Didn’t think handfarting was a skill worth sharing? Think again our friends.
[Originally Published: May 14, 2009]
Back in April we told you the story of Scott Hannay, an Upstate NY musician who put together Umphrey’s McGee covers using a sound chip from the original Nintendo gaming system that were so good the band asked him to sit-in with them. Turns out, there is a whole community of 8-bit music makers like Scott who are creating their own original songs as well as covering tunes at 8-bit Collective. We made a list of ten favorite 8-bit rock covers…
2. Martha My Dear – The Beatles
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/martha.mp3]3. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Pt. 2) – Flaming Lips
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/yoshimi.mp3]4. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/spirit.mp3]READ ON for more 8-bit covers including Kids, Karma Police and Peaches…
For this week’s Friday Mix Tape, we’ve selected six Rolling Stones covers of interest for your streaming delight. The artists involved run the gamut from alt-rock to jam-rock to zydeco
[Originally Published: May 19, 2009]
This three-chord ditty, loosely based on Hernán Cortés, is originally off the 1970 Neil Young & Crazy Horse album Zuma. The simplicity and shear length of the tune makes it a prime candidate for cover renditions, and more of then than not… guest appearances. Often times those sit-ins include Neil Young himself as Neil has played Cortez with two of this week’s contestants.
Fun fact: the original take had an extra verse at the end that was lost due to a problem in the studio. When Neil was informed of the glitch he simply responded, “I never liked that verse anyway.” Checking in on last week, moe. and Umphrey’s McGee are still battling it out in the Can’t You Hear Me Knocking Cover Wars, so head on over there and help settle the score.
The Contestants:
Built To Spill: Single. Double. No, Triple Guitars! This twenty-minute romp was recorded during the 1999 Keep It Like A Secret Tour. We’ve got a lot of distinct voices this week, but perhaps none more unique than Built To Spill’s Doug Martsch. Source: Live
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/builtcortez.mp3]READ ON to hear and vote on the rest of this week’s contestants…
Moonage Daydream was first released as a single in 1971 by Arnold Corns (one of David Bowie’s pseudonyms), and was later released in 1972 on the album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.
In The Words and Music of David Bowie, James E. Perone writes,
Bowie’s vocal melody and arrangement in the song’s chorus sections also closely resemble Elton John’s contemporary work (notably “Tiny Dancer”), although “Moonage Daydream” includes enough of a touch of heavy metal-style-electric guitar and percussion in the verses and at the end of each statement of the chorus, so as to provide a bit of distance from John’s music.
The Contestants:
Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians: Making their second appearance in as many weeks, Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians lead us off with a very strong performance. Before last week, I don’t think I had ever listened to her cover a single song other than A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, but there’s a bunch of other good ones on the Live Music Archive. Source: 2-24-1991
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/moonageedie.mp3]READ ON for the rest of this week’s Cover Wars contestants…
Navigating traffic on the way to Phish at Jones Beach last Friday, myself and four friends in the car started naming a bunch of great “rain” related Phish songs that could be played in honor of the impending weather. They didn’t play any of our ideas. Though I did take away my next selection for CW and that is this song off of the 1963 album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
Every webpage out there supplying information on this song is quick to point out that the structure of the lyrics is based upon an old Scottish ballad titled Lord Randall. Have a look at the first verse…
O where hae you been, Lord Randall, my son?
O where hae you been, my handsome young man?
I hae been at the greenwoods, mother, make my bed soon.
For I’m wearied wi’ hunting, and fain would lie down.
The Contestants:
Bill Frisell: Leading off this week we’ve got our only instrumental rendition and it’s from one of the greatest living guitarists, Bill Frisell. Bill has got a lot of great folk/rock instrumental covers out there, I am particularly fond of his performances of I Heard It Through The Grapevine and Have A Little Faith. Source: East/West
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/hardrainbill.mp3]READ ON for the rest of this week’s Cover Wars contestants…
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking is a bangin’ tune off of the 1971 album Sticky Fingers. The song didn’t really get into the live rotation until the Forty Licks tour. Check out this excerpt from According To The Rolling Stones about the song selection process for that tour and how Keith supposedly thought a previous live attempt at the song was a total trainwreck. The middle Santana-flavored-section just begs for jambands to cover this song.
Checking in on last week’s Ballad Of Curtis Loew edition, Phish has emerged victorious. Hopefully this means it comes off the shelf. Hey, it could happen, it worked for A Day In The Life.
moe.: moe. has played this 21 times but it has not hit the live stage since June of 2007. This is a great sounding tape from moe. down V in Turin NY. Source: 9-4-2004
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/moeknock.mp3]READ ON for more of this week’s contestants…
