GOOD COVER
Until It Sleeps
Metallica
rips off
Push It
Salt N' Pepa
Why is this a Good Cover? Because of the sheer audacity that a band like Metallica have to write a song and not expect the world to figure out they've ripped off one of the most iconic songs of the 80's. After making a massive deal about Napster and how their fans are stealing from them, here we have the men in black lifting the synth riff from Salt N' Pepa's "Push It" and using it for guitar segues.
As for the song itself, I know this (whole album in general) is regarded as a sore subject for hardcore fans but I enjoy it as far as slower Metallica songs go, and reading up on it turns out its all about how James Hetfield had to watch his parents die as they didn't believe in medicine (they were Christian Scientists). Pretty dark, plus the video has a tonne of Hieronymus Bosch references which always gets three thumbs up from me.
BAD COVER
Teenage Dream
Katy Perry
is a rehashed version of
You Get What You Give
New Radicals
I originally planned a double header of Katy Perry tracks but then I'd have to create another spin-off called Bad Cover/Bad Cover. The song "Teenage Dream" is actually just the same song as her previous single "California Girls" if you strip down the chorus; Ba ba ba x3, then one final bar of 'oral noise' but thats just me being an arsehole.
"Teenage Dreams" is just in fact an reworking of New Radicals' (only) mega-hit "You Get What You Give", if you remember it that is. It was massive at the time, honest.
If you're still not convinced, then listen to the chorus of You Get What You Give whilst reading the lyrics to Teenage Dream's chorus. As Sledge Hammer would say - "TRUST ME, I know what I'm doing..."
Monday, 8 August 2011
Friday, 5 August 2011
GOOD COVER/BAD COVER #9 - Cyndi Lauper vs Lostprophets
GOOD COVER
When You Were Mine
Cyndi Lauper
covers
When You Were Mine
Prince
First of all, I adore Cyndi Lauper. She has a rare vocal talent that's never been matched in recent decades. Second of all, I adore Prince as you've probably guessed from previous posts. Thirdly, possibly my all time favourite song by Prince apart from Uptown is "When You Were Mine".
So obviously, combining these elements usually means something is going to go wrong somewhere down the line? Well in this case, no.
Cyndi manages to take away the cheese-ball element of the original (which I love btw) and transform it into a darker, brooding synth-heavy version. The original, a simple guitar pop tune, now a showcase for Ms. Lauper's superior oral skills. It's chilling, quite frankly and brilliant, which leaves me at an awkward crossroad in my mind as to which one I prefer.
Not that it's a bad place to be...
BAD COVER
Burn Burn
Lostprophets
steals riffs from
Mother Mary
Far
and vocal interpretations from
Killer
Adamski (Feat. Seal)
Love them or hate them, these Pontypridd valley boys know how to write a great pop tune. What's the secret? By making an amplified mish-mash of other songs obviously. I do like this song, I really do but there's just too much theft involved to allow this to step into Good Cover territory.
When not stealing Brandon Boyd/Mike Patton's vocal stylings, Lostprophets can be found plagiarizing riffs from Far, in particular "Mother Mary" for their 2003 hit "Burn Burn". Don't believe me? Then listen to it.
"What's the next step to ripping off another song to make a hit?" I hear you ask. Well they've only gone and stolen Seal's verse melody from Adamski's "Killer". Don't believe me? Then listen to the lines "do you think, we're that blind?" (Burn Burn) and compare it to "will you give, if we cry?" (Killer).
Boom!
In your face.
When You Were Mine
Cyndi Lauper
covers
When You Were Mine
Prince
First of all, I adore Cyndi Lauper. She has a rare vocal talent that's never been matched in recent decades. Second of all, I adore Prince as you've probably guessed from previous posts. Thirdly, possibly my all time favourite song by Prince apart from Uptown is "When You Were Mine".
So obviously, combining these elements usually means something is going to go wrong somewhere down the line? Well in this case, no.
Cyndi manages to take away the cheese-ball element of the original (which I love btw) and transform it into a darker, brooding synth-heavy version. The original, a simple guitar pop tune, now a showcase for Ms. Lauper's superior oral skills. It's chilling, quite frankly and brilliant, which leaves me at an awkward crossroad in my mind as to which one I prefer.
Not that it's a bad place to be...
BAD COVER
Burn Burn
Lostprophets
steals riffs from
Mother Mary
Far
and vocal interpretations from
Killer
Adamski (Feat. Seal)
Love them or hate them, these Pontypridd valley boys know how to write a great pop tune. What's the secret? By making an amplified mish-mash of other songs obviously. I do like this song, I really do but there's just too much theft involved to allow this to step into Good Cover territory.
When not stealing Brandon Boyd/Mike Patton's vocal stylings, Lostprophets can be found plagiarizing riffs from Far, in particular "Mother Mary" for their 2003 hit "Burn Burn". Don't believe me? Then listen to it.
"What's the next step to ripping off another song to make a hit?" I hear you ask. Well they've only gone and stolen Seal's verse melody from Adamski's "Killer". Don't believe me? Then listen to the lines "do you think, we're that blind?" (Burn Burn) and compare it to "will you give, if we cry?" (Killer).
Boom!
In your face.
Monday, 1 August 2011
GOOD COVER/BAD COVER #8 - Coolio vs Ja Rule
GOOD COVER
Gangsta's Paradise
Coolio
covers
Past-time Paradise
Stevie Wonder
Everybody on the goddamn planet remembers this. More iconic than Hitler's moustache, this song propelled Coolio's Twiglet-shaped cornrows into nauseatingly dizzy heights. Though never again able to muster up an equally rousing hit, the last time we saw him was appearing in the theme tune to Nickelodeon's Kenan & Kel. Which is a shame, cause Coolio was awesome.
Around that time hip-hop started to transform into bullcack vanity projects, Coolio was the shimmering light who could bring it all back. Even the Pachelbel-robbing "C U When U Get There" was alright, when artists still cared about the backing-tracks and not just a platform to talk about how much money they make, how many hookers' bum-cracks they snorted cocaine from and how many people they've pretended to kill.
Just a shame that few actually know the original. Stevie Wonder's 'Songs In The Key of Life' is arguably the greatest album ever made. A glorious masterpiece with a track-listing that has been covered more times than Rudolph Hess's grave; you've heard Will Smith's "Wild Wild West", George Michael's "As" and S Club 7's "Another Star" right? (I'm not actually joking about the S Club reference...)
"Past-time Paradise" is equally as dark as Coolio's reworking, and seems to have Stevie's seal of approval as the video below proves, where he joins Coolio onstage for a live mash-up of both songs. I just feel sorry for him after the song is over having to stand next to those two bozos yapping utter radge for ten minutes.
BAD COVER
Livin' It Up
Ja Rule
obliterates
Do I Do
Stevie Wonder
Staying in the Stevie vein, do we all remember Ja Rule? You know, the guy who's voice is so dull and gravelly that New York City council used to play his songs through megaphones during the winter months just to de-ice the roads.
It's for this reason this is getting filed under 'Bad Cover'. The song alone is alright, it's produced well, stays true to the original sample, hell it even uses Stevie's vocal sample, but Ja Rule's actual voice is simply inadequate. Tonally poor and has no delivery; it's just boring. He even makes 50 Cent sound like Captain Charisma.
I almost feel quite bad for slating him, but there's enough people who don't seem to care about anal stuff such as that and will always fund whatever the hell he does these days.
Gangsta's Paradise
Coolio
covers
Past-time Paradise
Stevie Wonder
Everybody on the goddamn planet remembers this. More iconic than Hitler's moustache, this song propelled Coolio's Twiglet-shaped cornrows into nauseatingly dizzy heights. Though never again able to muster up an equally rousing hit, the last time we saw him was appearing in the theme tune to Nickelodeon's Kenan & Kel. Which is a shame, cause Coolio was awesome.
Around that time hip-hop started to transform into bullcack vanity projects, Coolio was the shimmering light who could bring it all back. Even the Pachelbel-robbing "C U When U Get There" was alright, when artists still cared about the backing-tracks and not just a platform to talk about how much money they make, how many hookers' bum-cracks they snorted cocaine from and how many people they've pretended to kill.
Just a shame that few actually know the original. Stevie Wonder's 'Songs In The Key of Life' is arguably the greatest album ever made. A glorious masterpiece with a track-listing that has been covered more times than Rudolph Hess's grave; you've heard Will Smith's "Wild Wild West", George Michael's "As" and S Club 7's "Another Star" right? (I'm not actually joking about the S Club reference...)
"Past-time Paradise" is equally as dark as Coolio's reworking, and seems to have Stevie's seal of approval as the video below proves, where he joins Coolio onstage for a live mash-up of both songs. I just feel sorry for him after the song is over having to stand next to those two bozos yapping utter radge for ten minutes.
BAD COVER
Livin' It Up
Ja Rule
obliterates
Do I Do
Stevie Wonder
Staying in the Stevie vein, do we all remember Ja Rule? You know, the guy who's voice is so dull and gravelly that New York City council used to play his songs through megaphones during the winter months just to de-ice the roads.
It's for this reason this is getting filed under 'Bad Cover'. The song alone is alright, it's produced well, stays true to the original sample, hell it even uses Stevie's vocal sample, but Ja Rule's actual voice is simply inadequate. Tonally poor and has no delivery; it's just boring. He even makes 50 Cent sound like Captain Charisma.
I almost feel quite bad for slating him, but there's enough people who don't seem to care about anal stuff such as that and will always fund whatever the hell he does these days.
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