Cover Version: 4 triple J's Like a Version with The Drones, Sarah Blasko, Adalita and Glenn Richards

So with the series titled, Cover Version I'm sooner or later going to write about Triple J's Like a Version. With Like a Version Volume Seven coming out soon if not all ready, plus this month being Triple J's Ausmusic month I've picked out my four cover versions, which are all Aussie artists anyway. Two are on the new CD but the last one is unfortunately not. The Drones were on an older volume which is my favorite of all the volumes, of course. I've tried to embed these before on my blog and I don't know what I did wrong but had another go at these code things again and it seemed to have worked today, must be getting better at this or something.

Well, I just wouldn't be right to not include The Drones in a blog post or at least every second post or so. This is from Like a Version: Volume Five (the front cover is the above image) and would have to be one of my all-time favorite covers ever. Suicide Is Painless is an old 70's song the oldest song here which was originally the theme song for M*A*S*H


This is one song which is on the new volume which Sarah Blasko's cover of the 90's rappers OutKast biggest hit Hey Ya! and one reason to get this new CD. It's an unbelievable cover because I totally hated and loathed this song when it came out but now because of this I love it.


Another song on the new volume, this time it's Magic Dirt's Adalita covering one of the most famous singers of all-time or well of the 80's at least, Madonna. Her second single ever with Burning Up but this is so far removed from it's pop roots. I love this so much more than the original too, it even makes Madonna sound cool, so its got to be great.


This song is NOT on the new CD which a real pity because this is another unbelievable cover and it's Glenn Richards from Augie March with a classic Aussie 80's song by The Reels called Quasimodo's Dream. This is the least crazy selection of the four covers I've picked because the other three above in some way or other are kind off bizarre songs to cover but all work perfect too. I really wish this one below was on the new volume but it's unfortunately not, bugger you Triple J. I would have got it if this was on it, but I still might, maybe...


I'll get back to my favorite Aussie albums next with the letter "F".

Cover Version: Bruce Springsteen's Dream Baby Dream, originally by Suicide + new HTRK one too

Right everyone is banging on about how it's been ten years since September 11 so I'm going to remember it by posting a cover of one of the greatest American songs ever written by a band called Suicide, if you think that is bad taste you haven't heard the song then. How I remember that day well, night it was in the middle of night when it happen in Australia and I was up watching TV and waiting for the doco about The Rumble in the Jungle with Muhammad Ali against George Foreman it's called When We Were Kings. It was just about to be shown and I don't normally wait for a TV show well, I normally never watch TV full stop but then all this really bad filmed stuff and reporters running about not really knowing what is happening started being shown in a very badly done news update but totally unbelievable scenes and I've never seen that footage again because maybe I've not gone looking for it but after a little while we just got the looped plane crashing, building falling and reporters started saying the same thing over and over.

I just wanted to see Muhammad Ali knocking out Foreman which off course it never came on but I went to bed and the world was changed forever. It is also my Dad's birthday today so it's supposed to be a bit of a celebration in my family, happy birthday Dad.

Anyway the greatest Suicide cover has to be by Bruce Springsteen. He and Suicide met for the first time at Power Station studios when Springsteen was recording The River and Suicide recording The Second Album in the late 70's and this cover was from Alan Vega 70th birthday limited edition EP series. "I've liked Suicide for a long time," Springsteen told Mojo in interview. "I met the guys late in the '70s in New York City, when we were in the studio at the same time. You know, if Elvis came back from the dead I think he would sound like Alan Vega. He gets a lot of emotional purity. I came across 'Dream Baby Dream' again because Michael Stipe included it on a compilation and I thought maybe I could do it." He's using only a looping organ figure with a little synthesizer to fill in the cracks, Springsteen keeps his arrangement of 'Dream Baby Dream' true to the spirit of the original.

I found this great video on YouTube which someone has made using the classic old silent film called Sunrise and somehow it's a prefect match. I've never seen the film but I know it's like one of the greatest film ever made.

If you don't know the top image is the front cover image for Bruce Springsteen's 10" vinyl which I wish I bought at the time. Anyway the cover image is by Edward Mapplethorpe who's the brother to Robert Mapplethorpe.

Plus a kind-off bonus track of this one which is really brand new cover version but I'm really lovin' it and is what reminded me of Bruce's. HTRK (pronounced Hate Rock) are from Melbourne and based in London and this is the B-side to the new single/song for the forthcoming album called Work (work, work) which is out very soon if not already out now.
Sweetheart (A. K. A. Love You) [Suicide Cover] by ghostly

OK, I'll get back to my 100 greatest Aussie albums next or it will never get done.

Cover Version: Crispin Glover's Ben, originally by Michael Jackson

So I watched Willard again last night which I showed to my girlfriend for the first time, it's a classic if you've never seen it. Crispin Glover stars as Williard who becomes best friends with a white rat who he saves from the traps he himself set, he names this rat Socrates. He starts to feed and train Socrates and all the other rats that live in his basement but it becomes clear another rat is the leader of them, who Willard names Big Ben. Anyway it's a totally great movie from the early 2000's and you should check it out yourself. I watched the extras which I don't normally do and found-out there was a film in 1971 from which this one was somewhat based. Also, there was a 1969 short novel called Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert which I never knew about so I wonder if they're hard to find. This video below is a DVD extra which is Glover's cover version of Michael Jackson's song , his first solo number one hit and now I know it was for the sequel of the original movie called, Ben.

Anyway, here's Crispin Glover's wicked cover version of that song making it totally evil or bad, so much more than Jackson could be and I would go as far as saying here and now it's the greatest Michael Jackson cover ever make.


Crazy, eh? Hopfully this is going to be a bit of a series of my favorite cover version songs but I'll get back to my 100 Aussie album next with the letter "C".

Cover Version: Nick Cave's songs @ Community Cup 2011, Elsternwick Park

OK, I been wanting to do some blog posts of my favourite cover versions but haven't yet. Over this weekend in Melbourne there was a footy game called Community Cup which is local bands/artists vs local radio and the Espy Rockdogs thrashing the RRR/3PBS Megahertz. Also happening at this footy game is some bands play some covers and this year it's songs by Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard. Someone video taped them and I love them all unlike the two new Nick Cave songs with Unkle and Neko Case, both really do sound like they are not in the same room, maybe this is his new thing. So the new Bad Seeds album will be done by email so no one has to be in the same recording studio together. Anyway here are four of the best as recorded by Carbie Warbie plus go to ToneDeaf for lots more, you just wish you lived in Melbourne.

The Rebelles


The Rebelles and Dan Sultan


Tumbleweed


You Am I


By the way, Triple J this is what Dan Luscombe looks like. They have got his top ten Aussie albums on their website but they have a photo of The Drones line-up pre-Dan, the pic is from around 2004. It's most likely some I.T. idiot but Triple J should know this if you're going to select him out of 175 people voting in their hottest 100 Aussie albums industry poll. He's picked some great albums and Rowland S. Howard's Teenage Snuff Film coming in at his number one. If you check out their website in the first day or so they had Gareth Liddiard's top ten but changed it to Dan for some reason. Luckily I've written it down, I should post it up on my blog, eh?