Covers are Fun

Thee More Shallows

Thee More Shallows – I Can’t Get Next to You – Monkey vs. Shark (Turn 2006)


Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination and Brass – A Day in the Life – Touchdown (Polydor GER, 1977)


Toots and the Maytals – Louie, Louie – Funky Kingston (Mango 1973)


Cover songs are fun. And for the most part, that’s about it. Rehashing your favorite bands’ hits has been a staple in the development in young musicians since… well since favorite bands existed I presume. You have to start somewhere, and if you are not fortunate enough to be able to afford proper lessons in your instrument of choice, the next best thing you can do is mimic other more skilled musicians. After perfecting song after song after song in your bedroom, eventually you should start developing skills of your own and in time begin writing your own compositions. Songwriting is a true test of musicianship, copying others is not. Now, truth be told, there are a couple of good cover bands out there, but they are few and far between, and not really worth more than a night of kitschy fun. Now an occasional cover song by an established musician (i.e. have proved that they have their own songwriting chops) can be a great thing as well. Songwriters’ influences are innately included in their own compositions, whether it is apparent or not; the only truly original piece of music would have to be composed by a person who has absolutely never come in contact with another note of music or deaf from childbirth. This is not a bad thing, its just fact; we are constantly influenced by our surroundings. So when a musician attempts to idolize a favorite artist by covering a song of theirs, its time to take notice because their songwriting skills and individuality is going to be on display. Do they just regurgitate the song note by note without any creativity at all? Or do they re-imagine the song, bringing new life to the composition while putting their personal stamp on it? This reinventing talent, in my opinion, is a characteristic of a truly good musician/songwriter.

Yesterday, while receiving new music in my office at the beautiful WLUW, I came across an EP from a band called Thee More Shallows. I was not familiar with the band or the label, Turn Records, but it came from a trusted promotion company and had an eye-catching press release. The selling point for me was that the band covered Al Green’s “I Can’t Get Next to You,” and being the rabid Al Green fan that I am, I immediately took notice. Thee More Shallows completely reinvent the song, turning the once deep soul unconditional love ode into a spooky, eerie, brooding, almost stalkerish rock song. I’m rarely sold on a band by a cover song, but Thee More Shallows certainly earned themselves a rip into my selective music catalog and obviously the inspiration for this post. I’ve also included two more of my favorite cover songs, including an amazing rendition of The Beatle’s “A Day in the Life” by the Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination and Brass and an incredibly addictive rendition of “Louie, Louie” by Toots and the Maytals.

Thee More Shallows – I Can’t Get Next to You – Monkey vs. Shark (Turn 2006)
Thee More Shallows are an indie-rock trio out of San Francisco consisting of Dee Kesler, Chavo Fraser and Jason Gonzales. For a relatively young band, they have a very mature sound, enlisting characteristics of chamber and post-rock with just a touch of goth and electronics strewn throughout. The perfectionists spent three years mixing their sophomore album, More Deep Cuts, and it has been well received causing a bit of a stir in the indie-rock press. This EP of loose ends was put out in only months and includes five new songs as well as the cover and a remix by Anticon’s Odd Nosdam and Why?

“I Can’t Get Next to You” was written by legendary Motown writers Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, who were also responsible for “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” among many others. It was originally written for The Temptations and first appeared on their “Puzzle People” album in 1969, but did not receive the attention it deserved until Al Green’s rendition of it heard on 1971’s “Gets Next to You.” Since then, it’s been covered numerous times by artists as diverse as Annie Lennox, Toto and Savoy Brown.

Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination and Brass – A Day in the Life – Touchdown (Polydor GER, 1977)
I copped this song from the amazing audioblog, Soulsides, a few months back. Trombonist and progressive big band leader Peter Herbolzheimer completely re-imagine the song into a 7-minute prog-soul epic. With Don Adams on vocals, the RC&B bring out some amazing fusion and R&B chops in outbursts while somehow the tempo remains steadily mellow throughout; a wonderful late-night bring-the-party-down track.

As the cinematic closer to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the song remains the epitome of what The Beatles could create utilizing both John Lennon and Paul McCartney as songwriters. Juxtaposed, it’s easy to hear the differences between the more withdrawn, cerebral Lennon and the more jovial and jaunty McCartney. A classic Beatles tune no doubt.

Toots and the Maytals – Louie, Louie – Funky Kingston (Mango 1973)
The least restructured of the covers songs I’m including, Toots and the Maytals’ version of the classic reggae cut “Louie, Louie” is incredibly infectious to say the least. Incredibly energetic and utilizing the best characteristics of reggae-soul, Toots Hibbert screams and belts James Brown-stylee over the Maytals’ heavily percussive backbeat and striking brass punches. Two blasting sax solos act as bridges to the energetic chorus, and the song closes with a strange, almost guttural vibrato. One of my favorite all time songs.

Made infamous by the slurred vocals of Ray Davies and the Kinks, the song was actually originally written in 1962 by Richard Berry and The Fabulous Wailers and found on the heavily influential rock’n’soul record, The Fabulous Wailers at the Castle. The Seattle group was one of the very first American garage rock bands anticipating the British Invasion and have either directly or indirectly influenced every rock & roll group to come out of their parents’ garage since.