TV Covers (Take 2)

Let's try that again shall we?

Basically what I was about to say was that I've been bogged down with work and stuff, so therefore I've been too busy and lazy to post much lately. A planned post about the Calgary Folk fest is still coming... several weeks after the fact. But in the meantime, enjoy some TV theme covers. Better yet, covers of television shows that have been the subject of dubious big screen adaptations recently or in the near future. And let us never prepare drafts in blogger again.


The Blanks - Underdog
Now really, who in the world would be inspired to make or see this movie??? Gee, I can't wait for a live action Snagglepuss, Top Cat, or Yogi Bear movie. Ooh, they could do Tom & Jerry with an actual cat and mouse. And Jason Lee can play a wacky neighbour...

The Blanks are the real-life acapella band of Ted (Sam Lloyd) on Scrubs. They've got a whole CD of television cover songs available at CD Baby. May there never be a Scrubs movie.



Cars Can Be Blue - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
This cover is hilariously bad. Or possibly just plain bad. At the very least, it might bring a smile to your face. "Michelangelo is a party dude....... PARRRRRTAY!!!" I was almost tempted to see the animated remake of this based solely on fond childhood memories. Almost.



DJ Keoki - Speed Racer Theme (Porno mix)
I must admit I've never seen the original cartoon. In the hands of the Wachowski brothers, this film remake could be very, very interesting. Say what you want about the tail-end of the Matrix trilogy, their involvement definitely elevates this project from a write-off to a must-see.



Mute Math - Transformers theme
I was not a fan of this movie. I tried to check my brain at the door, but it was still insulting. Bah! Incidentally, Mute Math will be dropping by in Edmonton next month.



Tito Puente & His Latin Ensemble - The Simpsons Theme
Against all odds, the Simpsons Movie was actually quite funny and consistently throughout. As a fan who stopped watching practically 10 years ago only to sporadically tune in for a mediocre episode once a year, this came as both a surprise and relief. Woohoo!



Agent Orange - Get Smart
The Toasters - Get Smart
They've assembled quite an eclectic cast for this one, yet the director's resumé does little to inspire confidence. Steve Carell is most obvious choice of contemporary actors to fill Don Adams shoes, but that doesn't mean he's not the best choice. Just be thankful we didn't end up with someone like Matthew Broderick... or French Stewart. Anyway, I'll play "wait and see" with this one. And we can probably expect a cover of the theme song for next year's soundtrack, so we'll always have that to look forward to.

Canadian Cover Content #5: Grab Bag

Before I regale you (i.e. bore you to death) with long-winded tales of last weekend, here are some covers by and of Canadian artists. Completely by accident today, I stumbled upon this interview on a NYC-based webzine called PsychoPEDIA talking about (of all things) Edmonton's music scene. Shocking, I know. It was Shout Out Out Out Out (Out?)'s Jason Troock discussing local veggie eateries, the Edmonton mentality, and lying on a rubber beach in the middle of winter. They're probably one of our biggest exports in years, but their name reminds me of that Demetri Martin joke: Bana... Bananana… damn!

In that note, here's a country cover of Canadian childhood icon, Raffi's ubiquitous Bananaphone!
Rhonda Vincent - Bananaphone [originally by Raffi]
This is from the unexpectedly delightful album Country Goes Raffi with various country singers performing Raffi classics. Country music generally causes me to involuntarily twitch, but this... this is okay. Ha, where else can you hear Keith Urban singing Apples and Bananas? Um, that one's not a particular highlight.

The Bad Plus - Tom Sawyer [originally by Rush]
Experimental jazz group The Bad Plus walk a precarious line between a sweet cover and utter chaos. It's not for everyone's tastes and their original compositions can try one's patience, but they have a penchant for cover songs, which is what brought them to my attention in the first place a couple years ago. I find they work better as a cover group since the familiarities of the tune provide an anchor when they veer off into avante-garde territory. In any event, I'm lovin' this Rush cover from their latest release Prog.

Serena Ryder - Good Morning Starshine [originally from the musical Hair (MacDermot/Rado/Ragni)]
I don't know much about Serena Ryder, but her name seems to be cropping up a lot lately and there are long waits at the library to get her CDs. Her second album If Your Memory Serves You Well is mostly a collection of covers of Canadian songwriters plus a few originals. Probably indicative of The Simpsons' massive cultural impact on our generation (as if it wasn't readily apparent in the past couple weeks), when I hear this song I picture a gooby-looking Mr. Burns singing it with Leonard Nimoy, Mulder, Scully, and all of Springfield with Chewbacca going ARRRARARHHRRH in the background. Am I crazy?

Tin Foil Phoenix - Man of Constant Sorrow [originally by Dick Burnett]
This cover by Winnipeg band Tin Foil Phoenix has been getting a fair bit of airplay on our modern rock station here. It's doesn't match the heights of Osaka Popstar's Man of Constant Sorrow, but it's pretty decent.

Great Big Sea - Run Runaway [originally by Slade]
I was walking past when Great Big Sea was playing in Edmonton at our Capital Ex festival and two days later they were the headlining act at the Calgary folk fest. I couldn't help but wonder how they feel playing probably the same 4 or 5 songs from their 1997 Play album every night 'cause that's what the audience expects. I guess this could be said about any band, but it struck me particularly while watching them. Gotta give them credit for playing with an infectious level of enthusiasm all the time.

Captain Tractor - Lord of the Dance [originally by Sydney Carter with excerpts of Slade's Run Runaway]
Super underrated Edmonton band that deserve to have been way bigger than they were. Consistently great songwriting, impressive musicianship, awesome live shows, and the best damn cover of London Calling ever. I'm not biased just because they're local; these guys were great. Technically, I guess they're still around but the shows are sporadic and the line-up's slightly changed (not bad, just different). Bought the Farm is a brilliant album.

That is all for now.

Do the Bartman!

I was very happy to find this cover this weekend:
Shonen Knife - Do the Bartman [originally from the Simpsons; co-written by Michael Jackson]
An all-girl Japanese band covers Bart Simpson. Yes!

Osaka Popstar & The American Legends of Punk - Sailor Moon [originally performed by Nicole and Brynne Price (--thanks Sarah!)]
An all-guy American band returns the favour, covering a Japanese cartoon theme. I stumbled upon this album yesterday at the library, but unfortunately the concept of aging punk stars covering anime themes is more exciting than the output. The American Legends of Punk refers to members of the Misfits, Black Flag, The Voidoids, and The Ramones.

Bart Simpson & Buster Poindexter - School Days [originally by Chuck Berry]
I remember the Simpsons Sing the Blues album was so cool when I was like 7. It's actually fairly listenable.

Hoja - Coney Island Baby [originally by Les Applegate]
You may recognize this as one of the songs Homer's barbershop quartet (The Be-Sharps) performs.

Captain Thorns - Baby on Board/Coney Island Baby
[originally by the Be-Sharps/Les Applegate]
Wow, while checking who originally did Coney Island Baby, I found this guy's site with a full-on cover of the Be-Sharps! Bonus, the man known as Captain Thorns even has a couple Moxy Früvous covers! Check out this cover of The Greatest Man in America.

Steinski's Simpsons Remix
I can't remember exactly where I got this from, but presumably from over at WFMU.