REsponding to RE: Dan

I will begin my overall remarks with a reprint of a comment I made to Mixdorf's post.

I think the intro to your (Mixdorf's) comments (from dividing amongst "REmixes, Covers, etc. to wondering if Aaron painted himself into a corner to your take on the various types of "RE"s) was wonderfully done. Expressing many thoughts I had but was concerned about being able to articulate in my own comments. You were right on, and now I don't have to worry about it.

To Pat's general remarks on the varous types of "RE," I will only add this: Although there is a very positive history in the field of covers, it is one of my many musical pet peeves, anytime a new artists launches (& subsequently bases) their popular music career on the basis of a cover.

On to the songs:

1. Girl: WOW-I appear to stand alone (w/Aaron?) on this one. As I am one who tends to find a lot of humour that other people enjoy tired & overdone, it's interesting that this song seemed fresh and funny to me on my first listen. Perhaps there's an entire industry of video game remakes, which is something to which Mixdorf seems to allude, but I have been completely unaware of it. I did mention later, however: Reading up on the dude (Paza) and seeing that this was not a single departure for him but, indeed, his calling card and solitary style of recording sinks my boat a bit. I can still appreciate-I guess-the work that went into recreating the song using Nintendo sounds. But the value of the art, for me, was to a certain degree based on the idea that there was this guy, Beck, is capable of trying something totally unique and off the wall, and doing it masterfully. Now I just feel like I got a glimpse into the world of a psycho.

2. Against All Odds: Omygod, I hated this. I'm not even sure how to express how I was turned off so. The original had always seemed to me like a decent, poppy ballad, but certainly nothing that would inordinately stand any test of time or carrying any new message to a new generation. I join Gibbons in emphatically asking "Why?" Why would they remake this song? And it also brings me to another thought I have that can generally be applied to all music, but is specificaly directed towards my thoughts on any form of "RE." If you aren't adding anything new or special to the world, just stop. Now, obviously it would appear that Aaron is hearing and appreciating something here that I am not...but that's always the given, right? So, I am left with wondering if they thought the echo in the voice is supposed to vault the song into some sort of exclusive artistic space. But to me it feels like trying to force an "adding something new to the world" that just isn't happening. Either that, or I feel like I'm listening to some sort of inside joke by the Postal Service, and that's no fun.

3. God Only Knows: E.C. quickly becoming a CMC superstar! I am actually not a particularly big fan of the original, but Elvis-who seems like he'd be a blast to hear in concert, by the way, takes this song to a whole new place. I really love how, in this performance, he has a moment between the audience and himself of winking self-deprecation, but then is still able to keep them engaged enough and taking the performance seriously enough that they go along the ride for a dramatic and wonderful ride to the end. Very fun listen!

4. Little Wing: As much as I am not a tradtional "guitar head," I know a bit about the craft and believe that I can sense the feel that goes into recorded performances. Aaron has been a fan of this version of Little Wing for as long as I've known him. And for very good reasons. Jimi's version was a little more raw-a little more like a barely contained explosion waiting to happen, but as a tribute, this version is flawless and sublime. A beautiful performance in which I can get lost.

5. Like Someone in Love: I was not on the outside looking in on the Johnson Street Bjork craze of 1993 and 1994, but add me to the list of those not aware that it was not a Bjork original. Much like on track #3, I've been aware of Aaron liking this one for years and years; I remember him excitedly introducing it to me at KSTP circa 1995. It's never done anything for me. I love Bjork for her wildness and when she is underscored by a relentless beat. I don't want to levy particular accusations about this particular version of the song, it just bores me relative to her other work. Now....the Coltrane version. Nice! I've been making my statements recently about appreciating live jazz but not wanting to listen to recordings. I'm rethinking that. This song is heavenly to hear.

6. Friend of the Devil: I don't know as much about the Dead as I could. I have been inclined to want to write them somewhat off in terms of having much in their body of work I would like, but I've never come flat out and done it. I know there's gems in there. This song, for instance. I do like it a lot. I like the words, I like the skippy, picky feel. But of course, we're talking about the more polished, softer version by Lovett here. It's pretty good. I like L.L. OK, though my knowledge of him is also admittedly sparse. This version is pleasant enough to listen to but it doesn't add much more for me.

7. Mixed Bizness: Very unique and funky original, and a very unique and solid interpretation. I love the throwback sort of instrumentation & pacing. If you didn't know the date of the original, it would be very tough to guess even the decade of the jazz version. Very cool!

8. Father Lucifer: I actually don't own Boy's for Pele, which is shameful (my not owning it, that is). My main experience with T.A. is off Little Earthquakes, and the original of this song would have fit very seamlessly into that album. But the remake-WOW-I thought it was great! Totally great new arrangement! Funky, slappy, almost scary rhythm section and haunting synthesizers and piano in the background. The model for remakes should have something to do with: take everything you know about the song, throw it into a wood chipper, and start over with nothing but the chord sheet. Otherwise, don't bother. I feel like she really succeeded on adding something new to the world here. And on her own song, no less!

9. Big Time Sensuality: As one who doesn't listen to a ton of dance club hits, the "re" version was decent enough, but I'm pretty sure that exact drum loop is used in well over half the songs played in such places. And it would probably get nauseating in a hurry. The original is a great song, danceable enough in its own right, and fairly nuanced and complex. All CMC songs get loaded into my iTunes collection, but if I were using the standard that a few of you seem to be using, I'd say: not going into the Party Mix.

10. Hurt: Barf!!! I seem to be in the minority amongs music fans (particularly ones that appreciate both rock and older country) in that I just can't stand Johnny Cash. I am one of those "some" Mixdorf refers to that see his "experimentalist" stage as crass commercialism. He's one of those characters that became such a respected icon in popular music that he can (and does) latch on to any project and carry it with his mere presence. He's not reached the "Kenny Rogers doing a cover of The Rose" level for me, but the effect is similar. Somehow Cash is seen as this guy that carries with him some eternal, secret pain, and the combination of his weathered face, the legend of "the man in black," and that Folsom Prison episode that has put him into some sort of untouchable artistic category. Everyone seems to conveniently have forgotten that he used to hang out shirtless in overalls in a fake cornfield and make knock-knock jokes on Hee-Haw. I think "A Boy Named Sue" is one of the seminal moments in popular music history, as is the whole Folsom Prison thing. But from "Duets" through "I Went Out Walking" and on forward to today, I feel like he's ridden the coattails of his own cult of personality, without there being a legitimate, new artistic contribution to his various performances. Just recently, I heard him singing, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" on an Air America commercial, and it was terrible. And I'm just flat out sick to death of him. The original NIN version was powerful. Whether or not Trent Reznor faced the despairs in his personal life enough to inspire the various angst-ridden classics that propelled him to his sudden rise to power in the early 90s is something I've not looked into. But he carved out an awesome, original niche; and the questions that I have upon hearing this old man try to steal that Gen-X material are twofold: Why? and How Dare You, You Old Fucker? I don't buy the performance one bit. And I sort of feel like these (relatively) young, nubile artists are in a helpless position. What are you going to do when approached by legendary Johny Cash or his handlers about recording your material, either with you or without you, say "no?"*

* My reaction to this song & my feelings on Johnny Cash aren't really as strong as this post would have you believe. It's just fun to get going on a rant and see where it takes you. To a certain extend, I throwing a bunch of wacky wall-walkers up on a sliding glass door to see which ones stick. I like a good rant as an opening to discussion, however...