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TOP TEN BIG COUNTRY COVER VERSIONS


17 July 2015
1:40:58




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Hosted by Svein and special guest co-host CJ Wade.

  • Introducing co-host CJ Wade.
  • Recent BC news: Derek Forbes leaving the band. We reminisce a bit about Derek, and talk about new bass player Scott Whitley.
  • The topic of cover versions – do we like it when bands to it? Should they do more or less of them? Carbon copies or reconstructs?
  • CJ’s #10: I’m Eighteen (Alice Cooper). The love of the original gave it the edge.
  • Svein’s #10: On the Road Again (Canned Heat). A groovy blues-rock boogie with Tony in falsetto mode.
  • CJ’s #9: Black-Skinned Blue Eyed Boys (Eddie Grant and the Eagles). A bit less funky than the original, but very uptempo and rocked up. One of their earliest covers.
  • Svein’s #9: Eleanor Rigby (the Beatles). A great re-arrangement of the song, with very interesting guitar work.
  • CJ’s #8: Rockin’ In the Free World (Neil Young). A great song, and a modern-day classic, but oversaturated. A lot of people have covered it.
  • Svein’s #8: Vicious (Lou Reed). A good copy of the original.
  • CJ’s #7: Found Out About You (Gin Blossoms). A melancholic song with great harmonies that fits BC very well.

Found Out About You” – live in Rotown, Rotterdam, the Netherlands – 28 August 1995.

  • Svein’s #7: Woodstock (Joni Mitchell). A cover based on Joni Mitchell’s version rather than the more known CSNY version, with a touching vocal from Stuart.
  • CJ’s #6: Hey Hey My My (Into the Black) (Neil Young and Crazy Horse). A dramatic song, which we have a great live version from the Voodoo Lounge DVD.
  • Svein’s #6: Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac). A kick-ass blast of guitars that they play well.
  • CJ’s #5: Sling It (Cockney Rebels). One where the original is a bit weak, but BC improved it. Allegedly.
  • Svein’s #5: Found Out About You (Gin Blossoms). Our first overlap.
  • CJ’s #4: Eleanor Rigby (the Beatles). Our second overlap.
  • Svein’s #4: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (the Band). An interesting piece of storytelling along with a rousing arrangement.
  • CJ’s #3: Prairie Rose (Roxy Music). A drastic reworking that resulted in a much-loved cover version. It sounds like a Big Country song, and it sounds like it belongs on Steeltown.
  • Svein’s #3: Daydream Believer (the Monkees). Possibly one of their least orthodox cover picks, but it ends up being a very sweet and heartwarming version.

Daydream Believer” – live on TV show “Good Morning Summertime” on BBC1 – 23 April 1995.

  • CJ’s #2: Paranoid (Black Sabbath). A cleaner version with a frantic pace and crisp vocals.
  • Svein’s #2: Hey Hey My My (Into the Black) (Neil Young and Crazy Horse). Our third overlap. After having played it live for most of the 90s, BC finally recorded it for their Undercover album, released in 2001.
  • CJ’s #1: Don’t Fear the Reaper (Blue Öyster Cult). When the original is a huge favourite, and BC do a great job, it’s going to be a classic either way. BC’s version might be more melancholic and somewhat heavier.
  • Svein’s #1: Prairie Rose (Roxy Music). Our fourth and final overlap. One of Big Country’s best performances irrespective of it being a cover or not. It sounds like it comes from Steeltown. An inspired re-interpretation.
  • We reverse the angle and discuss cover versions of Big Country songs done by other artists. We mention and play snippets from Ha Ha Tonka, Carol Laula with Kirsten Adamson, and Blackwater.
  • CJ talks about the experience of compiling a list, and summarize her podcast experience.
  • The big 5-0 is next…