Listology Secret Santa: 2005, #2 (How to Keep Warm on a Snowy Winter's Night)
Submitted by Cosgrove on Thu, 12/22/2005 - 12:13
Tags:
- The Dead Kennedys - Viva Las Vegas
- The Revolting Cocks - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?
- Mindless Self Indulgence - Tom Sawyer
- Front Line Assembly - Justify My Love
- Mike Ness - Don't Think Twice
- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Wanted Man
- Johnny Cash - The Mercy Seat
- Firewater - Folsom Prison Blues
- Frank Zappa - Whipping Post (Live)
- Sepultura - The Hunt
- The Twilight Singers - Hyperballad
- Jawbox - Cornflake Girl
- Tori Amos - Raining Blood
- Fantomas - Rosemary's Baby
- Fudge Tunnel - Cat Scratch Fever
- Pincer 2 - Echohead/Don't Piece Me
- Propagandhi - I Want U 2 Vant Me
- The Rugburns - Sesame Street
Author Comments:
The thrust behind this one's pretty self-evident. I tried to choose versions that included a distinct stamp from the artist in question while not completely disrespecting the original version. (In other words: no room for "Heroes" by the Wallflowers or "American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz.)
There's never any room for the Wallflowers' "Heroes". Memo to Jakob Dylan: if you're going to cover a classic, cover the whole thing, motherf****r.
Sorry for the delay. I was enjoying listening to this while doing the dishes. I was not enjoying the doing dishes part. But then I had to shut it off and I forgot it was in the kitchen cd player. When the good lord was handing out brains I thought he said "drains." So I asked for a big one that works really fast and empties quickly.
The Dead Kennedys - Viva Las Vegas
This was a really cool way to start especially because I usually find Dead Kennedys tough sledding. I love how the chorus gets into Chipmunks territory. Whenever I hear something by Elvis I think of the excellent remix made for Terry Gilliam's Nike commercial and now, unfortunately, used for the show Las Vegas.
Do you think that that Jimmy Caan thought the show would last more than a season?
The Revolting Cocks - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?
I love cover songs. Funny, ironic, well-done, reinterpreted, odd or so awful they're wonderful... it's tough to do something that falls outside of those categories. The opening, repeated throughout, made me think of Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry." The "kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're done" part. I know that it's part of an aesthetic but the shrill guitars make it tough for me. Nice, especially for the first three minutes, but I began to get restless.
"I love cover songs." So this worked out very well.
Mindless Self Indulgence - Tom Sawyer
I remember a time when virtually everyone I knew worshipped Rush. Now only the drummers still worship them. (Or "Him") "The world is, the world is..." refrain drove me crazy because I could've sworn that I'd heard it before. I had. I just had to slow it down.
Then, all of a sudden, it's over.
Front Line Assembly - Justify My Love
Here is where I began to suspect that we were in cover country. Again, I didn't recognize what this was until the chorus rolled around. Don't I ever listen to lyrics? Goodness, if anything demonstrates how Fascism has descended on the United States of America you just have to ask yourself, "How many of Madonna's videos would be allowed to air today?" Two decades after she started...
"I began to suspect." Clever me.
Mike Ness - Don't Think Twice
One of my favourite Dylan songs. I've got stories!
The Eric Clapton version off of the Dylan tribute album (see! I do like cover songs) just blew me away. The rest of the concert, not so much. (Well, not all cover songs.) His guitar solo made me think of these lyrics inserted in between the verses:
I've been beaten and busted I trusted you so
And now that you've just said you're letting me go...
Don't think twice, it's all right.
I've been set up and put down and knocked out you know
But let me remind you you'll reap what you sow...
Don't think twice, it's all right.
I've been sucked in and spit out and chewed up, although
I wish you'd a' done this a long time ago...
Don't think twice, it's all right.
I've been shut in and froze out and left in the snow
So this is a blessing, I'm closing this show... Don't think twice, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right.
Consider yourself lucky that there weren't many rhymes left for "dobro".
I once saw Arlo Guthrie in concert and he introduced this song with a Dylan story. He was doing a promotional interview for a show he was doing on the same night that Dylan was performing just across the street. The radio dj asked him, "With Bob Dylan in town why would anyone want to go to your show?" This was back in the day when Dylan was refusing to play his own songs (at least in any kind of recognizable form.) Guthrie responded with, "Well, if people want to hear some great old Dylan songs then they're gonna have to come to my show."
Actually, I'd love to see a compilation album of Dylan originals that were covered by other artists to more acclaim. "Blowin' In The Wind," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," "All Along The Watchtower," "Chimes of Freedom," "I Shall Be Released," "Girl From The North Country," "Mr. Tambourine Man" and the proverbial "many more."
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Wanted Man
Now I'm feeling the pressure to identify the song, cover artist and original artist. And I'm floundering.
Johnny Cash - The Mercy Seat
Oh, okay. That previous song was done by Johnny Cash. "Wanted Man," how many times was that repeated? And I still didn't get it. I always liked Johnny Cash and then I learned that his favourite vocalist was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. I now love the man.
I'm not very smart.
Firewater - Folsom Prison Blues
Wait a minute. Another Cash cover?
Frank Zappa - Whipping Post (Live)
Who is the vocalist? I swear I know the voice. It's driving me out of my mind. "Frank Zappa"? I was probably lyin'. I don't think I know what his voice sounds Well! That cut off all of a sudden. Cool, I didn't mind at all how long that was.
Of course, somewhere in the world the Allman Bros. are probably still playing it onstage.
Sepultura - The Hunt
I have no idea who/what this is. I have a confession to make: I have never understood the "voice of Satan" singing style. Are they singing "No! No! No!"? or "Go! Go! Go!" or "Uh!" or something? I just don't get it.
The Twilight Singers - Hyperballad
I really enjoyed the vocal vibe and the growing intensity. I have no idea who this is, what the song is or who did the original... even after reading the track listing. It reminds me of James' Wah -Wah.
Jawbox - Cornflake Girl
As soon as I figured out that this was Tori Amos and that the intro sound would continue I skipped this one. I know I'm not supposed to think this, much less say it out loud, but Ms. Amos leaves me cold.
Tori Amos - Raining Blood
Eek! Darn it all... I still fail to get it.
Have you ever had Famous Tori Amos' chocolate chip cookies?
There are no cookies in the box because your ex's new girlfriend has eaten them all.
And yet she remains thin.
Fantomas - Rosemary's Baby
Okaaaay... I need to take a break now. But the dishes are almost done.
Is this from the movie?
Fudge Tunnel - Cat Scratch Fever
I do not like Ted "Nougat" Nugent... because he's nuts. Nor do I like this kind of band name...
except for BH Surfers and that's probably just because of Todd (or is it Rod?) Flanders, "Look, Daddy. I'm a surfer!"
Pincer 2 - Echohead/Don't Piece Me
This. was. completely. horrible. Sorry.
Propagandhi - I Want U 2 Vant Me
This was great. There's a live (At Budokan?) version where they preface the song by saying, "I want. You. [screams] To want. [more screams] Me. [all the screams]" It never fails to make me laugh. Cheap Trick was such a great pop band, and then they were gone.
Have they done a reunion tour yet?
If not, why not?
The Rugburns - Sesame Street
This was awesome. I came. I listened. I danced.
Way to close it out. Some really fine stuff. (And. one. I. hate. Sorry.) I have the sneaking suspicion that, while I'm a pogo-er, you are a crowd surfer. I just look on in jealousy. Beautiful conception it just punctures my belief that I'm broadly familiar with a wide range of music. Or is it the other way 'round? Thank you very much. (whoops, if that sounds bitchy it's not.)
So, again, thank you very much for this, that and the other.
Speaking of Nike...
Is that what the evolution of the Huarache leads to?
First off: Awesome. Glad you (mostly) liked it. A couple things:
The Nick Cave song was an inadvertant bridge between Dylan and Cash. See, I didn't know Cash sang it. I did know, however, that Dylan wrote it. (The liner notes told me so.) See, I tend to construct my mixes as a (loose) series of mini-cycles. So starting with "Don't Think Twice", you have a cover of a Dylan song, Cave covering a Dylan song, Cash covering a Cave song and Tod Ashley (Firewater) covering a Cash song. (I could have kept going, but I couldn't think of anyone who'd ever covered a Tod Ashley song. Except that Strapping Young Lad cover of "Room 429".) Now that flow's a little goofed up. Oh well. (Hey, there's another song for your hypothetical Dylan mix!)
Also, "Wanted Man" is one of two songs on this mix where I have never heard the original.
While I'm here: To answer your earlier question about Firewater, Tamir Muskat is apparently still the band's drummer. I used the phrase 'at the time' because Ashley overhauled the lineup three times over their first three albums. Seems he's since settled on a lineup he likes.
I'm unsure of exactly when this version of "Whipping Post" was recorded, but the vocalist sure sounds a lot like Napolean Murphy Brock. So unless someone can prove me wrong, that's my answer.
"The Hunt" is originally by New Model Army. It's a good song, but Sepultura's version packs more punch. (And I believe they're shouting "No! No! No! No!")
The Twilight Singers is the latest vehicle for the talents of singer/songwriter Greg Dulli, best known for fronting the Afghan Whigs. (One of the best bands ever in the history of time.) It's a cover of a Bjork song, whose version is arguably even more intense. Both versions are great, but Dulli's mellower vibe, I think, makes the song's strengths even more apparent.
I like Tori, though I think she's kinda lost her touch since "from the choirgirl hotel". I included her song only because it's originally a Slayer song. Tori covering Slayer. Wow. (Also because it fits into another cycle... but still. Tori covering Slayer!) And that's a great joke. :-)
The Fantomas track is indeed a cover of the theme from "Rosemary's Baby". They did a whole album of theme covers. (Their devastation of the "Godfather" theme is something to behold.)
I don't like the Nuge either, which is why I'm doubly impressed that Wonka Cavern could make the song work. I almost put their cover of "Sunshine of Your Love" on here instead... not sure how that would have been received...
Ah yes, the Pincer 2 song. This is the other song of which I am ignorant of the original (apparently it's a song by the Melvins). Every mix of mine has at least one song that's been thrown in just to gauge the reaction it causes. I think I like the idea more than the song itself, but it still amuses me. Also, I suspect it's Mike Patton under an alias. (He's the only guy I could think of who's not only crazed enough to do something like this but also possesses the necessary vocal elasticity.) Which makes me wonder why I didn't swap its place with "Cat Scratch Fever".
The late, lamented Rugburns was a great half-cracked alt-rock band (with country overtones). Unfortunately, they're also responsible for the existence of Jewel -- lead singer Steve Poltz dated Jewel for a great while, had her do a guest shot on the Rugburns album "Taking the World by Donkey" and eventually helped her get a record contract. So I don't know whether to love or hate them. The answer, I think, is a little of both.
Excellent! I can't tell you how much I appreciate being fully briefed. Well... I could but it might be embarassing. Wait, is it "briefed" or "debriefed"? Boy is my... face red.
When I finish my Wind in the Willows sequel it will have a character named Tami Muskrat.
So it's the Rugburns' fault that Jewel felt she needed cometic improvements? Darn them! Darn them to heck!
Thanks to you I was intellectually prepared to come up with the best Bob Dylan and R.E.M. covers.
Your inspiration has helped me to pick up a copy of Steve Earle's Jerusalem album. And now I am one of the finalists in the running to win a copy of The Real Bush Diaries by Peter Clothier. The Earle video is awesome ("walk slow, drink lots of water, sleep as much as you can and try to do your own time.") The R.E.M. is not awesome... very not awesome
While we're on the subject of my favourite blogs and Santa mixes... somebody received the track "Jan Pehechan-Ho" by Mohammed Rafi. The awesome dance number was just linked to (along with even more Bollywood awesomeness.) What is it with the pre-80s movies that makes everyone catch St. Vitus's dance?
"Townes van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." --Steve Earle
"Bob Dylan would never let Steve Earle get close to his coffee table.'" --Townes van Zandt