Stereogum Home
April 12, 2007

The Bad Plus Cover Rush

When we posted Bad Plus's tenacious original cut "Physical Cities" from Prog, we promised a listen of their killer cover of Rush's "Tom Sawyer." And truly, they pulverize the prog epic, starting true to the tune's head before delving into a madcap chopped-out piano trio jam. And it wouldn't be Bad Plus without a tempo-shifted smoothed-out outro, a collective gasp for breath. Drum jock Neil Peart would – or should – be proud of BP's David King's fills on this one.

Bad Plus - "Tom Sawyer" (MP3)

Prog is out 5/8 on Heads Up.

Posted at 12:48 PM in
Tags:




11 Comments

I really thought this sucked and would not sit through this. Geddy lee is what makes this band. Where are the vocals.

Posted by: Rinjo Njori at 04/12/07 4:58 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

all their songs are instrumentals, and also Neil Peart is revered amongst some so to say Geddy Lee made the band seems silly
that being said I liked it b/c it wasn't always straightforward

Posted by: Ian R. at 04/12/07 5:43 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

i love this.

Posted by: jim at 04/12/07 9:35 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Dave King is by far the best drummer I have ever seen live.

Mpls represent!

Posted by: Ryan at 04/13/07 9:35 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Well, I'm Canadian, big Rush fan. Also a pianist, and I think you have to just appreciate the bands funky interpretation of it.

Posted by: pianodood at 04/18/07 1:24 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

at least one part of their name describes how their band

Posted by: Geddy Lee at 04/18/07 7:10 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

at least one part of their name describes their band

Posted by: Geddy Lee at 04/18/07 7:10 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Alex Skolnick Trio did an amazing version of "Tom Sawyer" that came out before this. It's definitely worth checking out.

Posted by: Dave at 04/24/07 5:54 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Everything TBP does has some sort of tongue-in-cheek element to it. Probably because they're 10x the musicians the artists they choose to cover. If you can't appreciate this, you're probably not going to like them. Neal Peart? C'mon, sure he's a rock god but King smokes him in technique.

Posted by: duh at 04/24/07 9:52 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

I love this version and I love the original. Great job guys. I look forward to picking up the CD and hearing more.

Posted by: Ray at 05/06/07 8:56 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

I think it is beautiful. Would love to hear them do different versions. As someone mentioned the Alex Trio, its great to have covers like this.

Posted by: Tom at 05/08/07 10:36 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Leave a comment


 

The 'Gum Drop

Get our newsletter. MP3s and giveaways weekly.

Search




Sort by:date relevance

Information

  • Contact:
  • About
  • Press
  • Advertising
  • Stereogum RSS Stereogum RSS XML Icon
  • MP3-Only RSS Stereogum RSS XML Icon

Staff

Founder/Editor-In-Chief
Scott Lapatine
Executive Editor
Amrit Singh
Senior Writer
Brandon Stosuy
Columnist
Jon McMillan
Technology & Operations
Jim Jazwiecki
Angela Williams

The Cool Kids

All Stereogum Posts

Get Flash to see our mp3 player. Here are our mp3s: Little Joy - No One's Better Sake (»)
Blitzen Trapper - Furr (»)
Peter Bjorn And John - Nothing To Worry About (»)
Bodies Of Water - Under The Pines (»)
Torche - Healer (»)
The Apples In Stereo - Energy (»)
My Morning Jacket - Celebration (Live) (»)
My Morning Jacket - Get Down On It (Live) (»)
Gang Gang Dance - House Jam (»)
Black Lips - Starting Over (»)
Malajube - Ursuline (»)
Department Of Eagles - No One Does It Like You (Album Version) (»)
Au - I'll Be Home For Christmas (»)
Sufjan Stevens - Good King Wenceslas (»)
Bon Iver - Your Love (Live) (»)
Brendan Canning - Hit The Wall (»)
Franz Ferdinand - What She Came For (Live) (»)
Cursive - Bad Sects (»)
Cursive - The Recluse (»)
team9 vs. Stereogum - Disturbed Youth (»)
team9 vs. Stereogum - Lockdown Shelter (»)

Progress Report logo

Progress Report: Röyksopp

NAME: Röyksopp PROGRESS REPORT: Wrapping up their third studio LP, Junior, recorded "all over the world." As reported here a couple weeks back, Norwegian duo Röyksopp just celebrated 10 years together. And like good friends (or an old married couple)...

MORE »

Commercial Appeal logo

Apples In Stereo Energize Pepsi Rebranding

As we've mentioned in the past (2007), Robert Schneider's not afraid of the graceful sellout. So, no, we're not surprised that he and his E6 cohorts just scored a Pepsi commercial. (Heck, we already knew how much E6-related bands loved...

MORE »

Premature Evaluation logo

Premature Evaluation: Morrissey - Years Of Refusal

Morrissey's ninth solo album is one of those collections that leaked in fits and starts via live performances and singles and the like that by the time we took it in from "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" through "I'm OK...

MORE »

Band to Watch logo

Band To Watch: Cold Cave

Cold Cave is the brainchild of Philadelphia's Wesley Eisold, ex-Some Girls, Give Up The Ghost, XO Skeletons, and currently Ye Olde Maids, etc. We're calling his newest project a Band To Watch, but Eisold received some high-profile press when Fall...

MORE »

Quit Your Day Job logo

Quit Your Day Job: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

In February, New York BTW the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are releasing their self-titled full-length collection of jangly, noisy indie pop on the most fitting of labels, Slumberland. We recently posted the video for album track "Everything For...

MORE »

The 'Gum Drop logo

DM Stith - "Ecstatic Only Static Peace (Peace to Me)"

Brooklyn-via-Buffalo songwriter DM Stith entered the Asthmatic Kitty stable via the design work on Shara Worden, aka My Brightest Diamond, albums and the vocals and piano he contributed to her Bring Me The Workhorse. He released the Curtain Speech EP...

MORE »