It's... a transatlantic collaboration over the internet, performed live before the camera. And it's really good. That's pretty much all you need to know. Well, that and that the duo have a whole playlist of Kate Bush covers they did together. At the end of each video, the guitar part is repeated without the vocals and with the fingerings clearly visible, for those wanting to learn the parts.
So far, I've avoided songs from tribute albums, because I figured that would be cheating in some way. But in my new quest to avoid live solo renditions, this jazzy gangsta-rap arrangement, originally featured on the 1998 tribute album I Wanna Be Kate was too good to pass up. While this isn't really my bag, it's an original spin on the song and that's what interests me right now.
Video is a live performance from the release party.
The video for this, featuring clips of Kate Bush dancing from her music videos, was created by YouTube member vibesinthesky, who says s/he found the audio on the Internet and doesn't know who made it. If someone can ID the remix artist, I'd be very grateful.
Obviously, this uses Kate's original vocals and sampled instrumental parts from the original recording, which is on 'The Dreaming', arguably the second-best work of music ever created. So does it count as a cover version? It probably does as it was not authorised or commissioned by the original artist and isn't on any of her albums. But who cares? What matters more is that this is about as far from a solo acoustic cover you can get. It's also about as far from any moody/scary approach that you can get, and considering that the original is essentially a heavy metal piece*), turning it into something as joyous and lightweight as this is as much of a new spin as I've heard and seen so far. I'd like to hear more like this, please.
*) Yes, I know. Just imagine what it would sound like if it did have distorted guitar plastered on it. Jimmy Bain's already on it, all you'd need to do is invite Vivian Campbell to do a session, is all I'm saying.
I don't have a lot of time today, so I'm submitting this live piano cover of 'This Woman's Work' by Charlotte Martin without comment other than an apology for the low sound and picture quality. Good voice though. Oops, that was a comment. Gotta go, see you tomorrow, toodles!
I said yesterday that I was getting a bit sick of Kate Bush covers performed live in a solo setting, but when I saw this clip of Boston psych-folk singer Laura Jorgenson perform "Army Dreamers" at a record store, accompanying herself on the bass keys on her accordeon, I was fascinated anyway. Then I thought "nah, this doesn't quite work", but I kept watching to the end, and by the end, I quite liked it. This is mostly due to Jorgenson's voice. Watch it yourself.
Laura Jorgenson looks a bit like Sandy Denny, but she has a more powerful voice that reminds me of someone else. I can't put my finger on it though (seriously, I can't. I'm not saying this just to put any name into your head. Could be Peggy Seeger for all I know, but probably not). Anyone? Whoever it resembles, it lifts her performance above what the rather unsubtle backing promises. I hope I get to hear her perform this song again with a band, though..
Jorgenson has an album out available through Band Camp, on the pay-what-you-want model with some of the proceeds going to charity. I've decided to gamble a few bucks on it.
Patrick Wolf has done several Kate Bush covers over the years, but the ones that I could find until today were all solo live recordings made from the audience, and aside from the fact that I'm getting a bit sick of live solo recordings, they also had poor sound quality. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this studio version with additional musicians. Patrick Wolf's reading is grimmer, angrier and just individual enough to stand out, without subverting the song. I'd like to hear more like this, please.
I'll hear more of this, because there's a free download. And it's from a compilation that is for a good cause, but the website for that is down at the moment.
OK, time for something a little more upbeat. This cover of "Love and Anger" from 2010 by Nada Surf, of all people, is pretty faithful to the original. The singer acquits himself pretty well, though it's clearly not his best register. I was very surprised to find this.
This 2009 version of "Cloudbusting" by Gemma Hayes would make a good pairing with Eivør's version of "Hounds of Love". Similar type of voice, similar toned-down version that still retains traces of the original beat in the background. Nice, eerie synth sounds, too. I like this.
Prolific Belgian rocker Mauro Pawlowski doing a minimalist version of "Babooshka" with just his gravelly voice and electric guitar. Dunno if I like this one just yet. Don't know exactly when this was recorded either, but I'm guessing 2009.
I will try very hard not to do another six versions of "Running Up That Hill" in a row. It's Kate's most-covered song by a large margin, but it gets to be a bit much. Believe me, even I get sick of "Running Up That Hill" eventually. In fact, I was heartily sick of it for much of the 1990s, until I bought the remastered edition of Hounds of Love and learned to love the song again.
What doesn't help, as far as cover versions are concerned, that there are so many that follow the same basic approaches. We had two metallic ones that beefed up the song, and three that are slowed down, stripped down arrangements. Kiki Dee's is another one that follows the latter approach, as are two as-yet unfeatured ones by Michael Aaron and Kevin Slick. Feature too many of them in a short time and they all start to blend into one another.
Which is a bit of a shame in the case of Kiki Dee's version, because by itself, it's quite nice. Dee's voice now has a timeworn, worldweary quality too it, which she uses with skill and quality to give the song a more thoughtful, "what might have been" type of feel, and creative partner Carmelo Luggeri's guitar work is decorative without drawing too much attention to itself. There is a studio version of this, but I haven't heard it, so I have no idea if that is more elaborate.
This version is also noteworthy for being the first that I've encountered that is done by someone older than Kate Bush. Kiki Dee's career goes back to the middle of the 1960s, and peaked in the mid-1970s when she was first a backing vocalist for Elton John, then duetted with him on Don't Go Breaking My Heart, a number 1 hit single in several countries.
Reinder Dijkhuis is a translator and cartoonist living in Hoogezand, the Netherlands. He is married, with two stepkids, a dog and cat, and a bevvy of sporadic co-bloggers.
