Archie and the Bunkers
Play the Damned EP
scum stats: my copy on black, apparently there’s a limited quantity on black with red and yellow splatter
If middle fingers on the front cover didn’t piss me off or have me rolling my eyes, then that’s saying something.
What can I say, I’m a sucker for younger folks playing rock and roll. The drums/organ, big brother/little brother duo of Archie and the Bunkers are good. Their heads seem on straight, they’re influenced by all the right shit from the past. And I honestly think that if they keep at it, they will make something GREAT.
As for Damned covers, they dug a little below the surface, ignoring the obvious covers like “New Rose” or “Neat Neat Neat” and I have to give ‘em credit for that. I never spent much time with the Damned, really just a little bit with the first album. So besides the lead-off track, these songs are all kinda fresh to me.
I think the band is still figuring things out and I predict in another year, two tops, they will put out a masterpiece. Until then, this record (and the rest of their increasingly-expanding catalog) serve as moderate placeholders.
In my never-ending quest to keep you weirdos engaged, post in the comments about your favorite releases where one artist covers exclusively another artist. Don’t just LIST something, convince me as to why it is important. Can be Pussy Galore doing Exile, Sonic Youth doing the Fall, Dylan (or Willie) doing Sinatra, whatever. Maybe turn me on to something I’m unaware of? Anyway, most enlightening comment (as determined by me) gets an original Sub Pop pressing of the White Stripes covering the songs of Captain Beefheart. See the connection there? Deadline is a week from today, so get your shit in here already.
@dontazemebro – Thanks for posting that. Sounds like quite a night, and that Armory building looks amazing. I hate arena shows for the reasons you described. But I’ll suck it up and be at Viejas Arena on August 21. [ Up in a seat, though. I hope the distance and the people between me and the stage don’t interrupt the cosmic connections ;). ]
I’m out of the contest I don’t have a record with one group plays another group exclusively but I do have favorite covers number one Patti Smith group Easter album covers Manford man’s privilege maybe one of the greatest rock and roll songs ever she pleads and begs it’s not that obscure but if you haven’t heard it I plead and beg you 2
ex Dresden Dolls member = Amanda Palmer
For me this immediately brings to mind the Alkaline Trio Halloween 7" covering the Misfits Halloween and Children in Heat. It was distributed to fans as souvenir at their Halloween show at the Metro in Chicago. Obviously, a bright orange vinyl, hand-numbered with some awesome artwork. A jewel in my collection of my favorite Chicago band. Very lucky to have it!
I have a 3rd one. The ex Dresden Dolls member released the vinyl EP titled Strung Out In Heaven/Purple Rain – 12". Side A with 5 David Bowie covers including Space Oddity (ft. Neil Gaiman) and Heroes (ft. John Cameron Mitchell). Side B with Prince’s Purple Rain cover.
Ben, I got a better one, OK no I don’t have another album but I knew you would read this so I had to write a quick something about the Minneapolis Armory show. I know that you being one of Jack’s closest friends I was just hoping you could bend his ear for his fans in Minneapolis. I am going to bullet point this cause if I don’t I’ll be all over the place. Vault comments don’t accept bullets so pretend they are in bulleted format. 1. The show was fucking fantastic (don’t take that just from a fanboy here’s why) a. NIGHTMARE opener b. a Freedom at 21 that 2/3 of the crowd couldn’t identify till it was almost over. c. Jack telling the crowd “you may hear some songs you don’t wanna hear” d. Singing Happy Birthday to Henry (pretty much the only time I didn’t want to punch the majority of the crowd). e. A lady in front of me decided to go Scorpions crowd from 1984 and climb on her husband’s shoulders (not a small girl) blocking my view during Ball and Biscuit and on second attempt flipped backwards off his shoulders and went squash first to the floor. That may sound sadistic but don’t be so fucking drunk, yah get what yah get. f. Carla tearing the roof off the fucking place with Respect Commander she demands are respect. g. No cell phones is the best fucking thing anyone ever came up with, not having to stare at 5000 shitty iphone screens the entire show cannot be understated 2. Why the show sucked. a. The crowd was just not that responsive, Jack came out swinging and the energy just wasn’t met, that was a real bummer. b. At one point a group of donks in the VIP section had a giant orange twirling light thing with a bunch of small lights swinging around and if you think cell phones are distracting the entire audience was transfixed and I could see Jack looking at it thinking “why you wanna fuck with my esthetic) and I think it maybe irritated him (could be wrong) c. The four drunk fuckheads behind me who were yelling or audibly groaning every time the song wasn’t exactly the one they wanted to hear or wasn’t note for note from their “alternative itunes” playlist, and who in addition decided it would be “kewl” to stomp on their Coors light cans every time they finished one sending smelly shrapnel onto all who surrounded them. In Summary the show was exactly what I wanted to hear, and for the fanboys and girls we get it, don’t get comfortable, was it cool to hear 7 Nation as the closer, sure, did we all know it was coming yup, is it annoying as fuck when all the groaning moaning douchbags who complained when he tore through Ice Station are now bouncing and jumping and spilling beer everywhere when they hear the opening lick of it, Fuckin right it is. One last thing, I brought a friend (die hard) who lost his brother and his best friend both in the last 5 years and there are a couple specific songs that he attributes to times when they were around (Dead Leaves and Ball and Biscuit), Jack played them both and he turned to look at me with tears streaming down his face. Let Jack know. I know I tried to bullet it, that shit still don’t work, come back to Mpls soon.
Mr. Blackwell, Ladies and gentlemen of The Vault, I would like to submit for your review the case of the NoFX/Rancid BYO split series vol. 3. The only album in the 5 part series where each song by both bands is a cover of the other band. Both of these bands hit an emotional vein with me growing up, but they were two very distinct emotions. NoFX was more of desperation/anger while Rancid always made me happier and helped me connect with my own identity. They both can give me goosebumps depending on what mood I’m in, but the point is that even though they both aroused very strong emotions in a young punk they aroused very different emotions. To listen to each band bring forth these emotions that I associated with the songs, but do it through the different avenues that I associated with the bands was groundbreaking for me. It cross-wired my brain. It showed me that what I was feeling could be expressed in more ways than one – that not everything had to be either one way or another and that I could use the entire spectrum of emotion to express myself. For one young punk out there this album was groundbreaking and mind-blowing at a time when he needed it the most.
Wow, there is some amazing songs listed.
I’m going to step out of the box and say
Danko Jones covering Pump it up by Elvis Costello.
As far as why, to me it’s just so simple and basic. It’s a 3 piece band with a hell of a lead singer and just raw energy.
It’s on the B Sides release and I really wish that one day they’d actually do it live. It would be a hell of a performance.
Beck covering David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs. It really creates a totally new song while staying true to the spirit of the original. I wish Beck would dedicate an entire album to Bowie covers.
OK so I need to make a second post because how can we discuss an artist covering other artists and not mention Tori Amos.
From the very beginning she showed what she can do when she added some covers as b-sides to her singles and her live shows too. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Losing My Religion, Whole Lotta Love, Lovesong, My Favorite Things. The highlight of all is Famous Blue Raincoat. Haunting.
And then, in 2001 she released a full studio album with covers. Strange Little Girls. Covering Lou Reed, The Stranglers, Eminem, The Beatles, Neil Young, even Slayer! Check it out! Some real gems in there!