same aforementioned compilation.

At the time, I had never heard R.E.M. covering anyone else (or at least, I thought I hadn’t), given I was a somewhat new convert, and this one blew my mind. Indeed, “First we take Manhattan” was one of my early favourites when listening to “I’m your fan” because the Athens, Georgia quartet was one of the only artists on it that I had heard before. The song appeared as track one on the North American release of the compilation, given R.E.M.’s increasingly high profile, but appeared as track 10 everywhere else in the world. I loved the raging and driving guitars and the contrast of Michael Stipe’s deadpan and austere delivery in the verses with the offset harmonies of the chorus. It was all very clear, though, and respectful of the words, allowing them their own space to breathe.

By the time I purchased Leonard Cohen’s “I’m your man” on CD a couple of years later**, I knew all the words by heart and could sing along with Mr. Cohen*** in his exploration on terrorism. And though I loved the poet’s deep voice and sing-speak delivery, I was less a fan of the instrumentation. Heavy on the synths and drum machine, it was definitely a product of its time and was maybe even a little late to the synthpop party. It definitely took me a little to get past that and for many years preferred the R.E.M. cover but I now can appreciate the version Cohen recorded for “I’m your man”.

Interestingly, though, his wasn’t the original recording of the song. That came two years earlier, care of frequent collaborator Jennifer Warnes, when she recorded it for her Cohen tribute album “Famous blue raincoat”. Hers is a much shorter version and more straightforwardly pedestrian than the versions I’ve already mentioned. To be honest, I only listened to it for the first time this past week while preparing to write this post because I suspected I wouldn’t be a fan and… well… I wasn’t wrong. Sure, it’s got Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitars but even those feel a bit wasted here and Warnes’ vocals a bit too cabaret for the subject matter.

So if we consider this last the original, I can definitely put my vote behind R.E.M.’s cover.

R.E.M.’s cover:

Leonard Cohen’s version:

Jennifer Warnes’ original recording:

*Right around the time that the world was deciding whether to shut its doors to take try to stem the rising COVID-19 tide.

**Incidentally, this was the first Leonard Cohen album I ever owned and purchased on the back of this song and “Everybody knows”, which I knew from the film, “Pump up the volume”.

***Yes, that’s right. I heard R.E.M.’s version before Cohen’s.

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

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100 best covers: #47 The Decemberists “Human behaviour”

<< #48    |    #46 >>

You can mark this down in the column of cover songs that shouldn’t work on paper but in reality, are quite splendid.

I have written before in these pages about how I discovered Portland, Oregon-based indie folk band, The Decemberists, at some point circa 2004 after reading about them in Under the Radar. I fell hard for them upon first listen and immediately consumed their first two albums in rapid succession. Then, hearing that a third album was still in the works, went on the hunt for anything else I could find, which included a five song EP (called “5 songs”), a close to 20 minute prog-folk interpretation of a Celtic myth (“The Tain”), and then, this, a cover of Björk’s early solo career single, “Human behaviour”.

It was included on a compilation called “Read: Interpreting Björk” that was put together by Portland indie label Hush Records. The idea was floated and most of the recordings happened in 2001 but then they shelved the project because they were worried folks might think they were trying to capitalize on the success of one of their heroes. They ended up releasing it a few years later, after plenty of interest was shown just based on word of mouth. The Decemberists’ cover was one of the late additions to compilation track list and in my own humble opinion, the best of the bunch, though there are some other interesting interpretations worth exploring.

Björk’s original version is actually one of my favourites of her tunes. It appeared at number fourteen on my list of favourite tunes from 1993 and like many of the tunes from “Debut”, it’s an industrial dance party, very “synth, sample, and percussion heavy”. Inspired by wildlife documentaries, Björk explores and exploits the human condition and looks at it from an outsider’s vantage point.

In The Decemberists’ capable hands, it’s a very different sounding beast. Obviously, it’s more organic in feel. With their expansive instrumentation palette, however, they do a great job of replicating the tempo and energy of the original. Of course, Colin Meloy sounds nothing like Björk but he certainly sounds like he’s having fun trying.

Ir’s a great cover of a great tune that only made me love both artists more. Don’t make me choose between them.

Cover:

The original:

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