Cheating Under The Covers (Unlucky 13 Edition)

Yeah, I know, chunks of this came from the Throats of Goldenness, and that big live medley is cheating, too.

On the other hand, there are a couple of hot Joan Jett covers (speaking of hot. . .) and Nimoy's ". . . Hammer" is definitive, if only for the recitation. The Sweet cover rocks out pretty well, too.
The Carpenter's "Superstar" has something done to it that is probably illegal in several states.

Side One
Joan Jett – Everyday People
Shriekback – Get Down Tonight
Leonard Nimoy – Proud Mary
Eddie Albert – Blowin’ In The Wind
William Shatner – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Joan Jett – Bits and Pieces
Noel Harrison – A Whiter Shade of Pale
Frankie Randall – I Can See For Miles
Jack Webb – Try A Little Tenderness
Mae West – Twist and Shout
Andy Griffith – House of the Rising Sun
William Shatner – Mr. Tamborine Man
Jim Nabors – You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
Sebastian Cabot – Like A Rolling Stone
Leonard Nimoy – If I Had A Hammer

Side Two
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 – Superstar
World of Pooh – Drusilla Penny
Joan Jett – Crimson and Clover
David Hasselhoff – Do You Love Me?
Sebastian Cabot – It Ain’t Me, Babe
Lucien Tielens – Sing
Jan and Dean – Heart and Soul
The Replacements – Saturday Night Special/Iron Man/Misty Mountain Hop/Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love/Takin’ Care Of Business/Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Radio Free Europe/More Fun In The New World
Fever Tree – Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out
Shine Head – Chain Gang Rap
Krokus – Ballroom Blitz

Spinnin' Some More Grandma

Third and fourth sets of singles from grandma's housecleaning project. A lot more schmaltz this time around - might be good to annoy someone with.

Go ahead, be brave, take a chance, listen. Apron, doilies, crochet needles, console stereo, and Barcalounger optional.

Grandma Discs Set Three
Grandma Discs Set Four

Random Grandma-ness

My paternal grandmother just moved out of her house in Cresaptown, MD, in which she has lived for nearly 60 years, and into a much smaller apartment. So, she's got lot's of stuff to get rid of. My Dad dropped in for a visit this weekend and delivered a box of about 40 7" singles that my aunt (his sister) had picked up while in Md. She asked if I could put them on CD for her.

Here are the first couple of sets. It's a mixed bag of stuff from the 50's -70's - mostly Grandma's country, but some of her second husband Bill's swingin' lounge stuff (he sang weekly at the Elks Lodge, or someplace similar, so there's an abundance of Dean Martin, Sinatra, etc. in his collection), a bit of easy listening, some Ramsey Lewis-like piano combo stuff, and some early rock via my uncle Ron, who has a few singles in this set. There's also a really cool rockabilly-ish "Danny Boy", Roy Clark rockin' "My Baby Loves Spooky Movies", Freddie Fender swearing to be there "Before The Next Teardrop Falls," and a completely out-of-place single from The Kingsmen.

No set list this time (maybe I'll get around to posting it eventually, or maybe not - mystery is good) so if you're feeling adventurous give it a shot.

Grandma Discs Set One
Grandma Discs Set Two

Eight is (not) Enough

Volume Eight of Under The Covers



The highlights? The Krokus American Woman cover smokes the Kravitz one; Birdsongs RULZ! (sic); I love Keene and the Beach Boys, so Our Car Club is righteous; the Wraithchild America Pink Floyd cover is surprisingly good; I tend to like Beatles covers, and the Rigby is odd and nice; the John Cale is exceptionally mega-mondo-keen; the Mellencamp is the first version of that song that I heard, so it’s kinda the “original” in my head; Weird Al can do no wrong in his polka medleys; and I especially like the Rosetta Stone Kinks version.

The lowlights? If I were making this mix today the Give Peace a Chance would be left out on the grounds that it’s primarily being used (as we know it today) as a sample and not a cover; the Oak Ridge Boys add nothing to Paul Simon; similarly The Inmates;
as much as I like Keene Kill Your Sons does nothing for me; and Des Barres should have spent more time with Pamela rather than taking on Johnny Nash.

Side One
Krokus – American Woman
Johnny USRY – Johnny’s Rap/Give Peace a Chance
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic – Theme From Rocky and Bullwinkle
Chris Stamey – Get a Job/Tobacco Road
The Honeydrippers – Rockin’ At Midnight
Tommy Keene – Our Car Club
Great White – Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Wraithchild America – Time
Tommy Keene – Kill Your Sons
The Ramones – Do You Wanna Dance
The Ramones – Time Has Come Today
The Oak Ridge Boys – Loves Me Like A Rock
Dolly Parton – House of the Rising Sun
Not Mean Themselves – Eleanor Rigby


Side Two
 John Cale – Heartbreak Hotel
The Judds – Don’t Be Cruel
The Trio – To Know Him Is To Love Him
Darden Smith – Johnny B. Goode
Tiffany – I Saw Him Standing There
Tiffany – I Think We’re Alone Now
John Mellencamp – Let It All Hang Out
The Inmates – Dirty Water
Jim Capaldi – Love Hurts
Krokus – School’s Out
Rosetta Stone – Sunshine of Your Love
Michael Des Barres – I Can See Clearly Now
Rosetta Stone – You Really Got Me
Tom Petty – Feel A Whole Lot Better
REM – Superman
REM - King of the Road
Weird AL Yankovic – Polka Party
REM – There She Goes Again

Six, Covers Under The, Volume

Under The Covers Volume Six

Where to start on the highlights on this episode?

The Textones' Dylan cover is great, I love the Nervous Eaters track, Cheap Trick is a classic fave, Tomorrow is a great band, but this isn’t the best track on the album, I loves me some Bangles, and I’m not sure I’ve ever hear a King Crimson cover before, but this one is pretty cool, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart (head?) for George Thorogood’s boogie, and God help me, but I really like the Power Station (and not ironically).

The lowlights?
There’s no reason to listen to the original Stairway, so a solo guitar version doesn’t really excite, I’m not sure what Winger was thinking taking on Hendrix (Devo pulls it off by going “out”), and Bobby McFerrin needs to hire a band (maybe a duet with Stanley Jordan?).

The meh?
The Tin Huey track is OK, but the rest of the album is better, the Collins is the kind of inoffensive pap that he does so well (but he deserves a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the drum fill in In The Air Tonight), and does the world really need an additional cover of Steppin’ Stone?

And I go back and forth on whether the Manowar track is brilliant or awful (it usually depends on how much coffee I’ve had at the time).


Side One
The Georgia Satellites – Hippy Hippy Shake
Stanley Jordan – Stairway To Heaven
Big Mouth – Takin’ Care of Business
Winger – Purple Haze
The Georgia Satellites – Don’t Pass Me By
Devo – Are You Experienced?
The Textones – Clean Cut Kid
Graham Parker – Cupid
The Bollock Brothers – God Save The Queen
The Nervous Eaters – The Times They Are A Changin’
George Thorogood – Who Do You Love?
Bobby McFerrin – From Me To You
Rubber Rodeo – The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
George Thorogood – Alley Oop
George Thorogood – Reelin’ And Rockin’

Side Two
Tin Huey – I’m A Believer
Cheap Trick – Ain’t That A Shame
Phil Collins – Groovy Kind Of Love
Chet Atkins – Imagine
Tomorrow – Strawberry Fields Forever
Kenny Loggins – Tell Her
Martika – I Feel The Earth Move
Manowar – Sting Of The Bumblebee
Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender
The Bangles – September Gurls
Silver Leaf – Ballad Of A Thin Man
Silver Leaf – The Rest of Ballad Of A Thin Man
The Rave – I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone
The Power Station – Bang A Gong (Get It On)
April Wine – 21st Century Schizoid Man