10 July 2012 - The Sugarcubes - Motorcycle Mama

When I was a DJ at WSBU, St. Bonaventure University's radio station, there was a CD sampler from Rubaiyat, the Elektra Records 40th Anniversary tribute album.

On that CD, there was a handwritten note.  "Don't Play Motorcycle Mama!"  There might have been an expletive scrawled in there somewhere.

That's like a dare.  Became a staple of my shows.  And I got a lot of angry calls about it, mostly from late night program director Jonathan Falls, who wrote the note.  He did NOT like this tune.  I think the CD ultimately disappeared, which was OK, because I had my own copy of Rubaiyat.

I do.  First of all, I clearly am a fan of covers.  I mean, c'mon, I made this blog.  Second of all, I really liked The Sugarcubes, featuring the unique Björk (before she wore a swan costume) and the equally unique Einar Örn in harmony, were an Icelandic supergroup if there ever was one.  This song was originally performed by boring 70's AM Radio Mellow Gold staples Sailcat, and it was a laid-back tribute to rebellion.  The Sugarcubes made it both peppier and angrier at the same time (even if they didn't entirely understand all the words they were singing).

9 July 2012 - Julie Roberts - Whiskey and You

Me and Julie

First off, I'd like to thank Tony for covering for my lazy beach bumness last week. I had every intention to post, but the OBX weather was just too awesome to sit in front of a laptop (plus I had a bunch of books to barrel my way through: Mansfield Park, The Punk Rock Book of Lists, Dave Mustaine's autobiography and the first two books in the Hunger Games series).

Anyway, this track off Julie's latest record Alive really blew me away the first time I heard it. But, I never knew it was a cover until recently. Since I'm seeing Tim McGraw perform soon I decided to reacquaint myself with his back catalog. One afternoon I put on his Let it Go cd while doing some work around the house. Imagine my surprise when I heard one of my favorite Julie Roberts songs, or should I say, one of my favorite songs done by Julie Roberts. Regardless of who played it first, it's a great sad country tune.

6 July 2012 - Bran Van 3000 - Cum On Feel The Noise

A cover of a cover? Originally done by Slade, famously (and excellently) covered by Quiet Riot, this cover by BV3K is quieter, cooler, and more electronic.  I am generally a fan of Bran Van 3000, and I think you'll be seeing them around these blogs again really soon.

No video, but the song is worth it.

5 July 2012 - Fun. - Call Me Maybe

Fun. have had one of the biggest hits of 2012 with "We Are Young", which is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me.  However, their version of another big hit of 2012 is compelling.  I mean, it's not like I have well-documented love for this song or anything like that.  This version is more reminiscent of the many, early acoustic versions of the original.

4 July 2012 - Heart - Alone

The late 70's band Heart made a comeback in the mid-80's, which included this power ballad.  They showed that they still had chops.

They also did it with someone else's song.  The song was originally recorded by i-Ten, who wrote it, and was previously covered by John Stamos.  This version was far and away the most popular version, but it was very faithful to the original, right down to the piano and harmonies. However, Ann Wilson's vocal really makes the song - she truly belts the song and shows her anguish.

It ended up being Heart's biggest hit of their entire career, making it to #1 worldwide, including spending three weeks there in the US.

As a bonus, here are the Wilson sisters performing the song in an acoustic setting.  They still got it.

3 July 2012 - Todd Snider - Fortunate Son

I've always enjoyed this version of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic. Todd Snider is not as brash as John Fogharty, but is rather quiet in his anger and protest.  There is a version that he recorded in studio with Patty Griffin, but this live version captures the emotion just perfectly.  Enjoy.

2 July 2012 - George Harrison - Got My Mind Set On You

I bet you thought this former Beatle wrote this song.  You would be wrong.  It was originally performed by R&B singer James Ray in 1962.

Really, this song is worth it just for the video and the obvious dancing stunt double.  However, George really makes the song his own by bringing happiness and spirit to it.  The original featured horns - this version was able to bring the same excitement with guitars and percussion.