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Gaah! Help! Oxygen! Water! Something! I just watched Rock On on MTV!
As a non-fan of MTV’s current programming, I have conditioned my reflexes to switch channels quickly while channel-surfing to avoid hurling due to unintended exposure to Roadies or Splitsvilla or whatever other crap they have on nowadays. However, I do admit to having some morbid curiosity in the possibility of a TV talent hunt being some good, despite all empirical evidence to the contrary. Besides, its rock. Could it be all that bad?
I do not remember who, but it was a very wise person who said, “there’s a sucker born every minute.”
So, I watch a full thirty minutes of some folks doing a training/practice montage, doing a decent (and I stress that word) rock rendition of a Bollywood number on stage, and then getting verbally assaulted by the judges. And, it may be because I’m stupid to have expected one, but I fail to see the point of it all.
My favourite part was the judges, each of whom genuinely seems to wish they were elsewhere. Ram Sampath, who I used to adore as part of Colourblind, seems to have turned into a snobbier-than-thou prick who can’t appreciate anything. Kailash Kher seems positively fruity when he tries to diplomatically tell people they suck. As such, he’s the only bearable one. The real surprise, for me, was erstwhile cool dude Nikhil Chinappa who, for some reason, seems to be growing more and more bitter with age, losing no chance to savage any performance for cosmetic reasons.
So, if I don’t like it, why don’t I just switch channels, you might ask. Well, I did, once I heard this intriguing quote from Nikhil (to perhaps the crappiest band that I saw) while expressing disappointment at their performance: ‘You guys are among the fifty best musicians in India, give or take’. Really? Really?
Anyway, to recover, I have some rock that’s both good and untouched by MTV: I finally got my hand’s on Avial’s album. Yaay.
How much can be accomplished in a day? A little, or a lot. Depends on who you ask. And how they went ahead trying to accomplish it. If you ask Canadian band Sons of Maxwell, they probably have a good answer for you:
As someone who once sat through an entire 17 hour flight (not United) with my butt cheeks clenched because I was afraid for my guitar (inexpensive by most counts, but not my own) which was in the overhead compartment right above me, I empathize sincerely with Dave Carroll, who saw his $3500 guitar thrown about and broken by the troglodytes in United’s baggage handling (Read the whole story in his own words. Please do). Thankfully, my guitar made it through the trip in one piece.
So, in just the one day after this video was posted on YouTube, it has received thousands of views and comments, and apparently finally got the notice of United, who now want to settle the matter with Dave Carroll (using some pretty punny language, I might add).
As an enthusiast of underdog moments in cinema, literature and real-life (which I am sure many of us are), it gives me great joy and vicarious pleasure in watching a wronged person take on a big corporation single-handedly and come out on top. “Customer Service” is rarely ever that anymore, and congratulations to Dave on beating the system and the corporation the only way its possible anymore: by leaving them with egg on their face. In public. And to the band’s great credit, they did it with wit and creativity rather than plain old rigteous indignation.
So, how much can be accomplished in a day? Well, you could take on a corporate behemoth with next to zero regard for its customers, and you just might come out on top. Sometimes, I think there is some justice in this world.
Reader Poll: Do you think this might work in India?
URL (UnRelated Link): I am Murloc, from Blizzard’s in-house band. Now, who would have thought that geeks who make MMORPGs are the power metal type? 
So, the King of Pop has snuffed it. Kicked the bucket. Met his maker. Bought the farm. Rode off into the sunset. Leaving behind him behind him a stellar musical legacy, legions of mourning fans and dozens of “touched” pre-pubescent boys (what, too soon?), he has gone to join the great gig in the sky. We here at PnP salute Michael Jackson for his incomparable contributions to the world of music and entertainment, for being the poster boy for nearly evey kind of crazy during the last fifteen odd years, and also because at least every other time I have been introduced to someone, the question has been posed: “Oh, Jackson? You mean like Michael Jackson? Hee hee.” A world full of darned eight year olds, I tell you.
Anyway, being an unwitting namesake didn’t really drive me wild about the man, but I decided to give into him as long as he was just a smooth criminal. But once he started being bad (really, really bad), I decided it would be better for me to beat it than to associate my name with his. It was hard to keep the faith when we didn’t know why he’d wanna trip on ten year old boys, but another part of me could remember the time, a simpler time, when you could just put on a record from this speed demon and jam to his earth song. Even if there was no one to dance with, the man in the mirror could make you feel like getting on the floor. It was just human nature. We believed he could heal the world, and didn’t care if he was black or white. Unfortunately, there was too much blood on the dance floor. We screamed at his personal HIStory and said he didn’t really care about us anymore, like some stranger in Moscow. But this time round, when he was getting ready to rock our world once more, asking us “will you be there?”, the break of dawn revealed the terrible news to us tabloid junkies that he was gone too soon. It was 2 bad. [Editors Note: Apologies to all Michael Jackson fans for mangling a great musical legacy in one atrocious paragraph. In fact, apologies to all of humanity for allowing this to happen. Billie Jean and Dirty Diana, the Liberian girls who wrote this paragraph have been sacked. We feel your outrage. You are not alone.*]
So, we Pitch and Pay says our fond farewell to the not-so-ugly-looking duckling who turned into a terrifying swan that turned out some of the most eminently listenable music of the last century, and reconcile ourselves to the fact that while he will no longer be around, he will always be remembered as the high-water mark of entertainment. And for being crazier than Charles Manson with a chainsaw.
URL (UnRelated Link): MJ also inspires an idiot with a knife in Florida. Do read the comments for much serious discussion and tasteless humour.
* We apologize once again for the continued punny behaviour. The people responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked, have also been sacked.
Cover songs are that sacred institution in popular (and unpopular) music that bands/artists can take advantage of in many situations. Kind of like a sonic screwdriver: a little thing that serves many purposes. Up and coming band that needs a break? Cover an established artist’s song. Bar band need songs to fill up the set? Get crackin’ on some classic rock. Big band that’s in a creative rut? Time for a covers album. Tribute to a big artist that played his last powerchord? Get some washed up friends and fans to redo his songs. Or maybe just homage. Though there are, of course, other reasons people cover songs, but that’s enough background.
Now, back to cover songs. I’ve long maintained that no matter how good a cover song, it can never be as good as the original; because it really would be impossible to capture the songwriter’s original intent and/or spirit. But some of the songs in this list have definitely made me think otherwise. The rest are not necessarily better than the original, but are included for their own sheer awesomeness.
[Please Note: This list is neither objective, nor particularly well researched. Its simply a list of some of the best covers I've heard and recall at this point. As a result, the list mainly sticks to pop and rock. I don't know much jazz, and most hip-hop tends to sample, not cover. Techno remix-covers are generally execrable, at best, so I doubt anyone will complain about my ignoring them.]
10. Awesome Original: Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Awesome Cover By: Shinedown
Sure, Skynyrd have written better songs, and awesome artists have covered them (Witness Metallica’s take on ‘Tuesday’s Gone’ or The Deftones’ cover of this same song). But the Shinedown take a brutally simple approach to Simple Man’ by stripping it down to only the essentials: an acoustic guitar and a gruff redneck voice that can strip the paint off the walls. Brent Hinds is no Bruce Dickinson, but there is a raw power and a dignity to his vocal that commands respect.
9. Awesome Original: Crossroads – Robert Johnson
Awesome Cover By: Cream
The early ’60s in England was the place to be to witness the evolution of the blues. The explosion of bands and artists taking blues to the next level would, in the process, give birth to rock and heavy metal. But every English bluesman knows his debt to the roots of the music, in the American south; where the music originated as a reminder of and escape from the harsh realities of life, poverty and racial subjugation.
Robert Johnson, myth and legend notwithstanding, remains one of the most highly regarded guitarists and bluesmen ever. For all the purists who may sneer at ’60s English blues, listening to Eric Clapton soloing over the backdrop of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker thundering away really should convince you that Cream have paid their debt well.
8. Awesome Original: Benzin – Rammstein
Awesome Cover By: Meshuggah
Allright, confession time. This song is not a cover, but a B-side remix (the B-sides also included remixes by Ad-Rock and Apocalyptica) of Rammstein’s single (its also probably the best song ever written about rising gas prices). Really, the only reason I’m writing this whole list is to put Meshuggah on it (well, almost). While some of Rammstein’s original tracks are retained, the ‘Combustion Remix’ slows things down a bit and adds Meshuggah’s trademark bottom-scraping, lower-than-bass guitar riffing to the mix. Brutal.
7. (Less Than) Awesome Original: I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
Awesome Cover By: Cake
OKay, this is pretty much the only song on this list where the original isn’t all that awesome, especially due to the fact that it was a huge disco hit and consequently, people never stop singing this at karaoke. While that almost disqualifies it from contention, its also considered an anthem about female empowerment or HIV awareness or something like that, and I’m sure its pretty high on lots of people’s guilty pleasure listening lists (no, not mine).
Cake, however, take the cake (get it? cake.. sorry) with their cover of the song, turning it from an over-the-top disco record to an alternative rock song with John McCrea’s signature dry, droll delivery, trumpets, and a bassline that can make the most shake-resistant booty move it like it was meant to.
6. Awesome Original: Walk This Way – Aerosmith
Awesome Cover By: Run-DMC featuring Aerosmith
Embedding for this video was disabled.
One ’70s hard-rock band languishing in the doldrums of creativity and a failed comeback? Check.
One trendsetting rap act waiting to break into the mainstream? Check.
Rick Rubin was onto something when he made Run-DMC collaborate with the Toxic Twins on the track that brought Run-DMC (and rap) mainstream attention and helped resuscitate Aerosmith’s career (though we haven’t forgiven Rubin for inadvertently giving us Fred Durst and Kid Rock). The song itself was begging to be remade as a rap, with the quick vocal delivery and the sample-ready beats and riffs.
Instant classic? Check.
5. Awesome Original: Dead Flowers – The Rolling Stones
Awesome Cover By: Townes Van Zandt
If you’ve seen ‘The Big Lebowski’, you know the song I’m talking about. Leave it to Townes to take a fast-paced, swaggering rock song from Messrs Jagger and Richards (albeit a pretty dark one) and turn it into a country ballad that is wholly depressing and, at the same time, awesomely beautiful. The dude abides.
4. Awesome Original: All Along The Watchtower – Bob Dylan
Awesome Cover By: Jimi Hendrix
Well, both of these fellows had to turn up here at some point. Dylan has inspired countless covers (some great, other not so much) of his songs, and Jimi has of course been covered to no end. And both have covered their fair share of music, too. But when his Jimi-ness decided to take on the great Dylan, he reimagined the song in a way so awesome I think I just soiled my pants typing that last sentence.
In fact, Dylan would later go on to occasionally play something closer to Jimi’s version of the song live in concert.
3. Awesome Original: Mad World – Tears For Fears
Awesome Cover By: Gary Jules and Michael Andrews
While the Donnie Darko soundtrack really was full of solid gold ’80s pop nuggets, none really caught the attention so much as this cover of Tears for Fears’ ‘Mad World’. By removing all but the basic melody and slowing the song down to a dirge-like pace, Jules gives it a plaintive air, as if looking at something beloved with great sadness.
2. Awesome Original: Hurt – Nine Inch Nails
Awesome Cover By: Johnny Cash
NIN’s ‘Hurt’ is not a pretty song. Its beautiful, but not pretty. In fact, its downright ugly. Its about a man teetering on the edge of suicide, and giving up on the world and all his worldly connections. Johnny Cash’s version turns it into a cry for redemption from an old warrior who knows his time has come. The video, released posthumously, is a fitting tribute to the Man In Black who passed on shortly after the album was released.
As for the song itself, Trent Reznor says, “[I felt like] I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn’t mine anymore”. Wow.
1. Awesome Original: Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen
Awesome Cover By: Jeff Buckley
It really couldn’t have been anything else, now could it? Buckley was one of the best singers around and Cohen is arguably one of the best songwriters in the world, and both of them are not nearly as popular as they should be, though probably everyone has heard this song somewhere or the other.
Cohen’s dark, wry take on love, sex and religious imagery has inspired many great cover versions (John Cale, Rufus Wainwright, Bob Dylan to name but a few) and it is easily in contention for one of the best songs ever (according to me); but Jeff Buckley’s version blows even the original out of the water, with its chiming guitars and poignant, yet confident, vocals. There’s really no competition.
Honorable Mentions:
SRV’s channels some Texas blues into Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Little Wing’.
Nevermore surgically restructures Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Sound of Silence’ into Frankenstein’s monster.
Death turns Judas Priest’s ‘Painkiller’ into an unstoppable machine of
destruction. Oh, wait, it already is one. Oh well, Awesome++.
Note: I originally wanted to write about the worst cover songs ever, but I really don’t have the time (or inclination) to do all that reasearch (and believe me, there’s lots of terrible covers). And, Cracked have already done it. Beware: plenty of ear-jarring sounds ahead if you click that link.
Also, if you don’t want to hear all that terrible music, but just have a good laugh at some musicians taking themselves waaay too seriously, click here.
I know there may be better covers around, so comments and suggestions are welcomed if you can point me to them. Thanks to Wikipedia for research info, and no thanks to the record companies that have pulled their official videos from Youtube.
Last note, honest. Upon final proof reading, I see this article comes off as extremely sexist. Do I just not listen to female artists enough, or do they not cover songs well? Probably the former. So if you know any good covers songs by female artists, do let me know. Also, I realize I’ve used the word ‘awesome’ far too many times here. Awesome.
Update: Now I remember this one: Ann Wilson’s cover of Led Zep’s Immigrant Song. This should have been in the top ten. Easy. Forgive me, Ann.
I saw three (three!) movies over the weekend: the screaming swipe at Hollywood that is Tropic Thunder (watch out for that Tom Cruise), the very violent-yet-charming buddy-tale that is Pineapple Express and one of my all time favourites The Big Lebowski. All very excellent comedies with some wonderful characters, and very excellent timepass. And each with a great soundtrack. In fact, this is all about the soundtrack to The Big Lebowski. One song from the soundtrack in particular.
Years back, as a part-time aspiring guitarist and full-time first year engineering student in Kerala, probably the one question I was asked the most at the time was, ‘Can you play Hotel California?’. Specifically, the flamenco-ish version they played on the Hell Freezes Over album, which was more famous in God’s Own Country than the electric original. Apparently, Hotel California is accepted in Kerala to be the dividing line that you must cross to be considered a guitarist of any worth. Kind of like Summer of ‘69 or Neele Neele Ambar elsewhere in the country. A reputation built to scare the pants off any young fellow who happened to pick up a guitar.
Having been intimidated by the song since I first heard it, I was even more daunted by the endless requests from friends and seniors to hear it played. Not really knowing many chords or scales (not much has changed), I figured out the first few chords from somewhere, and then the rest from Danny, a kind senior, and then I realised that now I had a response for ‘Hotel California vaayikkeda‘ that wasn’t ‘ayyo cheta, ariyilla‘, which would be followed by the inevitable ‘nee pinne enthu gittarist aadei?‘. I was a ‘guitarist’. Or a ‘gittarist’, at least.
It was about this same time that people kept telling me about the song and the band having connections to Satan or drug use or backward-masked lyrics or something (I never really got what the fuss was about). So it was also kind of a ‘dangerous’ song. Everyone wanted to hear it, but would it damn my soul to hell to play it? Giving the Eagles the benefit of the doubt, I ended up listening to and playing the song almost tirelessly thoughout my first year and even after that, mostly for myself, to try and perfect the arpeggios and licks (the solo was out of reach) that Glenn Frey and Don Felder had by now etched into the back of my brain. Of course, I never got close. But as a result, I ended up tired of hearing the song and, backward-masked druggie lyrics or not, I have not played or heard the song seriously or in its entirety for a long time. Sorry, Eagles.
Wait, what were we talking about? Yes, The Big Lebowski. One of the best moments in this surreal movie filled with quirky, silly, borderline-unstable (okay, Walter Sobchak is clearly unstable) and memorable characters, is the cameo role of creepy latin-lover-pederast Jesus Quintana, passionately holding the bowling ball, licking it, then rolling a strike and celebrating – all in slow motion – with his boxer-like dance to the intro of the Gipsy Kings’ version of the song that can no more be named. I’d say its flat-out one of the Coen brothers’ finest moments ever.
Watching the clip over and over again yesterday brought back memories of learning to play the song and the sudden (if slight) increase in status I saw among batchmates as ‘the guy who plays Hotel California on guitar’. Suffice to say I never got any women or drugs playing that song, but it was a great boost in confidence for a young man working his way around six strings.
I think when I get back home today, I’ll give the song another listen. Just for old time’s sake.
PS. I initially considered, then quickly dropped, the idea of any references to Hotel Keralafonia for cheap effect. Kudos, though, to the true red-blooded Malayali who came up with those lyrics, documenting and forever sealing the connection between the song and the state halfway across the world that is crazy about it.
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