In anticipation of live performances in the New England area, Boston indie rock royalty Tanya Donelly and Bill Janovitz re-released their recording of the Kinks’ classic “Better Things.” The duo originally issued the cover in 2015 on Bandcamp, which was quickly pulled down. This is the first wider release of the song. The two played shows in Maine and Rhode Island earlier this month.
This version features the voices of both Donelly and Janovitz as well as their guitars in a sparse arraignment. The Ray Davies song first appeared as the closing track on The Kinks’ 1981 record Give the People What They Want. Davies originally wrote the song while in the midst of a divorce.
A versions by Fountains of Wayne, performed on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was named the #1 best Kinks cover on our breakdown of the 50 Best Kinks Covers. (Oh… spoiler alert if you want to read the list in order.)
Tanya Donelly and Bill Janovitz are not just successful solo artists. Donelly co-founded Throwing Muses and The Breeders, before leading the popular ’90s band Belly. Janovitz is the co-founder of Buffalo Tom, as well a solo artist and author. For several years Janovitz also wrote a blog, “Part Time Man,” which often featured a “Cover of the Week.”
