Archive for the ‘covers’ Category

Covers by Toyah and Cyndi

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Some  new stuff over at Mostly-Retro!

In case you missed it, I did a small post on this crazy poster that came with the first edition of Kraftwerk’s Ralf Und Florian album. I don’t think that thing has ever been scanned and shared on the Internet before, so if you know any Kraftwerk fans make sure to send them that article!

Next up, and on a much more serious note, there’s this post on Game Theory’s Scott Miller, who left us all too suddenly last week. He meant a lot to me and I hope that someday he’ll be recognized as the songwriting genius he was. You can find all of Game Theory’s music at his official site now, and I wrote up a quick thing about him.

Finally, and on another sad note, Storm Thorgerson died last week too (man, last week was SHIT.) While  he was most well-known for his Pink Floyd covers, he did a lot of other great work too. I put together a quick little gallery featuring some of my favorites.

Mostly-Retro is going along better than I thought it would, and I hope you all enjoy it and share it with your friends. I have some cool stuff planned for that site in the coming weeks and I hope it all comes together.

Got cool stuff planned here too! So don’t worry about that. Check it! Cool stuff! Right here!

It’s really cool.

Toyah
Echo Beach (Surf Mix)
Echo Beach (7″ MIx)
Plenty
This is a cover. The original was by a Canadian new wave band called Martha and the Muffins. There were actually two Marthas in that band at one point, so they really should have been called Marthas and the Muffins, but I guess that doesn’t really roll off the tongue. What are the odds of having two Marthas in a band anyways? Is that like some crazy common name in Canada or something?

I’m getting off topic. This version is by perennial UK oddball Toyah, and I prefer it to the original. It has less horns and more synthesizers. If you ask  me, just about any song can be improved using that formula, except maybe “Careless Whisper.” And possibly “Baker Street.” Although, I don’t know, that melody in “Baker Street” is so great that I think it could work on anything. You could play that shit on a marimba and it would sound great.

Cyndi Lauper
What’s Going On (Club Version)
What’s Going On (Instrumental)
What’s Going On (Long Version)
Okay, so maybe you all can help me out here. If you go to Cyndi Lauper’s official VEVO channel on YouTube to watch this video (which is awesome by the way), it says “ft. Chuck D” after the song title. But, yo, where the hell is Chuck? He is not in this video, he is not rapping, and I highly doubt that’s him playing the bongos. Pardon the obvious joke, but what’s going on with that?

That being said, I really think that a Cyndi Lauper/Chuck D collaboration would be dope and they should really get on that already.

These mixes are by Shep Pettibone, because he remixed everyone in the 80s.

Posted in B-sides, covers, Cyndi Lauper, remixes, Toyah | 2 Comments »

Chairman Of The Board – The Best Compilation of Frank Sinatra Covers that 1993 had to Offer

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

The random mid-90s alt-rock compilation; is there any better source for oddball rarities and bizarro obscurities? It’s thanks to this trend of “let’s package as many bands who we think the kids who like Nirvana might like together and see what happens” we have albums like No Alternative, with Soul Aslyum’s awesome take on “Sexual Healing” and that crazy Carpenters tribute record with Sonic Youth’s cover of “Superstar.”

Chairman of the Board, a collection of alt-rock groups taking on standards made famous by Frank Sinatra, doesn’t have any classic cuts like those records do, but it’s still an interesting time capsule showcasing the wide variety of alternative bands that existed in the mid-90s that had absolutely nothing to do with grunge.

The album originally came out on CD and (blue!) vinyl in 1993 by Grass Records as a benefit album supporting both NARAL and Rock For Choice (the album is out of print now, so I don’t feel guilty about giving away a charity record for free). Odds are you’ve never heard of most of the bands here, save for a few very noticeable acts who were on the verge of breaking through right before the album was released. Despite this, these crazy takes on songs that you no doubt have heard a billion times over are usually fun to listen to. And if you’re like me, they’ll have you wondering whatever happened to a lot of these also-rans from the alt-rock landscape.

The tracks I’m posting here are from the first LP of the two record set. I’ll be posting the second half later this week.

Screeching Weasel – Chicago
Screeching Weasel has been around for approximately 80 years, and 429 people have been in the group (actually, it’s more like 26 years and 20+ people, but whatever) and I don’t think they’ve ever had anything that could be considered a hit single. They’re one of those bands you’ve heard of but never actually heard. Or you have heard them, but don’t recall where from. Their rendition of “Chicago,” originally written in 1922 by Fred Fisher, is a straight-up “let’s take the original version and play it fast” punk rock cover. Silly fun.

Kramer – My Way
I’ve never heard of Kramer, but he apparently has toured/recorded/produced about half of the bands I liked in the late 90s, including Urge Overkill, Galaxie 500, Low, White Zombie and Butthole Surfers (and GWAR – who I totally met once…it’s a long story). He also knew Penn & Teller, which may be why Penn Jillette wrote the linear notes to the album. His version of this Paul Anka tune is fucking creepy.

Sister Double Happiness – Summer Wind
I know absolultely nothing about this band aside from what I found on YouTube, all of which is better than this hideously awful cover. You’ve been warned.

Babe The Blue Ox – Lady Is A Tramp
This band has a horribly written Wikipedia page that was obviously put together by either a fan or the drummer. That being said, the wiki page is accurate when it says “It would be impossible to classify the style of music favored by the group,” if this cover is any indication. Quiet acoustic sections, random horns blaring, SCREAMING vocals. I love it. I don’t know what it is. But I love it.

The Toadies – Luck Be a Lady Tonight
I’m so glad I found this album so I could finally know where this cover came from, I’ve had it on my computer as a shitty 128kpbs MP3 since I was in college. It’s a great cover, and like everything The Toadies have ever done, it’s vaguely creepy in an undefinable way. Random trivia: This song is from the musical “Guys and Dolls” and is sung by the Sky Masterson character, not Nathan Detroit, the character Sinatra played in the 1955 film. He didn’t perform it until the 60s.

Twitch – Pretty Colors
There are about 80 bands named Twitch. If anyone wants to tell me which one this is, who is in it, and what happened to them I would appreciate it, because I like this cover.

Lester Vegas -Fly Me To The Moon
Again, I have no idea who this is. I think this may have been his only release. Any help?

Ten Bright Spikes -Brazil
If someone ever pulls a gun on you and demands you name a song that was covered by Bing Crosby, Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra, Chet Atkins, The Vengaboys, Kate Bush and Arcade Fire (albeit not all at the same time – although that would be awesome!) you’ll have an answer. My favorite version is still probably the Kate Bush version, simply because it’s in the movie of the same name. This is a good version as well, and is one of two tracks on the album that were vinyl exclusives. Once again, this cover is by a band that I can find absolutely nothing about, so if anyone wants to fill me in please do.

Girls Against Boys – My Funny Valentine
Hey, a band I’ve not only heard of, but love! Let me share with you some Girls Against Boys (aka GVSB) facts.
FACT: Nearly every GVSB song sounds vaguely similar to every other GVSB song
FACT: Nearly every GVSB song is pretty good, rendering the above fact okay.
FACT: They have two bass players
FACT: They have a song called “Kill The Sex Player”
FACT: I have no idea as to what a “sex player” is, nor why someone would want said sex player dead.
FACT: They haven’t updated their website in three years.
This is also the only version of “My Funny Valentine” I’ve ever heard that didn’t make me want to pull my hair out. So kudos to them.

Prisonshake – I Wish I Were In Love Again
Apparently these guys have been around since the late 80s. But don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of them before, because they’ve only put out three albums, one in 1993, another in 1995, and a third in 2008. Productivity is for suckers! This is probably the most straight-forward cover on the entire album, which is cute, but kind of boring.

The Flaming Lips – It Was a Very Good Year
Without a doubt the biggest band on this record (sorry Toadies), but if you’re hoping for some Wayne Coyne psychedelic theatrics, I’m sorry. This is a very low-key and minimalist cover, and actually sounds more like something Grandaddy would have done. It’s still cool though.

Pitchblende – Here’s To The Losers
I can only say “I like this weird cover but I know nothing about the band” so many times. But…I really like this cover but I know almost nothing about this band. They were from DC and put out a few records in the 90s before vanishing, from what I can tell.

The Vindictives – Call Me Irresponsible
Miek Weasel (of The Screeching Weasels) was in The Vindictives, and it shows. Another “let’s play the slow song fast” punk cover. Generic? Maybe. But hey, if the formula ain’t broke then don’t fix it.

Posted in Babe The Blue Ox, Complete Albums, covers, Frank Sinatra, Girls Against Boys, Kramer, Lester Vegas, Pitchblende, Prisonshake, Screehing Weasel, Sister Double Happiness, Ten Bright Spikes, The Flaming Lips, The Vindictives, Toadies, Twitch | 2 Comments »

Flock of Bootlegs

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

If any of you follow me on Twitter, then you may already know that I might have to go on another grunge-related rant next week. For that I apologize.

Until then, let’s keep the happy synthpop train rolling!

Depeche Mode
Only When I Lose Myself (Lexicon Avenue Remix) 
It’s come to this, I have so many Depeche Mode singles (over 80 if you count the box sets) that I have to resort to white label bootlegs to get my remix fix. I’m willing to accept that if it means I can get more awesome mixes like this one, however. I’m digging this mix a lot at the moment. It’s very chill and minimal, and it really takes its time to develop. And since “Only When I Lose Myself” is one of those Mode tracks where all you need is Gahan’s haunting vocals, the sparse, bare-bones treatment fits the track perfectly. A quality mix that’s better than a lot of the official remixes that were on the last Depeche Mode remix compilation, it’s definitely worth a listen or twenty.

Flock of Seagulls
I Ran (Flatline Remix)
So one time I went to this weird hipster party in Pittsburgh and a band called Tehran Iran was playing. They came out dressed as sheikhs and played punk rock covers of Duran Duran songs. It was pretty awesome. For their encore they played “I Ran,” changing the chorus to “But Iran/Iran is so far away.”  Good times.

Anyways, this is another bootleg remix, bought in the same batch as that previously mentioned Depeche Mode remix. I never thought I’d find a trance remix of a Flock of Seagulls track, let alone like it a lot. Will the wonders never cease?

Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Welcome To The Pleasuredome (Trevor Horn Remix)
Get It On (Bang a Gong)
Relax International (Live)
Speaking of bootlegs, has anyone ever done a mash-up of “Welcome To The Pleasuredome” with Public Enemy’s “Welcome To the Terrordome?” It seems like the kind of thing that just should create itself into existence, it’s so obvious.

These tracks are not bootlegs, they are taken from one of the 86 zillion Frankie Goes to Hollywood 12″ singles that came out between the years 1983-85.  Because, y’know, the world needed as many remixes of “Relax” as possible! It’s how we survived the Reagan years. That’s a fact. You can look it up.

And that “Get It On” cover is ridiculous and I love every minute of it!

Posted in bootlegs, covers, Depeche Mode, Flock Of Seagulls, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, live, remixes | 2 Comments »

It Sounds Better Than “Idaho Bishops” I Guess…

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

It’s raining.

It can stop anytime.

Stupid rain.

Aztec Camera
Backwards And Forwards (Live)
Jump
The Bugle Sounds Again (Live)
Mattress of Fire (Live)
The Birth Of The Tune (Live)
Do you like Aztec Camera? Do you like the fact that I semi-routinely post rare tracks by them? If so, swing on by to the amazing Anna Hegedus’ website. If it wasn’t for her I would have never heard of them, and I buy most of my Aztec Camera to make her happy.

And yes, that “Jump” you see there is a cover of the Van Halen tune of the same name. It sure is…something.

These were all taken from a 10″ single for “Backwards And Forwards.”

Jimmy Somerville
Heartbeat (Armand Van Helden Mix)
Jimmy Somerville was the lead singer of Bronski Beat, and he’s fabulous. The DJ compilation record in which I found this mix, however, was very much not fabulous. It was scratched to shit, skipped like crazy, and overall just sounded like a pile of ass.

Now, I have previously stated my aversion to audio “clean-up” programs that remove the clicks and pops found on vinyl records. They tend to make the recordings sound compressed and distorted, which is way worse than a couple clicks and pops.

I usually just go through myself and remove all the bad parts if possible, but this recording was a mess. While browsing the Internet for good audio editing software I came across ClickRepair and I thought I’d give it a shot. It seems to do a pretty good job, but I’ll be the first to admit that my ears aren’t always trained for this kind of thing. I used it on this track though, so download it and let me know how it sounds.

I would appreciate any input you all have. If you’re an audio geek and really want to see how the program works then download this zip. Included in it are two copies of a live version of Tom Robinson’s “Glad To Be Gay” (I know it’s an odd test file, but it was the most damaged track I could find that I thought was still salvageable). Listen to both to the “before” and “after” tracks, is there anything wrong with the after track? I don’t notice any significant audio degradation. I really want this program to work, it would make my life so much easier!

Utah Saints
Ohio (DJ Misjah Mix)
On Feburary 24th, 2009, I said the following:

“The Utah Saints were neither from Utah or saints, discuss.”

Commenter Rekanize responded with the following:

“New Orleans, once upon a time, used to have a basketball team known as The New Orleans Jazz… in 1979, they were moved to Utah, then known as the Utah Jazz.

Well, New Orleans’s football team is the Saints…

yeah?”

That was over two years ago and it still blows my fucking mind. Shit’s crazy.

This remix is from the same compilation that the Jimmy Somerville track is from, but the side it was on was in considerably better shape, and required no digital touching up.

And, no, this is not a cover of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Ohio.” One could only hope. I assume it’s called “Ohio” because it samples “Fire” by the Ohio Players. This track samples something else though right? What is it?

Update 5/25/11: File was removed because it was actually the album version, and not a remix.

 

 

Posted in Aztec Camera, B-sides, covers, live, remixes, Utah Saints | 4 Comments »

A Record Record Store Day Haul, now with Toadies!

Monday, April 18th, 2011

First things first, the excellent electronic music label Kompakt has jumped on the best bandwagon possible – the benefit record for Japan bandwagon. If you like minimal techno and have 10 bucks to spare then you should get it. It’s 34 tracks and almost four hours of music!

Click here to find out more.

Now where was I? Oh yes, Saturday was Record Store Day! I hope you all got a made out with a good haul. Over the next few days I’ll be sharing a good deal of what I scored and I hope you all enjoy as I share my limited edition vinyl happiness with you all.

Tonight’s happy music share time has a little bit of vitriol though. Sorry about that.

Update 4/18/11: Most of these links were removed early for a reason. See the comments section to find out why.
Update 5/12/11: Someone Great is now available on iTunes and Amazon. Buy it.

Toadies
Someone Great (Live) (LCD Soundsystem Cover)
No Deliverance (Live)
The Toadies covering LCD Soundsystem! Crazy huh? Now, if you’re like me, then you think that’s a great idea, and really brave of the Toadies. It’s not easy to take a song that’s entirely in another genre and rework it to fit your musical style. But I think the Toadies pull it off with this cover, which re-imagines the tune as a down-home, lo-fi country jam. It’s really impressive, and the Toadies deserve credit for taking a risk and having it pay off so well.

Some LCD Soundsystem fans seem to disagree, however. Here are some snippets of comments from the Spin article that posted a sneak preview of the Toadies track:

“I just threw up in my mouth….”

“wow way to butcher an amazing song…I hope they go down in a blazing plane crash.”

“Honestly this is a bad cover, I wonder if they are aware what this song is about. I’m sorry Toadies, but you should have been a one hit wonder and stayed in the 90’s. This cover is insulting to LCD and their fans.”

“People actually listen to the toadies??? and go to their shows???? Oh joy for mainstream crap bands doing live covers of actual real musicians. Thankfully their fans are so lame, most didn’t even know it was a cover and just thought it was finally a song with depth.”

Wow. Stay classy hipsters!

I just don’t get the hate. So a band you know almost nothing about covered a song you like? Why go off on a rampage about it?I love me some Pearl Jam, but I didn’t wish Staind die a painful death when they decided to mutilate “Black.” If anything, I was happy that they were exposing a classic PJ track to a younger crowd.

I’m willing to bet that the die-hard Toadies fanbase and the die-hard LCD Soundsystem fanbase doesn’t have a big overlap. Maybe some Toadies fans will be encouraged to check out LCD after hearing this fantastic cover. As a fan, shouldn’t that make you happy? That more people might be interested the band you like? Oh, but are Toadies fans the wrong people? Is the LCD fanbase an exclusive club?

This is not my first exposure to the dickery of LCD Soundsystem fans. When I lambasted This Is Happening for being at best a collection of forgettable drivel and at worst a collection of forgettable drivel that ripped off Lou Reed, I got more than my fair share of insults from self-righteous asshats who were personally insulted that I called an album by their favorite band a pile of shit. But they seemed to be even more insulted that I called LCD Soundsystem fans a bunch of  “self-righteous musical-know-it-alls-by-way-of-Wikipedia.”

They then proceeded to explain to me all the obvious Brian Eno, Bowie and Talking Heads references I “missed” because I didn’t mention them in my review.

Maybe they were just being ironic? Do hipsters still do stuff to be ironic? I’ve been out of that scene for a while, it’s hard to keep up.

Even when I liked LCD Soundsystem (and I still think their first two albums are incredible), I thought that a significant portion of the group’s fanbase represented the absolute worst of hipster culture – mean-spirited pricks who are still stuck in that late-90s “my forgettable bullshit music is better than your forgettable bullshit music because its less popular” mode – and it seems  that I was probably right.

Also, I’m sure that there are thousands of LCD Soundsystem fans who are not complete dicks – unfortunately nice people are usually quieter than assholes.

Anyways, these two tracks are from a Toadies 7″ that was part of Record Store Day. Enjoy.

Franz Ferdinand Covers
Debbie Harry & Franz Ferdinand – Live Alone
Stephen Merritt – Dream Again
LCD Soundsystem – Live Alone
ESG – What She Came For
Peaches – Turn It On
And look an LCD Soundsystem track!  It’s a great cover too, even though its a little overlong at 7 and a half minutes. It’s better than Stephen Merritt’s take on “Dream Again” though, which is just a little too mellow for my tastes. ESG’s interpretation of “What She Came For” is great though, as is Peaches’ surprisingly low-key turn on “Turn It On.” However, Debbie Harry kicks everyone’s ass with her amazing version on “Live Alone,” and proves that at 65-years-old she still rocks harder than any other motherfucker on Earth.

All these tracks are from the Franz Ferdinand Covers E.P.

Posted in covers, ESG, Franz Ferdinand, LCD Soundsystem, live, Peaches, Stephen Merritt, Toadies | 6 Comments »

Skunk & Skin

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

The last of the Skunk Anansie posts, and it’s a big one.

If anyone has a real, legitimate live version of “Selling Jesus” I would be eternally grateful if they shared it with me.

Skunk Anansie
Hedonism (Allegedly Acoustic Mix)
Twisted (Everyday Hurts) (Cake mix)
Pickin On Me (Pick ‘n Mix)
She’s My Heroine (Polyester and Cotton Mix)
Milk is My Sugar (Cement Mix)
Yes It’s Fucking Political (Comix)
Weak (Ackee & Saltfish Mix)
Charity (Clit Pop Mix)
100 Ways To Be A Good Girl (Anti Matter Mix)
Rise Up (Bonhamoon Mix)
You’ll Follow Me Down (Rollo & Sister Bliss [From Faithless] Mix)
You’ll Follow Me Down (Golden Ashes Mix)
Secretly (Optical Vocal Mix)
I always find it odd when rock bands allow their decidedly non-dance friendly tracks to be remixed.  Its an especially odd move for Skunk Anansie, since all their tracks are either emotional ballads about how much love is a motherfucker or aggressive metal about political injustice and racism. I would hate to be Rollo and Sister Bliss when they were handed “You’ll Follow Me Down,” a song about loving a junkie, with the intention of it getting remixed for the clubs. Still, they did a pretty good job.

I would like to know who came up with the idea of a “Clit Pop Mix.” I don’t know if I love or hate that name.

Anyways, these are all from a multitude of CD singles. Thanks to everyone who indulged me in these posts. The next one will have some 80s shit I promise.

Skin
Getting Away With It
From what I can tell Skin’s solo career didn’t exactly take off. That was to be expected in America, but her lack of runaway success in England is kind of a bummer. Both of her solo albums are alright, but are very ballad heavy. Maybe there isn’t a market for a black bald chick singing romantic ballads? It is interesting that she’s is apparently a celebrity of some sorts in non-English speaking Europe, especially in Italy where she had a hit single (“Tear Down These Houses”) on a soundtrack to a hit movie (Parlami d’Amore). Of course, neither are available in America.

Also unavailable in America is Skin’s first solo album, Flesh Wounds; which is a shame because it’s quite good. This beautiful cover of Electronic’s “Getting Away From It” is from that album.

Posted in covers, remixes, Skin, Skunk Anansie | 6 Comments »

Pittsburgh is underwater.

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

I am in a shit mood. I hate rain. Hate it. It’s stupid and dumb. My house is underwater and my ceiling is leaking and I want to punch the sky, but my arms aren’t long enough. It’s annoying.

I bought some amazing stuff when I was in Philly a couple days ago. Hopefully some of it will be up here soon.

Queens Of The Stone Age

Never Say Never
Who’ll Be Next In Line
You’re So Vague
Never Say Never is a cover. It was originally on the soundtrack to The Punisher. It still is actually. But you can’t buy it. Well, you can, but if you want the song you have to buy the whole lousy soundtrack. And I mean lousy as in “shitty” not in “the whole thing.” Who’ll Be Next In Line is a Kinks cover and “You’re So Vague” is an original song, but if you don’t know what it is referencing then you’re an idiot and you can’t read my blog anymore.
Lamb
Gorecki (Global Communication Remix)
Cotton Wood (Fila Brazilia Mix)
One of the very first CDs I ever reviewed was Lamb’s sophomore album way back in 1999. I think I said “sounds like Portishead” about 84 times in that review. I’ve become a better writer since then but I’m going to stand by that opinion. These are from a weird 12” promo single.

Posted in B-sides, covers, Lamb, Queens Of The Stone Age, remixes | 2 Comments »

Tripping on Ambient House…and ice.

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Did all of you have a wonderful Christmastime? Did you contract a case of the flu that required an ambulance ride to an Akron area hospital? Well then you had a better Christmas break than I did you bastards.

And today I fell on the ice and hurt my back. 2009 can’t fucking end soon enough. My New Year’s celebrations will consist of me, my comfy new couch and my Kraftwerk box set. Screw parties. Trans Europe Express makes the pain go away.

The Orb
Blue Room
Blue Room – Radio 7
Blue Room – Excerpt 605
Towers of Dub (Mad Professor Remix)
The single mix of “Blue Room” is a beautiful thing. It almost makes me wish I had some painkillers on hand (actually, that has more to do with the previously mentioned fall on the ice). It’s also epic; clocking in at 39 minutes and 58 seconds long. I’ve actually listened to this sucker all the way through multiple times today, and that alone proves that I spend too much time in front of the computer listening to music.

“Towers of Dub” may not be the best song of all time but fuck me sideways if it doesn’t have one of the grooviest basslines ever laid to wax. This mix has its ups and downs, but it end is pretty damned good.

In the interest of honest I will admit that I swiped these tracks from another blog, Everything On My iPod. However, my links are directly to the files on my server, and not to their Rapidshare account, that would be rude.

Pete Shelley
On Your Own (New York Mix)
Please forgive me…but I cannot endure it any longer
“On Your Own” is a good track, I’m not denying that, but the real attention grabber here is the B-side. “Please Forgive Me…” is a bizarre seven-and-a-half minute instrumental of drums and synths that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Deep Forest record if it wasn’t so damn ominous and awesome. Actually, it sounds like some perfect combination of Deep Forest, Tangerine Dream and Vangelis‘ score to Blade Runner. If you think it’s boring give it time, it peaks around the 5:20 mark. It’s good, and when I listen to it I am shocked that it wasn’t in the score to Megaforce or something.

Rammstein
Stripped
Yes, this is a cover of Depeche Mode’s Stripped by German industrial perverts Rammstein, and yes, it sounds exactly how you would expect it to. In fact, the version you just know imagined in your head is probably spot on. So yeah, it’s kinda dumb. It’s also kinda fun so enjoy. This is from a Depeche Mode tribute CD.

Posted in covers, Depeche Mode, Pete Shelley, Rammstein, remixes, The Orb | 7 Comments »

I Don’t The Twits and the Twits Don’t Like Me

Friday, May 29th, 2009

I’m pretty much done whining about the Twits. There’s only so much yelling you can do to the deaf. They’re obviously oblivious to their idiocy. I called one “an example of everything wrong with the Internet” and he said “thank you, that is a hell of a responsibility.”

Wait, what…that doesn’t even make any fucking sense! There’s no responsibility in being an example you idiot. You can be an example of why you shouldn’t smoke crack, that doesn’t carry any responsibility with it. Jesus Christ. I can’t debate/argue with that! I might as well retort with “Vanilla monkey sky flower!” It would make just as much sense, what’s the point. And complaining about attention whores is a futile endeavor since that’s what they want. It is sad that I haven’t become accustomed to the rampant vitriol and idiocy that dominates the Internet though.

Anyways, I promised two soundtracks tonight, but one of the albums sounds like shit and is going to take some time to clean up. So I grabbed something that is relevant to today’s events instead.

Marilyn Manson
The Horrible People
The Not-So-Beautiful People
Suicide Is Painless
These songs are doubly relevant considering my earlier post today was all about Trent Reznor and horrible people, an triply relevant since Manson has a new album out. “Beautiful People” was always my favorite Manson song, even though at the time I was not a big Manson fan. I thought his shtick was a bit too much and even as a teen I could see he was pandering to an audience. Looking back though I kind of miss the days when he was popular, at least he was trying to make people think, even if it was for bullshit reasons. I’d rather take a billion Marylin Manson’s than one Shinedown or Hinder or whatever the fuck is on radio right now. These mixes are from a 10” vinyl picture disc. I’m including his cover of “Suicide Is Painless” (which is from the Blair Witch 2 soundtrack) as a fucking hint for certain people out there.

The Thing Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
This was another one of my holy grail soundtracks that I’ve been looking for since as long as I’ve been collecting soundtracks. I got it for five bucks last week. Good deal considering the CD is worth twenty times that. As far as I know The Thing is the only Carpenter film that wasn’t scored by him. Instead he got the legendary Ennio Morricone, the composer of classics like The Good The Bad and the Ugly, The Untouchables and Mission to Mars (okay they aren’t all classics). This score is excellent, a great example of music’s ability to create tension, shock and manipulate your emotions. Be warned though, excessive listening may result in nightmares of Wilford Brimley trying to kill you.

Posted in covers, Ennio Morricone, Marilyn Manson, remixes, soundtrack | 1 Comment »

Zombie Devo Punks

Monday, March 30th, 2009

So we’re friends right? You read my blog, you download my tunes and you comment on my amazingly awesome taste in music right? Well, if you really want to be cool then do me a massive favor and read my article, Let The Right Ones In: 10 Bands That Should Be In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It was an article that was conceived from a post in this very blog after all!

Please read it, and if you like it Digg it, I want as many people as possible to read this one because I am sickeningly proud of it.

A.D.A.M. and Amy
Zombie (Eternal Airplay Mix)
Zombie (Dancin’ With Zombie Mix)
Zombie (Adam & Gielen Club Mix)
Zombie (Orbital Test)
Zombie (Rockin’ With Zombie Club Mix)
Zombie (Rockin’ With Zombie Radio Mix)
When I think of great topics for dance remix covers, The Troubles don’t immediately leap to mind, but hey that’s just me I guess. This cover was actually a hit single in the UK and I think they know more about the issue than I do. These are from a 12” single.

Devo
Watch Us Work It (Still Workin’ Mix)
Watch Us Work It (Teddybears Mix)
Watch Us Work It (Original Demo)
Fuck yeah Devo. Double fuck yeah it’s new Devo. Well, it’s newish Devo. The song is from 2007 but the 12” single I got these mixes from came out late in 2008. The song originally appeared in a Dell commercial but it’s supposedly going to be in that new Devo album that has been on again off again and back on again about half a dozen times since early this decade.

The Attery Squash
Devo Was Right About Everything (The Devo Mix)
A bonus b-side from the Devo 12” single. Find out more about The Attery Squash at their MySpace page.

Against Me!
Don’t Lose Touch (Mouse On Mars Remix)
Folk/punk/dance/electro – it’s the new black.

Posted in A.D.A.M., Against Me, covers, Devo, remixes | 8 Comments »