Covers Project Vol. V

Another installation of the ongoing project. Every song's a hit.

Oh God I Could Do Better Than That

1. The Hold Steady American Music (Violent Femmes)
2. J Church Don't Bring Me Down (ELO)
3. The Yum Yums I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (The Rubinoos)
4. Psychomania Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Robert Hazard, by way of Cyndi Lauper)
5. Neko Case Misfire (Queen)
6. True Believers The Rebel Kind (The Modernettes)
7. Smithereens It Don't Come Easy (Ringo Starr)
8. Joey Ramone What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
9. Barely Pink Don't Look Back (Teenage Fanclub)
10. Sour Jazz Dr. Boogie (The Flamin' Groovies)
11. The Dragons Bad Reputation (Joan Jett)
12. Trip Shakespeare (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, & Understanding (Brinsley Schwartz, by way of Elvis Costello)
13. The Come Ons Rip Her To Shreds (Blondie)
14. The Yayhoos Roam (The B52s)
15. The Hot Rats Queen Bitch (David Bowie)
16. P. Hux Do Ya (ELO)
17. Southern Culture On The Skids Life's A Gas (T.Rex)
18. Brendan Benson Let Me Roll It (Paul McCartney/Wings)
19. Teenage Head Wild One (Johnny O'Keefe, later Iggy Pop)
20. Bum Pool Hall Richard (The Faces)
21. Black Francis w/ Joey Santiago Cover Of The Rolling Stone (Shel Silverstein, by way of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show)
22. The Crybabys Vaya Con Dios (Gene Autry, by way of Tony Orlando & Dawn)
23. Baby Lemonade Bennie & The Jets (Elton John)

Hello My Name Is Mix (vol. 2)

With thanks to a few readers' suggestions, I've come up with another volume of self-explanatory silliness. Actually, the overall song quality on this one might even be better than the first. And there's already 17 songs compiled for a third volume, but I've gotta warn you - that one might include such un-Un-Herdlike things as Weezer's "Buddy Holly" and Barenaked Ladies' "Brian Wilson" if I can't find suitable replacements. Stop me now.

Hello My Name Is... (Vol. 2)

1. The Silver Brazilians Kate Winslet
2. Spearmint Julie Christie
3. Pernice Brothers Jacqueline Susann
4. Charlotte Hatherley Kim Wilde
5. Fenix TX Phoebe Cates
6. Idle Jets Karen Valentine
7. The Smugglers Alan Thicke
8. The Haints Carly Simon
9. Oppenheimer Cate Blanchett
10. William Pears Johnny Rotten
11. Brinkman Kirsten Dunst
12. Mambo Sons Overend Watts
13. GE Smith James Brown
14. Dogs D'Amour Errol Flynn
15. Who By Fire Madchen Amick
16. Darlington Jodie Foster
17. The Meanies Lee Remick
18. The Neighborhoods Evel Knievel
19. The Len Price 3 Julia Jones
20. The Gin Blossoms Keli Richards
21. The Sun Sawed In Half Janet Greene
22. Ridel High Wynona Ryder
23. Ozma Natalie Portman
24. Ride Howard Hughes

15 songs by the Yum Yums

It's almost impossible to describe this band in a way that accurately conveys their genius. The term "pop punk" doesn't do it - it's been marred by a couple decades of whining, tin-eared careerists - and to simply say they sound like the Ramones mated with the early Beach Boys gives short shrift to all three points in the equation. The Yum Yums come from a galaxy (Norway, actually) where nothing matters other than melody, momentum, and bright, fuzzy powerchords. It seems like an easy recipe, but it's only easy until you hear the 9,999,999 bands out of 10 million that fail at it. I can't explain it, but singer/songwriter Morten Henriksen and his fellow Yum Yums just get it. To me, this is the sound of pure, unbridled joy. I can barely imagine a summer without them. Not a good summer, anyway. This is a 15 song sampler from a number of their releases. Take 'em for a test drive and see if you can resist. "It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum!"

15 Songs by the Yum Yums

1. I Wanna Be The One
2. It's Gonna Be A Hit
3. Let's Rock and Roll
4. Come On Come On
5. Twenty Four Seven
6. Shake Some Action (Flamin' Groovies cover)
7. Rock and Roll Tonight
8. Here Comes Summer
9. Forever
10. Miss You Baby
11. Out of Luck (Pointed Sticks cover)
12. Be With Me
13. Chewy Chewy (Ohio Express cover)
14. Too Good To Be True
15. 9,999,999 Tears

tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 from Whatever Rhymes With Baby (2008)
tracks 2, 4, 8, 9 from Blame It On The Boogie (2002)
tracks 10, 11, 12, from Sweet As Candy (1997)
track 6 from Come On Come On single (2002)
track 13 from Singles 'n' Stuff (2001)
track 15 from Funzone ep (2001)