Another obsession. Cover version albums.
There’s three types. There’s the tribute album, to an artist or label. There’s the compilation, often for charity, often in commemoration of a thing. And there’s the free CDs that are glued with that strange adhesive jelly onto the cover of Mojo magazine.
But what they all have in common is I love them. I love bad cover versions; the more random and inappropriate, the better. It sorts out the men from the boys; the artists who can knock together something musically worthwhile at short notice versus the chancers who can’t even be bothered to work out the chords properly.
I heart them all, for all their oddness, for all their this-would-make-a-really-taxing-round-in-a-pop-quiz-ness. I wish the Radio 1’s Live Lounge compilations only included the covers; the rest, for me, is just chaff.
Here’s some favourites. You must seek them out!
Dubstar – Jealousy – on ‘Come Again’.
McAlmont & Butler – Back For Good – on ‘1 Love’
The Thompson Twins – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire – on ‘Red Hot & Blue’
The Divine Comedy – I’ve Been To A Marvellous Party – on ‘Twentieth Century Blues’
The Divine Comedy – There’s A Light That Never Goes Out - on ‘The Smiths Is Dead’
Wonderstuff – Coz I Luv You – on ‘Ruby Trax’
KT Tunstall – Let’s Stick Together – on ‘Radio 1 Established 1967’
Kate Bush – Rocket Man – on ‘Two Rooms’
Susannah Hoffs – Boys Keep Swinging – on ‘David Bowie Songbook’
Duffy – Live And Let Die – on ‘Heroes’
Future Bible Heroes – Don’t You Want Me – on ‘Reproductions’
The Scissor Sisters – Take Me Out – on ‘Radio 1 Live Lounge’
OMD – Whole Again – on ‘Liverpool Number Ones’
The Flaming Lips – Bohemian Rhapsody – on ‘Killer Queen’
Suede – Shipbuilding – on ‘The Help Album’
a-ha – #9 Dream – on ‘Instant Karma’
Claire Sweeney – Too Much Love Will Kill You – on ‘Claire’
