So for my first article on this new blog I thought I’d have
a rant about cover versions, in particular contrasting a recent lazy cover that’s
so bland as to be annoying with one that improves the original in its
interpretation. The lazy one has had no real
effort put into it whatsoever to put the artists own stamp on the track with
them opting instead for a like-for-like, note-for-note version.
What prompted this? Well our office has Virgin Radio on all
the time (it’s the only station we can all compromise on!). Recently they’ve
been playing the Weezer version of Toto’s Africa two or three times a day.
Listening to it though, it’s such a lazy cover. It sounds that close to the original
that initially I thought it was the Toto version. Weezer have replicated it
note for note exactly the same, even the vocals sound just like David Paich’s
original which all begs the question – What was the point????
The only conclusions I can come to are either unlikely optimistic
or hopelessly cynical!
The optimistic one is that they’re trying to bring the track
to a generation too young to have known it first time round, especially as it’s
cropped up in programmes like South Park and Family Guy.
My simple, and probably correct, cynical conclusion is that
they’re just trying to cash in on the fact that’s it’s cropped up in programmes
like South Park and Family Guy so lets make some money out of it.
Personally I’d have preferred Weezer to have interpreted it in
their own unique way and put their own stamp on it as all the best cover
versions do.
Other Lazy Covers
There are many other cover versions that don’t stray far
from the original, often by X-Factor type artists these include Atomic Kitten’s
version of The Tide Is High, Robson and Jerome doing Up On The Roof and Matt Cardles
version of the Biffy Clyro track, When We Collide. These all seem to be purely
money making exercises rather than an appreciation or a proper
re-interpretation of the original.
Boy band cover versions such as those by the likes of
Westlife and Boyzone also aim purely for sales and contain little artistic
merit at all. This is why I don’t get the Weezer Africa cover. Weezer are an
old school rock band with some originality, certainly not in the boy-band mould
- so sorry, I expected better of them!
A Quality Recent
Cover
At the other end of the extreme, I heard a cover version on
BBC 6-Music that made me sit up and listen. Juliana Hatfield’s recent,
surprising cover of Olivia Newton-John’s, A Little More Love is inspired.
The fact that anyone was prepared to cover Olivia
Newton-John was interesting in itself but this was a labour of love for Juliana
who was influenced by her as a child and teenager and wanted to give something
back to show her appreciation of Olivia’s works.
Juliana’s cover is close to the original but with her own
stamp on it. The vocal is much more aggressive than the original and it has now
become a rock guitar song. I loved the use
of the mellotron in the chorus too, it really works. Altogether it has a far ‘dirtier’
feel to the song, Juliana keeps the soul of the song but in her very own style.
Interesting that Juliana Hatfield came out of the same 90s
Indie rock scene that Weezer came from. A scene that at the time brought us quality
covers like The Lemonhead’s, Mrs Robinson and The Breeders version of The
Beatles’, Happiness Is a Warm Gun.
The Best Covers
The best covers are by far and away those where the artist
has put their own stamp on it and really made it theirs. These versions are
often better than the original and sometimes often thought of as the original, here’s
ten examples to make my point:
- · Joe Cocker – With A Little Help From My Friends
- · Aretha Franklin – Respect
- · Soft Cell – Tainted Love
- · Happy Mondays – Step On
- · Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
- · Status Quo - Rockin' All Over The World
- · Johnny Cash – Hurt
- · Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse – Valerie
- · Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
- · The Beatles, - Twist and Shout
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