The five bloggers below are co-sponsoring a blog event on the first and fifteenth of each month.
Robin (Your Daily Dose)
I decided to tag along, featuring covers of Todd Rundgren songs against the original versions.
I decided to tag along, featuring covers of Todd Rundgren songs against the original versions.
Many of you know that the two album set, Something/Anything? was considered Todd's high-water mark by critics, reaching number 29 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and spawning 4 singles including his signature tune, "Hello It's Me," which went all the way to number 5.
The second single from the album (after "I Saw The Light") was "Couldn't I Just Tell You." This song is considered a major influence on the power-pop music genre, with music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine (All Music Guide) calling it "one of the great songs that provided power pop with its foundation."
Today we're going to listen to Todd's original version compared to a cover by power pop legend Matthew Sweet (teamed up with Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles).
This is the second Rundgren cover by this pair to be featured in BOTB-they also covered "Hello Its's Me."
TODD RUNDGREN-
COULDN'T I JUST TELL YOU
MATTHEW SWEET AND SUSANNA HOFFS-
COULDN'T I JUST TELL YOU
My vote is probably no big surprise-which one will you choose?
Joe Jackson did a good cover of this song, but I could not find it on You Tube.
Anyone who knows how I could put my own sound samples onto a blog post, I'd appreciate the lesson.
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This is a tough choice for me. Partly because neither sounds all that good on this notebook computer I use while traveling.
ReplyDeleteAlso because I'm a big fan of Matthew Sweet and find just about everything he plays to be in keeping with his name. The two arrangements seem to be so similar that the decision to choose between them also is difficult.
Maybe it's my computer, but Todd's version sounded a tad more cacophonious than Matthew's. I'm going with Matthew Sweet and Hoffs on this match.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Lee-
DeleteI have always preferred the way Todd does the song live (more melodic although still loud) to the album version, so it is hard to fault your choice.
Plus Hoffs is just so darn CUTE!
I think I've only voted against Todd once in your BATTLES and in this one I have to give it to him also. Still the king of his own music. I found that woman's voice in the second version ,kind of irritating.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to computer tutorials, trust me when I say, I'm the last person you ever want to ask.
Not a Bangles fan, I take it-Hoffs sand on quite a few of their hits!
DeleteWell, the cover version just isn't all that different from the original. And I don't care for Susanna Hoffs' voice. So... give my vote to yer boy, friend.
ReplyDelete~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
As long as it's a vote to "my boy, friend" and not "my boyfriend."
DeleteNot that there's anything wrong with that!
I'll go with Todd again. The Hoffs/Sweet version didn't really add anything outside the somewhat raspy vocal.
ReplyDeleteCW-
DeleteThis is one I can see going either way. I do wonder why Hoffs and Sweet spent so much time on covers albums rather than writing new material...
I don't think the cover added anything at all -- it didn't try to do anything but cover the song the way Todd did. And Todd did it too well.
ReplyDeleteSo another vote for Todd.
And by the way -- this is the second BOTB that I'm taking part of on my blog. I'm going to be a regular. Could I get a plug in your list of BOTB blogs? I've got a link to your BOTB on mine. Thanks! ;)
Chris Fries
"The Creative Outlet of StratPlayer"
StratPlayerCJF.blogspot.com
I hated them both. Just kidding--I liked them both. But, as everyone said, they're not that different.
ReplyDeleteHere is the thing that I believe about covers... if you can't figure out a way to do it better (as in different) from the Original, what is the point??? And this cover is so much like the Original that they sound TOO similar. Granted, Hoffs is a female with Sweet chiming in (and that is different), but the arrangement really is pretty much the same. That said, I prefer Todd's version to the cover.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad to hear I'm not the only one who didn't care for Susanna's voice. I couldn't stand it. Very grating to me. And as the others mentioned, the cover doesn't really add anything.
ReplyDeleteTodd by a mile.