GUILTY PLEASURE: Take On Me by A-Ha

Posted on April 13th, 2010 by ekko

Haven’t done a guilty pleasure post in a while, so I figger it’s time.

“Take On Me” was the one with that video.  Y’know the one . . .

The band’s awful name, A-Ha, told you nothing about them.  Nor did the song reveal much; it was confectioner packaged pop, as much a child of the 1980s as a progenitor of it.  I was sick of this song within weeks.  It was more played out than Tears For Fears’ “Shout.”

And if it comes on the radio today, I won’t switch the station.

The “star” cover of this tune is AC Newman–the New Pornographer–wh0 makes it even more melodramatic that it was to begin with, and adds strings.  Here’s the direct DL link, and streaming info:

AC may be the big name celeb, but I really dig this version more. It’s by Phonte of Little Brother with Carlitta Durand. Awesome. Here’s the direct DL link, and then streaming info:

Then of course there’s the mash up version. Jay-Z, Outkast, and other folks over an A-Ha sample. Direct DL and stream:

And, in the zip file below, you’ll find a few more takes on the tune:

Reel Big Fish.  This is the popska aggressive horn section sound you’d expect.  The song gets an edge from it that I’m sure is intended to be ironic.  Not better than the original, but at least it doesn’t make you want to hear the original, either.

Down the Line.  These dudes add a reggae flavor, but it’s like hick reggae.  With a string section.  I’ve never heard of these guys, but I really like their take on Take On Me.

Whatnot.  An upbeat, pop version on acoustic guitar and bongos.

Envelope 3.  For the closer, the most experimental cover here.  A 25 minute instrumental.  It’s actually very cool if you take the time to listen to it . . .

ZIP FILE

Tags: Covers, Guilty Pleasures

THE HALL AND OATES TRIBUTE POST

Posted on March 15th, 2010 by ekko

Hall and Oates.  The gayest duo ever to not be gay.  I was going to post this review/tribute under the category “guilty pleasure,” and yet . . . I don’t feel guilty.  The Bird and The Bee are releasing an entire album of covers, and it’s all over the internets (actually, they did this on purpose–very cool marketing strategy).  The actual record comes out March 23 (order here). How is it?  It’s a lot of fun, but I’m not sure it can live beyond the novelty.  It makes me want to hear the originals.  But there’s no denying that I listened to it straight through, twice, and loved doing it.  That doesn’t happen often.

In listening to it, I realized (or “re-realized”) what pure pop R&B genius lay at the heart of just about every single Hall and Oates single.  Whether it’s the hot percussion-and-synth that introduces “Say It Isn’t So;” the veiled reference to homosexual sex in “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do);” or the delicious harmonies in the too-silly-for-words “Rich Girl,” the band never lets you down.  I”m going to say it loud and proud: I love these guys!

Sara Smile-Bird and the Bee

Rich Girl-Nina Simone

Private Eyes-Towa Tei (of DeeLite)

I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)-Orson

The NO BITCHING ABOUT EXPIRED LINKS zipfile!

Tags: Covers, Guilty Pleasures, Indie Pop, Soft Rock

I KISSED A GIRL . . .

Posted on January 12th, 2010 by ekko

It’s really too soon to call this song a guilty pleasure.  Also, I don’t love the song.  I just kinda like it.  I heard this song, and I liked it.

Another reason it doesn’t get a long salutation and discussion the way my guilty pleasures usually do is because I just haven’t heard enough takes on the tune.

Anyway, it is a pretty crappy pop song.

And I do like it.

So I am guilty.

Three covers, individually and zipped, follow.

Dig the covers?  Know about others?  Dig the pix?

Drop a comment!

I Kissed A Girl (Katy Perry)-Max Vernon

I Kissed a Girl-Starsmith (KP Remix)

I Kissed a Girl-Woodhands

I Kissed a Zipper (all three songs in a zip)

Tags: Covers, Guilty Pleasures

GUILTY PLEASURES-Phil Collins!

Posted on October 6th, 2009 by ekko

“Someday, I’ll have a grandkid and he’ll say, ‘Grandpa, you suck, you lost to PHIL COLLINS!’” This was the expression of humiliation by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker after their brilliant movie soundtrack lost to the tepid and safe “Tarzan” album. They made it sound so easy to sound cool by hating Mr. C.

I can understand–recent Phil Collins is kind of like recent wine, more sugary grape juice than mind-altering–it’s easy to forget how flippin’ huge the bald pianist was back in the ’80s. His Genesis stuff was what made that band a household name with anyone who wasn’t a prog-rock snob, and his first solo album was one of those rare platters where almost every track is a hit song. He managed to do what David Lee Roth never could. His music was the music we all listened to on our Walkmans, even when we told everyone we were listening to Roger Waters or Eric Clapton. When we were dumped by our girlfriends, Phil’s optimistic breakup songs taught us that there’d be another one coming soon. When we got older, fatter, and balder, we were still better looking than Phil.

In honor of this guilty pleasure of mine, which is one of my biggest guilty pleasures (in the sense that I’m a huge fan–I prefer Phil’s Genesis to Peter’s, and I prefer Phil’s solo to Peter’s), I present:

THE TOP 10 PHIL COLLINS SONGS !

1. Man on the Corner-Genesis. Maybe it’s for sentimental reasons, but this is my drop-dead favorite Genesis or Phil solo song, and it is one of my favorites of all time.  Sentimentally, it makes me think of this kinda-plain-but-hot-because-she-was-a-metal-check who wrote the lyrics to this song in a note to me once.  (She also wrote me the lyrics to Led Zep’s “Fool in the Rain.”)  Then, we made out for two hours in a bus to Canada.  And this was after I’d already puked my guts out in a Mickey D’s parking lot in Plattsburg.  What a gal!

2.  In the Air Tonight-Takka Takka. (YSI) (zshare).  The reach of this song is undeniable: If you lived through the 1980s and didn’t hear it, then you didn’t listen to Kasey Kasem (or any hit or rock radio stations), didn’t watch Miami Vice, and had no friends who whistled in the hall.  I bet this tune was more ubiquitous than Tears For Fears’ “Shout.”  If it were indie, I’d have posted DMX’s use of this song . . .  (“I Can Feel It.”)  It’s not brilliant, but I do have a weakness for that Granny-lovin’ dog fighter.

3.  That’s All-Keane (YSI).  I had an accapella version of this as the B-Side of my 45.  Loved it.

4. Misunderstanding-Jimmy Swift Band (live) (direct link). Lotta folks may bitch about me placing this song so high on my list, but I’ve always liked the falsetto on the chorus. Phil is so unabashedly, so proudly, so thoroughly sentimental. Who makes music like this for adults nowadays?

5. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)-We Are Scientists (YSI) (Zshare). The second solo-Phil song on the list.  I bet you thought I’d post the Postal Service version.  Well I tricked you.  I will.  But only as a video.  The mp3s are easy to find–and I suggest you buy it.  The whole first PS album is terrific.

6.  Take Me Home-Raq (live) (direct link) The song with the endless fadeout.

7.  Turn It On Again-Omega Moos (direct link) (live) My buddy Damien used this song as the example of when Genesis turned its back on rap.  The use of the heavy pop-synthesizer and beat repitition offended him I think.  This was a man who dug Peter Gabriel Genesis, but could appreciate “Mama” and “Home By The Sea.”  Of course, he knew every word to every verse of this tune.  Now that I get a blog, a decade later, I get to have the last word: This is a better song than either of those, D.  So, there.

8. Abacab-Umphrey’s McGee (live) (direct link).  “Is it anywhere?  ABACAB!”  The ultimate in lazy songwriting, and harder to figure than “D.I.Y.” by Peter Gabriel.  Phil beatcha again, Pete.

9. One More Night-Nina Gordon.  (YSI) (zshare).  Nina pulls an Aretha-doing-Otis and this.  Kills it!  Phil should never perform it again after this.

10. Land of Confusion-One Ton Tablespoon (direct link).  Perhaps there are better Phil tunes–”In Too Deep,” “This is The World We Live In” (covered brilliantly by Alcazar), “Tonight Tonight Tonight,” even Paperlate.  But how many of them had such scary videos?  Genesis doesn’t want people embedding it, but you can find it here.

11.  Honorable Mention: Another Day in Paradise-Copeland. (YSI) Phil did this tune with David Crosby (pre-new-liver, I believe).  I don’t know enough about the band Copeland to know whether this is a satire or a straight reading, but for some reason I really dig it.  And I’m not a huge fan of the cornball original.  I’m only giving it a mention because of this cover.

If you enjoyed this post, please stumble it, digg it, etc.,  or at least drop a comment.  I put a lot of work into these posts, and I need some sort of payoff.

Tags: Covers, Guilty Pleasures

GUILTY PLEASURES-The Safety Dance

Posted on September 2nd, 2009 by ekko

We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
Because your friends don’t dance
And if they don’t dance, then they’re no friends of mine . . .

We can dance if we want to
If we don’t nobody will
You can act real rude and totally removed
And I can act like an imbecille.

Don’t act like you don’t know every word to every verse of Ivan Doroschuk’s masterpiece. I bet you even noticed that I skipped a verse above, because I was picking my two favorite ones . . .

The 1980s New Wave/Synth movement had some moments of high art, to be sure (“Just Can’t Get Enough”, The Boomtown Rats, e.g.), but this wasn’t one of them. The Safety Dance is pure nonsense, right down to the video, starring a dwarf (Mike Edmonds) who appeared in Return of the Jedi, Time Bandits, Flash Gordon, Dark Crystal and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His career, then, is far more starred than the Men Without Hats (who didn’t even appear in the video, other than lead singer/songwriter Doroschuk).

The Gorillaz video is cooler but, of course, not as retro . . .

As if to acknowledge the silliness of his song, Doroschuk attempted to present The Safety Dance as a protest song. And lots of people apparently bought it as protesting anything from bouncers who hated slam dancers to the Cold War.

I still think it’s about a dwarf running through the countryside with an ugly man and a dizzy blonde.

Safety Dance-Trans X. This is a fairly straight-up cover of the song, but the “harmonies” on the chorus get progressively sillier towards the end, when it sounds like someone is yipping like a dog.

Safety Dance-The Awakening. Another fairly faithful cover, only somewhat slower. Doesn’t work as well at this speed, does it.

Safety Dance-The Donnas. The 1950s punk grrrrl version.

Safety Dance-Super Happy American Fun Good Time Jam Band.  Best cover of this song I’ve heard besides George Takei’s “Sulu Dance,” which you can hear on Howard Stern.

Tags: Covers, Guilty, Guilty Pleasures

THE RETURN OF GUILTY PLEASURES!-Careless Whisper

Posted on August 21st, 2009 by ekko

In 1984, a chickie ballad called “Careless Whisper” dominated the radio, featuring a sexy (but unimaginative) sax solo and George Michael’s “I’m about to cry–my voice is about to break” delivery. It was also one of the few (two, actually) Wham! songs that Michael co-wrote with Andrew Ridgeley. You remember the two of them, right?

I remember seeing them on the cover of Star magazine, with one of them wearing a wedding dress.  None of that stopped the song from becoming a monster hit, though.  As soon as those opening lines began . . . “I feel so unsure as I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor/As the music dies, something in your eyes/calls to mind the silver screen, and all it’s sad goodbyes” . . . women (and men) all over the world starting wetting themselves from various orifices. A gay duo performing a song that is about as gay as humanly possible.

And although you claim not to like it, people as cool as Beth Ditto and Ben Folds have made it their own.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds’ version

The Gossip’s version

My Morning Jacket’s version

Seether’s version (live):

Tags: Covers, Guilty Pleasures

GUILTY PLEASURES . . . SUMMER SONGS!

Posted on July 19th, 2009 by ekko

Coverfreak posted covers of classic summer songs, like that old chestnut “Crazy in Love” by The Magic Numbers.  Check those out, then go to Cover Me for a cover of The Thong Song.  I haven’t listened to the cover yet, but I wager there’s no way in hell it’s actually worse than the original.

And it wouldn’t be a summer without a rap battle.  Smoking Session did a cool recap of the Hova/Game fight, with mp3s.  Worth a read and a listen.  And, as the SS blog also points out, it’s now officially summer because DJ Benzi released his mixtape, featuring Ga Ga, Kanye, and, of course, some Michael Jackson (get it here).

Now, off the top of my head and without a lot of research, here’s my top 5 summer songs . . . Guilty pleasures edition!  Songs that are so lame, they can only be listened to loud on a car radio.

5.  Steal My Sunshine (Len). Childlike and kooky, fun and sweet.

4.  Cruel Summer (Banarama). When I was little, it took me a little while to figure out what banarama could possibly mean . . . Just to show you how lame I am, I actually prefer the BLESTeNATION remix–complete with lame rap break–from the classic movie soundtrack to Point Break.

3.  Hot in Herre (Nelly). Ah, Nelly, the subtle poet.

Cover by Jenny Owen Youngs (YSI)

2.  Grease/Summer Lovin’/You’re the One That I Want/Summer Nights (John and Olivia!). Because grease is the word.  Still.  Timeless.  And Holy Christ, if this isn’t the most guilty pleasure, what could it be?  The “wholesome” movie that millions of families–and family-firsters–dig, which teaches that in order to get the man you want, you really have to be a ho-bag.

You’re the One that I Want-The Beautiful South (YSI)

Hopelessly Devoted to You-Clem Snide (YSI)

1.  Boys of Summer (Don Henley)/Summer of ’69 (Bryan Adams). These are pretty much the same song, sung in pretty much the same voice, and they competed for the same Grammy.  And they occupy the same space in my head.

Summer of 69-Ryan Adams (YSI)

Boys of Summer-Bree Sharp (One of my all time favorite covers) (YSI)

Tags: Covers, Guilty Pleasures, Hip Hop

GUILTY PLEASURE OF THE WEEK: New Edition!

Posted on February 26th, 2009 by ekko

Compilations are generally spotty affairs: Some reissued tunes, a couple originals by bands who can’t hold their own for a full record, and one or two hot tunes designed to sell the package.  I can’t say this about “Guilt By Association Vol. 2″, from Engine Room Recordings.

Volume one had some big names, but it was a little spotty in terms of quality.  Highlights included Petra Haden’s take on Journey and Goat’s remarkable transformation of Sugar, We’re Going Down (Fall Out Boy) into an indie rock classic.  Volume Two, however, is practically flawless.  There’s My Brightest Diamond, whose voice sounds more like Gloria Jones than Soft Cell, doing “Tainted Love,” the lead track and probably the most powerful one on the album.  (MBD is becoming one of my favorite cover artists these days.)  There’s Takka Takka bizarre, slow version of “In the Air Tonight,” which has not one scintilla of the pop in the Phil Collins original.  My only criticism is that some of the songs are hardly guilty pleasures.  INXS?  OMD?  Kanye West?  These are talented artists with range and skill, who have lasted a lot longer than a single song, and the songs themselves, particularly Kanye’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” are hardly shameful.  But don’t let this stop you from buying the album.  It’s great.

Which brings me to Robbers on High Street’s submission to the project: “Cool It Now.”  The original, a New Edition tune, has the honor of being the only New Edition/BoysIIMen/Bobby Brown hit that is less corny than “Popcorn Love.”  A guilty pleasure so good, you have to taste it twice.  The second version is by Len, who are themselves responsible for the guilty pleasure, “Steal My Sunshine.”  I must have worn through the grooves on this brightly colored 45 when it came out.  I remember knowing that the rap break was corny, but memorizing it anyway.  Even at the age of 14, I knew to hide my head when I listened to this . . .

Cool It Now-Robbers on High Street (YSI)

Cool It Now-Len (mediafire)

BONUS BOBBY BROWN!

Every Little Step-Johnny Kingham

Tags: Covers, Guilty Pleasures

GUILTY PLEASURE OF THE WEEK: Huey Lewis!

Posted on February 13th, 2009 by ekko

San Francisco’s gayest looking straight bandleader, Huey Lewis burst on the music scene by slamming his whole head into a sink full of ice water in the video for “I Want a New Drug.” It was a tight song, if a little cliche, and became wildly popular. Wow! If you sing about drugs and sex, you get a hit! Whodathunkit? Anyhow, I don’t feel guilty for liking I Want A New Drug and, moreover, I don’t really like it all that much . . .

I Want a New Drug-Keller Williams

I Want a New Drug-Apostle of Hustle

He went on to have a slew of hits. A much better one was

Heart and Soul-Umphrey’s McGee

His next big break was when he was featured in the movie “Back To The Future,” in which Huey chaperoned Michael J. Fox’s prom, where McFly Jr.’s mom kept trying to make out with him. Great movie. Decent song. Still no guilt.

Time is Of the Essence/Back In Time-Animal Liberation Orchestra

I don’t even feel guilty for getting pleasure out of this one, but it’s getting closer to cringeworthy . . .

Power of Love-Bill Owens

Power of Love-Fat Maw Rooney

Power of Love-The Balance

So where’s the guilt? Here it is, the corniest HLandTN tune ever, performed by a band who deserve far more attention than they’re getting.

If This Is It-Throw Me The Statue

Why does this one make me feel guilty? Maybe it’s the heads-on-the-beach image from the video. Maybe it’s the lame attempt to duplicate Billy Joel’s success doing doo wop on “Innocent Man.” No. It’s the lyrics.

If this is it, please let me know,if this ain’t love, you better let me go!

And that’s just the chorus. There’s gemlike verses as well:

You’ve been thinking
And I’ve been drinking
We both know that it’s just not right
Now you’re pretending
That it’s not ending
You’ll say anything to avoid a fight
Girl don’t lie, and tell me that you need me
Girl don’t cry, and tell me nothing’s wrong
I’ll be all right one way or another
So let me go, or make we want to stay

God, this song is stupid. Yet I love it!

Tags: Covers, Guilty Pleasures

GUILTY PLEASURE OF THE WEEK: The Backstreet Boys

Posted on February 8th, 2009 by ekko

I haven’t gotten enough interest in the past 2 posts to make the Guilty Pleasure an anywhere-near daily grind, so I’ll shoot for every week or so. If there’s no interest in that, either, then I’ll dump it.

Look at these badasses, with their fancy sneakers.

Today, the stars are Nick, Howie, A.J., Brian and Kevin. Not much Backstreet Boy music ever gave me pleasure–guilty or otherwise–until I heard Howard Stern do “The Gay Way.” (The group even appeared on his show and had a great sense of humor about it.) Between that song and Weird Al’s “Ebay” parody, which is a favorite among the kids who live and visit my house, some version of “I Want It That Way” is frequently bouncing around my cavernous skull. As such, I’ve gotten a begrudging appreciation of how infectious it is.

So here’s two versions, plus a bonus BB tune. Dig it? Don’t? Drop a comment and lemme know!

I Want it That Way-Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie

I Want it That Way-Ryan Adams

Step By Step-The Lemonheads

Tags: Covers, Guilty Pleasures