Wednesday, October 21, 2009

October- Mary & Paul "Under The Covers"


"Under the Covers" is a collection of favorite cover tunes from Paul & Mary Mena. Some are classics, some more obscure; some faithful homages to the original, and still others hilarious send-ups. What they have in common is that they are all great music. Enjoy!

M: 1) I Would Die 4 U (Mariachi El Bronx) A sometimes hardcore punk/sometimes mariachi band from LA covering the Prince classic but truly making it their own song.

P: 2) Gimme Some Money (Gories) Leave it to Detroit's before-it-was-trendy garage band to cover none other than Spinal Tap. My thanks to WMBR's James Dean Deathcar Experience for unearthing this one.

M: 3) Smells Like Teen Spirit (Los Straightjackets) This frenzied version of Nirvana's monster hit is covered by my favorite masked instrumental guitar band from Nashville. The cover art for the single is as priceless as the cover song itself.

P: 4) Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Nirvana) Kurt Cobain does a gut-wrenching acoustic interpretation of a Leadbelly blues chestnut.

M: 5) Cold Shot (Dr. John) From the Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan recorded during Austin City Limits in 1995. Kind of a so-so CD but this song really stands out.

P: 6) Downtown Train (Everything But The Girl) Ben Watt and Traci Thorn turn a gritty Tom Waits tune into something serene and magical.

M: 7) Train In Vain (Annie Lennox) How could I not segue from one beautiful train song to the next? Annie Lennox covering The Clash.

P: 8) I Heard it Through the Grapevine (The Slits) The Slits were more than female punk upstarts with dreadlocks - they celebrated their influences with infectious energy and their own unique style.

M: 9) Ring of Fire (Dick Dale) The man in the Hawaiian shirt covers the man in black.

P: 10) Sunglasses After Dark (The Cramps) Only the Cramps could take a revered rockabilly standard by Dwight Pullen and turn it into something twisted and sinister. Needless to say, it's one of my favorite songs.

M: 11) I Saw The Light (Dash Rip Rock) Don't we all need to see the light after a sunglasses-wearing night? Despite their limited discography I somehow always manage to sneak a DRR song onto each CD club compilation, don't I?

P: 12) Disguises (The Jam) I love the way these ultra-serious mod punkers dismiss their idols in the Press while faithfully covering one of their lesser known tunes.

M: 13) Beat On The Brat (U2) U2 are so bombastic and take this song sooo seriously that it makes me chuckle....as I play the song over and over again.

P: 14) Mrs. Robinson (The Lemonheads) Paul Simon wishes he never gave up his hairpiece every time he hears this rollicking rendition.

M: 15) Season of the Witch (Luna) A song from yet another movie....Luna covers the Donovan hit from the soundtrack of "I Shot Andy Warhol".

P: 16) Going Going Gone (Richard Hell & the Voidoids) I'm not much of a Dylan fan, so it's somewhat ironic that I like this messy cover as much as I do.

M: 17) Sloop John B (Me First and the Gimme Gimmes) I must admit that I first heard this band during WBCN's final hours of broadcasting this summer. They played this Beach Boys cover along with the Me First rendition of Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down". Both songs blew me away.

P: 18) Try a Little Tenderness (The Von Bondies) Even though "C'Mon C'Mon" is a great song, this hidden track is the best cut on "Pawn Shoppe Heart"

M: 19) I Can't Help Falling in Love With You (Eels) For better or worse this song has been done by Elvis, UB40, Doris Day, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam and Clay Aiken, just to name a few. This is a really beautiful and simple little version...Just "E" and his piano.

P: 20) Pale Blue Eyes (REM) Michael Stipe and company show their love for the Velvet Underground with this delicate, countrified arrangement.

1 comment:

VTeacher said...

Wow, I really love this CD. A great mix of stuff! I especially like the Eels cover.