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About This Author
I am SoCalScribe. This is my InkSpot.
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Blogocentric Formulations
Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
 "The Soundtrackers Group" 
"Blogging Circle of Friends "
"Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"
"JAFBG"
"Take up Your Cross"
Thanks for stopping by! 
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October 31, 2015 at 12:24pm October 31, 2015 at 12:24pm
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "Straight Outta Compton"
Original: N.W.A.
Cover: Nina Gordon
Since I did a New York/East Coast song yesterday, it's only fitting that I end this challenge with a cover from my side of the country. There are few artists more distinctly Los Angeles/West Coast than N.W.A. and this song regained a lot of popularity thanks to the recent biopic of the same name. Originally released in 1988 as part of N.W.A.'s album of the same name, "Straight Outta Compton" has been voted VH1's #6 Greatest Hip Hop Song of all time. When the movie came out this year, the song actually debuted at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the highest debut on the chart that week and N.W.A.'s first Top 40 hit thanks in large part to their being banned from many radio stations during the height of their career. They might be one of the only groups to have their biggest hit 27 years after it's initial release and 24 years after the group originally disbanded. 
Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt fame was performing at Largo in Los Angeles during the recording of her second solo album and developed a reputation for some pretty entertaining covers of popular songs, including those by Phil Collins, the Backstreet Boys, and Skid Row. This cover of N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" became a bit of an internet sensation for her. I love her voice on this track and it's kind of a stark contract to hear such harsh language by such a soft, slow song. But I suppose that's what makes it so innovative and unique-sounding.
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October 31, 2015 at 3:31am October 31, 2015 at 3:31am
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "No Sleep till Brooklyn"
Original: Beastie Boys
Cover: Jay-Z
Might as well keep the Jay-Z rolling today by talking a little about his cover of "No Sleep till Brooklyn." I grew up listening to the Beastie Boys and even though they haven't been around for a few years now, they'll always have a special place in my heart. It's not too often you find bands who completely invent their own sound and the Beastie Boys' rap/rock style completely blew my mind when I first started listening to them.
You won't find this cover on any album (I don't think), because Jay-Z actually did the cover during a performance at the 2009 All Points West Music & Arts Festival. The Beastie Boys were originally slated to headline but had to pull out due his then-recent cancer diagnosis, so Jay-Z was tapped to take their place. Rather than do a set comprised entirely of his own songs, Jay-Z decided to cover this Beastie Boys song out of respect. I think he did a great job on the cover and further proved that 2004's Collision Course collaborative album with Linkin Park wasn't a fluke; the man knows how to effectively marry rock beats and rap lyrics.
Fun fact: The Beastie Boys changed the lyrics to this song slightly over the years, in an effort to change the immature attitude toward women that was demonstrated in the original. For example, the line "MCA's in the back he's skeezin' with a whore" was changed to "MCA's in the back with the mahjong board." And the line "Autographed pictures and classy hoes" was altered to "Autographed pictures to nobody knows."
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October 30, 2015 at 2:30am October 30, 2015 at 2:30am
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "Wonderwall"
Original: Oasis
Cover: Ryan Adams
I'm super excited to have found this cover because there are a couple of really cool factoids involved, and you all know I love factoids.
I should preface this by saying that I pretty much hate Oasis. I don't particularly like their music, and the fact that their entire career was rife with internal conflict, massive egos, suing each other over the rights to their songs, and claims that they were going to be bigger than the Beatles (although New York Times writer Neil Strauss certainly didn't help when he basically echoed the sentiment in a 1996 article) certainly didn't help me like them any more. Still, they had incredible popularity and (Factoid #1) many of popular artists cite them as a major influence, including: The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, The Strokes, Maroon 5, and Keane. So I guess they can't be all bad?
Anyway, the thing that I think is really cool about this Ryan Adams cover (Factoid #2) is that Noel Gallagher was apparently so impressed with Ryan Adams' rendition of his song, that he actually used to sing the Ryan Adams version of his own song while he was touring. I don't think I've heard of many instances where the original artist liked a cover so much that they performed someone else's version of their own song!
And finally, here are two last parting details.
Factoid #3: The song is one of the most covered recordings in history and had immense popularity with cover artists immediately. Mike Flowers Pops actually put out their own version a mere two months after Oasis put out the original, and it was remarkably similar in its level of success, which led many to asking Oasis why they chose to cover Mike Flowers Pops' song. 
Factoid #4: Noel Gallagher, ever the congenial gentleman, criticized Jay-Z for agreeing to perform at the 2008 Glastonbury Festival which, although technically open to all contemporary performing arts, is usually rather rock-centric. In response, Jay-Z encouraged the crowd to sing "Wonderwall" after his song "Jockin' Jay-Z," which in turn led Noel to liken Jay-Z's razzing to "the behavior of an eight-year-old girl." In what might be the biggest jab of all, though, after Oasis broke up and Jay-Z's success increased exponentially, he mentioned that he would consider working with Noel's brother Liam, who Noel viewed as an enemy and the reason he left the band. 
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October 30, 2015 at 2:04am October 30, 2015 at 2:04am
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "Burning Love"
Original: Arthur Alexander
Cover: Wynona Judd
I was surprised to find that this wasn't an Elvis Presley original song. But Arthur Alexander is dead too, so I think it still meets the activity requirements.  Arthur Alexander originally included this on his self-titled album in 1972, but was covered and released by Elvis Presley later that year. Elvis' version shot to the top of the charts and actually became his most successful U.S. single since "Suspicious Minds" in 1969. It also happened to be his last Top 10 hit on the American Hot 100 and pop charts. The song never made it to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, reaching as high as #2 but being held off from the top spot by Chuck Berry's "My Ding-A-Ling." 
There's no question Elvis' rendition of the song is a classic and I suppose would have qualified as an entry on its own, but I chose Wynonna Judd's cover from the 2002 movie Lilo & Stitch for two reasons.
First, Lilo & Stitch is an awesome movie and the Elvis-heavy soundtrack is perfect for it. Most of the Elvis songs on the soundtrack are Elvis originals, except this one and the A*Teens' (remember them? anyone? anyone at all besides me? ) cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love."
Secondly, Wynonna was one of the first artists I remember listening to growing up. My parents are big fans of The Judds (well, as much as they can be considered "fans" of anyone... it's not like they make an effort to go to concerts or anything), but the mother-daughter duo was just a little before my time (initially performing in 1983-1991). Wynonna's solo career took off shortly after that in 1992, and that was right around the time I was seriously addicted to my Columbia House subscription (oh man, this entry is making me feel so, so old...  ), which was my first real foray into choosing my own music and listening to more than just the albums my parents had around the house.
So even though Wynonna isn't really in my preferred musical genres anymore, I'll always remember getting her self-titled 1992 album cassette in the mail (oh God, I need to stop! ) and listening to it over and over again. Iconic song + childhood artist + great movie = a serious must-include in my book... or blog, as the case may be!
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October 29, 2015 at 5:51pm October 29, 2015 at 5:51pm
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "Smooth Criminal"
Original: Michael Jackson
Cover: Alien Ant Farm
It wouldn't be a WDC Soundtrackers activity if I didn't include a little MJ... and it's not every day that someone covering such a musical icon comes up with a version that even holds a candle to the original. But Alien Ant Farm came about as close as anyone could by recording a cover that is distinctly their own but still faithful to the original. And if you check out the video below, you can see their respect for Michael Jackson's accomplishments thanks to the incredible number of homages and references to Michael Jackson and his work in their own music video.
"Smooth Criminal" is one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs. The seventh single from his 1987 album Bad, this was supposed to be the original title of the album, but producer Quincy Jones didn't like it and they opted for Bad instead. This song pioneered a lot of things, including Michael Jackson's now famous "anti-gravity lean" which involves some very complicated rigging to pull off. There have been a couple other good covers of this song, including Naya Rivera and Grant Gustin singing it on Glee, and the 2Cellos guys recording the track being played entirely with, well, two cellos, which became an internet sensation in 2011.
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October 29, 2015 at 5:33pm October 29, 2015 at 5:33pm
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "Lean on Me"
Original: Bill Withers
Cover: Club Nouveau
You might not think it's possible to improve on a Bill Withers song that Rolling Stone lists as the 205th greatest song ever, but the cool thing about this particular song is that it has so much potential to be interpreted by different musical tastes and styles. Over the years it's been covered by an incredibly diverse set of artists including Mary J. Blige, DC Talk, Paul Abdul and The Muppets, Al Jarreau, Michael Bolton, Bonnie Tyler, Anne Murray, and Garth Brooks. Heck, it was even the subject of a couple crossovers including Avril Lavigne and Heart performing it together at a charity event, and an episode of The Colbert Report where the unlikely trio of Stephen Colbert, Brian Eno, and Michael Stipe covered the song.
The cover of this song I really love though is from the former group Club Nouveau, a Sacramento-based pop/new jack swing group that added a little bit of funk and harmonization to the already catchy instrumentation and lyrics of the song. This version of the song actually won Club Nouveau a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1987.
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October 29, 2015 at 5:11pm October 29, 2015 at 5:11pm
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "Last Kiss"
Original: Wayne Cochran
Cover: Pearl Jam
For me, this is one of Pearl Jam's best songs. I'm not a huge fan of the band overall, but they did a fantastic job with this cover. It was originally recorded by Wayne Cochran in 1961... and then again by Wayne Cochran in 1963 after the record failed to perform and he switched labels. But he could never find the success with it that other later bands would, including J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, and Pearl Jam. The latter recorded it for the 1999 charity album No Boundaries: A Benefit for Kosovar Refugees and it was such a hit that the recording alone raised over $10 million for the refugee effort, and eventually appeared in their 2003 album Lost Dogs which featured a collection of rare songs.
I love songs that have a story to them, especially when they're emotionally charged like this one.
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October 29, 2015 at 5:01pm October 29, 2015 at 5:01pm
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
Original: The Eurythmics
Cover: Marilyn Manson
If I could give an award for the most disturbing rendition of an 80s song, this Marilyn Manson cover would be it. They/he managed to turn a relatively upbeat techno/pop hit into a haunting, disturbing version that's played on pretty much every movie and television soundtrack when the producers want you to realize how creepy the serial killer/psychopath character is.
Originally performed by Annie Lennox during her time with the Eurythmics, it was a Top 2 hit in both the United States and the UK. It was the band's biggest hit and performed at nearly every one of the Eurythmics' live events, as well as the appearances Annie Lennox made as a solo artist. The Marilyn Manson cover enjoyed a great deal of success too, as the song and video helped launch the band through repeated requests and airings on MTV... you know, back when the channel actually aired Music Television.
Fun Fact: This isn't Marilyn Manson's only cover of a hit song. They also did a cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You," but their record label didn't want to release either as a single. (Both would eventually be released on the band's 1995 album Smells Like Children). My second favorite cover by Marilyn Manson is this one of Tainted Love.
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October 28, 2015 at 10:14pm October 28, 2015 at 10:14pm
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "Don't Leave Me This Way"
Original: Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Cover: Thelma Houston
As much as I enjoy the Communards' cover of this song, I had to go with the Thelma Houston disco classic. This is another one that I didn't know was a cover (full disclosure: I didn't even know who Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were until I started researching this song), but I've been familiar with Thelma Houston's more recognizable version for a long time.
I'm not a huge fan of disco (like, at all), but there are a handful of songs that I can't help but enjoy and this is one of them. It seems that I'm not alone in that either; it ranked #86 on VH1's "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders" and #2 on their "100 Greatest Dance Songs." At 69 years old, Thelma Houston is still out there performing and while she never had another hit quite as big as this one, I think a musician can do a lot worse than a single iconic song that helped define an entire musical era.
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October 28, 2015 at 8:55pm October 28, 2015 at 8:55pm
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** Image ID #2009874 Unavailable **
Song: "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
Original: Arrows
Cover: Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
I love popular songs that everyone assumes are originals and turn out to be covers. For years and years I assumed that Joan Jett's classic "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" was an original hit... but it turns out that this song was pioneered by Arrows, a British band who had 30 hit singles on the UK charts in their brief four-year existence, but no real presence in the United States. It seems that politics and mismanagement might have had something to do with it, though... Arrows is also notable for being the only band to be the focus of two television series over two consecutive years, and to have not released any new material during that time.
Joan Jett originally heard this song while on tour with the Runaways, and knew a hit when she heard it.
Fun fact: I've always told people that if I ever do karaoke (which will never happen), this would be one of the songs that I sing. I love the beat, the energy, and the lyrics. It's a perfect karaoke song.
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