Inspired by last night's jazz performance, I vow to learn to play the key-tar. Good call on the resto, Marc and, um, nice legs. Music at the Rivoli was fantastic as usual....some followup notes:

The song I was trying to identify and incorrectly pegged as a Goo Goo Dolls song is 'Shimmer' by Fuel ("She calls me from the cold/ Just when I was low/feeling short of stable....chorus: too far away for me to hold/too far away"). Also, for those who give a crap, the band whose name I recalled as having the word 'Poppies' in it was actually 'The Lilac Time', who were around in the late 80s, early 90s and fronted by Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy who had a bigger solo hit in the mid-80s with 'Kiss Me' ("...with your mouth/your love is better than wine..."). Oh, and they never did a version of 'Love Vigilantes' by New Order. The correct answer there was: Radiogram.

The compilation series I was thinking of was titled, Indie Top 20, an example of which can be seen here. The discs I had are listed here and here but there are sadly no photos of the covers, which were cool.

PS ....Kyle I am with you on the Junkies.....though i also love the original....

Ok I admit it.....Vanilla Fudge you keep me hanging on .....I really love it....I think it is the most baroque of all 60's tunes, but somehow it really works, great call Brian.. Also the red house painters , much better then the original, Kozalik also does a cover of John Denvers - Im sorry -which is also pretty good to0....but I may be leaving myself exposed to ridicule on this...

OK last one. For now. The Pretenders "Stop Your Sobbing". Love the Kinks but this is somehow better.

And early nominee for worst cover ever, thinking ahead now - how about Vanilla Fudge's incredibly pretentious and ponderous cover of "You Keep Me Hanging On"? Strangely I quite like it but I'm sure to be in the minority. If that one really works for you they also tackle "Eleanor Rigby", "She's Not There", and "Ticket to Ride" on the same record (their eponymous first from 1967 or so). Over 25 minutes of downer-inspired trippy sludge for those four songs alone. Available in delete bins across the city.

Great choices. I meant to put the Cash one down but forgot - it's unbelievable. Another fantastic one (perhaps my favourite of all) is Red House Painter's "All Mixed Up". Goygeous.

The Hendrix is amazing, but in fairness was on the list. Black Magic Woman and I Fought the Law are primo...so are your other choices (Little Help...fer sure). The only one I would argue is the CCR - give me the Marvin Gaye version.

Cool picks, both of you. Particularly like 'I Fought the Law','Hurt', and 'Superman'. And good for calling out KD's version of 'Hallelujah' for derision. CBC djs seem to love this recording, out of a misguided loyalty to all things kd, but it completely sucks. And other than Joe Cocker's 'With a Little Help...' surely there cannot be another Beatles song that is done better by another artist? And no tongue-in cheek references to 'Lucy in the Sky' by Captain Kirk.

I also prefer your version of 'Ricki...' Bri. My friend Daniel sang in a band in the late 90s and I enjoyed his version of 'Better Man' by Pearl Jam far better than the original, mostly because his version sounded grittier whereas Eddie V. always seemed lacadaisical on that one.

To the list of better than the original, I'd add Mehldau's cover of Everything in its right place', Coltrane's 'My Favourite Things' (take that Julie Andrews) the Pogues' 'Dirty Old Town', 'Alabama Song' by the Doors (more of a Kurt Veil standard so not sure if this counts), Jimi's version of the Leaves 'Hey Joe', 'Don't Leave Me this Way', the Communards, 'Step On' by Happy Mondays, 'Sweet Jane' by the Cowboy Junkies (sense a fight about to break out), 'Tainted Love' by Soft Cell....can't come up with anymore.

Some covers which come close by can't quite top the original include Nouvelle Vague's version of Depeche Mode's 'Just Can't Get Enough', Yo La Tengo's take on William DeVaughn's 'Be Thankful for What You've Got', and Siouxsie's version of 'Dear Prudence' (I said close).

Worst covers ever go to :
-Van Halen's cover of the Kinks' 'You Really Got Me', which takes a song that is brilliant in its original delivery and adds a series of annoying guitar solos and grunts
-Gun's and Roses 'Knocking on Heaven's Door', like most songs sung by Axel Rose, make me want to bash his head in with a rock, if only to shut him up
-Orgy's cover of New Order's 'Blue Monday', which does nothing to distinguish itself from the original--why both?
-Mick Jagger and David Bowie covering 'Dancing in the Streets', the video for which premiered at Live Aid in 1985 and was supposed to help raise $$ for the cause. Don't remember it? I envy you.
-No Doubt's butchery of 'It's My Life' by Talk Talk

See ya'll tomorrow night.

I am with you on Hey Jude Brian, and most of your choices, and I always thought Time is on my side was a stones original...shocking... i dont like their choices at all ( of course) for me
there are 2 songs that tie for first for me
1) All along the watchtower - Dylan says he feels he is doing a hendrix cover when he plays it...and Hurt - Johnny Cash version....actually brings tears to my eyes , but i always was a wuss...
then in no particular order are
- Black magic woman -Santana
-heard it thru the grapevine -CCR
-me and Bobby McGee- janice
-I fought the law - the clash
-Wonderwall- Ryan Adams ( you should check this out)
- With a little help from my friends - Joe Cocker
-Halleluhjah- jeff Buckley ( definately not the kd lang version)

Thanks - fun article and they hit on some really good ones, though I take exception to ANYone's version of Hey Jude (I know the much ballyhooed Wilson Pickett version but not Elvis', which simply cannot be better than the Beatles', I'm sorry, which to my ears is still truly extraordinary).

Having spent a lunch discussing it, though I would have benefited from having one or more of you there to spur on the convo, I would add a few (interestingly in each case the original is a fine performance as well).....like The Byrds' Mr. Tambourine Man, REM's Superman, possibly Manfred Mann's Blinded by the Light, possibly the Pixies' Winterlong, possibly Egolillys' Ricki Don't Lose That Number (OK, OK), Blondie's Hanging on the Telephone, The Beatles Twist and Shout, The Stones Time is on my Side (haven't heard the original by Irma Thomas, but am hoping/trusting it's not as good); and Nina Simone's To Love Somebody.

And Stu, I was hoping to join you for a a bite tomorrow but V has a doctor's appointment at the end of the day so I am on kiddy pick up etc. See y'all at The Rex at 8:30 or so.

Don't think that I linked to the avclub article before....here it is.

Hey Kyle, like the list-making exercise re covers, and spent most of my lunch at McV's today coming up with possibilities. Can't link into your list though...can you re-attach?

the 'new deluxe' editions are great for people who give a shit about these types of things, which i believe represents a very small percentage of music consumers. all i really care about is the music; the prospect of being able to watch a tiny music video in a windows media player on my computer holds no appeal at all. i'm guessing that most artists are out of the loop on this extra pitch by the record labels, so i wouldn't take it out on them. in the case of the remixes, 90% of which are either complete crap or are designed soley for the dancefloor and don't make for great listening when one is not shaking one's booty, most are still available for download somewhere so again, no great incentive to shell out for a disc that contains them. needless to say, i avoid these like i'd avoid a deluxe edition of, say, the bible.

now if disc had higher-quality file formats....okay, i'll spare you this discussion, of which i'm not particularly all that fond either.

will probably just meet you all at the rex at 8:30 but will email you, stu, if my plans change and i can make it for a pre-jazz meal fix.

now for a more interesting discussion thread, an avclub list of cover songs that are better than the original. to this list, i'd have to add Travis' live version of Britney's 'One More Time' and perhaps the Pixies cover of Jesus and Mary Chain's 'Head On'. Any other glaring examples that i'm overlooking or problems with the onion's list?

I dont know, maybe Im just having a bad day, but this new "deluxe edition" version of Becks latest (the information) with remixes and videos and all the bull... annoys the hell out of me. ..
Feist has done this recently amongst others, and it stikes me as a) disengenious on the part of the record companies because most people are downloading a lot of their music and would likely only be interested in a few items of the disc, thus I cant see this sort of thing being a real monymaker and
b) a trend towards artists (albeit maybe thru the record companies) milking every release for the minor extra profit I suspect they get , while alienating the fan base....That feist remix album had that effect on me...

as I say maybe Im just having a bad day....

I like that Dean Wareham, Britta Phillips disc too....quite a range of songs even though they are all pretty quiet..
I guess the Rex it is then. I will probably get a bite elsewhere beforehand...anyone else interested in joining in that? Otherwise I guess we meet at the rex around 8:30pm if that works for you lot..

The Rex would be my preference too. Looking forward to it.

Count me in as leaning more towards the Rex. The Lulu Lounge might as well be in downtown Prince Albert given how far it is from the centre of my universe.

Big day this past Tuesday with the release of both the Arcade Fire and new Dean Wareham/Britta Phillips (ex-Luna) discs. Picked them both up on Tuesday night, my first purchase of actual compact discs in 2007, and gave them a good spin while driving in the back and beyond of Brampton yesterday.

Not sure that the Arcade Fire disc is up to snuff and so far I'm liking more the Wareham/Phillips disc with it's mellow groove. Perhaps the overall gloom of the Arcade Fire disc just doesn't fit in with my desire to see winter get it's ass out of dodge and let spring move in. The disc that really fit in with my more spring like optimistic self was last years Band of Horses disc which gets better with every listen.

'keys' could mean so many things. he could be jangling a set of house keys, playing a laptop, or using one of those little electronic casio machines that play a nice steady bossa nova.

i prefer the rex, b/c it's closer to home and is pretty laid back but i'm up for either venue. speaking of venues, has anybody been to the courthouse yet? if so, any good?

I am not at all apposed to going to the rex ...it's so easy, ....i sometimes feel guilty about being the guy in the back who is talking over the mediocre music at a club ...but i guess, after all, it is better than talking over good music!

well i was thinking more of just getting my fix of the rex vibe ( but that might be an 80's reference...damn it Brian are not all jazz expressions dated??, but i digress)...so i dont really care who plays there, but if this is great show at the lulu , marc , and all are into it I am game....up to youse guys ...

this is Stu's night and the decision is up to him but i will just throw this out there
http://www.lulalounge.ca/Events/2007/march/march_15_elizabeth_shepherd_trio1.html ???

All right, never heard of them but sounds fine, a sax quartet. I will admit to a smidge of nervousness when I see the pianist listing his instrument as "keys". Very 1980's terminology, which in jazz is NOT a good thing. Let's hope for the best.