May 082015
 

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

logical

Written by Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson (with an assist on the second chorus’s vocal harmony by Rick Davies), “The Logical Song” not only has more words of three or more syllables (twenty-seven!) than some bands have in their entire discography; it also has a warning about using schooling as a brickbat that resonates even more post-No Child Left Behind. Plus which, that saxophone break would send any contemporaries whimpering their way back to Baker Street. It was the band’s biggest hit off their biggest album, Breakfast in America; that unforgettable cover model, Kate Murtagh, is 94 and still going, much like “The Logical Song” itself.

A German techno band named Scooter did a cover of “The Logical Song” that went top ten throughout Europe in 2002. The following five covers didn’t have that kind of chart success, but they all succeed on their own artistic levels…

Steven Mark – The Logical Song (Supertramp cover)


Steven Mark’s 2009 album One Small Room (recorded in same) opts for a slower, more thoughtful take on “The Logical Song.” His voice here sounds vaguely Lennonesque, but then, so do the lyrics.

Banda Do Sul – The Logical Song (Supertramp cover)


Banda Do Sul is one of those bands whose work shows up on multiple bossa nova lounge music albums, giving a pleasing tropical chill to the Stones, Guns ‘n Roses, Madonna, and in this case, Supertramp. All right, it’s novelty music, but as a soundtrack for letting the waves run between your toes while sipping your cachaça, there’s nothing better.

Sexton Blake – The Logical Song (Supertramp cover)


The last time we featured Sexton Blake Plays the Hits!, the band was reinventing “Life in a Northern Town.” Their take on “The Logical Song” is no less a revamping – although in this case, perhaps “unvamping” might be a better word, as it dials back considerably from the original.

The Young Romans – The Logical Song (Supertramp cover)


The Young Romans are an up and coming LA indie-pop duo with a piano/acoustic guitar-based sound and a penchant for swelling choruses. Their debut album Tiger Child closes with “The Logical Song,” which proves a natural fit. It’s nice hearing the lyrics lifted up like a massive cloud of balloons.

33Tours – The Logical Song (Supertramp cover)


33Tours, based in France Quebec, released Stereoscope a couple weeks ago; it’s a contender for our Best Cover Album of 2015. Their cover of “The Logical Song” takes it from quiet to loud, haunted to huge, slow to slower – in short, a complete reinvention, one that emphasized the lost voice and the ever-encroaching demands to conform and follow convention.

If you want to hear the d-d-d-digital original, head to iTunes or Amazon.

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  One Response to “Five Good Covers: The Logical Song (Supertramp)”

Comments (1)
  1. It was wonderful to read about 33Tours and their cover of Logical Song but this band is not from France but from Drummondville, Quebec.

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