Version Therapy

My first two articles were on tribute bands and Elvis tribute acts, so this article is a natural follow on from the subject. I have regularly fantasised about having my own radio show with the great pun name ‘version therapy’ (I’m sure someone will steal my idea someday). The idea would be to play alternate and cover versions of songs, simply because they have always fascinated me. There are some who have a thing against cover versions e.g. the cultural historian and writer of No Future and Xerox Machine Matthew Worley posted a cover version on the Facebook page Subcultures, Popular Music and Social Change and prefixed it with “I’m not a big fan of cover versions…but I like this”.  There are some who even think it is sacrilege to cover great songs. Not me.  

When popular music began, it was the norm to record songs written by the greats such as Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. The likes of Elvis made his name from recording versions of songs that had previously been recorded by black artists, and who doesn’t like a version of a Jacques Brel classic by Bowie or Marc Almond or Nina Simone? (my wife apparently…who is always telling me the original Brel versions are the best!).  

It is very difficult to pin down when my love for cover versions began, but I think my first interest in the idea was sparked by hearing the Welsh singer Ricky Valance’s (not to be confused with Ritchie Valens) version of Tell Laura I love Her, which was recorded later in the same year as the original by Ray Peterson (1960). I really loved the Valance Version and not just because I am Welsh. The first single I bought with my own pocket money was a cover version called I Hear You Knocking by Dave Edmunds (1970). The original was a much slower blues piano version by Smiley Lewis, released in 1955. I was only 6 years old at the time of the Edmund’s version, so had not heard the original, or even knew that there was one (I’ll discuss the first album I bought in a future article).  My early punk years were swamped with cover versions ,and the Sex Pistols pretty much began just by playing old rock n roll songs. I loved the 1980 album ‘We Do ‘em Our Way ‘, 

which celebrated great punk covers such as ‘Satisfaction’ by Devo, ‘’I Heard it Through the Grapevine by The Slits, ‘Walk on By’ by The Stranglers, and even ‘’She’s Not There by the U.K. Subs. As the world, and I, moved into post-punk and electronic music in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, my listening was still liberally sprinkled with some great cover versions. 

One of my favourite albums from 1980 was ‘Compass kum’pas’ by Dalek I (love you), which contained a wonderful, paired back, minimalist version of The Kinks ‘You Really Got Me’  and the Silicon Teens versions of ‘Memphis Tennessee’, ‘Let’s Dance’, and ‘Just Like Eddie’ became synth cult classics. The late, great, Mark E Smith was also partial to the occasional cover e.g. ‘White Lightning’, ‘Lost in Music’, and ‘Victoria’. All given that rhythmic, percussive, Fall make-over.    

As my music tastes have evolved over the years and become more eclectic, my interest and love for alternate versions has not waned in the slightest. I still treasure my copy of ‘Red Hot and Blue ‘, which was an album released in 1990 as an Aids benefit record, and included versions of Cole Porter songs such as a devastatingly beautiful version of ‘So in Love’ by K.D. Lang, and ‘Miss Otis Regrets’ by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. My copy of ‘I’m Your Fan’ (an album full of Leonard Cohen covers) also still gets a regular play on my turntable, (I especially like Nick Cave’s version of ‘Tower of Song’), as do Johnny Cash’s ‘America Album’s and The Specials last album, ‘Protest Songs’

Nouvelle Vague is a French cover band who recorded laid-back lounge versions of ‘80s and ‘90s pop songs, and followed a trend that had become popular in the late ‘90s, which included the likes of Mike Flowers Pops, who recorded a successful lounge version of ‘Wonderwall ‘and the Fun Lovin Criminals who released their own songs in lounge (or schmoove) versions on their album ‘Mimosa’. I don’t have any Mike Flowers on my playlists, as they are a little too cheesy for my liking, but I do include a few Nouvelle Vague songs. I especially like ‘Guns of Brixton’ and ‘I could be Happy’. 

So don’t write off cover versions. It is okay to like the original and other versions. There are some poor covers out there, but there are some poor originals out there too.   

I will finish off by leaving you a short playlist of a few covers that you should all at least give a try and get some ‘Version Therapy’!
I Will Survive by Cake
Wild Horses by The Flying Burrito Brothers
This Corrosion by Lambchop
All of the America Albums by Johnny Cash
Panic by Frank Sidebottom
Protest Songs by The Specials 
Love Cats by Tricky
Close to You by The Cranberries
Love Will Tear Us Apart by Evelyn Evelyn
Knocking on Heavens Door by Anthony and the Johnsons
Money by The Flying Lizards
Sweet Jane by The Cowboy Junkies
Do You Really want to Hurt Me by the Violent Femmes
Common People by William Shatner.  
Rock El Casbah by Rachid Taha
I Wanna dance with Somebody by David Byrne
When Doves Cry by Patti Smith
Glory Box by John Martyn