Entertainment For Lively Minds
File under: why did you bother?
Don't get me wrong, I love a good cover version. I yield to no one in my conviction that ZZTop's barnstorming Viva Las Vegas is actually an improvement over the Elvis original; I will happily debate the relative merits of Joe Cocker's version of With A Little Help From My Friends. There are lots of other cases where you think the cover was an inspired move.
But there are some covers where you think: why did you even bother? One of them came this morning for me, when I heard Manic Street Preachers' version of The The's sublime This is The Day on Radio 2. I'm not a Manics hater by any stretch, but this version is limp: the sound of a band soundchecking a favourite song and having a wizard wheeze to commit it to whatever passes for tape now*. There was no really no need thanks, lads. The original had a grace and an easy flow that has been roughly manhandled and crow-barred into the Manics' own sound. When I heard they were covering it I hoped (rather than expected) things would turn out well, but it's a major disappointment. Sometimes, some things should just be left alone.
I've just realised that the thing that jars me most is the trampling on the scan of "you've been reading some old letters; you smile and think how much you've changed". Clunk.
Here's the original, not for any other reason than it's a beautiful, beautiful song (one of my very favourites, in fact)
*probably a file on some hard disk somewhere
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'Like A Rolling Stone'.......
....The Rolling Stones.
And whichever heavy metal band (Metallica?) who did 'Whisky In The Jar' about ten years ago.
Totally agree
I like both The The and The Manics, and so was hugely disappointed when I too heard the track on Radio 2 this morning. "Limp" is exactly the right word. I thought it also had a certain "Will this do?" quality to it...
Ah well, no-one died.
"In 1975, no-one died. In 1976, no-one died...
"...In 1977, no-one died. In 1978, no-one died. In 1979, no-one died. In 1980, some one died. In 1981, no-one died. In 1982, there was the incident with the pigeon. In 1983, no-one died. In 1984, no-one died. In 1985, no-one died … I mean, I could go on.”
Oh, I dunno
Maybe I'm just happy to accept this well produced version of the song over the original which, on first hearing today, suffers from the drum machine. The cover does sound like the majority of the Manics output for the last 15 years which will help the accompanying Greatest (Complete?) Hits. I'm guessing their days at Sony are numbered. Nice video though.
Took me by surprise
as I drove into work. Heard the intro, thought, "that sounds like James Dean Bradfield's guitar" - and it was. Even more surprised when I heard what the song was. OK version, nothing amazing, but I think Ted you're probably right, they're putting out a big old GH and then not releasing much for a couple of years.
Looks fairly complete apart from "Theme from M*A*S*H".
Wasted opp
Shame really - i like both bands but having heard this cover version its not really brought anything new to the 'table' as it were - which is a shame as the video is lovely, great to see Richey Manic in the early days, just wish he was still around to give us all those scathing lyrics!
My strangest "This Is The Day" encounter...
... was in the US, probably around 2001. I was having a shave with the TV on in the bedroom, when I hear the familiar strains of Matt Johnson's song warbling out... "Good grief", I think, "what's he doing on US TV?", and I come out to see/hear TITD being used in, of all things, an advert for M&Ms (yes, with the cartoon red & yellow M&M characters.) I can't remember any special lyrical context, beyond some kind of "this is the day you ought to eat more chocolate", but hope Matt got a decent payday for it...