When it comes to the sub-genre of acoustic Beatle ballads, Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird” from 1968’s White Album tends to get all the glory and attention. And while there’s no denying its greatness, the time has come to give long overdue props to another Macca ballad on the same album that’s equally fine. “Mother Nature’s Son” is sometimes perceived as a light bit of wistful, romantic fluff, especially when held next to to the weightier words of “Blackbird,” but when it comes to the actual melody, “Mother Nature’s Son,” with its descending guitar line and lush, swoon-inducing hook is a far superior animal. It features all the key demarcation points needed to shine in any style of cover.
Mikey Erg, formerly of The Ergs has just released a 4 song EP called Bon Voyage that he describes as a love letter not only to the pop-punk that inspired him but more specifically the 7″s he would discover while reading legendary zine Maximumrocknroll when he was young. “These were a cheap way to get into a band”, he says, adding “A lot of bands would also use this opportunity to record cover songs. I can’t tell you how many great bands I got into because someone covered them on the b side of a 7”.” To honor the tradition and memory of those B-Side covers, Mikey has included a truly kickass cover of “Mother Nature’s Son” on the new EP.
