Wednesday, October 1, 2008

roll over beethoven

there aren't many things that soothe me as much as rock and roll. Tonight's rehearsal with the band that don't have a name yet was bloody great. Whacking a piece of wood with bits of wire on it and screeching into a crusty old microphone is damn good for the soul. At this point in life I still like writing but to be honest I derive more and more pleasure from actually playing and singing other people's songs. I know I'm never going to write a song as pure as Sweet Jane, or something that will make you shake your arse as much as Sympathy for the Devil. And lets face it no one will ever pen anything as downright earthy and wicked as Gloria again. I guess its kind of like jazz for people who aren't as good at their instruments as the old jazzbos. These standards provide a framework you can hang yourself from, stretching the phrasing and playing tricks with the groove. Playing the Cure's Just Like Heaven as if Dylan wrote it. Pummelling Folsom Prison Blues into a stomping punk mess. Turning Paul Kelly's Desdemona into a Byrdsy epic.

When I was a young guy I despised cover bands with a passion. But as I get older I kind of get it I guess. If you can truly climb inside someone else's song and feel like you've taken it somewhere, there is a real reward there.

3 comments:

Manuel said...

it's whatever shakes you I think! rock on!

cogidubnus said...

Rock 'n' Roll eh...well as a child of that era (born 1953)I hear exactly what you say...especially about cover bands...in the sixties and seventies the "Top of the Pops" (and many others) range of cover-compilation LPs gave the thing a dreadful name....

Just sometimes though, the cover version was better (or better-known) than the original...(now there's something to aim for!)...

In the context of your heading...how about ELO's version of Roll over Beethoven...pretty mean eh? Or on a light-hearted level, the Bonzo Dog's band version of Bobby Pickett's Monster Mash?

So are you venturing onto Youtube again?

paddy said...

manuel - that and embracing the uncoolness of old age!

cog - The old dodgy covers records are still about - a bloke was telling me down the pub he picked a greatest rock songs ever compilation in Bali that claimed all original artists that on listening turned out to be something like the Manila Holiday Inn house band performing poorly translated approximations.

Don't mind ELO at all (though I may find the style police kicking my door down for that admission) Haven't heard Bonzo Dog doing the Monster Mash - surely that song couldn't get any sillier. I'll check it out on the tube.