Some Covers For Friday Part III

Hey, it’s Friday, it’s been a good week, and I’m in the mood for sharing so here are some fantastic covers for you all.

First up, I heard Camera Obscura doing this live earlier this year, and it blew me away. They really DO make this their own song.

Camera Obscura -‘Super Trooper (Abba cover).’ mp3

Electric Light Orchestra are one of those bands that seem to be considered beyond naff, and yet…there’s something quite nice about their songs in small doses. Or in this case, in the hands of the much-missed Delgados (RIP).

The Delgados -‘Mr. Blue Sky (ELO cover).’ mp3

I know very little about this cover, exvcept that The archies were a TV show before I was born, and this was no.1 back in about 1969 -but it’s kinda cool, and I’d love to know where I can hear Mary Lou Lord’s cover of the Bevis Frond’s Lights Are Changing, too.

Mary Lou Lord -‘Sugar Sugar [from the Archies].’ mp3

You get to hear a lot of music when you write a blog. You also get the chance to hear a lot of stuff that you’ve been searching for for ages. These two songs were things I had put out pleas for-and ended up in my inbox extremely quickly. Thanks. These were originally recorded for an album for Northern Ireland called ‘Peace Together’ when the province was a lot more troubled. I love the Peter Gabriel original and also really like Pop Will Eat Itself’s take on it (Gabriel’s stuff with Genesis was mince though). While I quite like a lot of the Police’s stuff (though their solo stuff leaves much to be desired in a certain case, Mr. Sumner) I was never a big fan of this song, until I heard Therapy? do it.

Pop Will Eat Itself -‘Games Without Frontiers (Peter Gabriel cover).’ mp3

Therapy? -‘Invisible Sun (The Police cover).’ mp3

There are some great Arcade Fire covers dowing the rounds, I posted their version of Guns Of Brixton earlier this year. This is their take on Bowie’s Five Years.

Arcade Fire -‘Five Years (David Bowie cover).’ mp3

Morrissey was quite passionate about many bands over the years, and famously covered Suede’s early b-side ‘My Insatiable One’ (again, if you know where I can get hold of this, please get in touch) before most people had even heard of Suede. He also bigged up James years before they broke big (although it’s long been rumoured that ‘We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful’ was a dig at them). This song -the b-sde to his ‘Pregnant For The Last Time’ single -was a cover of a Bradford song.

Morrissey -‘Skin Storm (Bradford cover).’ mp3

Speaking of seeking out covers…I’d made a plea for this earlier this week and got this, plus another Tori cover into the bargain..

Tori Amos -‘Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana cover).’ mp3

Tori Amos -‘Happpiness Is A Warm Gun (The Beatles cover).’ mp3

Finally. This song (and if I really, really need to spell it out it’s ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’) is possibly my very favourite cover version ever. I’ve no idea what Morrissey -or indeed any of The Smiths think of it – but it’s fab in my eyes (or should that be ears?)

Schneider TM -‘The Light 3000.’ mp3

As always, if you like what you hear, please go and seek it out (it should go without saying that I do not hold the copyright and these are here for sampling only) by supporting the artists involved, preferably through your local record shop!

Keep Scotland Clean


Clean George IV are a scottish band that, I must be honest, I don’t know a huge amount about.

However, they have so far issued one very good single, entitled ‘First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment Of Women.’ This is not enocuraging wind instrument related misogyny, but is the title of John Knox’s infamous pamphlet about women. As to the b-side, I don’t know when the great Highland Crack epidemic was, though Scotland has had its problems with drugs like most countries in the majority and minority worlds.

This is their first single, available on 7″ from HMV, and other stores (mine came from Fopp) and when you buy it, you also get to download the tracks for free (if only more bands did this, for those of us who like to have a physical product and like that to be vinyl. As well as owning iPods and not being able to afford USB turntables.)

Clean George IV -‘First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment of Woman.’ mp3

Clean George IV -‘The Great Highland Crack Epidemic.’ mp3

Remember, if you like it go and buy it, and go and make friends with them at their mySpace page

And here’s a few more mp3s of Scottish bands that I thought I would post. Enjoy!

The Delgados -‘No Danger (Kids Choir Edit).’ mp3

Teenage Fanclub -‘Everything Flows.’ mp3

The View -‘Wasted Little DJs.’ mp3

The View -‘Superstar Tradesman.’ mp3

NB. These will be up for a week only. If you like them, BUY THEM.

Links removed April 18.

Six of One and a Dozen Of The Other


Well, the Jock’N’Roll albums poll may not have posted any results…yet – but I figured that you can never have too many reminders.

So here are six great Scottish bands, with two mp3s apiece. Enjoy!

Aereogramme – ‘Zionist Timing.’ mp3

Aereogramme -‘Wood.’ mp3

Arab Strap – ‘Cherubs.’ mp3

Arab Strap – ‘The Love Detective.’ mp3

Ballboy -‘Sex Is Boring (John Peel Session 21/3/00).’ mp3

Ballboy – ‘Sex Is Boring (John Peel Session 21/3/00).’ mp3

Delgados -‘American Trilogy.’ mp3

Delgados -‘Sink Or Swim.’ mp3

Sons and Daughters – ‘Johnny Cash.’ mp3

Sons and Daughters – ‘Dance me In.’ mp3

Teenage Fanclub – ‘What You Do To me.’ mp3

Teenage Fanclub – ‘It’s All In My Mind.’ mp3

As always, if you like what you hear, go and support the bands by checking out their MySpace sites and becoming their friends, buying the music from iTunes or Amazon or your local independent shop, seeing them in concert, and of course, voting for scottish acts at Jock’n’Roll

Hope you had a good Easter, Ed

Not Jackson but Emma


Oh, couldn’t think of anything witty to call today’s post. But, those of you who have read this blog regularly will know that I am a big fan of the Delgados, the seminal scottish band who for a decade from the mid-90s to the mid ’00s delighted us with some of the best music ever, and on top of that, helped launch the careers of Mogwai, Arab Strap, Bis, Mother and the addicts, Aereogramme, Sluts Of Trust, and more recently, De Rosa and Sister Vanilla through the record label they set up, Chemikal Underground. They are my favourite scottish band of all time, yup, even above Orange Juice, Belle and Sebastian, Aberfeldy and Sons and Daughters.

Alas, all good things come to an end, and the Delgados called it a day in 2005. However, Emma Pollock has signed to 4ad as a solo artist. Her myspace site has a demo of a song called Fortune. The album is ready and has apparently has a sleeve done by Vaughan Oliver who used to do the sleeves for Cocteau Twins in the 80s when they were on 4ad. I cannot wait…

Drop by the myspace site and also her official site where if you sign up for the mailing list, you get an mp3 sent to you.

Oh, and go and buy The Delgados back catalogue. Every bit of it. I recommend The Great Eastern above all, which is my favourite scottish album of all time.

To see Delgados videos, click on the links below:

‘Coming In From The Cold’

‘Everything Goes Around The Water’

‘American Trilogy’