Don Ho sings Peter Gabriel...and other musical atrocities

[thatcrazycajun]

Go ahead. Click this link and take a listen; you'll never believe it otherwise. Yes, there really is such a recording...and it's only one of several on this CD that will leave you utterly gobsmacked. (Some tracks actually sound pretty good; the Oak Ridge Boys, frex, do a quite acceptable version of Kansas' classic-rock anthem, "Carry On Wayward Son.")

Comments

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

I had a copy of that album, though it went walkabout. It's actually pretty good, on the whole. I was particular fond of Leslie Gore's cover of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

Some of this is, indeed, better the it has a right to be.

[the-sheryl.livejournal.com]

Er, I own that album. Mind you, I got it at an Interfilk auction, so I knew (mostly) what I was getting into.

[almeda.livejournal.com]

I find that if I play that whole album for someone, they will quite reliably have two songs (different ones for each person) that they quite like, better than the original; and two songs that BREAK THEIR HEADS.

At least.

[folkmew.livejournal.com]

Most of those didn't thrill me. My favorite was OHIO as done by Devo, that sounded different enough to be really interesting. Don Ho doing "Shock the Monkey" was ... just.... scary!!

The one I want is
Moody Bluegrass which I thought would be funny, and it is sort of, but it's also GOOD.

[folkmew.livejournal.com]

I should point out that two that I just LOVED from that are "The Voice" and "Ride my Seesaw" - brilliant! They really WORK. (and those guys can PLAY).

[darrenzieger.livejournal.com]

Moody Bluegrass has been on my wish list for quite a while. There's also a cool bluegrass version of Van Halen's "Jump," with David Lee Roth on vocals. And it works. Check it out: (live performance video, audio-only studio version)

And for kicks - here's a version of the tune performed by Roth and the Boston Pops on July 4, 2004.

I'm a big fan of unusual covers. Some are preposterous, of course (see William Shatner's entire oeuvre), but there are some that I've put on my desert island list.

Examples:

The Indigo Girls: "Midnight Train to Georgia," "All Along the Watchtower," "Tangled Up in Blue" (not really a stretch, but they make it their own), and "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters."

Alanis Morrissette: "King of Pain." (The Police)

Tom Jones: "Kiss" (Prince), and "Unbelievable" (KMD).

Jonatha Brooke: "Eye in the Sky." She performs it as a brittle acoustic ballad, and it works better than the original (which I also love).

The Folksmen: "Start Me Up." (Rolling Stones) -- okay, it's intentionally humorous, in fact it's a brilliant joke. But it's also pretty cool.

Radiohead: "Video Killed the Radio Star" (The Buggles)

Tori Amos: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana)

Marilin Manson: "Personal Jesus" (Depeche Mode)

U2: "Dancing Queen" (ABBA)

There are more, but that's all that I can think of off the top of my head.


I enjoy doing cover tunes myself, if I have an idea for really altering the material. I did demo years ago of Bob Dylan's "Too Much of Nothing" which is departure from both Dylan's original, jangly-folk version and Peter Paul and Mary's honky tonk take. I do it as a sort of slow, gospel(ish) piano ballad, with the vocals up way too high, and the melody and harmonies altered (related, but altered).

...hmmm...this gives me an excuse to start uploading files to the future address of my music site, pubsal.com...

(5 minutes later)

"Too Much of Nothing" is at http://www.pubsal.com/mp3/toomuch.mp3, if anyone's interested in hearing it - with the caveat that there's a bit of a problem at the very end of the tune, on the last vocal harmony - it doesn't time out quite right with the chords below it (I think because the accompaniment pauses to long on a passing chord).

The recording was completely improvised - 4 tracks, 4 takes, each adding an instrumental and vocal line - to the same track, which made it impractical to go back and fix the accompaniment. So right at the climax of the tune there's that jarring effect, which I hate. I'm hoping to do something with it now that I'm armed with superior technology. But for the moment, you've been warned.

Anyway, I've always been fond of this old (1991) recording, and I hope you'll excuse me for squeezing it in to a semi-related thread.