Another Tribute To Tribute Albums

  

Last month, I posted A Tribute To Tribute Albums.  Stinky reminded me that he had developed a set of categories for "reupholstered songs".  A cover song may be "cut from the same cloth" (i.e., faithful to the original song).  Covers may be performed ironically, or they may be twee (overly sincere, cute and sweet). A cover may be sped up (The Dickies' preferred M.O. for cover songs) or slowed down (the way Killdozer used to do 'em).

The most drastic reupholstering of a song is when the cover is performed with different instrumentation -- not just an acoustic guitar in place of an electric one (which would be twee) -- but maybe bagpipes, kazoos, or a horn section!

I have listened to several dozen more tribute albums (mostly from the 1990's, when the tribute album trend really peaked).  I picked out a song or two that I liked from each one.  Stinky's categories really hold true for the vast majority of them.

CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH: the Mock Turtles (a staple of the Imaginary Records' tributes) perform a faithful rendition of "Big Sky". Dave Kusworth and Nikki Sudden have never hidden their Stones fixation. Power pop covers of power pop bands (Plimsouls, The Beat, XTC) tend to be cut from the same cloth.  It's a real pleasure to hear The Records amplify the power pop aspects of the Beach Boys' music.  "Cody Cody" and "Dimming Of The Day" also sound faithful to the originals.

IRONIC: the Miserlou/Hava Nagila medley and "You Better Sit Down Kids" (by half of the Smithereens).  Hot Joe mashes up Led Zep with "Baby Elephant Walk" 

If you've never heard Fatima Mansions' vicious deconstruction of Shiny Happy People, it's both radically reupholstered and dripping with irony (or is it simply disdain?)  The late Cathal Coughlin was better behaved on "Dear Dad" (thanks for the recommendation, Richard!), and Cathal's former Microdisney bandmate Sean O'Hagan takes a Nick Drake ballad into Motown territory.  

Don Dixon's version of "Broke Down And Busted", the Jayhawks' cover of "Lights", the surf version of "Massachusetts" and Opal's rearrangement of "Jugband Blues" also fall into Stinky's INSTRUMENTATION category.  Lloyd Cole and his band subtly transpose "Chelsea Hotel" from 3/4 time to 4/4.  

"There's A Place" might be the only TWEE cover here (and it also falls into the instrumentation category).  I won't list every song on today's compilation.  I hope you enjoy listening to it!