Snooper Makes The Beatles Sound Like DEVO

DEVO’s cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” is infamous for how aggressively weird it is. But Mick Jagger reportedly loved it and their performance of the cover on Saturday Night Live made their name. Perhaps Nashville punks Snooper – whom we last heard covering DEVO – are hoping for some kind of similar notoriety. As they have covered a song that’s just as famous as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” in a manner that calls to mind both DEVO’s cover and their overall approach.

“Come Together” is, of course, one of The Beatles‘ biggest songs. Released as a “double A-side” with “Something,” it’s a little hard to gauge how big of a hit it was in the moment – “Come Together” appears to have been the bigger hit –  but it’s now their second most streamed song ever. Released only 5 years after “Satisfaction” it was The Beatles’ third-to-last single before the re-releases started, as The Beatles famously broke up less than 8 years after their first release. Whereas the Rolling Stones released a new single last year, so “Satisfaction” is comparatively much, much earlier in their catalogue.

Who knows if Snooper thought about any of that when they decided to cover “Come Together.” What they do seem to have thought of is whether or not they could capture the manic energy of DEVO’s Stones cover on just as big a song. From the opening swooping bass, slashing guitar and pummeling drums, it’s hard not to believe this is not a direct homage.

The cover is less than half the length of the original but still manages to squeeze in most of the lyrics. That’s because lead singer Blair Tramel spits the lyrics out super quickly. (She does omit the last verse.) The famous “Shoot Me” is gone entirely, replaced by the DEVO-esque riff. The simple guitar solo from the original is replaced by an arguably even more primitive guitar solo that emerges out of a rave up in place of the final verse. Much like Snooper’s DEVO cover, it’s over before you know it.

So, is it a fitting tribute to one of the most infamous covers of a big hit or is it not that original? Listen and find out.