Afternoon all! Has anyone already nabbed this week’s slot? I do hope not. (And if they have, sorry…) And I hope this isn’t a question anyone’s already asked. It might well be…
Anyway, yesterday I was listening to various tracks from Kate Bush’s “Director’s Cut” album, in which she overhauled material from two previous albums, “The Sensual World” and “The Red Shoes”. I became particularly obsessed with her new take on “Moments of Pleasure”, one of my favourite of her songs. At first, I was outraged. She’s taken out the chorus! The hook! And replaced it with what?! Some hushed choral “oohs”?! What the devil?! But the more I listened to it, the more I came to appreciate it. It seems to me that she has transformed a celebration of life (and lives well lived) into a gorgeous eulogy for those she’s lost. Less redemptive perhaps, but at least as affecting. I think I may actually now prefer this simpler, solemner version.
So my question is: have any of your favourite artists reworked their own material, and if so, has it been for the better or the worse? (If you can’t think of any, there’s always cover versions to consider, I suppose. But I’m sure we’ve been down that road before!)
So my question is: have any of your favourite artists reworked their own material? Well that’s pretty much what the GD made their career out of…
and if so, has it been for the better or the worse? Both, if the comments on my recent Ace Of Bass post are anything to go by.
I was thinking, songs should evolve when performed live, shouldn’t they? I’m sure the GD are masters at this. Recently I’ve been listening to a new live album by my favourites The Fields of the Nephilim and pondering the different interpretations of their songs I’ve heard and witnessed over the years, a drift towards heavy metal seems to be the most recent development…
Good topic, bish, I have to say I wasn’t very delighted by the Kate Bush reworkings, but I think I probably should listen again, you’ve inspired me to try them again.
My first thought it David Bowie’s two versions of John I’m Only Dancing. He’s an artist who’s happy to reuse old stuff, I always think
Early version
Later, funky version, which I heard first
I like both.
Ooh, I don’t think I’ve heard the later version before. I think I prefer the earlier one. The second one seems a bit ‘fussy’ at first listen.
I prefer Bowie’s part-German Helden to the original Heroes; does that count?
We’ve touched on this before:
http://thespillblog.co.uk/2011/03/08/re-covers/ and http://thespillblog.co.uk/2010/08/28/cover-yourself-in-glory/
But there’s nothing wrong with going over old ground and adding something new in the process!
Thought we might have done! Oh well, any old excuse for a bit of a banter!
Cowboy Junkies remaking of their entire Trinity Sessions was pretty good because they tried to do the songs differently. Were they better or worse? I’d say they were more nuanced and mature, which I appreciate now but probably wouldn’t have at the time.
Do not disturb sign: Please no replies to this comment citing the Grateful Dead. there has to be a Dead-free zone somewhere on the Spill.
Ouch!
Oh, Tinny, I have to disagree on Trinity Revisited … I hate it!
It was quite common in the punk era for bands to “re-imaginate” their early songs when it came time to record their big label albums
The Buzzcocks, for example, reused some of the Spiral Scratch songs later.
Same was true in Japan ( apparently) , there are 2 versions of the Blue Hearts iconic anthem Linda Linda, the single version and a more “professional” album version.
Another artist that springs to mind is Jonathan Richman, there are different versions of several of his songs ( and a whole CD of Spanish remakes !).
Here’s Corner store. Original and “country” flavours.
The original ( up second here for “confuse the punter” reasons) is the one I prefer.
I know this isn’t quite what you wanted, bish, but anyway…Don’t Do Me Like That is one of the few Mudcrutch songs that survived the transition from that band (which was kind of a country rock outfit) to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The title echoes a favourite saying of TP’s father, which rather makes you wonder why he would want to write a song called that – especially as when Petty Snr said it it was usually “Don’t do me like that, son.” My italics. Anyway, this is the Mudcrutch version.
The song was then resurrected during the sessions for the Heartbreakers’ third album Damn The Torpedoes and given the full Iovine/Yakus production treatment; but when it came to deciding which tracks were going to go on the album, DDMLT got forgotten about…until one of the engineers popped his head up from the sofa he’d been sleeping on in the studio (being temporarily homeless at the time) and said ‘hey, what about that Don’t Do Me Like That song? I really like that one.’
So TP and Jimmy Iovine and co went hmm, yes, oh, right, well…OK then. And there it was, and here it is.
Don’t Do Me Like That by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
I like both. But it’s true that Mudcrutch drummer Randall Marsh isn’t as good as Stan Lynch, though he has a more even temperament.
Hm, on first listen I think I prefer the Mudcrutch version (had they been looking at The Notorious Byrd Brothers album sleeve before having that pic taken, I wonder?).
Very possibly, though they don’t seem to have a horse. I’m sure they’d be pleased you prefer that one, as it was on the demo tape TP took to Los Angeles in 1974 to get a record deal, and it was recorded in Benmont’s parents’ living room.
I rather like Suzanne Vega‘s ongoing series of acoustic versions of her ouevre.
Only reworks that I can think of that I prefer was Cabaret Voltaire’s minamilist reworkings of their Some Bizarre period tunes. Usually these things are just a cash in for a band running out of ideas. May be technically improved but some of the original charm is lost.
Handing some material over to a remixer can be fun, though. Here’s a House version of Pink Floyd from Dirty Funker:
I mentioned this before when we did it – but couldn’t post an example.
So here is my Fav Pixies song re-imagined with Parping Brass … I love it.
It’s not as good as the original – but it’s jolly good fun – and I like jolly good fun, anything with parping brass is usually jolly good fun:
That is jolly good fun (in a disturbing, borderline-funereal way)!
…did I not mention my enjoyment of Disturbing Days of the Dead?
It’s been done many times (see Pairubu’s comments on punk bands) but for a proper reinterpretation how about Dexys slow version of There There My Dear that they were doing live late 82 / early 83. The best version was the one they did on The Tube but for no apparent reason that has been removed from youtube a long time ago … grrr. Here’s a very similar version from a few months later. I’m guessing anyone interested knows the original version this is almost a completely different song.
Bjork’s ‘Family tree’ box set (or anything where she re-works tracks) is usually value for money – it’s not a tweak for the sake of some cash – it’s twisting an invigorating her music in different ways – some takes on Hyperballad, from Post and Telegram:
she also re-creates them live to fun (disturbing funeral) effect:
and I have about 7 remixes too:
I shall shut up now.
Shudder To Think ‘Red House’. They released this on ‘Funeral at the Movies’ in 1990, then re-made it on ’50,000 BC’ in 1997.
Original:
Re-make:
One of the most beautiful, twisted ballads ever written. The video of the dolls’ house burning down is perfect. Too unsettling to ever be a radio smash – but it should have been, in my opinion.
Bishbosh – what is your opinion on this?:
Bats in the Attic
Bats In The Attic (Unravelled)
the jubilee edition that Domino are putting out includes four tracks that are on an EP and a B side of a single (have a quick look in the box for a taster of those tracks)
if you have a record player the 2 new tracks – and those 4 will be released separately – so a new album wont have to be purchased – probably download all of them too – if you don’t do vinyl (there’s a download button on the soundcloud track)….. this is one of the new songs – hope this helps, I know you love the album:
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Third Swan
http://soundcloud.com/dominorecordco/king-creosote-jon-hopkins
Aw, thanks Shane! That unravelled version of Bats In The Attic is gorgeous. Gonna investigate the ‘boxed tracks now…
I’m a great fan of ‘unplugged’ versions but can’t for the life of me think of anything. Foo Fighters CD “In your honour” has one loud CD and one not so loud CD – but they’re different songs. I liked Eric Clapton’s (sorry) unplugged album when it came out some time BC, but my brain is completely scrambled, sorry. Long day.
Probably the most famous re-record done to create an entirely different mood
The Original
The slower, more adult remake
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hh--22Eu_M]
(sigh)
The remake
I’ve ‘Boxed two versions of the song Lookout Mountain.
Listen to Adams House Cat first, as that was the original.
It’s OK-ish, but not a grabber.
But then Cooley & Hood from AHC became the core of Drive-By Truckers, sat on Lookout Mountain for a few years, and finally unleashed a monolithically loud version on us.
Guess which one always makes it into any version of an “All-Time DsD Top 50 Tunes” list?
D’you know, I think I might prefer the original. Both good, mind.
Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” from Blue album, when she was still, just, a folky.
And from the Both Sides Now album a slower, huskier orchestrated version.
I slowly came to prefer the reworking.
Doh! IIt would help it I posted the right song……..
How about Kraftwerk, “upgrading” their whole catalogue from time to time? (mostly for the better IMHO…)
old:
new:
newer, live:
Wot, no Layla? I’m not much of a Clapton fan, but I reckon the opening of the original Layla is one of electric guitar’s finer moments (I’m not really very keen on the piano and slide outro, mind you). As for his acoustic jazzy unplugged version . . . not a patch.
Nils Lofgren reworked quite a few of his early tracks on his ‘Acoustic Live’ album. I saw him at The Stables in Milton Keynes and was bowled over by his amazing virtuosity. This is ‘No Mercy’