There's only two songs in me, and I just wrote the third.

[cyrano]

I'm on this LJ community called Audiography. We feed each other music we think other people should hear. There's a weekly theme. This week, it's covers. For the uninitiated, a cover is a song originally by one artist which is then performed by another. I suppose that, technically, Von Karajan performing a symphony by Beethoven is a cover, but I don't even include things like Cole Porter songs as covers, for the most part. Anyway, when I saw the theme posted I said 'They are gonna go ape shit over this one'. And I was right, beyond even my wildest dreams. I have a whole lot of music to sample that awaits my pleasure. And I return the favor. However, one of the conditions of the group is 'quality over quantity' so I felt bad posting thirty-some songs on that community.
However, I can't think of a single one of these babies I want to throw out with the bathwater, so I'm including every single one of the songs I picked here. (:

Enter Sandman, a Metallica song covered by a quartet of classically trained Scandinavian cellists who love their heavy metal.
More Than a Feeling by Boston. Speaking of Scandinavians, the daughter of the inventor of the Moog synthesizer formed a band called Moog Cookbook. Let's just say they have to be heard to be believed. I love the funky beat on the chorus!
Always on My Mind. If you haven't heard the Pet Shop Boys covering Willie Nelson, you just haven't lived. This one competed with 'Go West' for PSB honors and won because I like singing along with it better.
I Want You to Want Me. Letters to Cleo was rough. They've got this Cheap Trick song *and* Cruel to be Kind on the Ten Things soundtrack, plus Dangerous Type on the Craft soundtrack. I pretty much only seem to like LtC when they're doing covers but then I adore them. This thing rocks and I love to listen to it in the car.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Indigo Girls doing a Buffy Marie Sainte song on their '1200 Curfews' album. The double disc also has Midnight Train to Georgia and Tangled Up in Blue, but this is the leftiest of them. (:
Suspicious Minds. Fine Young Cannibals do Elvis, and to my mind improve on the product. Lots of '80s synth dance sound.
Rapture. When they decide not to sing Vince Clark's work, Erasure has an amazing eye for covers. (Although once I hear 'Other People's Songs' I may have to revize that opinion. I haven't been impressed so far.) Tina Turner, Benny Goodman and of course Abba. But the one I love best is this take on Blondie's groundbreaking pop and rap blend.
Situation. Speaking of Vincent Clarke, Tom Jones is apparently a fan of his earlier work with Alison Moyet in Yazoo. Clarke's words and Jones' song styling. How could it be any more manly?
New York City. And speaking of bands that are especially cunning with covers (Istanbul (Not Constantinople), Yeh Yeh, Why Does the Sun Shine?...) brings me to They Might Be Giants. I don't remember the name of the New York band who originally performed this song, and I'd never heard of them before. But I dig this adorable little love song.
Black Dog. What would happen if you crossed Led Zeppelin with a reggae band and then put an Elvis impersonator in Robert Plant's seat? For those of you who don't know Dred Zeppelin, *this* is what you get. You ain't nothin' but a black dog, cryin' all the time.
Sound System. This is somewhat obscure. Local Boys (Portland) CPD do a cover of Local Boys (Santa Cruz) Operation Ivy. It was a hard choice between this and their version of Jump in the Line (Shake Shake Shake).
Shake the Disease. Hooverphonic takes on David Gahan. This is 9thMoon's favorite cover off the Depeche Mode tribute album For The Masses. So if you don't like it, blame her. (:
Open Your Heart. This Ofra Haza track shows up on my belly dance CDs, and I bet Madonna likes it better than the original.
I Put a Spell on You. More middle eastern hijinks, from Natacha Atlas. This one is destined for the Jonathan Wallace, BAA original motion picture soundtrack.
Touch Myself. The Divinyls got nothing on Canada's Genitorturers in this dirtied up version of their single Top 40 hit.
Take On Me. I can no longer imagine A-Ha's chart buster without Reel Big Fish's saxophones now. This and No Doubt's ska version of Come On Eileen should both go on my '80s cover mix, Generation X+1
Turning Japanese. More ska. More '80s, Vapors style, by Skankin' Pickle. This, and their song 'Ice Cube, Korea Wants a Word With You' are made funnier in my mind by the fact that the band was fronted by a young Korean man.
That's A Lie. Technically, I think LL Cool J's original came out in the '70s so Too Much Joy's cover would have to go on some other mix disc. The Song Retains the Name might be a good title.
Get Down Tonight. This KC and the Sunshine Band cover by indie rock darlings Shriekback would have to go on that album as well.
I Fought the Law. Jello Biafra, in a struggling attempt to make his punk band the Dead Kennedies even more politically relevant and in your face writes this cover about the Moscone/Milk assassinations. And you thought he was no fun.
Fall On Me. I love Dar Williams. I love Richard Shindell. So when they joined forces with Lucy Kaplansky to create folkie supergroup Cry Cry Cry, I was beside myself. And this REM cover, the first track off their album, was my assurance that I had not set my expectations too high.
Ol' 55. There have been quite a few Sarah McLachlan posts, but this is one of my favorites. It's a Tom Waits cover, and yet I still find it soothing enough to have put it on my 'bedtime' playlist.
No No No, Cha Cha Cha. More genre miscegenation. Brave Combo takes the Rolling Stones and puts a big sombrero on their aging heads. Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
Satisfaction. Guess what? More Rolling Stones! This time, Devo can't get no. I love the syncopated beat. But I am a blasphemer.
Rasputin. I have subjected most of my close friends to Boiled in Lead, and it's out of love. Here, the celt-rock wunderkinder take on Boney M's disco style history lesson.
Brain Damage. Many of my friends ask me, Cyrano, what do you think Pink Floyd would sound like if they'd been raised in Tennessee rather than Great Britain? And it is then that I take out the very first Austin Lounge Lizards song I ever heard and I solemnly play it for them.
Money. And then my friends ask well, yes, that's all well and good, but what if they were Portland local boys heavily influenced by the funky sounds of Prince? That's when I play them Dan Reed Network.
Little Red Corvette. That's lovely, say my friends, but speaking of Prince, can you perform any horrors in his name? And I say what about Windham Hill a capella artists The Nylons and their four-part harmony?
Bird on a Wire. Speaking of a capella bands... I could only choose one Bobs song and it was really really hard. But how can I turn down the surf rock classic by Leonard Cohen? Again, keep in mind that I am a blasphemer.

BONUS: These two have lost the file names associated with them. I have no idea what they are, aside from knowing that at some point I thought they were cool enough to be included on this list. Caveat Auditor.
http://s50.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1BMWDYHC0E1YX0CPB1HCGOTG9M
http://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3L1ZCP6QSDAHU0XY064SPQL69L
EDIT: I bet one of them is Lee Press-On doing 'Powerhouse', the Chuck Jones composition for Looney Tunes. "Not Happy Birthday! Anything but Happy Birthday!"
EDIT2: The other one is 'Hibernian Rhapsody' by DeDanaan, a highland version of the Queen classic.

Comments

[mnarra.livejournal.com]

[nods solemnly]

You know you are in the heart of Pure Artistry when floating puppet heads sing Exquisite Dead Guy.

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

I was vaguely sad at both of the more recent concerts I attended that they neither had the puppets, nor even performed the song. *weep*

I think it's about time for another tour. I feel the need to bounce for two hours straight!

[mnarra.livejournal.com]

Yup. They Might Be Giants concerts, three or four times a week, are a tremendous aid to cardiovascular fitness and muscular calves. I strongly advise Urban Family Dog for the same reasons, but a different sound. Keri (Not sure about the spelling, there), the lead singer is AMAZING in concert. Intimidating & compelling and just wonderful.