TDOS Tropical Island IPOD Cover Draft - Round 20

Sorry for the holdup, didn't have time to post this morning.

I have still have a few famous, well at least more famous, artists on my list but I want to ride the momentum of Larry's last pick. I select:

The Slits - I Heard It Through The Grapevine [1979]


The Slits' body of work is sadly better on paper than on record. All-girl band, went on tour with The Clash, mixed dub, vocal harmonies, post-punk and some melodic ambitions. Unfortunately their songwriting wasn't really adequate and Cut, their only LP before fully embracing Reaggae sound and aestethics, is mostly an hit-and-miss affair. With this cover though the songwriting was left to somebody more capable and The Slits could express the full potential of their original sound. The result is an absolutely killer song with great vocals and a deep, entrancing bass.
 
With my 3rd pick I figured since I am going to be on an island, I should probably listen to some island music.

Fugees (Featuring Ziggy Marley) - No Woman, No Cry 1996


A remake of Bob Marley and The Wailers- No Woman, No Cry 1974


Depending on my mood, I sometimes prefer the Fugees version more. It was also cool having Ziggy paying tribute to his dad. Ziggy and Lauren Hill went on to get married make babies and with the Fugees Hatian roots (Wyclef and Pras) and then being from Jamaica Queens, this cover always made perfect sense.
 
sacramento alt-metallers Far were luminaries of the scene, if lesser known than fellow hometown heroes the Deftones. after the release of Far's highly-influential 1998 album 'Water and Solutions,' they disbanded over a combination of creative differences and exhaustion from life on the road. a decade after breaking up, they reformed in the most casual way possible, as friends who used to enjoy making music together. they recorded a one-off cover of Ginuwine's '96 R&B f*** jam classic, "Pony," and for several months, a band that was never given the recognition they deserved in their time was plastered all over the radio and all over the internet:

Far - Pony (Ginuwine cover) [2008]:


Far had unknowingly tapped into the zeitgeist; 90's-influenced R&B was beginning to infiltrate guitar-centric music, and "rock bands" were getting more comfortable declaring their influences to be as omnivorous as ever. you may remember hearing Far's cover of "Pony" on your local sacramento radio station at one time or another. the song is clearly quite ridiculous in that "hide your daughters!! hide your wives!!" kinda way, but i love this cover for how forcefully the band throw themselves at it; it's not a silly nostalgia trip, nor is it an exercise in restraint. they don't hold back at all, and the results are glorious...

i also love this cover for the events that followed. after the surprising success of "Pony," and after more and more bands started coming out of the woodwork to cite 'Water and Solutions' as a touchstone of post-hardcore, Far decided "what the hell," and they went all-in on an official reunion tour and new album release. it was truly fantastic seeing the four of them on stage again. and while 2010's 'At Night We Live' represents a fairly minor work in their catalog, i was still thrilled to hear new Far music coming through my speakers once again...

Ginuwine - Pony (1996):

 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
On August 3rd of 1964 the musical "The Roar of the Greasepaint - the Smell of the Crowd" opened at Theatre Royal in Nottingham. It's creators had success a couple years earlier with "Stop the World - I Want to Get Off" and their new musical did fair well winning several Tony's and running for several years on Broadway. But perhaps the most lasting legacy of this musical was that one of its songs was covered a year later by Nina Simone creating a standard that has subsequently been performed by a wide variety of artists. But for me Simone's has never been topped.

Feeling Good
Nina Simone from 1965's "I Put a Spell on You"


Here is the composer Anthony Newley performing his rendition.

 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
As I mentioned previously there aren't a lot of rockin' cover songs as more often than not they get slowed down. So I figured I'd better grab an uptempo one while it was there for the taking.

In 1983 Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force released a single whose lyrics referenced revolutionaries, artists and other nonconformists who had made an impression on the world and/or been a cultural force for change as well as modern day music acts. It was later featured on the 1986 album "Planet Rock: The Album"

In 2000 Rage Against the Machine included their cover version on "Renegades", an album of cover songs.

Here's Rage Against the Machine's version of "Renegades of Funk"

And the Afrika Bambaataa original:
 
it's time to put something significantly more minimal and downtempo on my island, something for those lonely sunsets:

Cat Power - I Found a Reason (the Velvet Underground cover) [2000]:


you might recognize Cat Power's cover of "I Found a Reason" from this scene in the 2006 film 'V for Vendetta.' at just under two minutes, it is less than half the length of VU's original, but it also manages to land with twice the impact. it's no easy feat to upstage Lou Reed and co., but Chan Marshall's vocal performance is so powerfully emotive, even in its fragility. if your heart doesn't ache while you listen to this cover, well... you just might require a transplant...

;)


The Velvet Underground - I Found a Reason (1970):

 
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As I mentioned previously there aren't a lot of rockin' cover songs as more often than not they get slowed down. So I figured I'd better grab an uptempo one while it was there for the taking.

In 1983 Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force released a single whose lyrics referenced revolutionaries, artists and other nonconformists who had made an impression on the world and/or been a cultural force for change as well as modern day music acts. It was later featured on the 1986 album "Planet Rock: The Album"

In 2000 Rage Against the Machine included their cover version on "Renegades", an album of cover songs.

Here's Rage Against the Machine's version of "Renegades of Funk"

And the Afrika Bambaataa original:
Nice. I predict we will see a couple more songs from this album.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
To Chill out a bit on my island, I think some old school soul would help

Otis Redding - Try a little Tenderness (1966)


Original recording(s) December 8, 1932 by the Ray Noble Orchestra (with vocals by Val Rosing) followed by both Ruth Etting and Bing Crosbyin 1933
Knowing I wanted a rock song as one of my two picks the other came down to this song (which I absolutely love) and Feeling Good. Really tough call for me. I love Otis Redding. Great pick in my opinion.
 
For my fourth pick in the Tropical Island IPOD Cover Draft, I select:

Last Kiss - Pearl Jam


I've always liked this song from Pearl Jam, I felt like it was made for them. You could feel the pain,anguish and sadness from Eddie Vedder's voice which fits the song perfectly.

And the original


Album: No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees (later included in their album Lost Dogs)
Released: 1999
Original Artist: Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders
Original Released Date: 1961
 
Black Magic Woman -- Santana

I think most people don't realize this song's a cover. And that the original was done by Fleetwood Mac. The song was written by Peter Green, who founded Fleetwood Mac and named the band after the rhythm section -- drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie. Fleetwood and Mac stayed with the band throughout their career, but the people in front of them changed several times. As a result, Fleetwood Mac changed styles a few times through their career. They started out as a blues rock band several years before they became the pop powerhouse that most people are familiar with.

Carlos Santana took the song and added the Latin flavor to it, so their version is, musically, quite different. The original is much more subdued, emphasizing the spookiness of the subject matter. When Santana was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1998, Carlos Santana invited Peter Green to play the song with his band -- a really classy move on his part. Peter Green is the guy on the left in this video:


Here's a video of the Fleetwood Mac version of the song. It's audio only, but you can hear how it sounds different, and appreciate the great guitar work by Peter Green.

 
yeah, I'd forgotten about that one. Question, is the 2min of silence at the end of the vid intentional there?
Yeah, I think it was intended to be that way by the uploader. I just searched for the best video out there which wasn't a live performance (can't find an official music vid). :)
 
This may stir some controversy, but I am going for it. (it IS described on Wikipedia as a cover)

I select: Walk This Way - Run-DMC (Originally recorded by Aerosmith)
One of my all time favorite rap tunes...
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
This may stir some controversy, but I am going for it. (it IS described on Wikipedia as a cover)

I select: Walk This Way - Run-DMC (Originally recorded by Aerosmith)
One of my all time favorite rap tunes...

Not much stir I think. One of the most famous covers of all time, and an important one. Was on my list in that questionable category where I kind of like it, but would mostly have just been taking it for its fame.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
Not much stir I think. One of the most famous covers of all time, and an important one. Was on my list in that questionable category where I kind of like it, but would mostly have just been taking it for its fame.
I can see where there might be controversy, given that the original artist performed on the cover, which puts it in a bit of a gray area. I'm not protesting, but if someone did I would understand why.
 
By the letter of the law, the Walk This Way pick is not a cover since Aerosmith also performs parts of this version.
a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a previously recorded, commercially released (or unreleased) song, by someone other than the original artist or composer.
Given the way current rules are written, this pick is invalid. Democratically speaking, is there consensus to ammend these rules?
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
By the letter of the law, the Walk This Way pick is not a cover since Aerosmith also performs parts of this version.

Given the way current rules are written, this pick is invalid. Democratically speaking, is there consensus to ammend these rules?
Technically, it's still a valid pick. The rules don't say anything about a cover not being able to feature the original artist. :p

Again, I suggest you err on the side of keeping this draft as open as possible. There are a number of possible picks that are covers but feature either clips of or guest appearances by the original artists. I don't think you'd want to exclude them. As long as Aerosmith didn't re-release the song "featuring Run-DMC" I'd interpret it as being a legit pick.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
By the letter of the law, the Walk This Way pick is not a cover since Aerosmith also performs parts of this version.

Given the way current rules are written, this pick is invalid. Democratically speaking, is there consensus to ammend these rules?
being featured is not he same as performing the song. There's actually quite a few famous covers where the original artist, or a member of the original artist, might pop on for a bit of fun continuity.

There is of course a slippery slope for people to abuse. Two members of the trio The Squealing Weasels break up the first band, form up a new quartet called The Gelatinous Aardvarks, and "cover" their own song...

but...that is clearly not this. Maybe if the song was released by Run D.M.C. & Aerosmith there would be the issue.
 
I think Walk This Way is acceptable as a cover. In addition to what's been said, there's this: Rap and hip hop make heavy use of sampling of older songs, rapping over the musical track. This is sampling except that the Aerosmith guys are there.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
Entity was on the board a while ago. I suspect he may not have received a notification from the person before him. In general, that's the reason people fall behind... I opened a conversation with him (I freaking hate the whole conversation system, BTW) so hopefully he'll get notification.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
NOTE: Part of the rules include "Same song, different group will be considered different cover." For that reason I have deleted a post that included a different group's version of a song already posted.

Generally, it's best not to discuss or post any recordings other than your own picks in these threads. Invariably you will spoil the upcoming pick for someone who drafts after you. (Comment based on experience in previous music drafts) :)