‘They’re playing our song’:
Covers and the Che Underground

(Ray Brandes looks under the covers of favorite songs by our songwriters.)

rachaelgordonFor a songwriter, it is both a peculiar and rewarding experience to hear one’s songs interpreted by others. Over the past 30 years I have been writing songs, I have had the honor and privilege of listening to cover versions of my songs on many occasions, and it never fails to leave me gratified. One of the first songs I ever wrote, “Crawling Back to Me” (which is the opening track on the Tell-Tale Hearts’ eponymous debut album), has been covered on record by numerous artists, including Spain’s Agentes Secretos, England’s Diaboliks and Australia’s
Shutdown 66.

imagesPerhaps my favorite cover of a song I wrote is Rachael Gordon’s “I Know You’re In Love Again,” which I contributed to her 2002 album “The Coming of Spring” on Subterrania Records. Rachael, an old friend and San Diego native, released the album to rave reviews, particularly in Europe. Germany’s Rolling Stone had this to say:

“Reports on the death of rock and roll are greatly exaggerated. As evidence, may I present Rachael Gordon. This California singer is the antidote to today’s stale cookie cutter music scene, mixing rock, folk and pop for a sound uniquely her own. Assembling a crack team of San Diego’s best musicians and writers, Rachael has put together as strong a collection of original tunes as you’re likely to hear — ‘The Coming Of Spring’.”

s1108180“It really is an incredible collection of songs. From the sonic blast of ‘Where Are you Tonight’ to the girl group magic of ‘Fun At Your House’, in addition to great new custom tunes from the pens of Mendoza, Brandes, Penalosa, Croce, Von Sneidern and Barajas — all names that should be familiar to any discerning pop fan — Rachael makes the perfect music for anyone who likes their tunes vibrant, rocking, inspired, and delivered with a manic conviction. This is an album meant to be played loud, sung along to, and then played again.”

I recorded my own version of the song for my 2003 album, “The Rise and Fall of Ray Brandes.” Both are presented here for your comparison.

Rachael Gordon sings “I Know You’re in Love Again.” Listen now!

Ray Brandes sings “I Know You’re in Love Again.” Listen now!

agentes+secretos+imgp1093Covering another artist’s work can be a dicey undertaking, but in rare instances can improve upon and add to the original. The Beatles’ and Stones’ early careers were founded on covers of their favorite songs. Among the best of the more recent examples are Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” and Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.” What are your favorite cover versions?

— Ray Brandes

Also by Ray Brandes:

100 thoughts on “‘They’re playing our song’:
Covers and the Che Underground”

  3. I like Paul Anka’s version of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun:
    http://lala.com/zq24I
    (His whole Rock Swings album is fun).

    Cat Power has also done some fun covers

    but she kind of leaves me flat.

    I’ve always wondered about covers, and what motivates a musician to chose that route: is it an homage? an idea that the song’s bones would lend themselves well to his or hers specific talent? Lately I have heard more than one cover of Tears for Fears songs. It just makes me ask WHY?! I think with covers, like with many things, there needs to be an assessment of the purpose of it: does it add something unique to the already dissonant landscape? Is something gained by sharing your interpretation with others?

    Of course, I am a non-musician just thinking stuff while sitting in my armchair. I am humbled by people--like Rachel and Ray and all the other people who actual go out there and MAKE MUSIC.

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  5. Two covers always immediately come to mind when I discuss this subject.

    The first is the Nine Inch Nails version of Queen’s “Get Down, Make Love.” I can’t say whether it’s better than the original, as I truly enjoy both versions, but it’s such a different take on the song that I can listen to them back-to-back and appreciate them both on different merits.

    The second is far lesser-known, but it took a debut hit song that was played everywhere in the early 70s and turned it into a power pop masterpiece. When I first heard this version, I was floored — I burned it to CD and listed to it non-stop for a week. I must have listened to it fifty times before I could bring myself to listen to something else. The band is just a bunch of musicians from LA and Orange County bands who get together once each year for one gig as part of International Pop Overthrow. They are The Popdudes. The song is a cover of ABBA’s “Waterloo.”

    Others that come to mind are:

    “Darling Nikki” (Prince) covered by Foo Fighters.
    “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace” (Terry Reid) and “California Man” (The Move) covered by Cheap Trick.
    “Boyz-n-the-Hood” (N.W.A.) covered by Dynamite Hack.

    I’m also partial to the Kingpins’ cover of Manual Scan’s “Plan of Action” — they turned it into ska, and it works very well.

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  6. Going back to Megan’s comment on Paul Anka’s cover of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun, you have to listen to Steve and Eydie’s version recorded 7 years earlier to see where Paul got the idea to record it. A cover of someone covering a cover. ‘

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  8. There’s a gazillion covers of the old standard ‘Summertime’ like Gene Vincent(amazing!), the Slades(a Texas rockabiily group) and I just found a 45 of a 60’s garage band, Jim and the Gem’s who do a real moody version of it. I love it when rock and roll groups would do they’re own versions of the old standards. A perfect example of that would be the Flamingo’s version of ‘I Only Have Eye’s for You’. I believe that song is from the late 30’s or the Raven’s doing ‘Green Eye’s’ another old standard.

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  9. Ray, What a great topic and such a rich ground for following discussions! I enjoyed both the hell out the tracks you included. It’s been many years since I heard what you’ve done, and really it’s staggering.

    There’s nothing sharper than/A peice of a broken heart

    I am bewildered that you are not famously celebrated and wealthy as a songwriter.

    I like the Racheal version -- but aside from her pretty voice, I almost see no need for it to exist as a cover! Excepting that she must love to sing this song, of course. The arrangements, tempo and vocal phrasing are very faithful to your original.

    I LOVE when people “swing” a song entirely differently -- when the conventions of an original are completely swapped or rearranged. The whole world of Hard Bop and Soul Jazz is almost built on this. I can’t get enough of B3 players ripping through the Beatles and Stevie, set to a bossa.

    Ike and Tina did this, too- “Whole Lotta Love” anyone? (I’d a loved to see Tina sing “Brown Sugar”, but being a song about a former Ikette, chances’d be slim…)

    Another thing I get into is when an artist takes their older material and re-works it with an entirely different groove. take as an example, James Brown’s “Think” -- a great rhythm-driven, proto-funker -- redone with Lyn Collins on vocals. JB’s mediocre Hammond playing actually drives this from the bottom-up. And you hardly know it’s the same song, til the closing verse!

    Most people know all these songs and groups -- so I won’t mine YouTube for a load of video -- but I did run across this the other day. It’s a soul cover of Wilco’s “I am Trying to Break Your Heart”, by JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound. A stroke of genius.

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  10. “I’ve always wondered about covers, and what motivates a musician to chose that route: ”

    I always preferred to just cover songs I love…not a songwriter at all.
    Also, the entire heritage of performing classical and jazz music is a heritage of “covers” so to speak.

    I agree that many songs that were covered are actually better than the original…which could be another whole thread, i.e….China Girl…Iggy Pop much better than David Bowie. All the Young Dudes… Mott The Hoople much better than David Bowie, etc……

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  11. Oh, I thought of one! Time to break my YouTube promise… TURN UP YO” SPEAKERS!

    On the almost universally reviled “Electric Mud”, Muddy waters does a devastating cover of the Rolling Stones “Let’s Spend the Night Together”, ala Cream! Chess may have been reaching with this one, I don’t care -- a great record, and Muddy turns the Stones relationship on it’s ear with this one -- as well as he does with Clapton!

    Another band for GREAT covers were the Faces. Go buy “Five Guys Walk into a Bar…”

    While we are on that tack, put your folk tunes away forever:

    Now, where’s my copy on “Pinups”?

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  14. Here is an odd take on it.

    I feel wierd watching the ” New Morlocks ” play our origionals……

    I’m flattered and puzzeled at the same time.

    I wish they would try and rock it like I did VS just trying to keep a beat.

    I’m a drummer so maybe it’s different.

    ???

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  17. Have you read about Tourette Syndrome? It’s interesting … As Wikipedia explains, “Tourette’s was once considered a rare and bizarre syndrome, most often associated with the exclamation of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks (coprolalia). This symptom is actually present in only a small minority of people with Tourette’s, however.”

    Are there any documented examples of written TS?

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  18. WHO is Rachel Gordon?? I assume she has Tourette’s??

    My wife works with many TS patients…I’ll have to ask.

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  19. >>WHO is Rachel Gordon?? I assume she has Tourette’s??

    Bruce: Google tells me Rachel Gordon is an Australian actress. Rachael Gordon (with an “a”) is the very pretty woman who covered Ray’s song in the post above. Ruth Gordon was Bud Cort’s love interest in “Harold and Maude.” And the Gorton Fisherman makes yummy fish sticks.

    They all are or were nice-looking people, and I’m not aware of any neurological issues there.

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  20. Oh, dear! What was I thinking? We were discussing cover songs, not inappropriate outbursts. Excuse the digression!

    Does anybody remember who did that rockabilly cover of “TVC15” around 1980? I remember finding it pretty entertaining!

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  21. WTF??? I DO love fish sticks and rockabilly TVC15, but still fail to understand why Rachel Gordon, (regardless of spelling), should cover her face??

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  23. >Hmmm… The Polecats covered “John, I’m Only Dancing”?

    Joe: Yeah! Yeah! Thank you. … It doesn’t seem as rad as the last time I heard it 29 years ago, but a fun period piece:

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  24. >>I feel wierd watching the ” New Morlocks ” play our origionals…… I’m flattered and puzzeled at the same time.

    Marky: I feel the same every time that damn “Noise 292 tribute band” plays a swap meet or amusement park! (If I see our oil drum on stage at Six Flags once more … !!) 🙂

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  25. >Are there any documented examples of written TS?

    Looks like you’re the guy who can submit that journal article, Matthew. Go ahead and get the ball rolling. Maybe that variety will one day be known as Rothenberg Syndrome after its discoverer.

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  26. Gnarls Barkley (YEAH!) cover Radiohead;

    Bowie introduce Gnarls Barkley, covering “Turning Japanese”:

    Def Leppard cover Bowie:
    Lulu’s turn:

    And the song I want Bowie to cover? The best of 2008:

    There’s something about the “Going On” video that can make me weep…

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  27. Claude Francois chanson “Comme d’habitude, better known as Paul Anka’s “My Way” done quite well by The Chairman of the Board and John Simon Ritchie.

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  32. Wow, Jeremiah. Thanks for the kind words.

    This is not so much a cover but a remix using the original vocals. It sounds like “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye . . . .

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  35. Mark, ummm…, by “new Morlocks” do you mean “The Morlocks, Phase III?” Just wondering….

    What would the written/typed equivalent of “‘covering’ one’s mouth” be?

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  36. When the Cardiac Kidz did the Ramones cover “I Wanna Be Sedated” we picked it because it was quick to learn, fun to play and we challenged ourselves to play it faster than they did. The cover is on the limited edition CD version of the Get Out LP by Rave Up records. You should see the CD out very soon (waiting on the printers to get the back cover correct).

    Matt if I send you the MP3 you could post here?

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  37. more like an
    azz man

    cousin bruce
    im serving you up rght now

    transposing a Bb solo from guitar
    to the Eb alto sax
    of course would be played in G
    yet
    is it ok to finger it up from the
    lower sub-tones of an alto
    starting on the rgt hand levers?

    what do you think
    can it still be jazz or
    not?

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  39. I have applied for a MacArthur Fellowship that will allow me to finish transposing “Louie Louie” from A to G.

    I will need a forklift, five tons of ballistics gel and a peg winder; projected date of completion, Q1 2013.

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  43. Matt J:

    Sorry man, not my thoughts or intention. I was specificly thinking of being on the Morlock site recently and they have quite a few video’s. Love that Leighton is still jamming, they still rock. To me, knowing how I wrote / played certain songs its weird to hear it played pretty straight forward. Sorry again, I should of thought it out before typing.
    Typed or written would of beeen STFU………..Probably your thought.

    Matt R:

    Chuck E Cheese has out an APB.

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  44. yeah bruce
    my musical solutions are
    to have my children learn it
    then teach me
    as i wash the dishes and take out the trash

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  49. We need a special post to celebrate the greatest cover band of all-time -- The Ramones.

    A few of my favs:

    -- Little Bit O’Soul
    -- California Sun
    -- Do You Wanna Dance
    -- I Need Your Love
    -- Let’s Dance
    -- Needles and Pins
    -- Baby, I Love You

    They even did an entire album of covers once, “Acid Eaters” though I never bought it, cause Dee Dee wasn’t in the band anymore by then. The Ramones without Dee Dee are just not the Ramones for me…

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  50. Mark,

    No offense taken, dude. Sloppy seconds of the Wallflowers and The Morlocks were both awesome! And the STFU was directed at Turret’s, not you.

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  52. Arguably my all-time favorite covers were from a Chinese band called Dragons, whose 1982 album Parfums de la Révolution I bought on the boardwalk in Venice Beach. (Here’s the track list.

    The trio comprises electric guitar, drums and Chinese violin, and its repertoire includes “Anarchy in the UK” and “Get Off of My Cloud.” Here’s the only sample I can find of the latter.

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  54. Season of the Witch covered by Lou Rawls and Dear Prudence done by Ramsey Lewis are two covers that make me very happy when I hear them,and just about any version of Spoonful Blues by Charley Patton,especially the Howlin Wolf version.

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  57. covers, yes, covers, funny when I was a kid and digging some of these local bands, TTH, Morlocks, GDV I did not know most of there tunes were covers, I thought they wrote them, because at the age of 14 I was not hip to bands from Holland, these above mentioned band did great versions of there covers, they owned them really.
    As I went on play music myself, in the beginning, I did covers of covers these bands did, ha, ha, ha, lame I know, I was just leanring.

    A few months ago I had to rent a car, this car had sirus radio, so I put on the station underground garage, I heard a cover song of an old blues tune that had been covered by many bands over the years from 60′, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and today. The Morlocks had done a great cover of this tune on there first records, the tune “Get out of my Life Woman”. When I first heard The Morlocks MACH 1 do this tune, I was floored, needless to say I was a kid then and, well…. Any how the cover I heard was not as good, to my surpise it turn out to be The Morlocks Mach 3, it lacked in edge of the earleir version and was very produced, I am not trying to be a jerk, but why cover yourself covering some one else’s tune, why mess with something if it’s not broken? I am sure there is a very good reason, maybe it was so it could be played on the radio. As an old fan I felt let down, but I do not think old fans is what it is all about it for new fans.

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  67. Pete Cosey, lead guitarist on the Muddy Waters album “Electric Mud” (one of my all time favorite albums) disclosed in an interview that Mr. Waters was openly hostile towards him during the recording of the album. He says that waters stated to him “Why don’t you take all them wah wahs and all that other shit and throw it in to the lake on your way to the barbershop?” (Cosey had a long afro and beard at the time of the recording and had some very large sunn amps and an assortment of pedals). The album turned out to be quite a success and when Cosey showed up to the recording sessions for the follow up album “After The Rain” Waters greeted him warmly saying “Hey boy, how are you doing ? Are you gonna play some of that good guitar for me ?”. Funny stuff. I always used to look at the picture of Waters in the gatefold of the “Electric Mud” album and imagine that he was playing all of those leads. Finding out that it was Pete Cosey didn’t diminish my enthusiasm for the music though. Cosey was also a contributor to the work of Miles Davis playing on the albums ; “Get Up with It”, “Dark Magus”, “Agharta” and “Pangaea”.

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  76. Paul H: As usual, impeccable taste. Get Up With It is amazing. I also love the Cardigans. I think First Band On The Moon is a great album, from beginning to end. The way the songs transition into one another, their clever take on Iron Man, heck, even Lovefool is palatable ensconced amongst these other gems. I like the Life album (featuring “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”) and Gran Turismo (esp. “Marvel Hill”) as well.

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  79. Oh! I totally forgot to include this here — I recently found that a group of Scandinavian musicians used my translation of “Chanson Dada” to create their own interpretation with accompanying video. Below is (a) Noise 292 playing Kristin Martin’s “The Assassin” followed by our “Chanson Dada,” then (b) the smoothed-out Danish modern version:

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  81. >>Thanks for posting my video, Matt, but that’s not a cover–it’s an original song.

    Ray: Ha! Sheesh. I was all, “This guy really has Ray’s vocal mannerisms down.” It was the Rankin-Bass claymation that threw me, honest!

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  84. Shortly after an A.J. Croce song. Coincidence? Or is the Sunday afternoon DJ a Che follower? Any connection between people here and either Andrew Loog Oldham or the Mighty Manfred?

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  94. This is pretty amazing … I read in the New Yorker about Steve Cuiffo’s cover of Lenny Bruce’s famous Carnegie Hall gig. Check it out: Cuiffo learned the whole schtick phonetically — he’s assimilated the sound of Lenny, separate from the meaning of the words, so he can deliver the authentic cadence with every quirk intact.

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  95. Aloe Blacc -- “Femme Fatale”

    Aloe Blacc -- “Billie Jean”

    Trombone Shorty -- “Back in Black”

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  99. Matthew: Somehow that Shaggs-cover video reminds me of a story I heard:

    Hasil Adkins was asked his opinion of the Legendary Stardust Cowboy. His answer? “Total Amateur!” (Or maybe it was the other way around…)

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