The Best Covers of 1970s One Hit Wonders

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Jun 232023
 

‘The Best Covers Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.

1970s one hit wonders

Last month, we presented covers of one-hit wonders of the 1950s and the 1960s. And we’re back to do it again!

This month, we’ll tackle huge hits by not-so-huge bands from the ’70s and, next week, the ’80s. Today, covers of classics like “Spirit in the Sky,” “Black Betty,” “Why Can’t We Live Together,” and “Video Killed The Radio Star” (I would have thought that one was ’80s given the famous MTV connection, but it came out November 1979). Then next week we’ll dive into perhaps the greatest decade for one-hit wonders cover. Continue reading »

Masked Country Outlaw Orville Peck Covers “Smalltown Boy” for Pride

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Jul 162020
 
orville peck covers

The mysterious new singer Orville Peck refuses to tell anyone his real name or show his face. He is never seen without a cowboy hat and black-leather Lone Ranger mask covered in fringe, a look that’s old-school country mixed with a hint of S&M. Like Lil Nas X, he identifies as a gay man and is rewriting the rules of country music. So, to celebrate Pride, he picked the perfect song to cover for his entry in the Spotify Singles series: Bronski Beat’s eternal gay anthem “Smalltown Boy.” Continue reading »

Under the Radar: Buck 65

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Oct 212011
 

Under the Radar shines a light on lesser-known cover artists. If you’re not listening to these folks, you should. Catch up on past installments here.

As a rule, rappers don’t do covers. Sure, they might karaoke a beloved Biggie verse every now and again, but you almost never see them record a regular, honest-to-goodness cover. They honor their influences through sampling and remixing, which, given that they generally can’t sing, works better for most of them.

Enter Buck 65. The Tom Waits of hip-hop, this Canadian cult hero is anything but an ordinary rapper and he does covers on the regular. And not even covers of other rap songs, but covers of pop and folk that blend seamlessly into his albums. Though no one could question his encyclopedic knowledge of hip-hop history, Buck (aka Richard Terfry) draws from folk and blues regularly, giving his work a grit more Robert Johnson than Tupac. Below, we sample five choice reimaginings as a primer on how rappers can do covers right. Continue reading »

Quickies: Émilie Simon, The Frown, Brad Laner, Aidan Moffit and Bill Wells, Vasco de Gama

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May 182011
 

Quickies rounds up new can’t-miss covers. Download ‘em below.

• French songwriter Émilie Simon hasn’t released an album in two years, but she just premiered a new cover over at FILTER. It strips Bronski Beat’s 1984 hit “Smalltown Boy” down to piano and, more importantly, Simon’s incredibly rich vocals.
MP3: Émilie Simon – Smalltown Boy (Bronski Beat cover) Continue reading »