Let others do the writing...

(On the comment, I’d have to go with Lynn from Alf. Mainly because she did a guest spot on Married With Children and looked incredible in a slutty sort of way. That said, I did have a thing for Tracey Gold, pre-anorexia at least.)

“To myself, these reminders: Don’t think that you can do any good. Don’t tell people things. Don’t try to get them to be you. For instance, don’t make them tapes of songs that they have never heard. All you are doing is trying to impress them and make them more like you by getting them to like the same things you do. You want the company of others as long as they are like you. If they are different, you try to make them into you. This might be the reason you lost the nice girl.” Henry Rollins

Now that I have had my new laptop and MP3 player operational for a while I’ve been delving into playlists. The following one came out of one of my monthly reports. It’s my ultimate cover song mix for those moments when you don’t exactly crave originality. Or at least not original originality. Anyway, it’s a great mix and I wanted to share it. For those who would like to experience it in a more temporal sense let me know and we will work out an exchange of media. Or just go and buy all the songs, just as easy.

Here’s the playlist:

The Gourds “Gin and Juice” (originally by Snoop Dogg): No better way to start off the playlist than with maybe the greatest cover song ever. You have to admire any band that listens to Snoop Dogg and goes “You know what this song is missing? A mandolin solo!” Has to be heard to be believed.

Liz Phair (with Material Issue) “Turning Japanese” (originally by The Vapors): Like I’ve said before, I have a soft spot in my heart for Liz Phair. She was just a few years older than me and lived in Chicago. We should have crossed paths at some point. It also means that I was listening to this song on the radio at the exact same time she was. That’s cool in my book.

Whiskeytown “Nervous Breakdown” (originally by Black Flag): When I discuss alternative country I usually try to explain it as a bunch of kids who grew up on punk rock and then started to play country music. Which somehow turns into covering punk songs and turning them into country songs. Hey, at least it is Ryan Adams before he turned himself into a total wreck.

Jeff Buckley “Kick Out the Jams” (originally by The MC5): Wasn’t my original choice. I’m a big fan of Jeff’s version of “If You See Her, Say Hello” except the copy that I have of it starts with two minutes of Jeff tuning his guitar. I find it interesting, anyone else would think otherwise. Anyway, for those who ever wondered what was going through my headphones right before I took a test here is your answer.

Kathleen Edwards “Money Talks” (originally by AC/DC): The entire reason I came up with this playlist is so I could tell people about this song. It just blows me away. Typically, female singer songwriters do not cover AC/DC. They sure as hell shouldn’t do a good job of it. She gives the song a completely different twist and I just love it. I’m telling you, everyone should have at least one Kathleen Edwards CD in their collection.

U2 “Springhill Mining Disaster” (originally by Peggy Seeger): I’m very proud of being a Chicagoan. Not just because we have great food and art and the best architecture around. No, it’s also because we don’t care who you are, if we want to cut you down to size we will. This is best evidenced by this insanely rare live track from the Rosemont Horizon in 1987 where the Chicago crowd drives St. Bono to yell at them to shut up. This is my favorite concert moment ever and I wasn’t even there. Song doesn’t really matter, just that one exchange is worth the track.

Waco Brothers “Baba O’Riley” (originally by The Who): Somehow in composing the song Pete Townsend completely forgot to include a mandolin and a pedal steel. The Wacos make up for it with their usual style, panache, inability to stay on key, and overall drunkenness. Still one of my favorite live bands even though I haven’t seen them for years.

Mary Lou Lord “Sugar, Sugar” (originally by The Archies): This is pretty much the definition of bubblegum pop. First of all, the song is actually about candy. On top of that, it started off on a cartoon (and I got this copy from a disc of artists covering cartoon theme songs). The thing is, this is just a really good song. I actually understand why the original was a hit. It just has this incredibly good hook. I enjoy this song much more than I should admit.

Gear Daddies “Little Red Corvette” (originally by Prince): There is a logic to this cover as Prince is the king of Minneapolis and the Gear Daddies are the kings of Austin, Minnesota. That’s not an entirely difficult accomplishment as Austin, Minnesota is otherwise known as being the home of Spam. (Well, that and being the home of my first girlfriend but for some reason I haven’t been able to get that added to the tourism brochures yet.) Martin Zellar, one of the coolest and nicest musicians I’ve ever met, is at his best here.

Kelly Willis “They’re Blind” (originally by The Replacements): Always hand it to Kelly for her choice here. After getting kicked out of Nashville and down to her last shot at making it in music she covers a song that is basically about telling the major labels to go screw themselves. There’s a wonderful freedom you get when you really have nothing left to lose.

Aimee Mann “One” (originally by Harry Nilsson): Not entirely sure why I included this song. Mainly I just wanted an excuse to include an Aimee Mann song. It doesn’t take much for me to find a way.

Uncle Tupelo “No Depression” (originally by The Carter Family): From a music history perspective, this is probably the most important song on the playlist. This cover result in the name of a) Uncle Tupelo’s first album, b) a magazine covering the alternative country scene and c) the shorthand name for an entire genre of music. It might not fit with the other songs but as I’ve said before, every playlist that I will ever build will have Jay Farrar singing on it at some point.

Neko Case “Buckets of Rain” (originally by Bob Dylan): I still remember the first time I heard Neko do this song live. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor after she was done singing. I’m not even a big Dylan fan but this is just an incredible cover. It’s simple and cool and shows off why I am such a big fan of Neko’s. One of those songs everyone needs to listen to at some point.

Cat Power “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (originally by The Rolling Stones): Despite what you’ll think when you hear this song it actually is a cover version. You won’t believe it because a) Chan Marshall slowed the song down by about a factor of twenty and b) she doesn’t sing the chorus. The second part is the problem because if I asked you to sing the song right now all you would do is sing the chorus. I doubt anyone could actually recite one of the verses or even remember if they exist. I somehow have a feeling that Mick didn’t have this in mind at the time.

The Sundays “Wild Horses” (originally by The Rolling Stones): You’ve heard this song before, if only because Budweiser used it for years in their commercials. While usually I hate commercialism this song is so perfect I really don’t care. I could listen to this song for years. I’m pretty sure this is what Gram Parsons had in mind for the song with this eerie quality that just hangs in the background. Thinking about it, if you told me I could have one band get together and record one more album I would probably chose The Sundays. I don’t know if I miss any band more than I miss them.

R.E.M. “Love is All Around” (originally by The Troggs): From an MTV Unplugged performance that I probably watched a thousand times. Sung by Mike Mills, who as I get older I have started to look more and more like. Which is sad because I’d much rather turn into Peter Buck. My luck that I’ll just end up looking like a bass player.

Alejandro Escovedo “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (originally by The Stooges): We’ll end it with the only version of an Iggy Pop classic that includes a cello solo. When you hear it you wonder why every version didn’t include a cello. Sadly, in concert it doesn’t end with them shattering the cello on stage, which would be awesome.