No question, music-comedy pioneer “Weird Al” Yankovic is known for his parodies and, to a lesser extent, his original musical numbers. But he performs a third, perhaps underappreciated, category of song: the cover. Every album includes a “polka” medley which, though not labeled as such, fits the dictionary definition of a cover: same lyrics, different music. His latest, Alpocalypse, includes another instant classic: Polka Face. Continue reading »
Full Albums features covers of every track off a classic album. Got an idea for a future pick? Leave a note in the comments!
Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak was universally derided upon its 2008 release. Following three critically-acclaimed rap albums, a heart-on-sleeve pop album by a guy who clearly could barely carry a tune proved dead on arrival. The fact that he masked his vocal deficiencies with Auto-Tune at the very height of the anti-Auto-Tune fervor made 808s a particularly easy target.
Three years later, though, people look back on the album more fondly. 808s clearly played a role in shaping West’s undisputed masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, so even the holdouts reluctantly credit the album as a stepping stone to greatness. More generous types recognize, however belatedly, that West perversely used Auto-Tune to make his music more human, not less.
One fact has remained consistent, though, and that is that this album lends itself to covers better than any other Kanye album. The reason is clear – covering a pop song is much easier than covering a hip-hop song. The preponderance of “Love Lockdown”s alone could keep a cover blog going for weeks. Below, then, we present covers of every song off 808s and Heartbreak. No other Kanye West album would be remotely feasible – where the “New Workout Plan” covers at? – but this one proved a cinch. Auto-Tune not included. Continue reading »
This Week on Bandcamp rounds up our favorite covers to hit the site in the past seven days.
This week’s set has even less of a defining theme than usual. Old-school folk mixes with new-school hip-hop. Ukulele twee bumps up against chiptune bounce. The best link we can find: two of the covered artists come from Scandinavia (and Joni Mitchell‘s half Norwegian). Guess we’ll have to live with that. Continue reading »
The parody is the cover’s evil twin. While a good cover keeps the lyrics and changes the music, a parody does the exact opposite. As such, much of what “Weird Al” Yankovic does falls outside this blog’s purview (though covers of Weird Al songs are always popular). His polkas, however, fall strictly in the cover camp. On every album he creates a medley of popular hits set to polka tunes. The lyrics stay intact, the music goes oompah-oompah. Sounds like a cover to me!
He has been opening the shows on his latest tour with a brand-new polka featuring Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, Kid Cudi and more. It will presumably appear on his next album as a track titled “Polkaface.” The bummer flipside is that any song included in a polka is now off the table for parody, but you can count on another Lady Gaga song getting the Al treatment. Continue reading »
Music bloggers get hundreds of emails a day from bands. An obscure artist trying to get their original material heard fights an uphill battle, but there’s a shortcut that more and more artists are discovering: covers. A disc of originals may never get unwrapped, but do a semi-professional Lady Gaga cover and the blog love starts rolling in.
Illinois songwriter Lissie has figured this out. She first appeared on the horizon for many with her cover of “Bad Romance” (below). She followed up with an about face on Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” (also below). Now she’s back a third time going for real Internet cred with a cover of Pitchfork/Kanye West fav Kid Cudi. Quite disparate sources of inspiration. What’s next, Rachmaninoff?
Continue reading »
Cover News is a weekly feature keeping you up to date on the goings-on in the world of cover tunes, tribute albums, etc. Plus, at the bottom we post our array of cover tunes we’ve been sent in the past week. Have you recorded a cool cover? Send an mp3 to the email address on the right!
This Week’s News
Phish covered the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. (we’d predicted Electric Ladyland) on Halloween, and the two-hour jam-blues is available for purchase. [LivePhish]
In other Halloween news, Pearl Jam rocked out “Whip It,” in full DEVO gear! [Rolling Stone]
But the winner for Best Costume is the boys of Monsters of Folk (Jim James, Conor Oberst, M. Ward, etc.) for their KISS look. Guess dressing up as all-caps rockers was in this year. [YouTube]
“Move On Up” with Los Fabulosos Cadillacs cover of the Curtis Mayfield classic! [SPIN Earth]
Questionable Weezer Cover #1: Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.” [Stereogum]
Questionable Weezer Cover #2: Green Day’s “Brain Stew.” [AOL]
The Christmas covers have begun. You’ve all heard Bob Dylan’s latest I’m sure, but now check out the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas take on the Saturday Night Live classic “I Wish It Was Christmas Today.” [Music Induced Euphoria]
Even Billy Bob Thornton (ie. Bad Santa) is in the Christmas mood, with his band the Boxmasters rocking Alvin and the Chipmunks. [Vanguard Records]
Finally, Perez Hilton favorite Sliimy has released a music video for his “Womanizer” cover. Since Britney Spears’ current videos are terrible, it’s a relief. [MySpace]
This Week’s Submissions
Bebel Gilberto and Mark Ronson – The Real Thing (Sérgio Mendes) [more]
Jedi By Nature – Can’t Stop Partying (Weezer) [more]
Jump Clubb – Angeles (Elliott Smith) [more]
Paper Route – Day N Nite (Kid Cudi) [more]