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18August
2013

or are you toxic for me

maura @ 4:39 pm

I need a pop band to come to my assistance. Ever since last May’s Popfest I’ve been thinking about a song that doesn’t exist: a cover version of “Bluebeard” by the Cocteau Twins. A bit of poking around online revealed this fairly true to the original cover version of Bluebeard by someone called Deluciva, as well as this version by Faye Wong which is identical except sung in Chinese.

But neither of these is what I want to hear. The cover version I’m thinking about is a slightly speeded-up track with a male vocalist and far less shimmery guitars, something a bit more spare. Maybe Math & Physics Club could do this cover, or Allen Clapp? The weirdest thing is that this mythological, as-yet-unexisting cover version is actually playing in my head, though of course not precisely because I can only ever understand about 50% of Liz Fraser’s lyrics.

I’m pretty sure the reason for all of this cover version obsession is hearing Cassolette’s cover of the Primitives’ “Crash” while at the Popfest. Cassolette’s version is fairly true to the original but with just enough difference to make it interesting. And of course it’s a fantastic song to begin with, who couldn’t love it?

Cover songs are strange beasts. When I had a radio show in college I used to make mix tapes of cover versions of songs. Some covers I love much much more than the original song, like Bauhaus’ cover of “Telegram Sam” by T. Rex. Others are both wonderful — “The Passenger” by Iggy Pop and the cover version by Siouxsie & the Banshees is firmly in that camp. Still others are kind of a joke but end up being kind of awesome nonetheless, like Age of Chance’s cover of Prince’s “Kiss” and Killdozer’s cover of Janet Jackson’s “Nasty.”

I stopped making covers mixtapes at 4 — someday I’ll find the time to digitize them.

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4 comments on “or are you toxic for me”

Anne (8 October 2013 at 8:56 pm)

You made a great cover tape for our U-Haul journey through Indiana!

maura (12 October 2013 at 10:40 am)

That’s probably one of the ones I still have! If I ever get a chance to digitize them I’ll burn a CD (o, the decaying plastic media of our pasts!) and send it to you.

Anne (21 October 2013 at 8:49 am)

Thanks!!! Include a box of Krispy Kremes OOPS I mean Tasty Kakes.

Anne (21 October 2013 at 8:50 am)

I think it had more than one version of “Kiss.”


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