Covering Your Tracks – 50

Pinging off of the previous CYT, wherein someone LARP’d Rammstein covering a Metallica song. In this one, it is an actual someone claiming it is Rammstein covering Metallica’s “Sad But True.” Surprise! It isn’t Rammstein. It is a band called In Strict Confidence.

It completely upends the original. Rammstein’s In Strict Confidence’s version is a different song entirely. It does, however, use English lyrics. It is a cross between the iconic Rammstein German industrial sound, and a rave dance track. Here’s the cover;

So different, right? It may not be Rammstein, as sold over and over on cover collections, and on Youtube, but it is, nevertheless, a cover.

Covering Your Tracks – 49

Came by this one in a music forum I visit. I read the title, “What If Rammstein Wrote ‘Enter Sandman'” and knew I had to hear that shit.

Keep in mind, this isn’t really Rammstein covering Metallica, it is a guy named Denis Pauna performing in Rammstein sound, rearranging Metallica. It is.. well, exactly what you expect to hear; a grinding, powerful, industrial arrangement, with German lyrics.

Enter Sandman was made for this.

You can see more “What if [band] wrote [song] by [band]” videos (including some very cool Type O Negative re-imaginings) at Mr. Pauna’s Youtube Channel.

Covering Your Tracks – 48

The other day a Twitter friend posted a song I hadn’t heard in a long, long time. Which then led me down a rabbit-hole of other songs I hadn’t heard in a while. One such song was “Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider. It is a good song. (As an side, it is fucking weird to me that, after not hearing a song for 22 years, you can listen to it again, and know every word. The brain is wild, man). So, because I love ’em, I wanted to see if anyone had covered the track. Turns out, a few folks did.

Lunatic Fringe is a “Oh, that’s That Song by That Band” type track. You know it. It is unique to its time, and is distinct enough in sound that covering it, without changing it would be pointless. It would only sound like a knockoff original. You gotta add something. Enter, Cross Solder (it doesn’t appear there’s been much Cross Solder action since 2015).

They do, what this listener thinks, a pretty good job of keeping the original structure, but add some serious weight, and a subtle twang to the track. The end result is true to the original, but adds something modern.

Listen up;

Covering Your Tracks – 47

Annihilator’s 2010 self-titled release is a banger. I imagine most albums released by a band named Annihilator are bangers. This one happens to include a bangin’ cover of Van Halen’s Romeo Delight.

It is probably pretty hard to cover Eddie era Van Halen because, really, who can play like that? The Annihilator cover does a good job of it. If Van Halen’s original is M&Ms, then this cover is Caramel M&Ms. Same basic flavor, but slightly different on the inside, and still delicious.

Have a listen;

Covering Your Tracks – 46

In a previous CYT, I mentioned traveling to my grandparents house. We’d go every weekend, leaving for the 2 hour drive on Friday, just as the sun was setting. As a small kid I pretty much had what seemed like a huge backseat to myself. It probably seemed huge because it was huge. Have you seen 70s model cars?

As it turned full dark, I’d stretch out on the back seat and listen to tires running over ground, my parents mumbled conversations and the radio, usually WLS out of Chicago. I’m pretty sure you could pick up WLS on the moon. It was AM radio in the 70s, so I got to hear a lot of Top 40 shit like “Afternoon Delight,” “Blinded by the Light,” and the like. I also got to hear the first single I ever begged my parents to buy, Jackson Browne’s “Runnin’ On Empty” from the album of the same name. I loved that song. I still do.

I really love this cover of it by Bob Schneider (it’s from a live performance in Austin, TX. A studio version will be on a forthcoming Jackson Browne tribute album);

Speaking of Bob Schneider, go check out his stuff. The guy is a genius. Hip-hop, rock, blues; the guy genre-hops like a rabbit in a sunny meadow– with grace, agility and a natural instinct.

here’s the magic original version;

Covering Your Tracks – 45

RIP Gwar Singer Dave Brockie, a.k.a. Oderus Urungus. Here’s Gwar covering Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son.”