NOTE: VERSIONS GALORE READERS
Looks like this may be the end.
Been a long time coming but the DMCA finally caught up with us and has started deleting posts. Now that I'm on their radar, it's only a matter of time before this starts spreading like cancer to the rest of my entries.
I may return, who knows, but I'm going to need a decent chunk of time to think it over. For now I can't sit back and watch as they dismantle, post by post, the site I've worked so hard on building up. To those who followed regularly and posted comments, I can't begin to thank you enough and for the rest, I hope you enjoyed the music anyway.
Adieu
Leopold Stotch
Friday, December 12, 2008
Presidential Parton
Dressed head to toe in black, creepers, cloves and all, in high school I remember being somewhat mortified to find out that Strawberry Switchblade's Jolene was actually a Dolly Parton cover. Never mind of course that all the eyeliner in world couldn't disguise the fact that, musically speaking, SS's synth pop barely passed for goth. Bah, youth!Did I mention we also got a couple of versions from The White Stripes today
as well?
Strawberry Switchblade - Jolene
Strawberry Switchblade - Jolene (Extended Mix)
The White Stripes - Jolene
The White Stripes - Jolene (2003-20-04 - Live in Boston)
Enjoy!
LS
Thursday, December 11, 2008
While My Fish Gently Sleeps
If you think you're staring at a cover for the new Residents album, you may be a bit disappointed.When I was around 4 my parents owned a charming pet piranha inexplicably named Prudence. As I would wander around the outside of the aquarium, Prudence would follow alongside, eyes fixed on me the same way Sylvester the Cat's would when he saw Tweety; imagining him as a succulent roasted hen with all the fixings still swinging on his perch. And despite being underwater, so help me I could see the fish salivating. Whenever I would get too close to the tank, to which I came just about chin high, he would go ballistic. BAM! BAM! BAM!, he would furiously start smacking his nose(?) into the glass in a vain attempt get to a bite of the would be appetizer wrapped in Casper pajamas. Ironically however, when my parents ever came close to his watery domain, he would hightail it, cowering behind his little coral castle. Odd, my parents thought, why our son and not us? It took my dad, quick as Columbo, two minutes to figure it out. Getting on their knees,to about my height, they re-approached tank. Sure enough Prudence rushed right back out and proceeded to bang his head against the glassy border, seeing an opportunity not just for a 4 year old h'ordeuvre but a two course meal.
Prudence's tenure in our house was unfortunately cut short and reluctantly had to be given back to the pet shop from whence he came. We were moving to Florida, where they had laws against any kind of aquatic carnivorous pet that you couldn't make fall asleep by flipping over and rubbing it's belly. Needless to say I was bummed beyond belief that my watery little pal, who in my mind was smacking his face against the glass in is eagerness to greet me, was gone. It was only a few months later when my mom and I were at the grocery store when I spotted my recently missing friend. There, in the fish section, lounging on a bed of ice between his buddies Mr. Salmon and Mr. Halibut was what I thought was Prudence (actually a recently expired Flounder). 'HEY MOM HEY MOM! LOOK IT''S PRUDENCE, HE'S SLEEPING!!!! HEY PRUDENCE WAKE UP!!'.
So as you can imagine it's pretty much impossible for me, when hearing
The Beatles' Dear Prudence, not to recall my toothy, sub-aquatic, long lost childhood friend, rather than Mia Farrow's sister, to whom the song is actually dedicated to.
While I will always have a soft spot for Siouxsie & The Banshees' cover and it's arguably the best version of Prudence, I'd have to say Songs of The Green Pheasant are quick on her spiked heels with their delightful, rather spaced out, rendition. If you're looking for something to replace that tired Mario Bros. background music, 8 Bit rockers The Hunt For Yoshi do a great chiptune cover. DJ Kazimir manages to squeak out a not half-bad drum & bass version featuring Carol C of Si*Sé fame on vocals. We also have some good jazzy funk cuts from Ramsey Lewis, The Five Stairsteps, Gabor Szabo, Atlantic Bridge, Brad Mehldau and Hysear Don Walker (which sounds like a dead ringer for Air). Lastly we have a few straight ahead, somewhat psychedelic versions from Fury In The Slaughterhouse, Feet Of Clay, Radio Stars, Sound Foundation and John A. Roberts.
Siouxsie & Banshees - Dear Prudence
Siouxsie & Banshees - Dear Prudence (Live - Nocturne)
Siouxsie & Banshees - Dear Prudence (Live in Lausanne 91')
Siouxsie & Banshees - Dear Prudence (Live Paris 91')
Siouxsie & Banshees - Dear Prudence (Live in Europe 95)
Songs Of Green Pheasant - Dear Prudence
The Hunt For Yoshi - Dear Prudence
DJ Kazimir (with Carol C) - Dear Prudence
Ramsey Lewis - Dear Prudence
The Five Stairsteps - Dear Prudence
Gabor Szabo - Dear Prudence
Atlantic Bridge - Dear Prudence
Brad Mehldau - Dear Prudence
Hysear Don Walker - Dear Prudence
Fury In The Slaughterhouse - Dear Prudence
Feet Of Clay - Dear Prudence
Radio Stars - Dear Prudence
Sound Foundation - Dear Prudence
John A. Roberts - Dear Prudence
Enjoy!
LS
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The C.R.E.A.M. Of The Crop

10 man strong jazz/funk outfit El Michels Affair channel their inner
Wu-Tang Clan with their instrumental rendition of C.R.E.A.M.
Dolla dolla bill y'all!
El Michels Affair - C.R.E.A.M.
Enjoy!
LS
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Catching Some Z's

Murray Hewitt: You can't just neglect your old fans like that. What happens when your new fans fly the coop? You'll end up like Zed-Zed Top.Ah Murray. Can't get enough of that guy.
Bret: What are you talking about?
Murray Hewitt: You know, Zed-Zed Top?
Bret: Yeah.
Murray Hewitt: They sang the song about the woman with the legs. Anyway, they grew big beards, their old fans didn't like it, their new fans didn't like them without the beards, and then they had a "Do we have a beard or not?" situation.
If you haven't figured it out by now today's cover is ZZ Top, more specifically
Sharp Dressed Man. We got two well kitted out versions; a great synth-pop/electroclash cut from Dragonette and a down home bluegrass slide guitar rendition from the appropriately nomenclatured Beardhead.
Dragonette - Sharp Dressed Man
Beardhead - Sharp Dressed Man
Enjoy!
LS
Friday, December 5, 2008
Getting Into Trouble

Jamaican favorites Prince Buster, taking some time off from washing pum pum, as well as the ever soulful Jimmy London tackle Simon & Garfunkel's warmhearted classic Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Prince Buster - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Jimmy London - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Enjoy!
LS
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Monkey Business

Overnight NME garage rock furors The Arctic Monkeys get the cover treatment today with four cuts of their big hit I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.
Good contender for the throne of Sharon Jones and best in this lot by a long shot is Baby Charles with her neo-Stax sound version. Also following in that northern soul vein is a live cut from Karen Taylor (btw any info on her would be great. Google turns up way to many Karen Taylors). Tummy Touch odball duo Patrick & Eugene go for a curious minimal jazz treatment, be sure to check out their even weirder video. And lastly, and don't hate, but the Sugababes manage to turn out a great garage rock-lite version too.
Baby Charles - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Karen Taylor - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor (live)
Patrick & Eugene - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Sugababes - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Enjoy!
LS
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Making a Killing

Is it me or was anyone else out there quite perplexed why Ian McCulloch, at the height of his career in Echo & The Bunnymen, was being compared to Jim Morrison? On one side you had a loud, drug fueled, shirtless American wild child and on the other a waifish new waver with perfectly primmed hair, hiding behind his mic and oversized trench coat nursing a pint. While The Bunnymen were draped in 60s nostalgia and no disrespect to either them or Morrison, I love em both, but leather trousers is where similarity begins and ends.
Thankfully McCulloch had his own voice (which didn't sound like the expired
peyote vacuum) and nowhere did it get a better workout then on their
sublime ballad, The Killing Moon.
As you can imagine covers abound of this one, including many a bedroom belladonna belting it out on YouTube, evidenced here, here and here. And as usual goth versions got left on the Versions cutting room floor making way for some other great covers. Playing favorites, I'll start with The Quakes rockabilly version, which sounds discordant on paper but trust me, it works. I've also included perennial VG faves Nouvelle Vague with both studio and a plethora of live cuts. Pavement, Grant Lee Phillips and Something for Kate all turn out some fairly faithful versions. Pre-Mazzy Star group Opal, featuring their new fresh faced replacement singer Hope Sandoval, do a rather dark, neo psychedlic/space rock live rendition. Fans of Tori Amos, Kate Bush et al will enjoy Wendy Rule's rather plush version. And lastly for our Brazilian friends I've tacked on Os Replicantes portugese cover A Lua que Mata.
The Quakes - The Killing Moon
Nouvelle Vague - The Killing Moon
Nouvelle Vague - The Killing Moon (Live - Aula Magna 07.12.07)
Nouvelle Vague - The Killing Moon (Live - 12.02.06 Montpellier)
Nouvelle Vague - The Killing Moon (Live - Manchester 21.05.07)
Nouvelle Vague - The Killing Moon (Live - 14.6.06 - Le Bataclan, Paris)
Pavement - The Killing Moon (BBC Session)
Grant Lee Phillips - The Killing Moon
Something for Kate - The Killing Moon
Opal - The Killing Moon (Live Vienna 03.30.88)
Wendy Rule - The Killing Moon
Os Replicantes - A Lua que Mata (The Killing Moon)
Enjoy!
LS
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Get Up, Get On Up

As you can tell by reading this blog I'm a bit of an old school reggae fanatic. Where the fanaticism quickly descends into snobbery however is when Bob Marley is brought up. Legions of college freshmen, armed with 4 foot bongs, ultimate Frisbees and copies of Legend have kind of soured me on Bob. But I've got to confess, if I didn't discover him in 8th grade there would be no Augustus Pablo, Keith Hudson, Alton Ellis, Joe Gibbs etc etc later on down the road and subsequently this would probably be just an 80's or electronica covers blog. While most Marley covers run trite, and some truly arson-worthy (i.e. Eric Clapton), Munich-based (by way of St Lucia) group Malcolm's Locks turns Marley's classic protest anthem Get Up Stand Up into a nice slice of James Brown-worthy, rare groove funk.
Malcolm's Locks - Get Up Stand Up
Enjoy!
LS
Monday, December 1, 2008
Some Alone Time

Don't know about you but when I hear Alone Again Or by Love I think of the love scene in the Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket. Well that, and hearing it for the first time on a Damned record in high school, where when I saw the title I thought the 'Or' part was the biggest typo blunder ever. Doh!
For the most part today's covers don't stray far from the original. Like I mentioned above The Damned version was my first, and still favorite introduction to this song.
Belle & Sebastian are here again with their live version as are Calexico, whose Tex-Mex sound overall seems steeped in Alone's blueprint, as well as lending a hand again to Neko Case's live version.
Tennessee indie act Mouserocket wrap theirs in their own "cello-pop" sound.
Proto metal act UFO goes soft, The Boo Radleys and the Oblivians go loud while the instrumental surf band The Shout exercise their vocal chords.
And lastly the aptly named (and mysteriously absent from the web) Da Capo with their beautifully lazy twang and snare rendition.
The Damned - Alone Again Or
Belle & Sebastian - Alone Again Or (live)
Calexico - Alone Again Or
Neko Case (with Calexico) - Alone Again Or (live)
Mouserocket - Alone Again Or
UFO - Alone Again Or
The Boo Radleys - Alone Again Or
Oblivians - Alone Again Or
The Shout - Alone Again Or
Da Capo - Alone Again Or
Enjoy!
LS
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tainted Goods

I think it would be safe to say that without Soft Cell digging Gloria Jones'
Tainted Love out of northern soul obscurity that there would be no covers of this classic 80's track at all. One can only assume then with the disproportionate amount of rockabilly/psychobilly versions (featured here today) that they discovered the effete synth poppers first, and poor unnoted Gloria second.
My pick of this 50's coiffed litter has got to be GrandMagneto (again!) with their rocksteady n' rockabilly version, which I'm sure you'll agree is 1000 times better than Marilyn 'I think I'll blow it with my incredibly hot burlesque wife by cheating on her with a nobody and then become a 90's Alice Cooper wannabe washup' Manson.
GrandMagneto - Tainted Love
Flatline Rockers - Tainted Love
The Go Getters - Tainted love
Slick Pelt - Tainted Love
Alan Mills - Tainted Love
Big John Bates - Tainted Love
Ben Wild And The Wild Band - Tainted Love
The Belltones - Tainted Love
Dave Phillips & The Hot Rod Gang - Tainted Love
The Living End - Tainted Love
Skarekrows - Tainted Love
The Swampys - Tainted Love
Boppin' Kids - Tainted Love
The Hormonauts - Tainted Love
Living End - Tainted Love
Crazy Legs - Tainted Love
Phantom Rockers - Tainted Love
Howlin' Moondoggies - Tainted Love
Mark Harman & The Rattlesnakes - Tainted Love (Live)
Enjoy!
LS
FYI Versions is going on a Thanksgiving bachanalia, see you in a few days.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Can't Stop Won't Stop
Here is McFadden & Whitehead's signature disco-funk classic Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now getting a reggae reworking by Willie Williams
(with a lickle help from Jackie Mittoo and Coxsone Dodd).
Willie Williams - No One Can Stop Us
Willie & Brentford Disco Set - No One Can Stop Us Pt.2
Enjoy!
LS
Monday, November 24, 2008
Entertainment Tonight

Downtempo and deep house outfit Neon Heights dust off the acoustic
guitars for their rather soulful rendition of The Jam's ballad to urban
decay, That's Entertainment.
Neon Heights - That's Entertainment
Enjoy!
LS
Friday, November 21, 2008
Mama-ko, mama-sa, ma-ka-ma-ko-ssa

For today's cover post, Soul Makossa by Manu Dibango, I'm going to let Wikipedia do a little talking:
"Soul Makossa" is a 1972 single by Cameroonian makossa saxophonist Manu Dibango. It is often cited as one of the first disco records. In 1972 David Mancuso found a copy in a Brooklyn West Indian record store and often played it at his Loft parties. The response was so positive that the few copies of "Soul Makossa" in New York City were quickly bought up. The song was subsequently played heavily by Frankie Crocker, who DJed at WBLS, then New York's most popular Black radio station.Since the original was now unfindable, 23 or more groups quickly released cover versions to capitalize on the demand for the record. Atlantic eventually licensed the song from the French record label Fiesta. Their release of it peaked at #35 on the Billboard chart in 1973; in 1999 Dave Marsh wrote that it was "the only African record by an African" to crack the top 40. At one point there were nine different versions of the song in the Billboard chart. It became "a massive hit" internationally as well.Apparently DIY is step-mother of necessity. Playing favorites I'm going to start with Neon Phusion, yet another broken beat/future Jazz contigent made out of Bugz in The Attic moonlighters Afronaught, Kaidi Tatham and Alex Phountzi. Standard covers, like the ones mentioned above, abound from Lafayette Afro-Rock Band, Pierre Spiers, Simon Kenyatta Group, Afrique, The Mighty Tom Cats, Nairobi Afro Band, The Gaytones and Babatunde Olatunji. The Makossa hit hard with electro and hiphop too, evidenced by the likes Nairobi, Deadline, Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force and The Roots. Where America goes so goes Jamaica with reggae covers from Byron Lee & The Dragonaires and Brent Dowe as well as funk from Jablonski and dancehall niceness from Papa San. There are also NYC style Latin flavors galore from Fania All-Stars, Grupo Guerra 78, Johnny Zamot as well as a rhumba version from Cuarteto Patria who re-enlists Manu Dibango for theirs. And lastly we have a grab bag of jazz (Rodney Jones), sitar (Bill 'Ravi' Harris & the Prophets) and moog (Rod Hunter)!
Neon Phusion - Makossa
Lafayette Afro-Rock Band - Soul Makossa
Pierre Spiers - Soul Makossa
Simon Kenyatta Group - Soul Makossa
Afrique - Soul Makossa
The Mighty Tom Cats - Soul Makossa
Nairobi Afro Band - Soul Makossa
The Gaytones - Soul Makossa
Babatunde Olatunji - Soul Makossa
Nairobi - Soul Makossa
Nairobi - Funky Soul Makossa (Rap)
Deadline - Makossa Rock
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force - Soul Makossa
The Roots - Soul Makossa - Sacrifice (Live Montreux 2003)
Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Reggae Makossa
Brent Dowe - Reggae Makossa
Jablonski - Soul Makossa
Papa San - Makossa
Fania All-Stars - Soul Makossa
Fania All-Stars - Soul Makossa (Live)
Grupo Guerra 78 - Soul Makossa
Johnny Zamot - Soul Makossa
Cuarteto Patria & Manu Dibango - Rumba Makossa
Rodney Jones - Soul Makossa
Bill 'Ravi' Harris & the Prophets - Soul Makossa
Rod Hunter - Soul Makossa
Enjoy!
LS
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Don't Be Daft

Been kind of on the fence about whether today's reggae re-rub of Daft Punk's seminal Gallic disco anthem Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by The Bombist, should qualify as a cover. Whatever it is it's fucking brilliant and is close enough and is getting an entry, as is Uminski with their metal influenced dance-punk version. C'est bon!
The Bombist - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Uminski - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Enjoy!
LS
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Cat Power

Here's a track that's been burning a hole through my headphones for the last two weeks The Cure's All Cats Are Grey by Band in a Box (on the very excellent BuffetLibre label). Being a bit of a stickler for the old school I believe the album All Cats... came from, Faith coupled with it's sister album, Seventeen Seconds represents the pinnacle of The Cure's career. From there on out it was all about pop and general silliness (which begs the question: Why do goths still dig them?). Sure, the later output is still enjoyable, but nothing from them has been as gorgeously moody since.
Band In Box - All Cats Are Grey
Enjoy!
LS
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Off To Never Never Land
Y'know I was never a metal kid. When I was 7, I believed that only three kinds of music existed: the lite rock my parents listened to, the heavy metal that my friends seemed to enjoy, and the classical music I often heard pumped in at the dentist’s office. While I had no great love for hesher rock, and Neil Diamond and Nana Maskouri were definitely out of the question, I defaulted, listening mostly to classical. And, while I didn’t enjoy heavy metal for the music, I loved the theatrics. My bewildered parents often found me lying on the living room floor watching televised Kiss concerts with the sound turned off and a classical radio station turned on in the background — Gene Simmons drooling blood to the sound of Brahms’ Concerto No.3 in D minor.Even later on when I got into punk and new wave, when half my friends decided they'd rather go shout at the devil, the other half of us were much happier sitting around with our Flock of Seagulls hairdos listening to The Buzzcocks. But growing up in the thriving cultural metropolis that is Redwood City, California (aka Shithole), a town so overrun by feathered hair and fringe boots that it resembled a deleted scene from Heavy Metal Parking Lot, we stood out like sore thumbs. I got called names so many times, usually screamed out the windows of passing Cameros, that after a while I convinced my middle name was 'Hey Faggot!'. And while I can't say that seeing Green Day and Marilyn Manson in the Top 40 is exactly having the last laugh, I do think there's some poetic justice hearing that Skid Row have to rely on friends to pick them up from the airport, on their way to their now 300 capacity sold out shows.
Childhood trauma aside, Metallica were the one metal band in high school that got a free pass. Maybe it was their professed love of The Misfits that sold me on them, who knows. So Enter Sandman. Today we feature the softer side of Lars & Co with some lounge, camp and classical covers. My pick today, by a long shot, is Michael Armstrong and his glockenspiel and music box lullaby rendtition which has to be heard to be believed. Lounge versions abound from Pat Boone (yes THAT Pat Boone), perennial VG fave Mambo Kurt, the rather lush Transformer Di Roboter and Richard Cheese who hilariously mashes his with Mr. Sandman. Speaking of cheese we also have a funky acoustic number from Boney Nem as well as some polka-worthy versions from Eläkeläiset. Finishing off is the classical equivalent to speed metal act Apocalyptica, whome I have a hard time separating their Sandman from the amazing socially horrifying film Your Friends and Neighbors (where it was used as the opening theme song).
Michael Armstrong - Enter Sandman
Pat Boone - Enter Sandman
Mambo Kurt - Enter Sandman (Live)
Transformer Di Roboter - Enter Sandman
Richard Cheese - Enter Sandman
Boney Nem - Enter Sandman
Eläkeläiset - Soramonttuhumppa (AKA Enter Sandman)
Eläkeläiset - Soramonttuhumppa (AKA Enter Sandman - Live)
Apocalyptica - Enter Sandman
Apocalyptica - Enter Sandman (Live)
Enjoy!
LS
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Babylon Burning

As I write this my beloved Los Angeles burns all around me, North, South and East (and who knows maybe there's something flaming on the West side - insert joke here). There's ash all over my house, car, dog and the sun throws reddish grey shadows from a murky brown sky. And despite being miles away from any threat, it still smells like a campfire outside. Was planning to take my usual Sunday day off from VG but considering I'm surrounded by flames, I thought that today's as good as any to post some reggae covers of Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash.
Firefighters in dread for today are Don Drummond, This Kid Named Miles, Grace Jones and The Upsetters (whose version is probably pushing it a little as it tends to meander away from original melody quite a bit)
Don Drummond - Occupation (aka Ring of Fire)
This Kid Named Miles - Ring of Fire
Grace Jones - Ring of Fire
The Upsetters - Ring of Fire
Enjoy! (and stay indoors)
LS
Saturday, November 15, 2008
007 Part 3:Twice As Nice

Saw Quantum of Solace last night and the roundtable of nationally lauded critics (aka my friends and significants) weigh in on the latest James Bond. So toss those New York Times and Ebert reviews in the trash and listen to our panel of esteemed experts:
K:I liked it.
G:It was entertaining.
T:Meh. Thin on plot. Too much action. Where's the gadgets? Every Bond film has gadgets.
Me:Dr. No didn't have gadgets.
T:And.....name another.
Me: Er, you got me there. I enjoyed it. No Casino Royale, but good. The action scenes were a bit tough to follow. That British agent, 'Ms. Fields' is way hotter than the Bolivian/Ukrainian chick.
T:Way hotter.
So in our final installment of the James Bond cover marathon we have the theme to my favorite 007 flick You Only Live Twice. Trimming the musical fat here's the choicest cuts.
Not being based around a big guitar twang sound You Only... differs from it predecessor in its sublimely slow and dreamy pace. In keeping with that same lulling tempo we have Natacha Atlas, The Married Monk, Ewert Sundja And Thief, Mark Burgess & Sons of God, Trio Magneto and The Postmarks.
Heavy on the reverb, surf versions are not far behind with cuts from the Vultures, The Spotnicks, The Quiets and Jack and the Rollers.
Reggae only gets a single entry here today with Wanja, as does 60s go-go (Formula 7), downtempo (Waldeck), avant garde jazz (John Zorn & Naked City) and marching band (Spirit Of Northwestern Demon Marching Band).
English not your bag? We also speak French (Lucky Blondo), Italian (Santo & Johnny), Finnish (Carola) and German (Gissy Andre). BTW if anyone out there has a decent copy of Lara and the Trailers Mandarin version pleeeease get a hold of me.
We also have some name brand versions from Soft Cell, Bjork and Shirley Bassey, who is probably still puzzled as to why she never got asked to sing this one in the first place.
Can't quite put my finger on this next batch, they're all just a touch off in their own way. This oddity grab bag includes Dean & His Celebrities, VAB 3, Abwarts, Rudy Rosa, Little Anthony & The Imperials, LaNaya Comsa, Desi Desi Desi.
And finally two more covers from Pain Teens and Charles Napiers that didn't fit into any category but are good versions nonetheless.
So this concludes the Bond marathon. Versions Galore will return in...The Man with the Golden Blog.
Natacha Atlas - You Only Live Twice
The Married Monk - You Only Live Twice
Ewert Sundja And Thief - You Only Live Twice
Mark Burgess & Sons of God - You Only Live Twice
Trio Magneto - You Only Live Twice
The Postmarks - You Only Live Twice
Vultures - You Only Live Twice
The Spotnicks - You Only Live Twice
The Quiets - You Only Live Twice
Jack and the Rollers - You Only Live Twice
Wanja - You Only Live Twice
Formula 7 - You Only Live Twice
Waldeck - You Only Live Twice
John Zorn & Naked City - You Only Live Twice (Live NYC)
Spirit Of Northwestern Demon Marching Band - You Only Live Twice
Lucky Blondo - Tu Vivras Deux Fois
Santo & Johnny - Si Vive Solo Due Volte
Carola - Ei Aina Kåy Niin Kuin Haaveillaan
Gissy Andre - Du Lebst Nur Zweimal
Soft Cell - You Only Live Twice
Bjork - You Only Live Twice
Shirley Bassey - You Only Live Twice
Dean & His Celebrities - You Only Live Twice
VAB 3 - You Only Live Twice
Abwarts - You Only Live Twice
Rudy Rosa - You Only Live Twice
Little Anthony & The Imperials - You Only Live Twice
LaNaya Comsa - You Only Live Twice
Desi Desi Desi - You Only Live Twice
Pain Teens - You Only Live Twice
Charles Napiers - You Only Live Twice
Enjoy!
LS
Friday, November 14, 2008
007 Part 2:Music to Watch Quantum of Solace by...

Poor George Lazenby, he never really got a fair shake did he?
Well, like I mentioned in yesterday's post on Goldfinger, today is national Quantum of Solace day (at least in this house) and we'll be observing it by, well, going to see QoS of course and by posting some personal choice James Bond Theme covers in the 2nd installment of our mini 3 day Bond cover marathon.
Kicking off as always is with my pick of the day, Barry Adamason and his 007, A Fantasy Bond Theme. If they ever decide to switch it up a bit and get a black Bond, then Barry's their man, or at the very least they need to hire him for their soundtracks.
Despite Bond's heavy visual influence on ska and early reggae, there's a surprising shortage of covers in that department. So in addition to the above Adamson one, we also have a few more from The Selecter (a close second favorite btw), Les Ejectés, The Skatalites and Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Brothers.
What would Bond be withoutsome swingin' lounge and exotica, or would that be vice versa? In either case here's some music to play bacarat by... from Ray Martin, Perez Prado, Tropical Jazz Big Band, Al Caiola, Ray Barretto, Leroy Holmes and Fanfare Ciocarlia.
And like yesterday's post there's surf and twang versions galore(doh!). Gremmys on her majestys secret service include Ray Columbus And The Invaders, The Playboys, Voodoo Court, Ralph Rebel, Deadbolt, The Surf Coasters, ZZ en de Maskers, The Bitch Boys and the Urban Surf Kings.
Electronica also gets in on the spy game with covers from Double Zero (downtempo), Koto (Italo-disco), Propellerheads (big beat), LTJ Bukem (drum n' bass) and Art of Noise (er, well, Art of Noise).
Some great chin stroking avant garde jazz bits from Sex Mob and John Zorn. 'Conceptual' sure, but with no less fun.
The Toy Dolls and Gorilla make some fine punk versions for those that prefer a few safety pins in their finely tailored suits.
Got no idea what to label these other than weirdo/outsider/flabbergast from The Son of P.M. (Thai/gamelan-esque), Messer Chups (electronica-twang?), The Surf Champlers (surf?ska?Tom Waits?) and a 16 second short one from The Beatles (whomever they are).
And lastly, covering the rest of our bases we have Russ Pay (acoustic guitar), Musikverein Concordia Rhens (marching band) and Swingle Singers (acapella).
Barry Adamson - 007, A Fantasy Bond Theme
The Selecter - James Bond
The Selecter - James Bond (BBC Sessions Live At The Paris Theatre '79)
Les Ejectés - James Bond Theme
The Skatalites - James Bond
Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Brothers - James Bond
Ray Martin - James Bond Theme
Perez Prado - The James Bond Theme
Tropical Jazz Big Band - James Bond Theme
Al Caiola - James Bond Theme
Ray Barretto - James Bond Theme
Leroy Holmes - The James Bond Theme
Fanfare Ciocarlia - James Bond Theme
Ray Columbus And The Invaders - James Bond Theme
The Playboys - Theme from Dr. No ( aka James Bond Theme)
Voodoo Court - 007/Goldfinger
Ralph Rebel - James Bond
Deadbolt - James Bond Theme/You Only Live Twice
The Surf Coasters - The James Bond Theme
ZZ en de Maskers - Main Theme from James Bond 007
The Bitch Boys - James Bond Theme
Urban Surf Kings - James Bond (Live)
Double Zero - James Bond Theme
Koto - James Bond Theme
Propellerheads - James Bond Theme
LTJ Bukem - The James Bond Theme
Art of Noise - James Bond Theme
Sex Mob - James Bond Theme
Sex Mob - Bond With Bongos
John Zorn - The James Bond Theme
John Zorn & Naked City - James Bond Theme (Holland Festival 2003)
Toy Dolls - James Bond Lives Down Our Street
Gorilla - Parnaoid James Bond
The Son of P.M. - James Bond Theme
Messer Chups - James Bond Rescues the World from Aerowafers
The Surf Champlers - James Bond Theme
The Beatles - James Bond Theme
Russ Pay - The James Bond Theme
Musikverein Concordia Rhens - James Bond 007
Swingle Singers - Theme from James Bond
Enjoy! (and see you tomorrow with the Quantum crop report)
LS
*** Last minute sidenote: Haven't quite satiated that JB jones? Be sure to check out the utterly excellent Fong Songs, whose having a great little Bond marathon of his own as well.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
007 Part 1:The Midas Touch

Tomorrow's a national holiday around the Stotch household as it's the opening for the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. I'll be dressed in a tux furiously pounding away on my keyboard all day trying to buy advanced tickets online.
Thanks to my dad, who had the entire Bond collection on VHS, I've been watching Bond films, no joke, since birth. While rated 'R's and rated 'PG's were a definite no-no on the young 007-year old here, I usually got the free pass on the JB films. Well, sort of. The short history of the parental counter measures on these went like this:
Me, age 6, in the middle of watching James mowing down henchman in The Spy Who Loved Me on TV when counter agent M.O.M. enters.
Mom: "What What What!?! What the hell are you watching?!?! You can't watch this it's rated R!"
Me: (eating pretzels with ketchup out of a dixie cup and not bothering to turn away from the TV) "But Mooooom, I've already seen it like 9 times. Don't worry, this one isn't as bad for me as Diamond Are Forever is"
Mom: "Wait till your father comes home"
Me:(cool under interrogation) "He said I could watch it!"
Mom: (retreating back to her sinister lair of dirty laundry) Sigh.
So in celebration of Quantum, a 3 day mini Bond cover session is in order. Weeding through the hundreds of 007 related covers out there, today's pick is going to be narrowed down to surf (and surf inspired) instrumentals of Goldfinger.
So hang 7....007.
Slacktone - Goldfinger
Dr. Frankenstein - Goldfinger
Surphonics - Goldfinger
Santo & Johnny - Goldfinger
ZZ & de Maskers - Goldfinger
Tono Quirazco - Dedos de Oro (aka Goldfinger)
The Jets - Goldfinger
The Dillengers - Goldfinger
The Surf Lords - Goldfinger
Surf Nation - Goldfinger
The New Arrivals - Goldfinger
Atlantics - Goldfinger
Les Fingers - Goldfinger
Webb Wilder - Goldfinger
Blue Stingrays - Goldfinger
The Sharp Five - Goldfinger
Man or Astroman - Goldfinger
****Last minute addendum
The Honeycombs - Goldfinger (Live in Tokyo)
Enjoy
LS
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Break Out The Booze

Leiber & Stoller's classic Is That All There Is?, made famous by way of Peggy Lee, is another example of one of those indelible songs from my childhood that came staggering out of my little Sony transistor one day transfixing me in its's headlights (FYI for some reason all I listened to up till age 8 was jazz and classical). And the fact that this was the first time not hearing a song about love or romance but about having a cocktail and not giving a shit about life probably had more of an existential impact on me than repeated high school readings of Kafka and Camus. Whatever this was, I wanted it, but I forgot to keep listening for song's ID. Inquiries to the parental units on who this misanthropic souse might be fell on disturbed ears.
"Hey mom hey mom do you know that song where the lady is watching houses burn on fire and...and...and...then she goes to the circus and..and then she drinks booze."
"Drugs." my parents we're probably thinking, squinting their eyes as if reevaluating the possibility that we were all from the same strand of DNA "Our child is only 6 and already he's on drugs".
So kick starting today's entry is my pick of the bunch is 80's No Wave diva du jour Cristina, whose punk rock spin on the classic offended Leiber & Stoller so much that they managed to sue the song out of existence up until recently. Oh and be sure to listen close for the James Chance shout out. PJ Harvey and ex Bad Seed Mick Harvey manage to keep the boozy atmosphere alive as do Giant Sand and Firewater who both seemed to have plucked an olive out from Tom Wait's martini on their versions.
Cristina - Is That All There Is?
John Parish and Polly Jean 'PJ' Harvey - Is That All There Is?
Giant Sand - Is That All There Is?
Firewater - Is That All There Is?
Enjoy!
LS
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Golden Retrievers

Golden Brown, The Stranglers ode to either heroin, a girl or marmite depending on their mood still sends shivers up my spine every time I hear it. So today we have three jazzy downtempo versions from Better Daze, Omar and Emer Kenny who all manage to KO this number with same spine tingling eminence as the original.
Better Daze - Golden Brown
Omar - Golden Brown
Emer Kenny - Golden Brown
Enjoy!
LS
Monday, November 10, 2008
Wheel O' Fortune

Blood, Sweat & Tears' 1969 classic Spinning Wheel (aka What Goes Up, Must Come Down) gets the Jamaican makeover today with several Lee Perry productions (two renamed instrumentals from The Upsetters and one vocal cut from Dave Barker & Melanie Jonas) as well as a reggae-soul version from Horace Faith.
Melanie Jonas & Dave Barker - Spinning Wheel
The Upsetters - Haunted House
The Upsetters - Double Wheel
Horace Faith - Spinning Wheel
Enjoy!
LS
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Army of Seven

I recently saw Meg White, drummer for The White Stripes, sitting all alone on the floor at, of all places, Barnes & Noble. She was in the photography section and had 3 or 4 coffee table books spread open on the floor and was pouring over them like a freshman cramming for a final. 'Aha!' I figured, 'I can finally go pester her with all my questions'. But faster than you could say Dead leaves and the dirty ground she got swarmed by 4 other music nerds asking for autographs and, considering the angle of her floor rooted position, a chance to check out her, uh, set of snares. I guess all it takes is a 4 nerd army to hold me back (from possibly humiliating myself).
Recruits for today's Seven Nation Army covers include a trio of dub/reggae versions from The Dynamics, The Dead 60s and Hard Fi; Bluegrass galore from The Twang, The Bosshoss and The 'Pickin' On' series; stunning Cello versions from Damien Rice And Vyvienne Long (my pick for today) and the String Quartet Tribute To The White Stripes, Neo soul revivalists Nostalgia 77 (with Alice Russell); shaken not stirred lounge Italianos Montefiori Cocktail, eyeliner worthy electroclash from Sly Bastard and Obscenity Trial; armed with a megaphone ubiquitous cover clan The Flaming Lips; and lastly It Takes A Seven Nation Army To Hold Us Back from Conneticut's (!) Apathy (featuring Emilio Lopez).
The Dynamics - Seven Nation Army
The Dead 60s - Seven Nation Army
Hard-Fi - Seven Nation Army
The Twang - Seven Nation Army
The Bosshoss - Seven Nation Army
Pickin' On (The White Stripes) - Seven Nation Army
Damien Rice And Vyvienne Long - Seven Nation Army
String Quartet Tribute To The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
**Last minute addendum
Vyvienne Long - Seven Nation Army (Today FM)
Vyvienne Long - Seven Nation Army (Oui FM)
Nostalgia 77 - Seven Nation Army
Montefiori Cocktail - Seven Nation Army
Sly Bastard - Seven Nation Army
Obscenity Trial - Seven Nation Army
The Flaming Lips - Seven Nation Army
Apathy Ft. Emilio Lopez - It Takes A Seven Nation Army To Hold Us Back
Enjoy!
LS
Friday, November 7, 2008
Mixed Messages

"Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge."
Don't we all feel a little like that everyone once and a while (or maybe more than a just a while, like when you're standing in line at the drug store and someone in front of you insists on scrutinizing the receipt over a candy bar then proceeds to haggle over 2 cents for what seems like decades while simultaneously talking on their cell phone and you just want to reach over and, um, where was I? oh yeah, today's post...)
If you haven't deduced by now today's post is original frustrated customers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five with their timeless ode to the inner city hustle, The Message. What better way than to kick this off with a funky instrumental version by Mighty Mo & The Winchester Seven who overhaul their Next Message as an almost Ray Barettto-esque breaks groove. Taggy Matcher return to VG again taking their Message to the back streets of Kingston. Proving that urban frustration is alive and well out in the stix too is Flash Express with their Memphis-style rockabilly version while Willy Mason invokes the ghost of Hank Williams for his. Lastly is breakbeat posse the Stunt Nuts who enlist ex Furious Five member Melle Mel for that extra kick of authenticity.
Mighty Mo & The Winchester Seven - The Next Message
Taggy Matcher - The Message
Flash Express - The Message
Willy Mason - The Message
Stunt Nuts Feat. Melle Mel - The Message
Enjoy!
LS
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Heart Attack

Despite being a perennial 70's/80's favorite, Heart of Glass, by Blondie wasn't without it's backlash. Their new disco direction pretty much guaranteed pariah status with their long time New York CBGB peers. And while their base was crying 'sell out', the tepid by today's standards line 'Soon turned out to be a pain in the ass', saw them banned and censored across radio stations worldwide for being too vulgar. But in the end they had the last laugh as Heart of Glass is considered an indispensable new wave classic.
If you're going to grab just one cover today make sure it's neo-reggae tribute killers GrandMagneto with their blinding rockabilly n' rocksteady version. The Bad Plus are a quick on the heels of that with their piano string snapping hard jazz renditions. If you wondered what ever happened to seminal 90's ambient outfit Seefeel look no further than Scala who pull out a suprisingly fun little abstract disco number on the usually more academic Touch Records. Following suit is Product 01, whose abstract electro version also makes a break from Compost Records' stock jazzy house affairs. VG faves Nouvelle Vague come again, and again, with their studio cut and assorted live versions. 50's(!) instrumental guitar band The Shadows (of Apache fame) spice up their cut with a little twang. Post-Punk godfathers The Associates put the experiments on hold for their cheeky rendition. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? If so we got the Abba of the Rhineland, Marianne Rosenberg with her Herz Aus Glas. And for those who like a little noise with that shake, we also have punk (Lunachicks), some classic industrial (A Primary Industry) and a-sure-sign-I-must-be-getting-old-because-I've-never-heard-of-'speedcore' (Drillbit).
GrandMagneto - Heart of Glass
The Bad Plus - Heart Of Glass
The Bad Plus - Heart Of Glass (Live)
Scala - Heart Of Glass
Product 01 - Heart Ov Glass
Nouvelle Vague - Heart Of Glass
Nouvelle Vague - Heart Of Glass (June 14th, 2006 Le Bataclan, Paris)
Nouvelle Vague - Heart Of Glass (Hamburg 09-21-06)
Nouvelle Vague - Heart Of Glass (Aula Magna 07.12.07)
Nouvelle Vague - Heart Of Glass (2006.12.02 Montpellier - FRANCE )
The Shadows - Heart Of Glass
The Associates - Heart Of Glass
Marianne Rosenberg - Herz Aus Glas
Lunachicks - Heart of Glass
A Primary Industry - Heart of Glass
A Primary Industry - Heart of Glass (Dub)
Drillbit - Heart Of Glass
** Last minute addendum, a boogie-woogie-bugle-boy rendtion.
Big shout out to Geoviki (whoever you are) for diggin this one up
The Puppini Sisters - Heart Of Glass
Enjoy!
LS
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Life Barack-ic

V I C T O R Y !
I have to admit I was scared there for a bit last night, but damn, a 7 million person lead, more than double the electorate!?! Wow. Fuck it if this sounds corny but: seeing that landslide, plus seeing us electing a black president all in the face of one of the nastiest smear campaigns, since well, Karl Rove and George Bush, is nothing short of amazing and fills me with pure, uncut hope. No doubt he's got a tough road ahead, but let's worry about that later.
Here's to more Changes courtesy of Seu Jorge (of The Life Aquatic fame) channeling his inner Brazillian David Bowie.
Seu Jorge - Changes
Enjoy (the possibility of a new era)!
LS
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Can You Smell What The Barack Is Cooke-ing

I make no bones about who I support. Our government has been hijacked for the last 8 years by conservative, fundamentalist, corporate shills with an ideology that has bankrupted us environmentally, morally and financially. We need some real change now and this may be our last opportunity to seize it before Rome burns entirely.
So here's to C H A N G E!
What better way to get behind that than with some great reggae covers of
Sam Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come by Prince Buster, Ken Parker,
The Blues Busters and Sugar Minott.
Prince Buster - A Change Is Gonna Come
Ken Parker - A Change Gonna Come
The Blues Busters - A Change Is Gonna Come
Sugar Minott - A Change Gonna Come
Go Obama!
LS
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Models Inc.

I have been saving today's entry for a special occasion and seeing that this is officially my 100th post (Wooooooooo!) I'd thought whip out my arsenal of The Model covers by Kraftwerk. Numbering a hefty 73 in total, (yet still only about 75% of the ones that exist) people used to go affe-scheize for them when I used to post these
tO a certaIn uNamed tracKer.
So, like my previous post on Shaft, the sheer volume of today's entry will just have me noting genre and name, no long winded stories about how one of the member's of Kraftwerk used to stalk one of my ex's or why I inexplicably decided to mash up Man Machine with James Bond for today's art.
Enjoy!
LS
PS Big tip of the hat to the folks over at Electric Cafe for helping me fill in a few of the blanks.
MY PERSONAL FAVES COME FIRST BECAUSE, WELL, THIS IS MY BLOG DAMMNIT. YOU DONT LIKE IT GO START YOUR OWN KRAFTWERK PAGE THERE DIETER
Zoot Woman - The Model
Fink - The Model
Snakefinger - The Model
AND IF YOU STILL DIDN'T GET ENOUGH SNAKEFINGER...
Snakefinger - The Model (San Francisco 3.12.79)
Snakefinger - The Model (7-04-84 Portland)
Snakefinger - The Model (Baltimore 5-11-82)
Snakefinger - The Model (Live in Chicago)
FOOKIN BELLE & SEBASTIAN LIKE, YA KEN?
Belle and Sebastian - Das Modell (Live)
DANGER DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE!
Electric Six - The Model
The Wildbunch (AKA Electric Six) - The Model (Live)
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THOSE GUYS?
Ride - The Model
The Cardigans - Das Model
Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - The Model (Live)
STEVE ALBINI, GENIUS OR PRICK?
Big Black - The Model (7'' Mix)
Big Black - The Model (Album Version)
Big Black - The Model (Demo)
Zeni Geva & Steve Albini - The Model (Live)
ALOHA MR HAND
Aqua Vista - The Model
Treble Spankers - The Model
Tremolo Beer Gut - Das Modell
Oi!
Spizzenergi - The Model
JAH MODEL
Green Hill - The Model
The Members - The Model
Papa Dee - The Model
Overproof Soundsystem - The Model
DANCE HALL CRASHERS
The Klopeks - The Model
Model MakroSoft - Das Modell
I THOUGHT THAT IF YOU HAD AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR...
Warm Jets - The Model
Canasta - The Model
HOOKED ON CLASSICS
Balanescu Quartet - The Model
David Byrne with Balanescu Quartet - The Model
Scala & Kolacny Brothers - The Model
The Divine Comedy - The Model
SHOO BE DO WOP WOP SAY WHAT YEAH
Die Schwiegersöhne - Das Model
K TEL PRESENTS...
Ed Starink - The Model
PROOF THAT MOBY HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR
Moby - The Model (Live in Oberman)
SHEEEIT, I COULDA DONE THAT ON MY NINTENDO
Commodore 64 Orchestra - The Model
Kollo - Das Modell
Nullsleep - The Model
The Last Ninja - The (8-Bit) Model
GOOD GOLLY THERE'S EVEN DUB QWALLII!?!?
Gaudi & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan- Dil Da Rog Muka Ja Mahi
GERMANY'S OTHER GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CULTURE
Polkaholix - Das Modell
Eläkeläiset - Das Model
DID I EVER TELL YOU ABOUT THE TIME I ALMOST MOVED TO FINLAND TO WORK FOR FURNITURE DESIGN CRAZY MAN STEFAN LINDFORS?
Markus & Kristian - Hän Malli On
IRASSHAIMASE! HAI DOZO!
Hikashu - The Model
Hikashu - The Model (1998 Remix)
TWO POLLOCKS GO INTO A BAR...
Kazik Na Zywo - Polska, Ojczyzna Nasza
THE GOOD CHINA
Zhou Qisheng - The Model
SI! SE PUEDE!
Bole Rebole - Los Brega
Niños del Brasil - La modelo
NOW IS THE TIME ON SPROCKETS WHEN WE DANCE!
DJ TA - The Model
Malcolm McLaren - The Model (Chinese Version)
Wunderkind - The Model (Club Mix)
Somegirl - The Model
Ambidextrous - The Model
Kröger - Das Model (12' Extended Maxi Version)
Kröger - The Model (English Version)
Dance Robots - Das Modell (12Inch Version)
Funkstar Deluxe - The Model
Megabeat - The Model
Flamman & Abraxas - The Model
TO PARAPHRASE WOODY ALLEN, LISTENING TO THESE 'GIVES ME THE URGE TO INVADE POLAND'
Terrorvision - The Model
Index - The Model
Nigra Nebula - Das Model
Sopor Aeternus - Est Modela
Rammstein - Das Modell
Demolition Group - The Model
Das Reut - The Model
OH DEAR GOD IT'S TRANCE! SWEET JESUS PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!
DJ Murphy - The Model
Novocaine 2001 - The Model
Garden Eden - Das Modell
RAN OUT OF CLEVER HEADLINES FOR THESE LAST FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD ONES
Mannequin Depressives - The Model
Dr Flanger - The Model
Friday, October 31, 2008
Control Issues

She's Lost Control pt 1
Arguably Joy Division's second most known song next to Love Will Tear Us Apart, She's Lost Control, was the irony upon ironies for poor Ian Curtis. Written when Curtis worked for the city health services, it was about a girl he encountered there who had a debilitating case of epilepsy. A short time later, in the midst of Joy Division's ascendancy, he too would develop chronic seizures. As a remedy the doctors advised him to avoid late nights, flashing lights and drinking, pretty much crippling his life long dream of becoming a rock star and signaling the spiraling down of his life as a whole.
She's Lost Control pt 2 (another personal disclosure story)
I worked on an ill-fated Joy Division music and merchandise project. My dream came true when I got asked by the Joy Division estate (New Order, Tony Wilson, Debbie Curtis, Peter Saville) to come up with cool projects and products to be timed around the release of Control and Grant Gee's amazing documentary. Came up with a good half dozen ideas that got green lighted for production when the ghost of Ian Curtis struck hard. While I won't get into the specifics as it's a long story, I slowly watched as each project one by one fell apart in front of my eyes. Nothing to do with my abilities, all just puzzling random acts of God that left me scratching my head going 'You got to be fucking kidding me.' as each new disaster began to unravel. And outside of this, New Order broke up and Tony Wilson became gravely ill; both rendering the project to the back burners.
The silver lining in the end though was, under a completely different circumstance, a year or so later being asked by the folks from Control to design a limited edition shirt for the premiere. Yay, happy ending.
She's Lost Control pt 3
Like most cult bands/songs, dodgy covers abound. So weeding out the shite from the champagne, we've got a nice little selection of versions for you today. Starting off as always with my fave, Grace Jones (with the enlisted help of Sly & Robbie) turns Control on it's head with her eerie reggae and dub versions. Siobhan Fahey (with Agent Provocateur), black sheep of Bananarama and founder of Shakespeare's Sister, channels her inner demons from an earlier mental bout of her own, on her nerve rattling cut. Neil Landstrumm incorporates a bit of dubstep in his wonky techno rendition. Portugal's X-Wife punk-synth version whose liberal use of the vocoder begs the question; what if Stephen Hawking had been born in Manchester? Fans of early 'cold wave' and Flexi Pop singles will surely enjoy 80's Greek outfit Alive She Died. Where there's a cult fave you'll surely find Vitamin String Quartet plucking their bows. While everybody has surely heard it at this point, I still feel compelled to include Boys Against Girls, who would probably prefer to do more of this over being stuck in a hot tour van all day with a whiney Gina Gershon. And lastly, and I'm probably crossing the covers-only line with this but, I decided to included a handful of live New Order versions with them covering their old alma mater.
Grace Jones - She's Lost Control (Long Version)
Grace Jones - She's Lost Control (Dub Version)
Agent Provocateur ft Siobhan Fahey - She's Lost Control
Neil Landstrumm - She's Lost Control
X-Wife - She's Lost Control
Alive She Died - She's Lost Control
Vitamin String Quartet - She's Lost Control
Girls Against Boys - She's Lost Control
New Order - She's Lost Control (2005-06-24 Hyde Park London XFM)
New Order - She's Lost Control (1985-12-13 Orleans, France)
New Order - She's Lost Control (Finsbury Park 9th June 02)
New Order - She's Lost Control (Live in Hultsfred Festival 15.07.02)
New Order - She's Lost Control (Live 29-06-2002)
New Order - She's Lost Control (soundcheck @ ???)
Enjoy!
LS
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Just On Principle

I have to admit, this is probably one of the more clever covers to to come across my desk recently.
For classic house music fans who like a little indie with their dance,
Friendly Fires' brilliant remake of proto-house track Your Love by
Jamie Principle (with Frankie Knuckles) will be an inspired treat.
The Neo-Post-Punk-Disco-House revolution starts here.
Friendly Fires - Your Love
Enjoy!
LS
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