Out of 5 is a great idea perfectly executed: every week, 5 people chip in at least one track relating to a theme, one designs an album cover, and the results go live as downloadable MP3s and a Flash player. At least, that’s what I can glean from the site itself and participant Khoi Vinh‘s post about the cover he designed.
This week’s theme is “Covers that eclipsed the originals.” Check it out just for Miles Davis’ cover of “Time After Time.” It’s kind of amazing.
(Also great: M. Ward‘s version of “Let’s Dance.”)
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i must be seeing things, i thought i saw a ‘it’s a Davies day’ on this post next to ‘let’s dance’?
glad i was seeing things because let’s dance was written by Bowie..
But Miles’ cover of Scritti Politti’s “Perfect Day” … Not so cool.
Ted Leo recognizes that the breakdown from “Since U Been Gone” is plagiarized from YYY’s “Maps”. Nice to know that I’m not alone in that.
Or I could have looked at this: http://www.stereogum.com/archives/001339.html
Thanks for the link!
We expanded to 10 contributors this week, each submitting one song.
This site is awesome!
Stevie, you saw nothing. Nothing.
What a great idea… bummed i didn’t think of it.
I recently started a series called Blogger’s Choice on my site (and yes, I totally stole it from Starbucks), where I have different bloggers put together a list of 10-15 songs they dig. The songs can be heard on my site’s music player.
I may have to invite Outof5 and Stereogum to join in the fun.
I’ve been doing a similar thing if anyone’s interested:
http://www.russlichter.com/mix/mixblogger.html
Each month is a new Mix with a new theme. Anyone can suggest songs, and anyone can see what made the final cut, but only people who leave their email addresses can get the music.
fake-tom-waits better than bowie’s version of let’s dance? DUDE’S ARE TRIPPIN.
I know it was probably a single at some point, but that Joan Jett take just nukes the original. Not that I know what the original sounds like…
Nice find! I wonder how one becomes a contributor.. hmm..
fake Tom Waits??? M. Ward really is a great singer/songwriter/guitar virtuoso….keep in mind that this is a cover
i like it!
if I’m not mistaken Khoi Vinh designed the covers for early-mid 90′s DC area band The Ropers. Truly gorgeous sleeves…
I love how some folks like to keep that defensive barrier of pure irony between themselves and “Since U Been Gone” by claiming to only love the Ted Leo version for some supposedly “subversive” reason. “Oooh, his version quotes ‘Maps,’ so he must be deriding it as a ripoff!”
That would be hypocritical for a guy who’s very obviously consciously mined the Thin Lizzy catalogue with fantastic results.
Leo’s a smart enough guy to know when a steal is a steal. Considering the basic nature of the YYY’s far, far inferior tune and the Clarkson song, I’d chalk it up to coincidence. Besides, he’s copped to loving “Since U Been Gone,” and he’s absolutely correct to, because it’s a great friggin’ song. And Clarkson’s version, I’m afraid, is just better than his. Love Teddy as I may, acoustic strumming has nothing on “Mutt” Lange-inspired pop bombast in this case.
That HIM version of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” is unquestionably inferior to the original cowbell-laden masterpiece.
Well said, Dave. You got a blog? If you did, I’d read it.
While all these songs are clever and unique in their own way, the category here is Cover songs that SURPASS the original. And except for the Joan Jett song, I don’t believe any of these do, commercially or artistically.
I think the title should have been “Good Covers You’ve Never Heard”, or something.