According to the Guinness Book of Records, the song Yesterday by The Beatles holds the record for having the most cover versions of any song ever. More than 3,000 versions of the song are available, but none of them could be better than the original!
Given the rise in popularity of the cover song, many becoming huge hits for the covering artists, what does make a great cover song? Is it a seamless rendition? Is it in seeing how far you can twist it from the original while still maintaining the original intent? Is it about sincerity? Irony? Perhaps putting that unmistakable personal stamp on it? The truth is that there is no formula for a great cover but we’ve found our favourites and put them on Video Hits: The Greatest Covers.
It’s three CDs packed with everything from Faith No More, Jeff Buckley, Red Hot Chili Peppers and UB40 to Florence + The Machine, Lily Allen and Katy Perry.
So, this week we had the MGMT album leak (ed: it sounds like The Kinks to me) but let’s continue to dwell on their magical hit song that is Time To Pretend. That song has legs. Jónsi, my current musical fixation, gave me another reason to hit play over and over again when he did a cover of the song at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.
With its twinkling piano, it’s a bit chillier and bit more forlorn than the anthemic orginal.
Last year another favourite frontman going solo did a rather memorable cover of Time To Pretend. Paul Dempsey did a collection of covers on the Counterfeits and Forgeries bonus disc to Everything Is True. Like Jónsi’s, the tinge of regret and loneliness comes through on this one but set to forthright acoustic guitar.
Jónsi’s album Go is out next Friday. Paul Dempsey’s Everything Is True is specially priced over at iTunes and JB Hi Fi. And, you probably already have MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular.
All reports claim the Miami / Phoenix show last night set the the Hordern Pavillion on fire, but I’m actually super excited about the local lads supporting Phoenix tonight… Papa v Pretty are currently working on a six track EP with Mr Paul Dempsey at Sydney’s Alberts Studios, and are playing with both Dempsey and You Am I on their upcoming respective national tours!
The band of Tom R, Tom M, and Gus are entirely too talented for their just-post-HSC age, are part of an incredibly prolific artistic student enclave (check out the student film music video for Citizen #1), and truly know how to rip it up on the geeetar, bass and drums.
For proof, tune in to Ballad (it’s really not a ballad) and Sleep (Again) on myspace.com/papavspretty.
As I sit in my office here in Sydney I am AGAIN saddened by the fact that another icon Australia music venue is closing its doors.
But this one holds even more sentimental value than most as the Tote, on the corner of Johnston and Wellington Streets in Collingwood, was not only my old local but a venue that gave me some of my first gigs when I started playing music, it was the venue that hosted the very last Best Of The Brat, I went to two very rock’n'roll wedding receptions at, we had one my best mate Marcus’s 21st there so our bands could play and I saw some of the best and formative gigs there, from the Powder Monkeys and The Hellacopters to The White Stripes, Andre Williams and JET.
This venue to me was as iconic as CBGBS and sadly like CBGBS, all amazing things must come to an end.
ARIA and J Award nominated Paul Dempsey (or P Diddy as I now affectionately call him – not to his face though, he might not like it and he’s much taller than me. I hope he doesn’t read this post) recently performed an exclusive gig for triple j at The Troubadour in Brissy with one of my new fav bands Kid Sam.
Unfortunately I wasn’t at this special show and when I saw this performance of Ramona Was A Waitress I wished I was even more!
Paul just finished a national tour but it seems he just can’t get enough of life on the road so he’s off again like a travelling wilbury. This time he’s a one man band, performing songs from Everything Is True solo stylz. Maybe it will be like this?
They continue to represent Australian music with knowledge and class. The Paul Kelly Tribute “Before Too Long” in Melbourne on Friday and Saturday evening is testament to that.
A stellar line up of Australian artists assembled for the evening, hand picked by Richard Kingsmill and music director (and Even leader) Ash Naylor. John Butler, The Herd’s Ozi Batler, Missy Higgins, Bob Evans, Claire Bowditch, Adalita, Megan Washington, Paul Dempsey, Dan Sultan, Katy Steele, The Panic’s Jae Laffer and Dan Kelly made up the vocalists for the evening with Ash and Augie March the amazing backing band. With artists and and a band such as this you know you’re in for a night of magic.
Last week we had the fabuloso Paul Dempsey in the office to come play for us at our Head of HR Jo Perkin’s farewell.
After some really lovely speeches from key people Jo worked with at EMI over her ten years, we presented her with a plaque containing a framed lyrics sheet of her favourite song by her favourite artist Paul DempseyTake Us To Your Leader as a token of appreciation from EMI past and present…and then Paul Dempsey himself arrived to sing for us Jo’s favourite song Take Us To Your Leader.
We’re happy to now present you the much anticipated Fast Friends from Mr Paul Dempsey – an ode to awkward social situations and those curious people who just seem to light up a room with mindnumbingly dull yet engrossing conversation. Don’t you just hate them!?
For your further listening pleasure, Paul Dempsey’s recent Brisbane Troubadour show will be broadcast as a triple j Live At The Wireless tonight at 9pm (repeated on Sunday November 15 at 5pm). Keep tuned to the triple j podcasts and j tv on November 9 (9pm, ABC2) or November 13 (11.25pm, ABC1) for the live footage.
Right now, we’re in the midst of AusMusic Month on triple j, which means there are many more gems like this and the Paul Kelly Tribute coming up!
Ahhhh, album artwork… a special kind of magic happens when an inspired graphic designer or photographer meets an incredible musician.
There were no surprises when Empire of the Sun was nominated for a Best Album Artwork ARIA this year – & we bet ya they’ll be taking home all the pointy silver awards this year! The man behind the artwork is Dave Homer of Debaser, and from Nov 6 the brand new Mart Gallery in Surry Hills will be exhibiting a collection of works interpreting some of his favourite album covers of all time.
In fact, Mart Gallery will be a pretty good place to find where music meets art over the upcoming months… It was opened specifically to exhibit artists & photographs who specialise in music art.
Through December & January Tony Mott & Sophie Howarth will have some of the most iconic photographs from Big Day Out’s gone by. Soon after, our good mate and talented music-photographer Daniel Boud (he took our mug shots on the Contact page), and music design buffs “We Buy Your Kids” who are responsible for Paul Dempsey’s artwork will also feature.
Follow Mart Gallery on Twitter or check out their Tumblr at www.martgallery.tumblr.com.
And for more of the music-slash-artwork-cleverness, check out the awesome music artwork blog www.sleevage.com.
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