Covered in Vitamins
I've long been fascinated/repulsed by the weird little cottage industry built by Vitamin Records. They're the folks who put out those cheapie instrumental tributes to just about every popular musician you can think of. I recently heard their Iron Maiden string quartet album, and like Apocalyptica's reading of Metallica, some of it's okay. A good song is a good song, but sometimes delivery really counts. "Run To the Hills" does not really work as a neoclassical piece because it's dependent on the vocals; "Sad But True" doesn't work because it's a boring, monotonous song in the first place.
Sure, your favorite classic rockers are probably represented in Vitamin's efforts, but there's a lot of weird stuff in their catalogue. Some are obviously made with overseas markets in mind, or Brit-loved acts like Muse, Jet, Snow Patrol or Dido probably wouldn't warrant the treatment. A handful of the orchestral tributes could be really interesting if done well: Sonic Youth, Massive Attack, Slayer, The Smiths, Björk, Jeff Buckley, Jane's Addiction, The Roots and - my favorite - an entire, in-order rerecording of The Mars Volta's "De-Loused In the Comatorium." Less populous but no less bizarre are Vitamin's tributes in other styles such as swing, lounge or electronic. Reputable jazz musicians taking on Beck, "indie rock" Usher covers, Michael Jackson doing the jitterbug and bachelor-pad OutKast all seem intriguing, although somehow Vitamin's attempt to present non-Beatles Lennon/McCartney compostions as if the Fab Four recorded them has actually been done already.
Naturally, most of the choices seem hilariously wrong, including Jessica Simpson, Mudvayne, Simple Plan, 2Pac, or Clay Aiken. Why does someone need a mellower version of Yanni songs? Or dub treatments of Linkin Park's treacle? Jesus God, a piano tribute to Korn??? True, I personally dislike all of the tributees previously named in this paragraph, but my reaction isn't just the music snob in me talking. Some things just can't translate well. From a headbanger's standpoint, while Morbid Angel's dissonant lurchfests might work well, Lamb of God's slash-and-thrash attack would certainly not. No matter how much trauma my last live encounter with the band has come to signify, deep down I enjoy the Pixies. Yet I shudder to imagine how lame their Vitamin string quartet tribute sounds.
On the other hand, I have a pretty low tolerance for No Doubt, but I'd listen to an instrumental surf rock band covering them. The orchestra-lite treatment might make Atreyu somewhat heavier, or Dashboard Confessional even more overbearingly maudlin. Black Sabbath done lounge-style might be okay as long if only there were no vocals - I've already heard Pat Boone and Richard Cheese, thank you. All I know is, no one has any business paying tribute to Yellowcard, Jennifer Lopez or Disturbed. No one.
And now for a classic cover: Voivod doing Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine" - R.I.P. Piggy.
Sure, your favorite classic rockers are probably represented in Vitamin's efforts, but there's a lot of weird stuff in their catalogue. Some are obviously made with overseas markets in mind, or Brit-loved acts like Muse, Jet, Snow Patrol or Dido probably wouldn't warrant the treatment. A handful of the orchestral tributes could be really interesting if done well: Sonic Youth, Massive Attack, Slayer, The Smiths, Björk, Jeff Buckley, Jane's Addiction, The Roots and - my favorite - an entire, in-order rerecording of The Mars Volta's "De-Loused In the Comatorium." Less populous but no less bizarre are Vitamin's tributes in other styles such as swing, lounge or electronic. Reputable jazz musicians taking on Beck, "indie rock" Usher covers, Michael Jackson doing the jitterbug and bachelor-pad OutKast all seem intriguing, although somehow Vitamin's attempt to present non-Beatles Lennon/McCartney compostions as if the Fab Four recorded them has actually been done already.
Naturally, most of the choices seem hilariously wrong, including Jessica Simpson, Mudvayne, Simple Plan, 2Pac, or Clay Aiken. Why does someone need a mellower version of Yanni songs? Or dub treatments of Linkin Park's treacle? Jesus God, a piano tribute to Korn??? True, I personally dislike all of the tributees previously named in this paragraph, but my reaction isn't just the music snob in me talking. Some things just can't translate well. From a headbanger's standpoint, while Morbid Angel's dissonant lurchfests might work well, Lamb of God's slash-and-thrash attack would certainly not. No matter how much trauma my last live encounter with the band has come to signify, deep down I enjoy the Pixies. Yet I shudder to imagine how lame their Vitamin string quartet tribute sounds.
On the other hand, I have a pretty low tolerance for No Doubt, but I'd listen to an instrumental surf rock band covering them. The orchestra-lite treatment might make Atreyu somewhat heavier, or Dashboard Confessional even more overbearingly maudlin. Black Sabbath done lounge-style might be okay as long if only there were no vocals - I've already heard Pat Boone and Richard Cheese, thank you. All I know is, no one has any business paying tribute to Yellowcard, Jennifer Lopez or Disturbed. No one.
And now for a classic cover: Voivod doing Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine" - R.I.P. Piggy.
posted by SoulReaper at 8:22 AM
2 Comments:
God, I could spend days with this stuff. Sometimes there's a need I want lounge covers of the 50 Cent and Steely Dan that must be filled.
Pat Boone, In A Metal Mood.
Los Straightjackets doing a cover of that Celine Dion song from Titanic.
-paul
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