Cover Commissions: derpferdheissthorst

Cover Commissions is a monthly series in which a featured artist produces a special cover for this blog. The song to be covered is usually chosen by blog readers via a poll or suggestions form. Any artists interested in participating in a future installment, please email me at the address on the right.

Just yesterday I posted the results of our second commission (domo arigato John!) and since April has sprung, it’s time to bring on the next artist! After two solo outings, we’ve got a full band here this time: derpferdheissthorst (say it three times fast). A German cover band, their name derives from a German movie called Bang Boom Bang so obscure it doesn’t have a wikipedia page.

No strangers to cover recordings, they’ve got four brilliant tunes posts on their website (a few of them below) and we here at Cover Me would like to help them add a fifth. And that, of course, is where you come in. The men of dhh have only three criteria for a successful cover: “First of all we have to see potential in the original to twist it to our style of playing. Second it has to be something most people know. Last but certainly not least it must be fun to play while being fun for the audience.” Here are a few they’ve done so far.

Big In Japan (Alphaville)
Pop Muzik (M)

With their three criteria in mind we’ve come up with a list of ten possibilities for the next outing. As always, which they choose is entirely up to you. Check out the following options and, after listening to any you don’t know via the youtube links, pick which one dhh should tackle via the poll on the right. (edit: vote tallies in parentheses)

Boney M – Ma Baker (5 votes)
David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust (20 votes) *
Chumbawamba – Tubthumpin’ (19 votes)
Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Around (9 votes)
Golden Earring – Radar Love (10 votes)
Patrick Hernandez – Born To Be Alive (4 votes)
Men Without Hats – The Safety Dance (19 votes)
Queen – Flash (13 votes)
Tears For Fears – Mad World (14 votes)
Yazoo – Nobody’s Diary (2 votes)

Get listening, get thinking, and get voting! Voting closes one week from today. To quote Linkin Park, what the hell are you waiting for?

Also, bonus question: which one of the above songs was on the first CD I ever bought?

Only two weeks ago we debuted James Eric’s Devo cover, and the ’80s love continues today with our second Cover Commissions artist, John Anealio. At the beginning of March you voted for which sci-fi song you wanted John to cover here, and it was neck and neck between the Flaming Lips’ “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” and Styx “Mr. Roboto.” John picked the latter to cover, and I couldn’t be happier with the results (and Lips fans, don’t be sad, Damien Rice did an unbeatable Yoshimi cover you can snag here).

John’s Mr. Roboto reimagines the tune in a way you’ve never heard. But don’t take my word for it; listen to him describe it himself at a podcast on his fabulous blog Sci Fi Songs. And remember, his originals are terrific whether you know the source material or not. Learn more about those in a new interview over at SF Signal.

But enough about all that. On to the tune!

This mp3 may be freely shared with the artist’s blessing. Post it on your blog, send it to your friends, burn it for your office mates. When you do share this however, please include a link to this site. Cover Commissions is a monthly occurrence here, and the more traffic this project draws the more exciting we can make future installments.

John Anealio – Mr. Roboto (Styx)

Another Cover Commissions in the bag, but we’re not wasting any time. Check back in the next couple days for the next installment and get your voting hands ready!