Mighty Tom REhabilitated by Volume Nine!

Volume 9

RE

Re re re re. No, not Scooby Doo, Aaron Johnson’s Volume 9! A very interesting idea, but a tricky one for me. I am normally not a huge fan of remakes, specifically recent remakes of Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’ and the even worse cover of Rick Springfield’s 'Jesse’s Girl', the names of the bands luckily escape me. The songs in this collection do not fall into this category. How could it? Beck and Hendrix are two of my top ten artists. I love Costello, Bjork, and lately I’ve been digging some Cash. The majority of this collection was familiar to me from the start, with a few pleasant surprises and only one unpleasant surprise.

I plainly see distinctions between remakes, covers, reversions AND remixes.

I like Aaron’s use of the word Reversion to indicate a worthwhile visit by an artist to an older recording of a song. An interpretation. For me, these are few and rare. Covers and remakes stand on suspect ground. I’ll explore a little on “why.” Covers are an essential part of pop music. I may bemoan it from time to time (due to lack of interest and ability), but the fact is thievery IS the beautiful act of song writing. Original thinking IS building on what you heard a second ago. Scooby Doo poops so that YOU may pick it up. The Beatles cut their teeth on covers and are the first to admit to borrowing or stealing on those that went before. I admit it as well. There is nothing wrong with it, except in some cases, EVERYTHING. The recent King Kong comes to mind. But back to the good – I should replace stealing and borrowing with GROWTH. I think in terms of art, this may be the more appropriate word. In most cases. So many terrible violations. I told you covers were on suspect ground, right? I keep telling myself that covers are important and necessary, but always on the verge of thinking they are useless. The Beatles cut their teeth on covers, but earned their stripes with their original compositions.

How do I like a cover?

-The only version that I was aware of, or a version I grew up with. Example: Twist and Shout by The Beatles.

-I liked the song originally and like the band that recorded it again. Example: Bohemian Rhapsody by the Flaming Lips. This is a little complex. I like the Flaming Lips and like their version of the song. As much as Queen’s? – not even close. This was a bonus track for the Flaming Lips. I am glad it was not part of an album, because a recorded version of any cover is always on especially suspect ground. What’s the point!? The time, the resources.

I see a big difference between Sinead’s use of ‘All Apologies’ on Universal Mother and the recent covers of ‘Smooth Criminal’ and ‘Jesse’s Girl.’ It is often a shameless attempt for a band (and their producers) to use a lame cover to score a hit on top 40 radio. This is my conflict. Are recorded covers worth it? I think in the end it balances out. Sinead’s cover balances out the Jesse’s Girls of the world. It has to. There are many examples of recorded covers that I deeply enjoy, but for every one I fear there is also another example of horrid music making. (This is to say nothing about ORIGINAL horrid music makers. These are your braver souls.) The Alternative Factor. Wrestling forever to save us from annihilation. Do they cancel each other out? What are they saving us from? Wilma?

-A live version. The most forgivable and enjoyable form of cover is the Experience of Live Music. If you are witness to a band performing live and they break into a cover it can be among the most magical of musical moments. U2 comes to mind. Occasionally these can trickle down to albums or live albums – for better or for worse. Again, the balance of the Universe. Teela help us!

Remixes: This is out of balance. There are so many more BAD remixes out there compared to good ones. A producer or DJ adds some bongos and bam! ‘You Can Dance’ by Madonna is released – eagerly grabbed up by Mighty Tom who forces a young student by the name of Mixdorf to sit in front of speakers and listen to the whole DAMN thing!! A hilarious story of friendship and torture.

Really Regarding RE

Once again, excellent design. Obviously a fan of the bonus disc, I like the idea of the bonus/source disc. I will reference the originals in terms of how I feel they compare to the remakes and/or remixes.





1. Bit Rate Variations in B Flat (Girl)

I have both Guerro and the EP and so I was fairly familiar with both of these versions. I know it is very Becky to use arcadey sounds and effects, but it is a little much with this remix. I kinda like how the sounds become a little more cohesive during the chorus, around 39 seconds and then later on as well. I am not a “gamer” and as mentioned above, not a huge fan of remixes, so this song had little chance of making a huge impact on me.

I much prefer the original from the album, the definitive version, which I really like. Beck may not have even had much to do with this remix – the vocal track sounds pretty much the same, just dialed back a bit to favor the arcade. This remix pales in comparison to the original. The song is so good, in my opinion, that had the original not existed, I would probably like this version more than I do currently. It would be a very interesting experiment, would I like all Beck songs more if all the arcade sort of noises were stripped away? How much more could I like Beck? So, do I hate this version, no. I simply prefer the original, a song I really like.

Original version wins.



2. Against All Odds

Where song number one was a remix, here we have our first cover. The intro seemed redundant, about a minute long. This was a cheesy song to begin with, was the reason to record this version only for humor? A deeply personal favorite of one of the band members? Or an attempt to score an easy chart hit? Was this released? Recorded for an album? I think it would have been most effective as a live version, even cool AND funny. I know this was the Postal Service, but it was effectively death cabbed. Novelty gave way quickly to staleness.

I can appreciate Phil’s version: melody, arrangement and if I let myself go just a bit further, it can almost make me cry, but the words stink so bad that the passion makes me laugh.

Original version wins.



3. God Only Knows

I love this song. I love this version. I really like the Beach Boys version. I still need to zone out and hear Pet Sounds. Love the French Horn, great song, melody, singing, and though the words are not much better than Against All Odds – I believe the combo of words and music transcend the individual components, like so much music from that time period.

I’ve been intrigued by the Brodsky Quartet and love Costello, listening to a ton over the past year. I love the sounds of the strings. A live version, an excellent performance, wonderful interpretation – a GREAT, worthwhile version of God Only Knows. A treat. I cannot believe how good Elvis sounds. I do not know if I have heard him live before. A superb artist – in every sense of the word. He never ceases to amaze me.

Where The Postal Service lamed out with their intro, here we have an interesting “Nature Boyish” intro complete with beautiful musical flourishes. Elvis Costello at his most triumphant.

Tie game.


4. Little Wing

So much about a remake is about context. SRV is a fantastic guitarist, but consider the context of a Hendrix cover to jam to – a luxury. SRV didn’t have to record vocals because WE know the vocals so well. They are so much a part of the song.

The craft of the Hendrix version is startling. The exercise of the SRV version is respectable. SRV has a mastery of the guitar and he played the piss out of Little Wing, no doubt, but it doesn’t hold a moonbeam, for me, to the original.

It is neat to hear, and it will go on the ole iPod.

Original version wins.




5. Like Someone in Love

I knew Bjork didn’t write this song, but was Coltrane really the first to record it? Who wrote the words? I like the song and thought it fit in well on Debut. I like the background crowd and ocean noises as well as the harp. I really like the vocal thing she does at 3:10. Bjork is always good for neat vocal thingies. I enjoyed the Coltrane version, wondered when we might hear some jazz come Johnson way. Great sax playing. Only Daphne could play it better. All about mouth muscles.

All the more amazing if Bjork wrote and sang the words based on Coltrane’s recording, if that is the way it went.

Remake version wins.


6. Friend of the Devil

Sorry dude. Not a fan of the Grateful Dead or Lyle Lovett and this song did not do anything to change that, unfortunately.

Game called off.


7. Mixed Bizness

How exciting that day must have been for you, to recognize the song on the way to work and then track it down. I can really appreciate that.

I love love the original, but this is a good interpretation. I have never heard of Dr. Lonnie Smith. It took me a while to get into it, but I dig it. The good ole doctor giving us a dose of Beck. I really like the faint vocal in the background. It embodies other songs too – don’t you think?

Original version wins.




8. Father Lucifer

I love this song.

The remix to me is really more a remake. It just happens to be the same artist remixed by somebody else. An amazing remix then, since that is what it is officially. And, I’ll go on, this is quite possibly the GREATEST REMIX I have ever heard in my life!

I like it better than the original. A remix! Only on a Johnson compilation would this be possible! The original has a very old timey piano sound to it, which is my favorite part from the original. The song itself is very Amos like and I think too Amos like (voice, thematic hang-ups, easily could have been on Under the Pink) which could be why I like the remake so much – it is Amos, but it’s as if she worked with Eno or went for something very differently stylistically. I think it is pretty wild. I love the new sounds and how they work with the piano and vocal. Love that bendy stringy sound. To call this simply a worthwhile remix would be an understatement! I love this remix! If I only heard the original, I would have only thought of it as an OK song, but this remix has elevated it into a song that I love to hear. I had never heard either of these versions prior to this volume.


Remix version wins.


9. Big Time Sensuality

It would be hard not to like any version of this song. Bjork was something totally new with her ‘Debut’ release. This is a great song. It really moves. I love the original, but I also really enjoy this remix. What an acrobatic voice. I completely LOVE the “knee haw” at 2:49 in the original or 2:50 in the remix. I also like the way the added horn(y) bit develops around 3:04 and 3:06. The remix has a dramatic intro. A bit Danbient, if you will. I do like the remix and glad to have heard it, but I do think the original is great enough to have survived on its own.

“it takes courage to enjoy it…” Not much Bjork. Not much.

If Big Time Sensuality has you thinking again about Daphne’s powerful mouth muscles, that’s OK.

Original Version wins.





10. Hurt

I like the Johnny Cash version. Powerful, emotive telling. Aaron made a mix CD for me that I refer to as Aaron Moving (it became a sort of soundtrack for me during my move) and this version of Hurt was included. It was too depressing initially, and I would often skip over it in favor of some Costello, but with additional listens I’ve grown to really like it.

Powerful build-ups mixed with his voice add an “endness” feel to the man singing, very poignant. This is a little more difficult to compare to the original. I like the original, an END to a pretty incredible album, very much a part of a larger work. The newer version works more as a single, a stand-alone.


Tie game.



Final Scores

The originals: 5
Remakes: 1
Remixes: 1
Tie Games: 2 (both included a remake and an original)
Called off: 1

An interesting exploration into my feelings and thoughts about covers and remixes; and though five originals did win as suggested by my earlier comments, five originals also did NOT win. In fact, not only did a remake win, but there were two ties, and most surprising, a remix actually won. Out of the ten songs (originals included) I really like/love eight of them.

What do I take away from this besides some fun additions to my iPod? That, in general, I am more of a fan of originals, BUT, there are no absolutes for me in the realm of music. I can be powerfully moved by music no matter who is performing it, who wrote it, and whether or not it was live or studio recorded. If you simply like it or not is the beginning of any deeper analysis. The essence of this club. You like. You don’t. The foundation for more interesting conversation and comments.

As unpaid music reviewers we have the privilege of pressure free, BS free, music reviews, outside of an industry focused on a target and advertisers. This is our power. Our joy. No Shaggy. Only Doo.

At the bookstore, we sell a few music magazines (and some other more interesting types of mags) and what I like best about CMC (aside from doing it hard with friends) is the honesty and the lack of fucking advertisements.

Thank you Aaron for your efforts putting these two compilations together. Another enjoyable twist of the club, like a twist of orange, I’m always underneath with mouth agape, waiting for the next drop.




My BS of the collection

God Only Knows – Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Boys

Father Lucifer was the runner-up.


SIWHI

‘Memphis, Tennessee’ Beatles version of the Chuck Berry shuffle