Sound and the Fury: When I Was 17!

Martinex1: Have you ever been nostalgic for the days before stress and responsibilities set in?  Perhaps that is why we always look back at the Bronze Age.  But at what age was it that you were really on the verge of being an accountable adult, coming off the relative ease of youth and jumping feet first into life?  For me that was around age 17.  High school was ending; I'd had a few Summers of work in my past; driving was second nature; and life long friendships were secure. 

Whatever the age that you felt that transition, what were you listening to at that time?  What music, albums, bands, singers were on constant play?  This is the Sound and the Fury after all!  So whether you feel your life changing coming-of-age was at 15,16 17 or 22... what were you listening to?

This has been a rather musical week at BitBA and we have more fun around the corner, but indulge me with your favorite tunes of that important era and what they meant to you. 

Here are some key examples of what I was listening to at the time.   Am I still listening to this music now?  Well that can be some of the discussion we have later today!  So get us started, what were your tunes of transition, and do they hold true to this day?  Cheers!

Sound and the Fury: Covered Songs!

Martinex1:  Some of my favorite songs are covers - tunes that were originally performed by somebody other than who I am listening.  Covering another musician's creations seems like a constant in recording history.

My tastes are varied, and over the years I have liked many examples.   From Herbie Hancock handling The Beatles' Blackbird to The Who performing Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues to the Stranglers playing The Kinks' All Day and All of the Night, I have a fascination with these works and the originals.

Here are some of my current (though decades old) favorites:

1. Wall of Voodoo performing Ring of Fire, the Johnny Cash classic, in a weird stripped-down synthesizer version.
2. Mary's Danish  reimagining Foxey Lady, the quintessential Jimi Hendrix Experience' song.
3. Liz Phair and her band playing The Tra La La Song from The Banana Splits cartoon show.

Those may be a bit out of the mainstream, but take a listen below.   What are your favorite covers?  What do you recommend?  What in your opinion were the best covered songs? Who were the best cover musicians?