Covers Project Vol. XI

It's fairly obvious I'm a fan of covers. The reason for that has less to do with a recreation of the familiar (although that's part of it) and more to do with the reveal of a band's acknowledgement of the continuum and their self-awareness of where they stand in it.

One of the best examples of that notion was delivered by Marah during their tour for If I Didn't Laugh, I'd Cry. They opened the show with their version of the Jam's "In The City" and then closed it with Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again," and in between Marah played their original material, which sonically and unmistakably connected those two poles. I mean, there's almost no better description of Marah's music than first generation punk rock crossed with an outlaw cowboy. And Marah knew it and proclaimed it proudly, as musicians and as fans themselves.

For exactly that reason, I love hearing Joan Jett's uncontainable glee as she rips into one of the Stones' nastiest songs, or Daniel Ash exposing the glam undercurrent of Love & Rockets (or Bauhaus or Tones on Tail), or young upstarts the Strypes paying homage to spiritual granddaddy Nick Lowe. Ditto all of these tracks. Ditto all previous ten volumes.

And they're also kick-ass songs.

Your Tricks With Fruit Are Kinda Cute

1. Daniel Ash Rock on (David Essex)
2. Joan Jatt Star Star (Rolling Stones)
3. Uncle Tupalo I Wanna Destroy You (Soft Boys)
4. Aimee Mann Baby Blue (Badfinger)
5. The Jags Here Comes My Baby (Cat Stevens)
6. Reno Bo I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (Byrds)
7. Frankenstein 3000 Tenement Funster (Queen)
8. The Flashcubes Do Anything You Wanna Do (Eddie & the Hot Rods)
9. The Hold Steady Hard Luck Woman (Kiss)
10. Del Amitri Cindy Incidentally (Faces)
11. Me First & the Gimme Gimmes Believe (Cher)
12. The Sirens Glycerine Queen (Suzi Quatro)
13. Supersockers Never Let Me Down Again (Depeche Mode)
14. Hoodoo Gurus I Heard Her Call My Name (Velvet Underground)
15. Locksley It's No Use (Gene Clark)
16. The Redbeards Gudbuy T'Jane (Slade)
17. Tommy Keane Have You Seen My Baby (Flamin' Groovies)
18. Rachel Gordon Goodbye to You (Scandal)
19. The Cry! Louie Louie (The Kingsmen)
20. The Strypes Heart of the City (Nick Lowe)
21. Los Straitjackets w/ Raul Malo Black is Black (Los Bravos)
22. Jim Keays Tell Me When It's Over (Dream Syndicate)
23. Mathew Sweet & Susana Hoffs All The Young Dudes (Mott the Hoople)
24. M.O.T.O. Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest)