In the wake of all things Stax these days (Winehouse, Adele etc.), I’d thought I’d feature the incredible Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. Today, Ms. badass ex-Rikers Island correction officer takes control of What Have You Done For Me Lately by Janet Jackson . Her Aretha-in-her-prime soul version so thoroughly owns, so thoroughly dominates that song, that you’ll be left questioning whose is the original.

Don’t say I havent done anything for you, recently speaking:

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings – What Have You Done For Me Lately

Enjoy
LS

Today’s entry could be about covers of All Tomorrow’s Parties by The Velvet Underground or it could be about which 70′s-80′s alt crossovers that covered All Tomorrow’s Parties had the better hair:

A)Bryan Ferry
B)David Sylvian (Japan)
C)Nick Cave (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
D)Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie and the Banshees)
E)Yaaaawn. Give me Nico.

You be the judge.
Until then you can you can ponder what costume the poor girl should wear.

Bryan Ferry - All Tomorrow’s Parties
Japan – All Tomorrow’s Parties
Japan – All Tomorrow’s Parties (12inch Version-1983 Remix)
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – All Tomorrow’s Parties
Siouxsie and the Banshees – All Tomorrow’s Parties (LIVE@???)
Siouxsie and the Banshees – All Tomorrow’s Parties (1991.12.21 KROQ Acoustic Christmas)

Enjoy!
LS

All 80′s Post-Punk bands secretly wanted to be funk bands and the grandaddy of them all, Magazine, were no slouches for soul. Here they are exposing their roots with their cover of Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by Sly and the Family Stone.
While Devoto is definitely no Sly on the mic (nor, thank god, do I think he was trying to be), they did have the bad-assed-ness that is Barry Adamson on bass.

Magazine – Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

Enjoy!
LS

Here’s perpetually fresh-faced looking UK indie pop band The Subways, who took time off from playing cameos on the O.C. to record TV on the Radio‘s instant classic Staring at the Sun.

The Subways - Staring at the Sun

Enjoy!
LS

Ugh, why am I awake at 4:30 am typing this. It’s either insomnia or overdoing it on Zankou chicken the night before. Probably the latter.
Well ironically enough today’s breakfast treat is reggae versions of the Merrilee Rush and The Turnabouts classic Angel of the Morning.
If you’re like me though, your experience of this was being bombarded by Lite-Rock stations with Juice Newton’s 1981 version (ack!).
Hopefully these lovers rock takes from Pat Kelly, Joya Landis and Barbara Jones will clear up any childhood trauma.
I’m going back to bed. Zzzzzzzzzz.

Pat Kelly – Angel (Of The Morning)
Joya Landis – Angel of The Morning
Barbara Jones – Angel of The Morning

**** Last minute addendum: Maureen Davis’ sweet as sugar version:

Maureen Davis – Angel of the Morning

Enjoy!
LS

Here’s Michael Jackson‘s ode to steering clear of groupies, Billie Jean.
Unlike yesterday’s kitchen sink extravaganza, I’ve weeded out the shite from the champagne.

Leading the pack is my favorite cut by dancehall pioneer, Shinehead. It’s also significant as it catapulted the ‘Get A Lick’ riddim (created by either Bumps Oakley or the Wailers depending on who you believe) into dancehall history.
Also in the reggae camp is Sly and Robbie‘s Taxi Gang instrumental take.

Ex Stone Roses vocalist and anorak golden calf, Ian Brown drops a blinding cover.

Dawn of the hip hop era rapper T Ski Valley, just squeaks by with his non-MJ lyrics rap over his own Billie Jean (Valley Style Rap) version.

The next two, tropicalismo star Caetano Veloso and Pink Project, are in this odd camp of musicians who choose to fuse their Billie Jean with other songs.
Veloso’s makes a great Nega Maluca/Billie Jean/ Eleanor Rigby hybrid while Pink Project randomly congeals their Italo-Disco version with Greg Kihn’s Jeopardy.

Similarly, we have yet another even more bizarre sub group. Those that mix Billie Jean with Steely Dan’s Do It Again. Their are THREE of these floating around but I was only able to dig up one, by Italo Disco-ites Clubhouse. While it contains some pieces of Billie Jean towards the end, this also might mark the first instance of a ‘Mash-Up’, though the music and the vocals are all Clubhouse’s.
The other two floating around out there are by Brooklyn Express and Slingshot***.
FYI If anyone has these versions PLEASE message me, I would love to get my hands on them.

Shinehead – Billie Jean
Sly & Robbie & Taxi Gang – Billy Jean
Ian Brown – Billie Jean
T Ski Valley – Billie Jean (Valley Style Rap)
Caetano Veloso – Nega Maluca / Billie Jean / Eleanor Rigby
Caetano Veloso & Chico Buarque – Edwaldo Ruy / Billie Jean / Eleanor Rigby (live)
Pink Project – B. Project (Medley With Billy Jean And Jeopardy)
Club House – Billie Jean – Do It Again

***Last minute addendum. Big shout out Neil Thompson over at Atomix Extended Cuts for rounding this one out with the missing Slingshot version and a killer Billie Jean ‘response’ track from Lydia Murdock.

Slingshot – Do It Again - Billie Jean
Lydia Murdock – Superstar (Long Version)

Enjoy!
LS

Today’s my dad’s birthday (Hey Pop!) so here’s a single I discovered in my fathers’s dusty box of records when I was in junior high, Zager and Evans‘ In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus).
Sandwiched in between the various Kingston Trios and Peter Paul and Marys, it was the one record I instantly recognized, as I had the Visage version and hadn’t realized that it was a cover at all. I mean how could something so futuristic be, like, so old? And bleak. It’s also amazing that the original was a hit at all, given the fact there’s really no chorus as such. But being a bit of a dystopian nerd, I love it. Very Brave New World.

FYI I’m doing an experiment and going for completist on this entry. Warning: Quantity > Quality.

Today’s prophets of predestine include:

60′s Italian Pop star Caterina Caselli with her Nel 2023.
You can practically see her doing that ‘Hey, I’ma making a point here’ thing with her hand that you see in so many Fellini films. Awesome version.

Venice Beat, Strauss & Roggenbuck, Kit Builders who all turn out some decent electro/electro clash versions.

Obscure 80′s Flexi-Pop-pers The New Age. Any one got any more info on these guys?

1982′s cosmic-italo-disco version by The Twins

A young REM, with some rare (for them at least) punk takes.

Hungarian band Zagar‘s synth-rock version.

For some reason, this one’s a big hit on the goth circuit. Got four versions here alone.
Perhaps it’s the song’s hopeless message, or perhaps the title’s byline, Exordium and Terminus sounds like a great name for either an industrial band or a couple that shares an affinity for eyeliner and crushed velvet.
Not really big on these, but again I’m going for completist on this one, so here goes.
The standout of the lot, at least originality-wise, is Laibach, who change the years around and turn it into a big commentary about Nato. The rest, Fields of the Nephilim, Project Pitchfork and ANC, put on their best Cookie Monster voice and try to out-doom each other with cursory grasps on the keyboard.

And last and least representing the ‘trance’ circuit are and The Act and you’re-old-enough-to-know-better French crooner, Delida.

Visage – In The Year 2525
Caterina Caselli – Nel 2023
Kitbuilders – In The Year 2525
Strauss & Roggenbuck - In The Year 2525
Venice Beat – In The Year 2525 (Original Mix)
The New Age – 2525
The Twins – In The Year 2525
R.E.M. – In The Year 2525 (Covering Them version)
R.E.M. – In The Year 2525 (Don’t Try This At Home version)
Zagar – In the year 2525
Laibach - 2525
ANC – In The Year 2525
Fields of the Nephilim – In The Year 2525
Project Pitchfork – In The Year 2525
The Act – In the year 2525
Delida – L’an 2005

Whew.

Enjoy!
LS

Tiga (with a little help from fellow Turbo-ite Jesper Dahlback) is in the spotlight today with his rendition of Public Enemy‘s Louder Than A Bomb
You have to admit there is something pretty hilarious about a white, Canadian boy of questionable orientation covering the ultimate in hip hop bravado, electroclash style no less.
Great quote from the record too: “Dedicated to Terminator X & Prof. Griff who took the time to sign my T-shirt in 88.”

Tiga – Louder Than a Bomb

Enjoy!
LS