Hello, rockers. Welcome to Sound Idea Net Radio. This week's show is the inevitable, "ALL COVER SONG EPISODE." If you have been here before then you know what we do. Every Saturday morning I post a group of songs from my collection as a big MP3 and leave it up for 7 days and then it disappears forever. There's no talking between songs, but please read the play list and notes below to enrich your rock. Bookmark this page and check it out every week. NEXT SHOW WILL BE POSTED SAT SEPT 13, 2008.
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SHOW #53 (SEPT 6, 2008) -- ALL COVER SONGS!
01. K.G.B. "Ballroom Blitz" (Germany)
02. The Larries "Fox On The Run" (West Virginia)
03. Meatmen "Rebel Rouser" (VA)
Starting it off with a trio of Sweet covers. "Ballroom Blitz" is probably the best known Sweet song. There have been many attempts to cover it, none touching the original in my opinion. I was once in a band that covered "Ballroom Blitz" and I must say we did a pretty good job with it. When we opened for the Meatmen at the Cameo Theatre in Miami on July 4, 1987, Tesco Vee came up to me afterward, with a huge smile on his face, his right hand extended to shake mine. "Killer Sweet cover, man," he said. I thanked him and asked if he was a Sweet fan. "Oh, yeah -- BIG TIME!" was his response. This version of "Blitz" is from the K.G.B. "Letzte Bestellung" LP released by the American label Hardway Records in 1986. Seems Hardway Records has been revived and will soon be reissuing "Letzte Bestellung" on CD. But my favorite Sweet song is "Fox On The Run." I remember hearing this one on the radio when I was a kid and loving it then. One day I was driving to work, listening to Sweet's "Desolation Boulevard" album. When "Fox..." came on, I cranked it up and tried to sing along with the absurdly high backing vocals. I couldn't do it. That got me thinking about the Larries and their nerdish, awkward version, which got me thinking about doing an all covers show, so here it is. And finally, here is Mr. Vee himself with his choice of Sweet covers, "Rebel Rouser." THE VERDICT: None of these are as good as the originals but still a lot of fun.
04. White Flag "Radar Love" (CA)
Yeah, there have been a lot of "Radar Love" covers, too, but none as smart-assed as this one by White Flag, in which they lampoon the beginning of "Ballroom Blitz." This track is from the "Feeding Frenzy" three-sided LP put out by Bootleg Records (a division of Mystic) in 1986. What's a three sided record? Well, it is a pain in the ass is what it is! One side of the album is normal, with one groove. The second side of the album has two grooves -- the second side and the "third" side. Depending on where you drop the needle, you get either the second side or the third side. Makes it really hard if you want to hear a specific song. Want to know how records are made? Go to United Record Pressing's web page and have your mind blown by the wacky process of getting music on a piece of vinyl. THE VERDICT: Not as good as the original, but a howling good time.
05. 7 Seconds "These Boots Are Made For Walking" (NV)
A barely-recognizable version of the Nancy Sinatra signature song, penned by Lee Hazelwood. You can find the 7 Seconds interpretation in two places: On the 7 Seconds "Blasts From The Past" 7" (Positive Force Records, 1983) and on the 7 Seconds "Old School" LP/CD (Cargo Records, 1991). THE VERDICT: Lacks the groove of the original, but has an extra dose of "attitude," which I find thrilling. Very good.
06. D.O.A. "War" (Canada)
D.O.A. are like gods to me. I love everything they did from 1978-1982. This scorching cover of the Edwin Starr song is from what I consider D.O.A.'s last good record, D.O.A. "War On 45" 12" (Alternative Tentacles, 1982). Alternative Tentacles still has this in print on vinyl. D.O.A.'s own Sudden Death Records has a CD version with extra songs. You collectors might want to make a note that there are two different covers for this album. The easier-to-find U.S. version has some great Shawn Kerri cover art, while the lesser-seen U.K. version has some excellent cover art by Clay Sampson. Both covers look great. I don't normally spend much time hunting down cover variations, but this is one of the times I needed both. Sudden Death Records was selling mint, unplayed copies of the Clay Sampson version on their web page for just $20 each not long ago. Take a look, they might still have some. Oh, yeah! There used to be a big guy named Chris in Tampa that had a full back piece tattoo of the Clay Sampson art. Looked awesome. THE VERDICT: Better than the original. Can I say that? I just did.
07. Agent Orange "Somebody To Love" (CA)
Nice rendition of the Jefferson Airplane staple here. It is from the Agent Orange "When You Least Expect It 12" released by Enigma Records in 1983. Agent Orange is still touring, but how about a new album, fellas? THE VERDICT: Music is better than the original, vocals are better on the original.
08. Circle Jerks "Wild In The Streets" (CA)
09. Cichlids "14 Or Fight" (FL)
10. Toxic Reasons "The Shape Of Things To Come" (OH)
Three excellent reimaginings of songs from the Wild In The Streets soundtrack. If you have not seen Wild In The Streets, you need to at least once, possibly while on drugs. (That was a joke.) The Circle Jerks song is the title track from their second album, released in 1982. I always thought that album seemed a little shoddy. The production is flimsy and some of the songs seem like filler. Of course there are a handful of classics on it, too, but overall, I feel it could have been a lot better. The Cichlids song is from their one and only LP, "Be True To Your School", release by Bold Records in 1980. The Cichlids played a reunion gig about a week ago, but I missed it. Heard it waspretty good. Johnny Depp was in the audience, too. And you regular listeners know of my fondness for Toxic Reasons. This track is from the first album, "Independence," released in by Risky Records in 1982 and back in print on LP and CD now thanks to Beer City Records. THE VERDICT: The originals are much slower and hokier. I think these punked up versions pack more power. The Cichlids song KILLS the original. I bop to this one every time.
11. Dickies "Banana Splits" (CA)
Some of you younger people might not have any idea what the hell this song is. The Banana Splits was a Saturday Morning kids TV show created by Sid and Marty Crofft. (WATCH THIS and THIS and tell me that this shit isn't fucking awesome as fucking fuck!) It originally ran from 1968 to 1970 and then stayed in reruns all through the 1970s. The show was absurd so perhaps it is appropriate that the Dickies chose to cover the theme song. The Dickies version was actually a mainstream radio hit in England. COLLECTOR CORNER: There are two different "Banana Splts" 7"s with different art work and B-sides! Check it out, ya'll:
Dickies "Banana Splits/Hideous/Got It At..." 7" (A&M Records, 1978)
Dickies "Banana Splits/Sounds Of Silence" 7" (A&M Records, 1978)
THE VERDICT: Somehow ever better than the original. "Kicking up a mess of fun"? More like KICKING UP A MESS OF ASS!!!
12. Rollins Band "Earache My Eye" (CA)
I love the early (1986-1992) Rollins Band stuff. The early Rollins Band records were far better than the last couple of Black Flag LPs ("In My Head," "Family Man" and "Loose Nut"). Coming from me, that's saying a lot. Check out the brain-busting, "Life Time" LP (Texas Hotel, 1987) if you have not already and get set for a heavy trip. Anyhow, this Cheech And Chong cover is from the Rollins Band "Earache My Eye/I Know You" 7" released as part of the Sub Pop Singles Club in 1990. Four thousand copies were made, not too hard to find nor too expensive. The B-side is a pretty cool spoken word piece. Not sure if any of you have ever seen The Man do his spoken word, but I'm about to see him for the fifth time this month. Best performance I'll see this year, I am sure. It always is. THE VERDICT: Crushing. Rocks harder than the original. Some of the lyrics are different, too, which is cool. I have to do some push ups now.
13. Plain Wrap "For What It's Worth" (CA)
The original by Buffalo Springfield is one of the most memorable songs of the late 1960s. This version is from the Plain Wrap "Original Music For A Generic World" LP (RBI/Enigma Records, 1985) is an interesting update. Tim Yohanan from Maximum Rocknroll really liked it. You can also hear this recording on the very good Plain Wrap/Mox Nix CD released by Grand Theft Audio. THE VERDICT: Spunky fun but doesn't touch the original in impact.
14. Stukas Over Bedrock "Careful With That Ax Eugene" (CA)
It's a Pink Floyd cover. I pretty much hate all Pink Floyd. Some of my friends are Pink Floyd fans. My wife is a Pink Floyd fan. I don't get it. So, this thrashing, trashing cover version gets two thumbs up. I took it from the "Covers" compilation LP released by Mystic Records in 1985. (Said compilation LP has the shittiest version of "Iron Man" I have ever heard by some band called NOFX.) THE VERDICT: Party time, excellent!
15. Adrenalin O.D. "Theme From Masterpiece Theatre/We Will Rock You" (NJ)
Wacky, tacky A.O.D. did a lot of cover songs, including the theme from the Brady Bunch and the Carvel Ice Cream commercial. These back to back covers are from the Adrenalin O.D./Bedlam 7" (Buy Our Records, 1984). This record was originally supposed to be a flexi disc, but the pressing plant refused to press it for some reason. So, it was made on hard vinyl, 1,000 copies. I used to see these a lot, really cheap. No record cover was issued, but the insert includes a copy of the rejection letter from the flexi disc factory, stating, "...our policy over the years has been not to accept material such as contained on the tape you supplied." I'm really not sure what the big deal is, as years later the same pressing plant put out records by bands like Agathocles, but whatever. THE VERDICT: "Masterpiece" is better than the original, "We Will Rock You" is not, but I don't think it was supposed to be.
That does it for the kooky world of "cover songs". Next week it is back to our usual "anything goes" format with lots of cool "songs" from all over the "world," including a little known "Florida ass kicker" and a Finnish song about "weekend anachists." Be there or be somewhere else.