Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.
Really, what more is there to say? It’s all there in the title. A bunch of British people play a blaxploitation classic on ukulele. However, this video is even more ridiculous than you might imagine. A few particularly oddball moments stand out:
• The fact that they seem to be performing before literally thousands of people.
• “You’re damn right” said in a heavy British accent.
• The camera zooming in on the only black guy in the audience.
• Coal miner jokes.
• The bass player. Do you think he feels like an outcast next to all those ukuleles? Do the others haze him? Does he dream of one day being promoted to ukulele?
In addition to the quirkiness, it’s also quite good. Not as good as Jake Shimabukuro’s ukulele Beatles cover, but definitely funnier.
[youtube PfK-UzQ48JE]
Check out more from the Ukulele Orchestra at their website or MySpace.
They also do a top version of Anarchy in the UK which they got an audience of mainly over-60s to sing along with when I saw them.
They do a lot of great covers. That was at a festival, which I *think* was the Cambridge Folk Festival, though I’m not sure.
There’s a version of them doing Teen Spirit on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3hRuT6p31o) which has Richard Cheese guesting vocals, which amused me quite a lot.
They also do a great, equally seri-campy version of Pinball Wizard. Acapella, but similar snark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvdpjZYLumw
awww … I’m only getting “an error occured” when I click on play :-(
I’ve been looking forward to watching this all day since although I get your fbook messages delivered to my mobile, I cannot watch videos from behind the firewall in my office! Will go look on YouTube. I love the UOoGB. BTW, what’s oddball about a “heavy Britis accent”? :-)
Ok. Seen it on YouTube now. Brilliant! Love the coal mine joke.
A few particularly oddball moments stand out:
One of the ladies has her legs positioned as if she usually plays cello!